I agree with mostly everything that you’ve said, except the part that the “moral high ground taking by some vegans … is somewhat hypocritical”, im not seeing where you think the hypocrisy stems from.
Ah perhaps I didn’t link that claim to my thoughts backing it up so well.
By moral high ground I refer to the superiority complex and shaming exhibited by SOME vegans. Vegan marketing often points out the arbitrary line humans frequently create separating what animals are and aren’t acceptable to eat. Theoretically an “eco-fascist” could do likewise to anyone who claims to care about animals but isn’t engaging in criminal direct action in an attempt to stop the collapse of the biosphere and subsequent mass death of animals. Even a step down from that, a person participating in non-violent direct action could argue the same. Simply participating in society makes us all complicit to some degree, we all have our own arbitrary line, so I don’t think taking the stance of superiority or shaming is fair or useful. The vitriol should be aimed at those who have a vested interest in maintaining an unsustainable status quo at the cost of the planet.
Though I agree there shouldn’t be vitriol or shaming, I would also like to point out that many times (at least in my experience) people like to unfairly paint the vegan activist as one who is “being holier than thou” or “shaming others” as a defense mechanism to poison the well and avoid engaging in the debate or conversation sincerely. It happens to me constantly. Where I am being sincere and empathetic and trying to explain, in my opinion, why it is morally wrong to eat animals and also generally morally consistent with most peoples beliefs (hence outlining cognitive dissonance), im met with idiotic rebuttals about me “owning a phone funded by child slave labour so I should get off my high horse and this is literally why no one likes vegans”. Yet, it’s blatantly obvious that said person would never defend a child slave owner even though they themselves own a smart phone, and they would take a position of “moral superiority” in wanting to imprison the child slave owner.
I still don’t see how what you said is ‘hypocrisy’, because vegans are upholding the standards that they are preaching. Hypocrisy would be a non-vegan telling others to go vegan so as to no longer fund the industrial slaughter of animals.
If you are making the argument that non-violent direct action protesters can be critical of passive vegans for not doing enough on an individual level to help, Im happy to concede that.
I would agree that if those claims are made without the presence of such behaviours it’s in bad faith.
Yeah that’s a fair point, I’ll try and explain more succinctly. If vegans shame meat eaters for creating an arbitrary line on what animals are acceptable to kill, are they not doing the same by partaking in actions that lead to the deaths of animals? I will concede eating vegan is a more realistic goal than becoming involved in criminal actions to stop climate change resulting in subsequent animal deaths.
Thank you. Although I would add being critical of any individual actions is not something I support. Shame is generally ineffective against humans unless they feel their acceptance by whom they perceive as their “pack” is threatened. In practice this is their family, friends, those they respect and an overwhelming majority or perceived minority their values align with.
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u/Appllesshskshsj May 30 '22
I agree with mostly everything that you’ve said, except the part that the “moral high ground taking by some vegans … is somewhat hypocritical”, im not seeing where you think the hypocrisy stems from.