by Tanith » Mon Sep 20, 2010 8:07 am
Ah, I'm going to sounds like an uppity snob here. Oh well.
Listen, if it's necessary to identify myself politically, I'll say that I'm libertarian (I like my fiscal conservatism without a heaping helping of the morality police), so I'm neither right nor left, though probably from a non-American standpoint I'm still right of center. I'm not a huge conservationist, I make efforts but I'm lazy about being "green" and I don't like the guilt trips of certain psycho eco groups.
However, I do live rurally and one thing that's important to me because it directly affects my family is to support local farming. My uncle owns a farm and we get a lot of our meat and all of our eggs from him. We go to two different farmers' markets because, well, the food just tastes better, anyway, but also because it supports the local economy. And yes, it's "green" but that's a secondary benefit to me. (Sorry if that offends anyone.)
Whatever meat I can't get from my uncle (he has cattle, pigs, sheep and chickens), I get from an organic butcher near where I work. Seems snobby, but again, the meat is fresher and therefore tastes better.
As for veganism, I have no problems with it until the militant vegans march in and wag their fingers at everyone else for their horrible, fattening diets that turn the earth into a greenhouse and make the baby Jesus cry. But I feel that way about anyone who wears a silly label like "vegan" with such pride and arrogance. Making people feel like crap isn't going to win them over. If they want people to change, they should at least accept that not everyone wants to become full-time herbivores, and then suggest responsible diet options.
I also agree that tackling eco problems such as this are better met with finding workable solutions to responsible farming rather than just not eating meat anymore. One option is possible, the other will never happen. You can decide which is which.
"I don't go to very many social events apart from fires." - carlsojos