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If you would like to join in on the debate you can find the original post here. Now that I've handled all the formalities let's begin!
Ethics
The first point vegans all use to stand on their pedestal of superiority is the ethical argument. The ethical argument is a slippery slope because you have to draw the line somewhere. To one extreme it means we shouldn't exist period, what is better for the planet is if humans were extinct. The planet would function fine without us so if Vegans really believed in it wholeheartedly they'd pull a Jonestown on us all. If all the vegans were gone, guess what? Less competition for resources and more for the rest of us. That's just me trying to rile you up but seriously ethics isn't the easiest platform to debate on, we all have different beliefs, different ways of interpreting things and live in different environments. The Vegan outlook is one very much based in a post-modern society with little regard for the rest of the world's situation. Veganism is driven by those who live in the utopian modern world where all other needs are already met and you free to have a choice. Guess what? We're not all first world countries, most of the world have very little choice to consider ethical conundrums about what they put in their mouths. They work, get food, give thanks and continue on.
So perhaps you should think about that next time you're leaving yoga class, listening to your Spotify playlist on your way to whole foods.
Health
So far I've seen no real studies on the benefits of a plant-based diet. All these documentaries are filled with anecdotal evidence and the trend data doesn't seem to suggest superior performance. When it comes to health I don't think there is a real debate on this one, people on both diets can produce superior performance and that's up to the individual. I will say this though, a plant-based diet needs a lot more monitoring to make sure you're getting the correct balance of nutrients which isn't something everyone is keen on. The improvement in vegan based suppliments may help this but I think its safe to call it a draw on this one.
Environmental impact
Yes, factory farming is responsible for 10 - 18% of carbon emissions I get that but there really is no modern mass-produced agricultural business that has no big environmental impact. What you trade off in emissions you make up for by killing insects and small animals finding food in your crops. It's really a lesser of 2 evils.
When it comes to the consumer, I'll lean on my previous argument, vegans are a first world ideology. If you consider your carbon emissions from binging Netflix, driving to the store picking up your bespoke organic goods (which have their own carbon footprint) trust me you far exceed the person who walks to the butcher to get his ham, it's all relative. You go anecdotal, I go anecdotal, tit for tit bro!
If you really cared that much about the environment as your argument you would reduce your carbon footprint you would do it on a holistic level since its an ideology you firmly believe in. You would not be using indoor plumbing, you'd be pooping in your cabbage patch out in the garden and growing your ALL your own food. Not spending the day taking pictures for Instagram the organic farmers market this weekend. Caring about the environment up until what is convenient and fashionable, isn't caring at all!
If you're doing all that feel free to lecture me, if you do not take your store bought organic kale chips and finish the rest of this article!
Economic impact
I tend to lean more to the side of capitalism when it comes to economic policies and I think the market will always self-regulate and the winner will come out tops eventually based on factors like a superior product, cost efficiency and consumer benefits. I've heard many arguments about how veganism can be done affordably with limited costs being passed on to the customer while they argue that factory farming has distinct advantages in terms of subsidies, infrastructure and distribution to consumers, which may be true. My issue with competition in this space is that even if your competitor has distinct advantages a superior product will always win in the end. I don't care if you're 20% better but 12% its more expensive, the cost benefit to the end users aren't there! The vegan industry has a responsibility to produce a superior product on all levels if it is to disrupt current eating trends, which I don't think it has.
Do you think YouTube would take over TV? Did you think NetFlix would put video rental out of business? Did you think MP3's would put record stores out of business? Did you think cell phones could make digital cameras obsolete? These alternatives didn't win because they're 10% better for the consumer, people took to it because it was 1000 times better than what was available before.
So instead of arguing in the minutiae, go back to the drawing board, iterate on your product and pitch me once you have a workable product that can compete and win in the market.
My reaction when vegans try to debate
Marketing
Veganism like blockchain has a marketing problem, its positioned itself as a mutually exclusive practice. You're either with us or against us, this evangelical approach is by far the scourge of the movement and regardless of the facts is what takes the most heat and rubs people the wrong way. It also drives a high churn rate of people who leave veganism because they simply cannot stand this one train of thought. Humans are dynamic free thinkers and if you force something on them, they're going to reject it.
There are more people with a registered accounts on Facebook than there are Vegans. Why? Because no one forced it down their damn throats., It was organic growth through interest and world of mouth not through aggressive evangelism, moral superiority and exclusivity. It's these traits that have attracted many vegans to the hype train and they're only on it for the social status fad that it has become, rather than the pure movement it once was, can we call this one 3rd wave veganism yet? If there is one chink in the vegan armour where the movement could fall flat from it would be this one.
Being a human
For argument's sake, let's take all intellect of the table if we haven't already! Humans are animals and like animals, we've evolved through a series of discoveries. For example, those who could not smell sulphur died, those who did survived and so natural selection moved on. Our bodies have been refined over generations to release pleasure to reinforce postive contribution to the body and pain or discomfort to enforce a negative one.
Eating meat is a pleasurable experience and I for one don't question anything that is pleasurable! I just would like a second helping. Life is about enjoying your time here through self discovery and remember, to deny our own impluses is to deny the very thing that makes us human!
All love
I know I've been hard on you vegans but you need to realise that if you believe in something you need to be stress tested! I know I purposefully left out positive aspects of the lifestyle and I realise the planet needs its adoption in order to bring about change in the current monopolistic food production systems of the world which I'm all for. While veganism continues to gain popularity around the world, it's by no means a full proof plan to solve the problems it claims to, that's not cynical that's common sense.
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