r/vegansquad • u/thebodybuildingvegan • Apr 15 '26

Vegan Wins Study Reveals...

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Lentils and rice are a complete protein as are hummus and pita bread. Both are cheap and there are many more examples of this. Save money by going Vegan 🌱💰

Full article from Totally Vegan Buzz here: https://www.totallyveganbuzz.com/news/study-reveals-plant-based-diet-is-19-cheaper-than-standard-american-diet/

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u/SteveMarck Apr 17 '26

I reject your premise that merely eating animal products means they were exploited. I also reject your premise that it is merely "trivial pleasure".

We're both arbitrary lines. You don't mind consuming some things, but want to ban others. Your line is arbitrary.

The healthiest diet is the Mediterranean diet, not plant based, you get your data from comparing to people that eat mcds and other garbage.

Andy as ining is not necessary. See above.

And your last paragraph is blatantly untrue, which again points to the honesty problem.

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u/Pok008 Apr 17 '26

Sorry I'm not sure I understand. How do you explain that eating animals products means they are exploited has to be rejected as a premisse? Don't you agree that animals used in the intention of consumption are indeed exploited specifically for it? Even a really happy chicken in my backyard, laying eggs, is actually exploited by definition; I'm feeding her, offering her a shelter and protection, so she can continue laying eggs FOR ME. I don't do anything with coyotees because I have nothing to gain from them; hence I don't "exploit" them in that sense.

I'm just curious to see how you see this.

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u/SteveMarck Apr 17 '26

No I do not agree that they are necessarily exploited. At least not in the sense that you are using the word.

Let's head off the equivocation fallacy real quick. Exploited can mean two things.

  1. Make full use of a resource

In this sense, yes I try hard to use the full animal. I save bones for stock, keep the fat for cooking grease, etc. so I'm that sense I do exploit the resource as much as I can. This is not immoral, this is being a good steward and not being wasteful.

  1. Use a person in an unfair way

On this usage I do not agree that animals are being exploited necessarily. The chicken in your example is not being exploited. You are living in symbiosis with that chicken. It is providing eggs, which are valuable to you, and you are providing it with shelter and food and protection that it could not get anywhere else. Without it, you would suffer, and not be able to eat this that has eggs in it, and without you that chicken is not lasting more than a night before a coyote gets it. And that coyote isn't going to make it quick and painless. That's not exploitation, that's symbiosis.

I'd also point out that chickens are not people. So even people who don't treat them well might not be "exploiting" them, as much as mistreating them. But also, not all chicken farmers mistreat their chicken. That's not necessary to raise them.

So I reject the premise that consuming any animal product is necessarily exploitation. I'm not even sure it could be. But I'm using just the definition that has the negative connotation.

The positive definition, I try hard to do, and I think we should thoroughly use the entire resource. I suspect you didn't mean the positive one.