Martin Willett wrote:

> Dave wrote:
>
>> Martin Willett wrote:
>>
>>> ant and dec wrote:
>>>
>>>> Martin Willett wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> ant and dec wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Martin Willett wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> First published on http://mwillett.org/mind/eat-me.htm
>>>>>>> posted by the author
>
> <snip>
>
>>>>
>>>> What higher moral stance? Different morals perhaps. Why do you feel
>>>> they
>>>> claim a higher moral stance and why? Perhaps it's your perception of
>>>> your own morality.
>>
>>
>>
>> If people decide to avoid animal source food products for perceived
>> ethical reasons as the vast majority of vegans do then it follows
>> they must consider this to be a higher moral stance.
>>
>
> Quite. To say otherwise is simply being obtuse.
>
>>> Oh come on. Veg*ns ooze their sense of moral superiority like Christians
>>> and Buddhists, they use it as part of their locomotion, like slugs. Of
>>> course they make a point of not *claiming* moral superiority while doing
>>> all they can to ensure that other people get the message loud and clear.
>>> Their entire bearing says "we're not claiming to be superior to you, oh
>>> no, that would be rude and arrogant and not *nice*, but you do know that
>>> you are inferior to us, don't you? You don't? Here, take a pamphlet,
>>> it's all in there."
>>
>>
>>
>> Since you obviously have a problem with it perhaps you might like to
>> give
>> veg*ns some advice. Should they avoid acting in what they consider to
>> be the morally superior fashion in case it makes other people feel
>> uncomfortable? Show they avoid trying to educate people whom they
>> believe have similar moral values but eat animal products out of
>> ignorance?
>
>
> If veg*ns want to carry on getting cheap moral superiority without
> having to do anything really worthy they should carry on exactly as they
> are doing. Veg*nism will never be an opportunity for moral superiority
> if it is universal, so the struggle must go on for ever and must never
> be allowed to succeed.

This is absolutely right, and it ties back to an
observation I made a long time ago concerning self
marginalization. "vegans" suffer from what can only be
called a form of mental illness, in which they derive a
perverse and pathological sense of well being from
being alienated from the larger society. For most
people, a feeling of alienation is unpleasant, and
mentally healthy people attempt to elminate it or
overcome it. Some people suffering from mental
pathology, however, come to embrace their feelings of
alienation, and seek to augment them. The consious
embrace of a marginalizing diet and belief system is a
pretty good way at achieving greater alienation. If
the entire world embraced "veganism", today's "vegans"
would no longer feel alienated based on that one
dimension. They don't *want* the world to "go 'vegan'".




> Ensuring that they never make a united and
> coherent front, that there are always several contradictory sets of
> ideas on display and that they are seen to also endorse a variety of
> alternative and counter-cultural causes. I especially commend the use of
> the "it's all the same struggle comrade" approach whenever possible to
> ensure that veg*nism is always associated with the kind of militant
> animal rights people who torture the pets of laboratory workers to show
> how bloody serious they are and associating veg*nism with drugs,
> homosexuality, torching McDonalds and overturning BMWs is always a good
> idea.

"veganism" *is* the dietary expression of "animal
rights" adherents.


>
> What about holding a march on Trafalgar Square under the banner of
> "Vegans: kick a pigeon if you think meat is murder" and carry banners
> that say "Vegans fart louder" or "Vegans: spit or swallow?"
>
>> How would you act if you agreed with their views about the raising or
>> killing of animals?
>>
>
> Badly. I'd be a bloody dangerous person if ever I was infected by
> religion or moral absolutism. I know my capacity for bloody-mindedness
> and it scares me.
>
> Seriously, I can't do it. It would be like trying to imagine what I'd
> think if I was a bat.
>
> If I agreed with those views I wouldn't be me and I wouldn't have my
> thoughts or my memories.
>
> No, I didn't say vegans were all batty.
>
> <snip>
>