Seen a lot of posts on Lemmy with vegan-adjacent sentiments but the comments are typically very critical of vegan ideas, even when they don’t come from vegans themselves. Why is this topic in particular so polarising on the internet? Especially since unlike politics for example, it seems like people don’t really get upset by it IRL

  • ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    6 months ago

    You can see who the vegans are in this comment section by trying to make it some moral issue

    You can see who isn’t vegan by the comments talking about vegans being annoying

    IRL these groups don’t interact as much, if you bring both to a barbecue then you will find the above sentiment again

    • SapientLasagna@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      6 months ago

      Veganism at its core is a moral stance. If not for the moral issues, these people would probably be vegetarian instead. That’s not to say that all vegans are the aggressive evangelist kind, but pretty much all vegans choose their diet out of moral concerns (in addition to health and environmental reasons).

      • ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        6 months ago

        That’s great you feel that way but

        The other side doesn’t care/think about it/feel that way

        The not in your face vegans aren’t in your face so they wouldn’t mention it and remain unknown so they don’t shape people’s perceptions

        • SapientLasagna@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          6 months ago

          What “other side”? Vegans? I suppose there are some who are just sort of “cultural vegans” too, where they don’t have a moral stance, but are vegan because their friends or family are.

          I’m not sure if maybe you’re reading more negativity in my comment than I meant. There’s certainly nothing wrong with animal welfare as a moral stance.

          • ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            6 months ago

            What “other side”?

            Non-vegan

            I don’t believe the people who aren’t vegan view their choice as a moral decision

            • SapientLasagna@lemmy.ca
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              6 months ago

              Many people who aren’t vegan still choose free range eggs, organic beef, fair trade coffee and chocolate.

              The 500 mile diet is absolutely a moral choice, even if it includes meat.

              Albertans preferentially eating large amounts of Alberta beef is viewed as a virtue there. Veganism is viewed as immoral, unalbertan (amongst some communities).