Subject:
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Re: Virtues of Veganism?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sun, 10 Jun 2001 15:11:33 GMT
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Viewed:
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551 times
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Sorry for the delay in replying.
Daniel Jassim wrote:
>
> > In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler writes:
> > > In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Daniel Jassim writes:
> > > Precisely, like in Japan and look at their alarming rise in heart disease.
> >
> > I'd be a fool to deny that there's a connection, but I wonder if other
> > newly-acquired habits have likewise contributed to this rise. For instance
> > (and I ask both rhetorically and because I don't know), how has the
> > incidence of cigarette smoking changed during this time, or how has the
> > level of daily stress changed? I'd be further interested to see a
> > time:heart-disease graph to see how long it took to rise after the war.
Here's an interesting stat from
http://sln.fi.edu/biosci/healthy/stats.html
"Of thirty-five countries surveyed in 1991, the United States
cardiovascular death rate ranked 17th for both males and females. The
highest death rates were in the Soviet Union, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria,
Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. The lowest were in Japan, France, Spain,
Switzerland, and Canada."
> That's a good idea! I remember a segment on "20/20" regarding the modern
> Japanese lifestyle, particularly Tokyo businessmen. Yeah, I do believe they
> mentioned more cigarette smoking, LONG ass-kicking hours at stressful jobs
> (away from family), more alcohol consumption (usually getting hammered after
> work), less exercise and generally cramped living. But the big thing they
> pointed out is their post WWII acquired taste for red meat and incidental
> rise in arteriosclerosis and colon cancer, namely with the businessmen I
> mentioned. I think the red meat is the main culprit because of all it's
> saturated fats and cholesterol but absolutely cigarettes, drinking, stress
> and lack of exercise hasten the effects.
>
> > > But you know there are many cultures that ARE fundementally
> > > vegetarian -- Hindus, Buddhists, various African tribes, even some Native
> > > American tribes.
> >
> > Undeniably--I was just voicing a caution that some might summarily equate
> > vegetarianism with morality, when it's not automatically the case.
I'm not equating vegetarianism with morality here, but I frequently have
had the experiance of someone finding out my dietary habits and then
getting at what I perceive to be defensive about their own (typically
meateating). I'm curious if they think that their diet is less moral?
> That's right, being a vegetarian doesn't suddenly increase a person's
> morality. Did you know Adolph Hitler was a vegetarian? The thing is, though,
> I do think that vegetarianism naturally lends itself to a more earth
> conscious attitude. Many vegetarians end up falling into other good habits
> such as recycling, conserving energy, and healthy living (exercise and
> activity). But I am aware of those "vegetarians" out there with the big SUVs
> sucking up gas, using foam cups for their coffee, and so on. California has
> a lot of that kind of double standard, where it's "hip" and "trendy" to do
> something healthy or environmental, but other related stuff doesn't get
> done. It makes vegetarians in general look pretty flaky and stupid.
I've noticed there is a recent trend in vegetarian magazines (i.e.
Vegetarian Times) to adopt a more earth conscience attitude in their
articles/advertisments. I think a major push for this was when the USDA
was developing an organic food standard (2-3 years ago). Articles about
organic food were present in every issue of the magazine for a while.
I've seen many letters to the editor in the magazine from readers who
are dismayed about the trend and just want articles about food.
What I dislike are the "I'm a vegetarian, but I eat chicken(or other
non-veg product)" people. The word 'vegetarian' used to mean what
'vegan' means today, yet it was quickly diluted by vegetarians eating
cheese and milk. Some time ago it got the new defination (at least by
the general public) as eating vegetables and the occasional bit of
chicken or fish. Last year, someone I knew refered to her friends as
'vegan's but they eat cheese.' The cycle starts again. :/
-chris
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Virtues of Veganism?
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| (...) I have had that response on a number of occasions too. I doubt that they think their diet is less moral (though I have had someone sort-of admit that (here!)). I think that they are concerned that you're going to get all self-righteous on them (...) (23 years ago, 10-Jun-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
| | | Re: Virtues of Veganism?
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| (...) That's weird. Do you think the readers thought that the "organic" thing was being overdone? I think some things WERE overdone back in the days, like the big fiber kick in the late 70's. Stuff like that contributed to the stereotype of the tree (...) (23 years ago, 10-Jun-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Virtues of Veganism?
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| (...) That's a good idea! I remember a segment on "20/20" regarding the modern Japanese lifestyle, particularly Tokyo businessmen. Yeah, I do believe they mentioned more cigarette smoking, LONG ass-kicking hours at stressful jobs (away from family), (...) (23 years ago, 6-Jun-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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