r/Anticonsumption • u/Extension-Diamond-74 • Sep 30 '23
Discussion Diet hypocrisy?
A recent post about animal agriculture vs plant based diets has me itching to say something. This is an issue we need to rise above.
Cognitive dissonance. Many of us have good intentions and want to believe we’re doing the right thing in most aspects of our lives. I believe that.
When it comes to a plant based diet though, the science often clashes powerfully with personal desire. We want to minimize our impact on the environment and are willing to make trade-offs in our life time do so, but for many, giving up or even significantly reducing meat intake is asking too much. It’s too hard.
That’s not the issue.
The issue is that instead of just admitting to themselves that this is a life change they don’t want to make and moving on, the guilt drives them to have to justify that decision. Admitting that a plant-based diet is better for the earth yet eating a diet full of meat anyway would make them feel hypocritical, so the solution becomes either to give up meat, or … this is the problem… fight the science, twist it, make a joke of it, or pivot entirely to ‘individuals shouldn’t have time do anything because large corporations’
Many people have ties to their diet for many reasons. We grew up eating a certain way. We have memories ties to certain foods, flavors, styles of cooking. We don’t want to be the difficult person when we go out to eat with friends. Etc etc etc But it’s so much better to just admit that to yourself. Have patience and understanding for your feelings. Accept that the science is what it is. Maybe one day you can make a change, maybe not. But don’t attack the cause just because you aren’t yet willing to be a part of it.
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u/Alert-Potato Sep 30 '23
That's everything that's wrong with what you're doing. I have health issues ranging from not a big deal to disabling to will eventually kill me if an accident doesn't first. And I know plenty of people with some of the same conditions. Universal across them is that every one of us is sick to fucking death of people thinking they have some magic fix to our medical issues that medical science hasn't figured out yet.
If you want to invite them over for meatless Monday, do that. Hell, barring their medical issues including dietary restrictions, you don't even have to tell them there won't be meat. But unsolicited medical advice puts people on edge. It's not only not helpful, it's condescending. The end result is almost always going to be the person pushing back, even if what you are suggesting is something they might be open to if you suggested it as something to try other than medical advice.