Junk Vegetarianism~ Ideas about education?

[Guest guest]

Allison--It's not for everyone, since it is from a Seventh Day Adventist

perspective, but 3ABN (a satellite station) has at least two vegetarian cooking

programs on its schedule, plus numerous talk shows about nutrition and health

from a vegetarian standpoint. Maybe more cable stations would carry it if

they saw there was a demand for it.

 

As to the notion that we aren't " role models " --I beg to differ with whoever

said that. Like it or not, once our food preferences are known, we ARE

representative of how vegetarianism is perceived. I have seen some VERY sickly

looking raw vegans,in particular. What does that say about the idea that ours

is

supposedly a more healthy lifestyle? How can we justify our choice when we

are unhealthy? Even if we are not doing it for health reasons, vegetarianism is

seen (even by those who resist it for themselves) as a healthier choice. I

think we DO need, to a certain degree, to hold ourselves to a higher

standard,so others can visibly SEE the results of our food choices. We ARE

teachers

and role models, whether or not we want to be, with every bite we publicly put

into our mouths. The best education is example.

 

Marilyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

I thought about that afterwards,too. I'm often met with the comment that 'my

friend tried being a vegetarian but got awfully sick and wa wa wa....' It made

me think about the 'being an example,' thing. I wish that people like the guy

that was Mr. Universe and some other famous vegs. were more visible! The library

I'm in right now doesn't even have The Vegetarian Times in their magazine area!

sigh I even know people that are skinny as anything and sick all the time and

they're always at the health food store buying stuff! LOL Someone on this site

said there were V. cooking shows but we don't have them here. I was thinking of

creating some at my local access place. If anyone has any media of this genre

they'ld like to share maybe we could start circulating it on the local stations?

Allison Geiger <vegucation wrote: I don't limit my

statements about interdependence to only dietary health. I am very much an

environmentalist and would certainly make those statements about people

polluting with their cars. Changes will only come about by making judgements

about what is right and what is wrong, and then by letting people know these

things are wrong and that there are changes to be made (criticizing). Of course,

it's important to do this with kindness.

 

Incidentally, I bike almost everywhere pulling my son in a trailer. I moved to

where I live specifically so that I would be able to do that even though I liked

where I lived before much more than where I live now. I do the best I can while

striving for the ideal. I know no one is perfect, but I do believe we should all

strive for perfection.

 

--Allison

 

Re: Junk Vegetarianism Posted by: " robin koloms " rkoloms rkoloms Mon

Jan 21, 2008 11:17 am (PST) I can make the same argument about your cars: every

time you get in your car, you are polluting our air and depleting petroleum

stocks; about your air conditioner that uses precious resources and creates

pollution. The bottom line is that we all do what we can and remember that

nothing is accomplished by judging and criticizing.

 

Allison <vegucation > wrote: If you live in the US, it does hurt me

when you and everyone else -

veg or not- eats garbage. I have to deal with the burden through our

healthcare system.

 

Also, since I often set up exhibit and information tables to do veg

outreach to the community at large, I have to deal with people saying

how they knew other vegetarians who ate such and such and were so

unhealthy. Then, there are the ones who used to be veg but got sick

from it because they ate garbage. And, they're out there spreading

the news about their veg failures.

 

No one lives in a bubble. We live in an interdependent world where

all actions are far-reaching.

 

--Allison

 

 

Never miss a thing. Make your homepage.

 

 

[Guest guest]

Here's what came to mind when I read the discussion about being a role model for

vegetarianism:

 

My father tells me on a regular basis that vegetarians don't get enough protein,

and that this lack of protein will kill us. He holds to this assumption for two

reasons: the fact that his parents (pediatricians) took him to Africa in the

1930s and showed him children dying of kwashiakor (I know that's spelled

wrong!), and the fact that everyone in his family eats approximately 80% of

their daily calories in animal protein.

 

How long has he known me? Do I or my children have bloated bellies? Aren't we

the only ones in his family who don't have cancer, heart issues, colon issues,

or high blood pressure? (And I first became a vegetarian in 1979, so it's not a

new phenomenon to him or me.)

 

It is a lesson in futility to set yourself up as a role model to people. They

see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe. As

frustrating as that can be at times, it's also freeing. You don't have to be

perfect. They probably won't see it anyway. People are judging you because of

where they are in life, not where you are.

 

Liz