This is a topic people get really defensive about and I've never understood why. If you look at a discussion thread about the oil industry, everyone is in agreement that the world needs to reduce its dependency on oil and people seem open to changing their own habits to help with that (to an extent and where possible). Same with energy generation, most people are happy that solar and wind power generation is becoming more widely used, and even opinions on nuclear energy plants seem to be shifting to a more positive light.

And then there's the meat industry, awful from a moral standpoint and detrimental from an environmental sustainability standpoint, and this is the topic where people are suddenly "wElL tOO bAd I'M sTiLL EaTiNg sTEak EveRY dAY."

I do not get it. Like I'm not vegan, but I've still cut out almost all meat from my diet and will happily try out or switch to totally vegan options when possible. Vegans are right about this, even if some of them are assholes about it. I'm not going to defend my non-vegan choices in my diet, sometimes I'm just lazy, but I still try to be better because it's the right thing to do.

Genuinely curious why this topic riles people up so much if anyone has an answer.

[–] BluJay320@lemmy.blahaj.zone 26 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I really think it’s just an issue of people seeing animals as inferior and that they don’t really care about their suffering, despite claims otherwise. It’s also much easier to overlook because it doesn’t have as much of direct impact on humanity as the oil industry or renewable energy.

Also, dietary changes are difficult to convince people of in general. Just look at the prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.

[–] ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca 11 points 5 months ago

Also, dietary changes are difficult to convince people of in general. Just look at the prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.

I definitely think this is the main problem. It's a struggle to get people to change their diet even when it's directly having a negative affect on their own health. Trying to convince people to change their diet over more abstract reasons is going to be even more difficult.

[–] riwo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 23 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

i hate how negatively vegans are seen, when in reality, they usually get shat on by meat eaters just for eating their vegan stuff and minding their own buisness.

thats without them even saying anything about the horrors of animal agriculture and how it is bad to eat meat. if they attempt that, they already lost.

even vegans who are behaving like assholes arent too bad imo, after all they at least have a righteous cause and are standing up against the dominant culture, that has no regard for farm animals lifes.

i keep eating animal products just because its slightly easier or because i cant resist the slightly tastier products or because the selection is a bit bigger, despite knowing how bad that is. and i think i deserve to get shit from a vegan. after all i should do better and my excuses are nothing, if we consider what they are attempting to excuse.

[–] DriftinGrifter@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

gonna be honest never seen a vegan get bullied past 2018 and being an asshole is never ok also wtf is this selfsubserving bullshit just dont eat meat if you think you deserve getting shat on for it you self misserising massochist. appart from that i do believ that veganism is the correct action for the future

[–] riwo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

i have a vegan friend, they regularly get shit from their conservative coworkers for beig vegan. and i know they arent even doing any vegan advocacy, because they are super socually anxious. so ig your lived experience does not represent reality.

if you cant handle harsh criticsm, fine. i personally prefer to be called out when im doing morally wrong stuff. yeah not being an asshole is better but i get it if vegans are frustrated and in the and, im the one in the wrong. their smal personal failings are nothing

[–] dinkusmann@feddit.rocks 1 points 4 months ago

You sound like every vegan a few years before they go vegan. And then they all regret not going vegan sooner.

Trust me when I say making the switch can actually be quite fun and pretty soon you won't miss meat at all.

[–] volvoxvsmarla@lemm.ee 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I agree so much with this. Vegans are right, period. It doesn't matter whether they mind their own business or are annoying about it. It doesn't matter whether they are preachy because they preach the obviously right thing. They are right.

I'm also not a vegan and I know that I am a hypocrite every time I eat meat or have milk. I would never defend my non-vegan choices. There is absolutely no good reason for me to have steak or milk or eggs. Not in this place and time when alternatives are available everywhere.

[–] dinkusmann@feddit.rocks 1 points 4 months ago

Ok, based on your comment you're definitely going to go vegan eventually and then you're going to regret not going vegan sooner. Save yourself the anguish and just rip the band-aid off now. I promise the switch is easier and more fun than you think.

[–] Jumuta@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 months ago

people don't directly see the benefits of oil and gas in their life, but they do with meat

[–] usernamesAreTricky@lemmy.ml 18 points 5 months ago

Sources:

Article with "forget the pig is an animal - treat him just like a machine in a factory" quote

Revealed: Tyson Foods dumps millions of pounds of toxic pollutants into US rivers and lakes

Millions of store chickens suffer burns from excrement

The pork industry’s forced cannibalism, explained.

Farmers Are Leaving Animals to Die During Natural Disasters — and Getting Paid for It

Bonus source that adds more to the "forget the pig is an animal" quote

[–] j4k3@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

There are ~100k feral humans within 100 miles of where I lay right now in the 2nd largest city in the USA. This is our culture and our standard of government. We don't give a shit about humans, the elderly, the disabled, animals, or the environment.