#swimdown

[nottobethatveganbut-blog]

16 Former Meat & Dairy Farmers Who Became Vegan Activists

We've updated our popular feature with 8 NEW profiles of former animal farmers who went vegan and are speaking out.

they were brainwashed to do violence and they came out of it so hard, this gives me so much hope?? fuckin beautiful

[poppunkdumpster]

“Swim Down” - Moose Blood

[sometimenow]

beautiful lyric art from a newly discovered band-Moose Blood- SOOOGOOOD!

[nottobethatveganbut-blog]

unfortunately most people like to use 'dietary need' when they really mean 'palate pleasure'.

[nottobethatveganbut-blog]

there seems to be a mindset (even among fellow vegans and activists) that believes we can’t be critical thinkers without picking apart statements under the  assumption that our opponent is stupid. that because the writer didn’t say everything that needed to be said, there must be gaps in their logic.

while it’s totally possible that there is a fallacy at play, rubbing that in isn’t how you make friends and influence people. as people who, by our own estimation, know better, we do ourselves such a disservice when we patronize and assume the worst of others. (i think internet culture lends to this, it teaches us to sound smart rather than how to convey information socially, in a way that allows others to be receptive to it)

instead of ‘you must not know about x,y,z so what you said is inherently flawed’, ask their opinion on x,y,z. if you disagree with something, ask why they think that way genuinely, and keep asking until one of you realizes that you might be a little less right than you thought previously.

this gives them time to research if they don’t know without the implication that they’re stupid/ignorant for not already reading that particular study or article or statistic. if they do know, they are more likely to say ‘good point, I didn’t think to mention it and I’ll talk about that next!’ because you won’t have established yourself as a threat to their self-image.

‘gotcha’ culture is toxic, and part of the reason social activism and veganism gets a bad wrap. tumblr and reddit are especially guilty of this, we tend to think criticizing for the sake of criticizing makes us more intelligent, that fully agreeing with something makes you a follower. in reality, it ostracizes and divides people. it breaks us up into factions, even among other vegans/social activists who agree on most subjects

(revolutions are often undermined because of nit-picking leading to disorganization and estrangement among revolutionists, making them weaker, not stronger.)

that isn’t to say we’re entirely at fault for how we’re perceived (our oppressors help with it immensely), or that we can’t disagree with our fellows, but if we go into a conversation assuming that someone is an idiot, we put people on the defensive. defensiveness just isn’t conducive to an open mind - they literally ‘close off’. people don’t want to agree with someone who has already demonstrated through tone/language that we think they are intellectually inferior.

it isn’t constructive. it doesn’t inspire people to learn. if our goal isn’t to teach but to argue, we will rarely help people the way we want to.

if a post doesn’t say what you want it to say, make your own post that says it, or add to it by saying ‘yes! and to expand on this, here’s x,y,z!’.

we cannot be all things at once, at least not alone. let’s all do better together.

[nottobethatveganbut-blog]

they aren’t food just because we can eat them.

we can’t know the experience of other creatures, so how can we be sure that they didn’t suffer? can you be sure? or does it not matter to you either way?

because why would we do it if that were true?

that’s what you’re saying, if you think about it. we couldn’t possibly do this if they did suffer. we make sure that doesn’t happen. right??

had you searched for the proof, you would have found it, but we don’t go looking for it, do we? because part of us knows what we will find. the studies are numerous, the footage virtually endless. humans are capable of incredible cruelty, on a massive scale, it’s only natural to protect ourselves from it so that we can just go about our day in the little free time we have.

i don’t blame you for not looking before. i didn’t either, for a long time, because to eat meat is to break your mind into two opposing pieces.

most people think we should eliminate animal suffering. the subjectivity of cruelty aside, we spend so much more money (our little votes) on killing them, when it isn’t necessary. this is hypocrisy, and it hurts us. our actions do not match our values, so we hate ourselves, so we don’t try to be better, because what’s the point in trying if everything is just crap no matter what. why bother being uncomfortable, why bother questioning the things your were taught as a child or giving up a food that is ruining our planet (and our bodies) if it won’t make a difference

you’ve convinced yourself it won’t make a difference because it makes you vulnerable, to care that much about a creature (let alone every creature), knowing the suffering they must go through. it hurts. so we tell ourselves they can’t be suffering, even though that reassurance has been put there by the people who profit off of that mindset, those who have no incentive to be merciful and who encourage our willful ignorance despite the health, environmental, and moral danger it puts us in.

‘before becoming food’ you say, a word dance around the subject, because the truth is harder to throw around casually. not in civil discussion. not in polite company. not in front of the kids. not while i’m eating. not here, not there, i would not like them anywhere.

‘how the sausage gets made’ is a saying because the murder of animals has been weighing on our consciences since meat-eating began.

they aren’t food just because we can eat them.

the more advanced we become as a society, the more we learn and progress, the less excuse we have to systematically oppress the animals that we could instead nurture and coexist with.

[nottobethatveganbut-blog]

question the institutions that get more powerful the more tragedy you suffer

[nottobethatveganbut-blog]

B6 and B12 info and sources

B6 info for anyone interested, a balanced diet is important but supplements aren’t the only way. symptoms are minimal (lethargy, cracked lips, sore mouth mainly) but we still want to be our best selves

as for B12, fortified cereals, plant-based milks, and nutritional yeast (vegan Parmesan!) are cheap, easily accessible, non-animal cruelty options. Adults and teens should be getting 2.4 mcg of B12, here’s a source to figure that out considering the source and serving.

except for salmon, fortified foods tend to have more B12 per serving.

if you do go with a supplement, please choose carefully - many of them rely on misleading marketing, to say the least. go with fortified foods if you can.