by billg » Fri 15 Dec 2006, 12:51:40
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('oowolf', '(')Pardon me if I interrupt this thread on its way to the HOF) but
what about insects?
Can veg-a-whatevers eat insects? I mean intentionally, as we all eat them inadvertently. They're a good source of B12, and a valuable part of the Paleo diet.
THANKS FOR THE TIP!
Well vegans and vegetarians come in all shapes and flavors. I'm vegan now but I would definitely consider eating insects for B12 or fish for omega 3 if I had to, but of course that would make me non-vegan. I learned a little about insect feasting from that reality television show Fear Factor.
Ok....time to digress
Diet is such a complicated issue...On an ethical level, I really don't see much difference between killing your neighbor or killing your neighbor's dog for food if you were starving. Society calls the killing of humans murder but condones the killing of highly conscious animals like pigs, dolphins, and dogs (in various parts of the world). On the other hand, I do see a big difference ethically between taking the life of a grasshopper or a trout and taking the life of one of the formentioned animals.
In my experience, vegans are not always the most compassionate people. They sometimes miss the big picture. For example, Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA, is a big NASCAR fan. That's insane. If you care about animal welfare, why would you support the glamorization of the automobile, the asphalting and greenhouse gassing of America, and needless motoring around in circles for entertainment's sake.
However, there are a lot of vegans who live in ecovillages like Dancing Rabbit in MO and see the big picture....DR has an interesting mix of vegan and hunter/gatherer permaculturist types who eat limited amounts of meat.
I believe that vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores can live together harmoniously in a small community, but it is certainly a very tricky issue as i discovered from my 4 years living at ecovillages in VA. Some meateaters are total whores and don't care at all about the source of their meat, and this can really disturb vegan/vegetarians. But then some meat eaters are much more conscious, they care about the source, and they try not to be wasteful (they eat or utilize the whole animal)
After my experience in a highly self-sufficient community (
www.twinoaks.org) with 55% omnivore, 35% vegetarian, and 10% vegan, I would probably decide to opt for a community that was more vegetarian just because the omnivores dominated the food politics to an unfair degree. For example, the community was pouring an enormous amount of resources into raising cattle for beef and dairy and processing it, and yet they were buying a lot of cheap non-organic GMO transfatty stuff from Sysco and Costco. It just didn't seem rational to me. And that shit made me sick.
Bill G.
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"It is no measure of health to be deemed sane in an insane society". J. Krishnamurti