Virulent Anti-Vegans Troll 'New York Times' City Blog Post
In a New York Times City Room blog post, "Ask About the Vegan Lifestyle in New York," commenters had a chance to ask Rynn Berry, the author of The Vegan Guide to New York City, about "shopping, eating and living a vegan lifestyle in New York." The moderators let a few nasty and silly comments slip through before retroactively deleting a few. For posterity, we archive some of the gems, from mean to sad to funny to just plain weird, after the jump:
"Can you explain why “ethical” vegans trumpet their “cruelty-free” diets, when the fact is that growing, storing, and transporting their food causes immense pain and suffering to many HUMANS!" — John
"Putting a child on veganism borders on child abuse." — [REDACTED]
"It’s just common sense: eating a vegan diet and remaining child-free are two extremely powerful ways an individual can save the environment." — Ruth
"I’m 23 years old and recently moved to NYC. Where do young vegans around my age hang out in the city?" — James
"I’m about to road trip for several days (relocating from TN to CT)and I’m very worried about eating on the road. I’m transistioning into vegetariansism and I don’t eat dairy products or french fries." — Melissa
Please explain to me how eating a ‘vegan lifestyle’ is not elitist. It is very expensive to eat an exclusive vegan diet and even the term ‘lifestyle’ denotes peoples being apart from... with the exception of Non-American born Buddhists, most veagans I have met are very arrogant regarding their food choices. — ny2ca2de
"Veganism is just another eating disorder - just another way for a mentally ill person to have absolute control over everything they eat." — [REDACTED]
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20 Comments:
I was expecting much worse... Maybe I should go comment over there, MUAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!
simon at 5:55PM on 08/04/08
Interesting as well as depressing that something that is no one else's business provokes so much anger.
Maybe it's all the meat those people are eating,.
billg at 7:05PM on 08/04/08
My position on veganism: eat whatever kind of diet you want. It's up to you. If you choose to be vegan, you miss out on a lot of very delicious cusine. Your loss. More for me. However:
1.Don't get uppity and preach to me about your diet. I don't care.
2.Don't come into my restaurant and give me an order with 18 mods and subs. You are not the chef.
3.Don't get all offended when people eat meat around you. Don't tell me how disgusting it is and make retching noises. Your attitude is far more offensive than my steak.
sailordave at 8:54PM on 08/04/08
@sailordave - I like how you think. Thanks for typing it so I don't have to.
littlesalsi at 10:57PM on 08/04/08
I've met some vegetarians that have the attitude people complain about, but most have been very nice, normal, decent people. We shouldn't judge them all by the words or actions of a few. Lord knows us meat eaters have our fair share of idiots too. Some enjoy taunting or making fun of vegetarians just to upset them, and that's equally wrong.
FastFoodCritic at 11:07PM on 08/04/08
I think the one about bringing up a child on a vegan diet being abuse is basically correct. Humans didn't evolve to survive simply on vegetable matter, and it certainly isn't healthy in a developmental sense to restrict food intake to such a narrow selection.
PTCHFRKR at 7:14AM on 08/05/08
people are people, there will always be someone out there who objects to your choices if it different from theirs. I've run into vegans, christians, and jehova's witnesses as well as meat eaters, hunters, anti hunters etc that are annoying. life is full of know-it-alls. laugh to yourself and walk away the more mature person. (especially if they are bigger or drunker than you) ;-)
huneybumper at 7:17AM on 08/05/08
Those were "nasty"???
Really???
Seems that the moderators were militant vegans who can't tolerate anyone who has a differing opinion than their own... Elitist indeed...
ronzoni at 7:35AM on 08/05/08
I attended a vegan potluck Friday evening – and ate homestyle sushi, mango spring rolls, coconut milk ice cream and brownies. All delicious. The brownies were some of the best I've eaten, and that's saying something. If that's an elitist, restrictive, abusive, disordered diet, I'm worried for the world.
KarynMC at 8:10AM on 08/05/08
You know, what's really depressing is the number of people who seem to think that anyone doing something out of the mainstream is uppity, arrogant, and preachy. It's as if they believe that anyone who fails to match their image of a "normal" person is a personal threat. I can only assume that they're the same folks who thought studying in school was only for people who were uppity, arrogant and preachy. Look where that got them.
billg at 8:42AM on 08/05/08
@sailordave - I completely agree. I believe that people are welcome to enjoy whatever kind of diet they please, and I hope that they respect my diet choices, too.
Junie at 8:43AM on 08/05/08
@sailordave - How many vegetarians have actually made retching noises while you were eating? I'm curious.
KarynMC at 8:56AM on 08/05/08
Give me a break BillG...people like you are a prime example of why vegans and vegetarians have a bad reputation. Your post history is full of asinine comments about your self-perceived superiority, a matter which is based entirely on your "moral" decision to eliminate certain foods from your diet.
Doctrine at 9:34AM on 08/05/08
Yeah..I was expecting a bit more rage...being that about 50% of the people who find out that I'm vegetarian become wildly defensive and angry about it. For the hell of it, I'd like to summarize an average conversation: "So, why are you vegetarian?" Then I explain why. Person's response: "Wellllll, I like meat!" Hey, good for you slugger!
Smoosh at 9:45AM on 08/05/08
You don't merit a break, Doctrine. I'm neither vegan or vegetarian. I'm just dismayed by people who believe that anyone doing something they don't do is motivated solely by a desire to feel superior. Why would anyone feel insulted by someone else's food choices? Paying attention to your diet is common sense. Failure to do is, in fact, an inferior choice.
I don't get the ideological fervor that seems to come with so many vegans, but it's the proselytizing, not the veganism, that annoys me.
billg at 11:02AM on 08/05/08
I've never understood why anyone cares about things that don't affect them or anyone else- like other people's eating habits.
gillsnthrills at 11:33AM on 08/05/08
My position on food: eat whatever kind of food you want. It's up to you. If you choose to be [insert description of diet], you miss out on a lot of very delicious cusine. Your loss. More for me. However:
1.Don't get uppity and preach to me about your diet. I don't care.
2.Don't come into my restaurant and give me an order with 18 mods and subs. You are not the chef.
3.Don't get all offended when people eat [whatever your diet precludes] around you. Don't tell me how disgusting it is and make retching noises. Your attitude is far more offensive than my [whatever food makes you feel superior to those not eating it].
Maybe people should take a step back and look at where the preaching is actually coming from. This BS gets tiresome....
sloppy at 11:34AM on 08/05/08
Or the shorter version: what gillsnthrills said.
sloppy at 12:14PM on 08/05/08
I once had a vegan friend who would always try to trick us with tofu and food coloring. "But it was for our own health." I still can't eat tofu.
It is like a Evangelical Christian trying to shove their beliefs down your throat. I like my beliefs and eating dead cow; let's leave it at that.
acroninj at 12:15PM on 08/05/08
Well, acroninj, if you visit a vegan or vegetarian friend for dinner, I don't think you'd failry expect them to cook up a roast just for you. And, vice versa.
One thing that muddies this issue is the notion that veganism and vegetarianism are necessarily belief systems. Obviously, they are for many people who believe that eating animals is morally offensive. However, many people become vegetarians (vegans, less so I suspect) for simply reasons of health and taste.
In any case, many people appear to take the presence of anyone who acts or thinks differerently to threaten the way they act and think.
billg at 12:39PM on 08/05/08