#vegeterianism

[chucklepea-hotpot]

Hi, uh, @ everyone who is vegetarian or vegan can you please send me whether you need to take pills to get specific substances like vitamins etc. into your body? I'm trying to proof a point to my mother :/

[rhinos-crafts]

Wanted to talk about yarn and the whole 'vegan yarn' thing. The first thing ive learned about veganism/vegeterianism, is there is no good answer to a lifestyle these days, except to do your best to educate yourself on where your stuff comes from, and how it affects the environment.

With yarn, natural (animal fiber/plant fiber) vs synthetic yarns. The first question you have to ask yourself, is how much you want to prioritize ppl over animals. Im not kidding, for every animal you believe doesnt suffer for your prpduct, unless you personally know the person making your product and that it doesnt come from a factory, at least one person has suffered instead. Additionaly, synthetic products add to pollution either because they dont break down at neadly the same rate as natural products, or everytime it is washed, synthetic fibers are released/ worn off and released into the water ect.

In terms of use, wool and other animal based fibers are heck warm, and most of them are better at staying warm while wet. Wheras with synthetics you have to work much harder for it to be warm, and in my experience any water ruins its insulation abilities. Natural fibers are also much, much easier to dye, and require less chemicals. With wool you literally just need some vinegar (and even that can be optional depending on the dye used) and a natural dye. Walnuts, pine needles, flowers, food, all can make very nice dyes without creating chemicals that go who knows where when washed down the drain.

Now the actual gathering of natural fibers. In terms of wool and animal fibers, obviously if you go cheap and buy off of amazon ect. the chances of buying wool from a less than optimal farm are fairly high. But consider that even then, wool even on the animal, has to be kept clean. The animal also doesnt die for the product, and can live long lives producing tons of wool, that they would have shed off naturally anyway. With breeds that dont shed naturally, if they arent sheared their coats become over grown, matted, and home to many gnarly bugs that are bad for the animals health. Shearing also helps mothers protect their babies from the weather, as theyre just as sensitive to the temperature as newborn babies, and are better at staying in a warm shelter with ther child. There are also tons and tons of small farms with just a couple animals that you can speak with their owners personally, that are gauranteed to be as vigilant and compassioante about animal health ect as you are.

All of this versus acrylic / yarn factories and the people working in them.

I understand the point of veganism, at least in some peoples eyes. Not forcing animals to produce for their human overlords.

But unfortunately at this point in human society, there are many many animals (and insects like honey bees) that have been domesticated and interwoven into human society so heavily, that abandoning them could cause more harm than good. The vegatables and fruit ect are pollinated by bees, both native and 'captive'. Abandoning them and local keepera harm their population and ability to make our food possible does more harm than good. Abandoning wool products makes it harder for the owners of those animals to care for them, and will leave then in neglect.

If veganism is what helps you sleep at night, by no means do i want to stop or judge you for it. But please for the love of this society and natural world, do real research. Look at more sites than just 'vegan' sites as they already are biased and will give you biased information. Everyone will have a bias, but it helps to understand more than just one to make informed decisions.

Tldr: acrylic/vegan yarns arent the best for the natural world including the animals living in it, and its entirely possible to buy animal products without supporting corporate abuse, and infact supporting local businesses and honest work. Also its important to be as informed as possible in your products, where they come from, and what they donin the end.

[axolotlcipher]

Veganism and vegetarianism are not viable or safe options for everyone and people are allowed to make whatever choice is best for them without being harassed.

[howieabel]

All creatures are deserving of a life free from fear and pain.

Maura Cummings

[wherehaveyoubeard]

[howieabel]

Compassion for animals is so closely tied to goodness that I dare say that a person who’s cruel to animals cannot be a good person.

Arthur Schopenhauer

[howieabel]

“All breathing, existing, living, sentient creatures should not be slain, nor treated with violence, nor abused, nor tormented, nor driven away.” - Mahavira, Ācharanga Sutra, Book 1, lecture 4, lesson 1, as translated by H. Jacobi, quoted in The Boundless Circle : Caring for Creatures and Creation (1996) by Michael W. Fox, p. 262.

[baifengxis]

i haven't been your annoying vegeterian friend enough on this blog so just a reminder that some people don't eat meat and you can very easily stop making their lives hard or disrespecting them for no reason, we literally harm noone, thanks