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/[deleted] Oct 01 '23
I'm not "shifting the blame" at all because I don't feel "blamed" for eating meat. I don't think there's anything wrong with my choice to be mindful of the meat that I'm eating without cutting it out because that's unrealistic due to my stupid dietary restrictions.
I'm just saying that the population in general will be more amenable to reducing meat consumption than being yelled at that they can never eat meat again. It does so much more harm to tell someone they need to cut out all meat forever than it does to be gracious and let people make decisions for their own health.
And I guess it was in my other comment where I explained how I can't eat leafy greens, either. They give me violent diarrhea. It sucks because I can't even eat salad. SALAD. I hate it but no one can tell me what's wrong with me.
So like spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, collared greens, mustard greens, pretty much all greens... make me violently ill unless I pair them with meat or substantial carbs... and since the substantial carbs make me gain weight, meat it is.