These are my thoughts, and this is my life: November 2009

New shirt got it at work :)

so i posted this shirt up on my face book and this is the response i got.

kinda interesting

It's all well and good that you've made the lifestyle choice to be vegan, but you've gotten ridiculous about it. Nearly everything I read by you seems to be making some reference to veganism. It also feels like a bit of a backhanded way of dissing meat eaters. Please feel free to tell us about the rest of you're life! I know you're vegan, you don't need to shout it from the rooftops. I'd like to know about other things going on in your life. Don't get pissed about this, it's just been building for awhile.

Yesterday at 18:32 · Delete

Karla Fuller-Palmer

PS- Frankly, it's a little irritating to see a Feminist icon being shilled out for vegans.

Yesterday at 18:35 · Delete

Gülay Birand

If you read about what happens to animals in factory farms you wouldn't be making this statement. Ever heard about chicken de-beaking? Or what happens to young calves? Veganism is not an easy thing to do in this world of ours where so much is catered to meat eaters. There is nothing wrong with Taylor sharing his experiences about being Vegan here and I don't think it's anyones business to police others posts. Maybe you need to examine why you're so upset by his updates. Perhaps it's a reminder as to the origins of your food and you'd rather not think about it?

Yesterday at 19:39 · Delete

Gülay Birand

PS With regard to the feminist icon being "shilled" out to Vegans - I happen to be both and can appreciate the connotation. Animal rights, human rights and womens rights are nit mutually exclusive.

Yesterday at 19:53 · Delete

Taylor K. Winn

i love facebook.

Yesterday at 19:56 · Delete

Karla Fuller-Palmer

Assumptions at the outset! I know what a factory farm is, I used to live near a couple. I've read Fast Food Nation, The Jungle, & many articles about animal cruelty. There is no defending what goes on in those farms, but you know what? I still LOVE to eat meat. It's the natural thing to do, you know, since we are omnivores. It keeps you strong and it tastes fucking awesome. I'm not saying you need to eat it by the truckload, but just exercise a little moderation. It's not as black and white as "skinny little vegan" and "big fat meat eater pig", there IS a happy medium. Why the extremism? I understand it's difficult being vegan in this world, what with your 1/4lb cheeseburgers for 99 cents & other gratuitous meat slop for cheap....

But! I live in a city where vegans (die-hard and faux) have a motherfucking chip on their shoulder and feel like they deserve some extra respect because they chose not to have bacon ever again. Please! That's like me expecting accolades because I decided (& shout to everyone) to never have sex again. It's a tough feat & can be impressive if it's stuck to, but that doesn't mean that your station is above mine (& vice-versa). You don't need to lay a smug guilt trip on my head because you think I "need to examine why [I'm] so upset by his updates". It's because I am friends with Taylor, never get to see him & want to hear more about his life than his goddamn field roast. So fuck off.

And think about what you just said: "I don't think it's anyones business to police others posts." Way to lead by example, Gülay. It's the fucking internet.

PS: As for the shirt, I'll give you that, those things are not mutually exclusive. I am just sick & tired of seeing that image re-worked for [insert agenda here].

Yesterday at 20:07 · Delete

Gülay Birand

I don't have to agree with your view point on eating meat inspite of you knowing "what goes on those factories" or like it but it is your choice so I'll respect it. Quite frankly, I might not have even jumped on your post had you not been so aggressively defensive to Taylor's post or mentioned the shilling of things to Vegans (like we're the enemy or something). And yes, it's the Internet so you should expect an argument when you make a post with such apparent dislike.

I know you want to believe it with all of your heart because then it'll make it OK but contrary to what you're stating here, it's actually not natural for humans to consume animal products, it's simply Speciesm at play. Our jaws, teeth nor our digestive system are built out for this. Here's a link among many others out there:http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Are_humans_omnivores_or_herbivores

Sadly, there is not happy medium when it comes to Veganism, cause then what's the point then? An egg here a steak there. You're not really doing the animals or your body any favors. Even if you're an ovo lacto vegetarian (vegetarians who eat eggs and consume dairy products) you're still contributing to the chicken and cattle factories. If you want to read some really insightful stuff, skip Fast Food Nation and check out: Animal Liberation or The Pornography of Meat. It's real heavy stuff but you'll get all the info you need there.

Also, your having sex does not (I'm assuming) kill, torture or cause insane amounts of pain and suffering to others am I correct? So, I'm sorry to say this argument doesn't work for me.

As for Vegans who think they are holier than thou - I can't stand them either. But remember, they're just jerks that happen to be Vegans. They're not really doing it for ethical or health reasons. They just get off on telling people how wrong they are.

OK, if you want to continue this discussion, feel free to Inbox me, I'm happy to chat offline so you can see some other posts on Taylor's profile and we don't bore everyone to death.

Oh and one more thing, you don't need to use the f word so many times to make a point, it really just serves to weaken your point. Just a suggestion...

Yesterday at 21:21 · Delete

Nathan Smith

I sympathize with Karla's sentiments; she's just upset because she doesn't see Taylor much and wants to hear more about his life than his vegan lifestyle. However, being a vegan is more than simply choosing what to eat, and that's why most vegans feel compelled to act as proselytes for their way of life. I think if one understands where they're coming from, they can forgive the "chip on the shoulder."

Vegans get upset because most people don't make conscientious decisions about what they eat. The meat industry (forgive my crude terminology) is disproportionately devastating in a number of ways that affect EVERYONE. It's not simply a personal choice or a "live and let live" scenario; choosing to eat meat impacts much more than just you.

Not that it's my place to jump in, but this is a topic of recent interest for me so I'd like to chime in on the debate a bit. I'm not a vegan nor do I care what people eat, but personally I don't think any human being innately "loves" meat. If that were the case, you'd "love" grabbing a chicken or some other animal, killing it, and eating it RAW (let alone not having the physical traits necessary to perform this task). You have to render meat to an almost unrecognizable degree for it to be even remotely palatable. When people say they "love meat," I think what they're referring to is COOKED meat, with some sort of seasoning, or particular meals involving meat. If you MUST cook, season, and otherwise alter your meat to digest it, then you are NOT naturally supposed to digest meat. This is a fact.

According to what I've found, technically speaking, humans are not omnivores. Physically, biologically, humans don't resemble carnivores OR omnivores. Also, It's important to remember that just because a species does eat a particular thing, it doesn't mean that they're supposed to eat it. Many species eat things they aren't supposed to. Earthlings are quite resilient and can sustain themselves for quite awhile even when not eating an optimal diet.

It seems like a stupid debate sometimes, but the bottom line is there are consequences to our actions. People like to think that they live in their own personal bubbles and that what they do is nobody else's business. But that is almost never the case, regardless of what one believes.

I know it can seem like someone's pushing their lifestyle on you--I've met my fair share of overly zealous people--especially when they happen to be friends. But part of growing as a human being is becoming aware of not just yourself but also the multitude of unwanted opinions and lifestyles out there. I've found that attempting to understand where they come from helps me grow as a person and in some cases causes me to reexamine my life, which has turned out to always be a positive experience.

11 hours ago · Delete

Gülay Birand

Very well put Nathan. Thanks!

9 hours ago · Delete

Taylor K. Winn

This has been really great to read. :-)

about a minute ago · Delete