Any Vegetarians/Vegans here?

[bennyboy]

I will just leave this here. The site itself is very interesting

http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/hist...lism.shtml

From the intro of the first link:

•An idealistic model of nature, i.e., the belief in a “paradise” vegetarian or vegan diet in the distant past. This may be presented in analogue form as the belief that humans evolved on a strict, raw vegan diet. (The latter is – in effect - a creationist belief, falsely presented as evolutionary.)
•Some natural hygienists and raw fooders present as fact the absurd claims that “wild animals never get sick” and that use of tools in acquisition of food is somehow unnatural.
•Comparative anatomy provides strong “scientific” evidence that a vegetarian diet is “natural” for humans.
•Idealistic and exaggerated claims that an activist’s specific veg diet is a cure-all for disease.
•Some activists for the listed diets are infamous for their hostile attitudes towards those who don’t agree with them on diet. To non-vegetarians, such attitudes are seen as arrogance and a reflection of egocentric feelings of self-superiority by the activist.
- See more at: http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/hist...arian_diet

I agree with all of this. Basically, they've encapsulated enrico into a brief little summary.

One caveat, though: I think a lot of the perceived "hostile attitudes" are a projection or an unintended implication. For example, if a vegetarian says, "I think it is more moral to avoid eating meat," then a meat-eater is likely to think, "That guy's so condescending-- he thinks he's better than me." That's certainly the case with some vegetarians, but much more rarely than people think.

For example, I believe that causing suffering or death in food animals is wrong, and that meat-eating is therefore immoral. BUT I also have many other faults and moral weaknesses of my own. Nothing about being vegetarian makes me think I'm better than others in a general sense.