I was involved with Tasmanian Vegans when I lived there, and made a lot of friends, which has now withered down to one because apparently to be a Nice Vegan, you have to be a Nice Trans Ally.
I remember an argument about being Nice, where everyone thought it was inextricably linked to Veganism except me. I said "I didn't sign up to this!" Having moved state and become The Only Vegan in the Village I have observed a sort of unshackling of Group Think too. I have found that people are a lot more accepting of what I say now that I'm not surrounded by people wearing identical Tshirts 😀
I'm not in any vegan groups despite being vegan for more than 20 years now. I would like to be around more like-minded people but I know there is some militancy there and I'm not the perfect vegan either - I knit with wool for instance although I do try to buy British wool only.
Watching the gender debacle unfold and seeing countless women and men vilified for making statements of fact has made me more sympathetic to opposing viewpoints as I never want to behave the way the gender zealots have and are still behaving.
Your letter of complaint isn't so bad as you are very measured and respectful in your response. I do think we vegans needs to laugh more at ourselves. It's when the insults get a reaction from us that it encourages them more. I get it also as a cyclist. Indeed the abuse towards cyclists is worse than towards vegans these days, at least in the UK where veganism is quite well established.
Rest assured, that was principled and mild. I'm not vegan (was vegetarian for 20 years before adding fish back in), but I've known several vegans, including a niece. I've never heard them use the words "genocide" or "monstering" or . . . well, the usual. I've never had to cross a vegan picket line to enter a market. None have reported me to my employer for eating fish, or threatened me on social media, or doxed me, or thrown soup on me and fled the country on an airplane, or paraded through my kitchen with a bullhorn and a sign telling me to go eff myself or worse, or anything, really.
Thankfully he didn't say 'set fire to the vegan hotels for all I care' otherwise you would really have let him have it!!😃 Under our Labour government that would almost certainly be a hate crime and he could be sent down for 31 months.
Thanks for 'stochastic' - another new word for me. 😊
actually a good and worthy complaint - it's public bullying and humiliation essentially. However I suspect the radio piece was tongue in cheek which, of course, a group being attacked would not read that way. You probably should have used shorter words - he may have understood you then. Anyhoo main thing....did you get your apology?
No, no apology :-) The complaint wasn’t upheld for basically the reasons you say - the piece was satirical in nature. I did know that, but chose to be aggrieved enough to complain, and was egged on by fellow vegans, of course. I wanted to demonstrate how we can all be dicks sometimes, especially when caught up in the groupthink that’s positive we’re right, and also how we can change.
This made me chuckle. Thanks for your courage to share your letter, you could inspire me (so many cringe-fests to choose from), but I tend to destroy the evidence.
The letter is a bit Monty Python-esque and does have more than a hint of the TAs melodrama, but we all know the difference; the ways of vegans are harmless to bodies and minds, apart from the loss of cognitive dissonance in favour of kindness (to those who will shit on them from a great height and are harmful to bodies and minds).
I love it!!
I was involved with Tasmanian Vegans when I lived there, and made a lot of friends, which has now withered down to one because apparently to be a Nice Vegan, you have to be a Nice Trans Ally.
I remember an argument about being Nice, where everyone thought it was inextricably linked to Veganism except me. I said "I didn't sign up to this!" Having moved state and become The Only Vegan in the Village I have observed a sort of unshackling of Group Think too. I have found that people are a lot more accepting of what I say now that I'm not surrounded by people wearing identical Tshirts 😀
Great comment :-) I think a lot of us 'bad vegans' will have had similar experiences to what you describe.
Stochastic terrorism! Fancy pants abuse.
Lol! I thought I was feckin clever at the time - hahahahaha.
I'm not in any vegan groups despite being vegan for more than 20 years now. I would like to be around more like-minded people but I know there is some militancy there and I'm not the perfect vegan either - I knit with wool for instance although I do try to buy British wool only.
Watching the gender debacle unfold and seeing countless women and men vilified for making statements of fact has made me more sympathetic to opposing viewpoints as I never want to behave the way the gender zealots have and are still behaving.
Your letter of complaint isn't so bad as you are very measured and respectful in your response. I do think we vegans needs to laugh more at ourselves. It's when the insults get a reaction from us that it encourages them more. I get it also as a cyclist. Indeed the abuse towards cyclists is worse than towards vegans these days, at least in the UK where veganism is quite well established.
Your comment is very much along the same lines as how I think now.
This is like a vintage bottle of outrage – aged, bold, and still packing a punch. Thanks for the smile, Katrina.
Love the similie - lol!
'A life with no cringe is a life lived too carefully – which I just made up now 😊'. Love it.
Rest assured, that was principled and mild. I'm not vegan (was vegetarian for 20 years before adding fish back in), but I've known several vegans, including a niece. I've never heard them use the words "genocide" or "monstering" or . . . well, the usual. I've never had to cross a vegan picket line to enter a market. None have reported me to my employer for eating fish, or threatened me on social media, or doxed me, or thrown soup on me and fled the country on an airplane, or paraded through my kitchen with a bullhorn and a sign telling me to go eff myself or worse, or anything, really.
"Reported me to my employer for eating fish" - lol! That pretty much sums up the sheer irrationality of the TQ+ brigade :-)
Thanks, Katrina.
I enjoyed that!
Thankfully he didn't say 'set fire to the vegan hotels for all I care' otherwise you would really have let him have it!!😃 Under our Labour government that would almost certainly be a hate crime and he could be sent down for 31 months.
Thanks for 'stochastic' - another new word for me. 😊
Dusty
Ah, well - he might have, if it was a ‘thing’ back then 😀 Realistically, I think he might have had enough restraint not to :-)
actually a good and worthy complaint - it's public bullying and humiliation essentially. However I suspect the radio piece was tongue in cheek which, of course, a group being attacked would not read that way. You probably should have used shorter words - he may have understood you then. Anyhoo main thing....did you get your apology?
No, no apology :-) The complaint wasn’t upheld for basically the reasons you say - the piece was satirical in nature. I did know that, but chose to be aggrieved enough to complain, and was egged on by fellow vegans, of course. I wanted to demonstrate how we can all be dicks sometimes, especially when caught up in the groupthink that’s positive we’re right, and also how we can change.
This made me chuckle. Thanks for your courage to share your letter, you could inspire me (so many cringe-fests to choose from), but I tend to destroy the evidence.
The letter is a bit Monty Python-esque and does have more than a hint of the TAs melodrama, but we all know the difference; the ways of vegans are harmless to bodies and minds, apart from the loss of cognitive dissonance in favour of kindness (to those who will shit on them from a great height and are harmful to bodies and minds).
Yes, the complaint was rather melodramatic - lol! And how easy it can be to adopt that mindset, when you're utterly convinced of your righteousness.
Oh no, you mentioned Monty Python!!!https://www.google.com/search?q=monty+pyhton+prejudice&oq=monty+pyhton+prejudice&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQABgNGIAEMggIAhAAGBYYHjIHCAMQABjvBTIHCAQQABjvBdIBCDY4OTdqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:fe33ea8a,vid:ieDUQ3fq1ow,st:0
Dusty
I couldn't open that link, but whatever it was, I'm it would have been Monty Python copying me - lol!!
If you Google Monty Python and Prejudice you'll find it 😄
Dusty