Rebuttal to Vox's Video, "Want to save animal lives without going veg? Eat beef, not chicken."

Here is the original video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS8Fzy3tGBo

I saw this video trending on YouTube yesterday and was amazed at the amount of misinformation in it, so I felt the need to do a rebuttal. As usual, I have nothing personal against the people who made the video, just the claims they are making in it. Let’s begin.

1. “Everyone’s met a vegan who has been rude to them or who has been outrageous or angry or yelling at them. So it’s not surprising that somebody like Anthony Bourdain (a Top Chef) called vegans “Hezbollah.”

They then show a clip of Anthony mispronouncing the word “vegans” and saying they are like the Hezbollah (militant Islamic Sharia fundamentalist group) in that they share a lot of the same behaviors as “dangerous fundamentalist groups.”

Assuming that all vegans, or even most vegans, are hateful and militant fundamentalists with an agenda would be falling for a guilty-by-association fallacy.

That being said, those in Islamic extremist groups, such as the Hezbollah, who advocate for Sharia law, literally believe it’s okay to kill/torture/rape human beings if they do something deemed as sinful.

Vegans, on the other hand, believe killing innocent beings of any kind, humans or animals, is wrong. What they’re advocating for is the exact opposite of Sharia Law, so it is nonsensical to compare the two movements.

2. “No one eats meat because they want animals to suffer. No one goes to the grocery store and says, ‘Yeah, I love what Tyson does to this chicken. That’s what I’m gonna support.’ People eat meat because everyone around them eats meat. It’s what they’re used to. It’s what’s familiar. It’s what’s easy and cheap.”

Sure, something that is considered “the norm” in society might be hard to give up because we’re afraid of standing out from the crowd and/or breaking old habits. But just because something is the norm doesn’t mean it is right or okay to keep doing. People in China celebrate the Yulin dog and cat meat festival every year where they kill countless dogs and cats to use as meat. They have no need to do so because it’s a celebration, not coping with any sort of famine, and yet they do it anyway. For those who grew up with the tradition, it may be hard for them to give up because their family and friends participated in it. Does that mean they should just choose to give up and kill dogs/cats anyway? Nope. So does that mean it’s okay to keep supporting the animal agriculture industry when we know it’s destroying our health, the planet, and the animals’ wellbeing? Nope again. People have to make a choice and stand up for what they believe in. Otherwise, this world could never change for the better. It’s time to take responsibility for our own actions.

And no, a diet that includes meat, dairy, and egg products is definitely more expensive than a diet of rice, beans, pasta, fruit, vegetables, etc.

3. “What some friends and I decided is that we should take a different approach. Rather than just pushing veganism, we should take the opportunity that people have to take one step that will have a profound impact on the number of animals suffering. And that is to have them not eat chickens anymore. No matter what they eat instead, if they cut out eating chickens, they will remove the vast majority of their support for factory farms.”

As far as helping the planet goes, only giving up chickens and not other animal products would do little to actually help anything change (as we will discuss in later points). Not to mention, if people have such a “hard time” giving up meat, what makes the creators of this video believe that the majority of people would give up chicken, the most popular meat in the entire world? They also fail to mention that in order to effectively stop the production of chicken, we would have to stop eating eggs too.

To be honest, patting yourself on the back for saying, “Okay, so instead of not eating any animals, let’s just not eat chickens anymore. That is progress,” sounds like this:

4. “The average American diet causes about 25 land animals to be factory farmed and slaughtered every year. If people just stopped eating chickens, they will spare 23 of those animals. This is because it takes over 200 chickens to provide the same number of meals as one steer, or over 40 chickens to provide the same number of meals as one pig.”

Yes, chickens are the most frequently slaughtered animal, which is unfortunate. But can we really choose to just turn a blind eye to the enormous amount of other animals that are killed every single second?

Also, chickens are lowest on the list when it comes to the amount of water wasted on livestock. If the majority of the population went vegan, the problem of wasting water could easily be solved. As we see here, cattle require the most amount of water:

It’s for these reasons that vegans have the lowest carbon footprint of around 6.5, while those who are “low-meat eaters” are still up around 10.3.

5. “There have been a number of studies, the most recent by Faunalytics, that shows over 80% of people who go vegetarian go back to eating animals. Almost half of the people surveyed on this say that they go back because they can’t stand the pressure to maintain a pure diet. So when we’re pushing people to eat the way we eat, we are driving people away. We are driving people back to eating meat.”

Actually, people are capable of making their own decisions. Not everyone is turned off by vegans simply presenting information in a friendly way. Yes, there are a few extremist vegans out there who tend to push people away more than inform them, but that doesn’t mean that there is any less truth to the movement. It took a long time for people to conclude that smoking is bad for our health. There were even scientists and doctors who swore up and down that smoking was good for people. When the information first came out from the World Health Organization that smoking causes lung cancer, most people accepted it, but most did not quit smoking because they had formed a habit. Since then, though, the amount of smokers has greatly decreased, just as the amount of vegans and vegetarians has increased. Even if a change is slow, it is still completely significant to a more positive change in our future.

The World Health Organization has more recently concluded that the consumption of red and processed meats are harmful to our health and can significantly raise our risk of cancer. Other studies, such as the well-known China study, concluded that consumption of animal products worldwide is directly connected to diabetes, heart disease, and most cancers. Simply giving up chicken will not solve this problem.

6. "Around 2% of people (US population) are true vegetarians. Around 0.5% of people (US population) are vegan. Now this is after decades of advocacy. Peter Singer’s book Animal Liberation came out in the 1970s (1975). PETA came around in 1980. So groups and advocates have been at this for decades. And yet the percentage of people in the United States who are vegetarian has basically not changed at all. So it really is time for us to reconsider our message, reconsider our advocacy, and do something that has a chance of being different, that has a chance of breaking through to the general public. Because we know, just by looking at the graphs, just by looking at the numbers, that we have been failures at this so far.”

Here is the graph they provided:

Part of the reason meat consumption has increased is because our population over time has greatly increased as well.

But aside from that, veganism and vegetarianism have undoubtedly surged in popularity since the 1970s. Worldwide, vegetarians now make up 5% of the population. That is approximately 350 million people!  It used to be that you’d have to go to a specialty health food store to find vegan or vegetarian alternative foods like soy meat or almond milk, but now they are in almost every grocery store. As a kid who was lactose intolerant, I remember there being exactly one lactose-free cheese in any of our local grocery stores, and it still contained casein (milk protein). Now, as an adult, those same grocery stores carry at least 3 different brands of vegan cheese. Change is happening right before our eyes and new vegans are coming out of the woodwork every day.

We can see this rise in vegan interest just by doing a simple search in Google Trends:

Overall, this video not only tries to cast vegans in a negative light, but also fails to solve any major problems facing the world today, such as saving the environment, ending world hunger, decreasing cruelty to animals as much as possible, and preventing/reversing the most common diseases in the Western world (heart disease, diabetes, cancer). All things that veganism is capable of accomplishing. Therefore, it’s safe to say, the video is not worth our time.

I did like the quick response of dislikes, though. Clearly, a lot of people saw right through this one. ;)

Rebuttal to JP Sears' "If Meat Eaters Acted Like Vegans "

Here is the original video.

I’m actually a big fan of JP and his hilarious videos. However, I’ve seen this particular video posted a lot as some kind of an excuse for an argument against veganism. People post it on vegan blogs and forums claiming, “This video shows why vegans are stupid,” or something along those lines. So I decided to make an official rebuttal of the satirical points in the video (even though JP only made it as a joke, and some of the lines in the video even seemed to be praising a vegan diet, as you will see).

So keep in mind, the dialogue in the video is set up to portray meat eaters talking in the same way most people think stereotypical vegans talk.

1. “That salad’s totally grossing me out. I’ve completely lost my appetite.”

Vegan equivalent: “That meat is totally grossing me out. I’ve completely lost my appetite."

This implies that it’s common for vegans to express disgust when people are eating meat/animal products around them. While some anti-social vegans out there might say this once in awhile, this is nothing like what majority of vegans are like in real life. Since eating meat is the norm for most people in the Western world, we wouldn’t be able to leave the house without feeling the need to chastise someone about their food choices. I don’t know a single vegan who chooses to behave that way, including myself and all my vegan friends. If anything, during a meal, I’m just focusing on the yummy vegan food I get to eat, not whatever someone else might be eating.

2. “I’m going to the meat-stock flesh festival. You going?”

(RAW) Vegan equivalent: I’m going to the Woodstock Fruit Festival. You going?”

This is playing off of the well-known Woodstock fruit festival. But that is specifically for RAW vegans, not just regular vegans.

3. “Yeah I want the tofu spring rolls. Except I don’t eat tofu, so do you have like a tofu-flavored chicken you can substitute in for me?”

Vegan equivalent: “Yeah I want the chicken spring rolls. Except I don’t eat chicken, so do you have like a chicken-flavored meat replacement you can substitute in for me?”

Apparently some people get annoyed when vegans ask for meat substitutes when they’re out at restaurants. I’m not really sure why, because a LOT more restaurants are offering veggie burgers and other vegan alternatives these days, so it does pay to ask. If this statement was aimed more at the idea of vegans eating things that taste like meat, though, I address that in point #5.

4. “It’s not that vegetable-eaters are bad people, it’s just that they’re terrible people.”

Vegan equivalent: “It’s not that meat-eaters are bad people, it’s just that they’re terrible people.”

The majority of vegans don’t actually view meat eaters as terrible people. Ever heard of the phrase “Love the person, hate the act?” Because that completely applies here. Vegans don’t like that people choose to contribute to animal cruelty by purchasing/consuming animal products, but that doesn’t mean we hate the person. If that were true, I wouldn’t associate with my own family members, my best friends, or even my husband! They all eat meat, but of course I still love them and don’t judge them for it. I live my life and still choose to set a silent example either way.

5. “This sausage is a meat-based substitute for cucumber. It’s got the taste and the texture of an actual cucumber, with none of the cucumber.”

Vegan equivalent: “This product is a plant-based substitute for sausage. It’s got the taste and texture of an actual sausage, but with none of the meat.”

Some people are weirded out that vegans sometimes like to eat fake chicken, fake cheese, or other vegan substitutes. Not all vegans actually eat these things. In fact, it’s healthier if you don’t. Those foods are usually full of sodium, high in fat, and are highly processed. But I myself like to indulge in some vegan burgers once in awhile, or some vegan cheese. They’ve actually come a long way in their taste and texture these days and many are really delicious!

Some people ask, “If you’re against eating animals, why do you eat things that taste like animals?” The simple answer to that is because most of us grew up eating animal foods, just like the majority of people in the modern Western world. Not to mention, meat by itself isn’t really that appetizing. The salt, oils, and spices it’s seasoned with are what define the flavor. You can create those same familiar flavors with plant-foods, so why not? :)

6. “Eating plants makes your body WAY too alkaline, which will definitely kill you. Do you really want that?”

Vegan equivalent: “Eating meat makes your body WAY too acidic, which will definitely kill you. Do you really want that?”

That actually sounds like JP is applauding vegans for eating healthier foods, LOL. Having an alkaline diet can be very beneficial to our health. However, animal products like meat, dairy, and eggs, actually are very acidic, which can contribute to a lot of health problems including acidosis, bleeding gums, headaches, and brittle hair/nails, among other problems.

7. “All you need is some meat to be healthy and thrive. You get everything you need from meat. Beef is loaded with carbs.”

Vegan equivalent: All you need are some vegetables to be healthy and thrive. You get everything you need from vegetables. Broccoli is loaded with protein.”

A common misconception about vegans is that they only eat vegetables and tofu. This could NOT be further from the truth. We eat a huge variety of things made from grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. And yes, it is possible to get all the nutrients you need from plants, except for vitamin D3 from the sun or a supplement, and vitamin b12 from a supplement or fortified cereals, plant milks, etc..

However, gram for gram, broccoli really does have even more protein than beef.

8. “Orcas are even more spiritually evolved than humans and they only eat seal meat. So that means humans should only eat meat, because it’s the most spiritually evolved diet. Because of orcas.”

Vegan equivalent: "Gorillas are way stronger than humans and they only eat plants. So that means humans should only eat plants, because it’s the most evolved diet. Because of gorillas.”

I completely agree that the appeal-to-nature fallacy does not make an adequate argument for any movement, let alone veganism. However, I hear way more meat eaters try to use this argument than vegans. Usually, a vegan will use the gorilla example as a way to show that plants have protein too, and if something as muscular as a plant-eating gorilla can exist in nature, we can be sure plants provide us with protein. However, a meat eater may often try to defend meat-eating by saying, “Lions and tigers eat meat, so that means it’s ok for us to eat meat too.” Are you a lion or tiger? Are you built anything like them? They like to kill each other sometimes too, not to mention they lick their own behinds. So by that logic, those things are completely natural and normal for humans to do too, right? Wrong, of course. Just because something is considered “natural” or is common among other species, doesn’t mean it is necessarily right or good for humans.

9. “Plants give off oxygen, why would you eat them?”

Vegan equivalent: “Livestock animals give off methane gas, why would you eat them?”

This is actually another valid point. If less people ate animal products, we would have far less methane gas emissions, making a healthier and safer planet as a result. For more info on this, watch Cowspiracy on Netflix. Great info.

And then we get into some arguments I’ve actually heard meat eaters make.

Particularly, hunters.

10. “Do you even know how dangerous deer are when you’re driving your car? If you don’t kill and eat deer first, you basically want people to get into car accidents.”

For some info on humane ways to keep wildlife out of urban areas, check out this page on the Humane Society website: http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/wild_neighbors/register_community_leaders_wildlife_guide.html?credit=web_id85550799

11. “The world’s a much safer place if we eat the animals that could eat us.”

Right, because I’m sure those blood-thirsty cows, chickens, deer, and other herbivores would completely devour us if they had the chance. ;)

12. “Broccoli? That’s what my food eats. That’s my food’s food, and I don’t appreciate you eating that.”

Well, your food poops, so no thank you, LOL. Obviously both of these aren’t much of an argument because they are just jokes and not actual points.

13. “You should eat Siberian tigers to help them go extinct. It makes it so that they can live on through you and your children for generations to come. The best chance for the survival of their species is for us to kill and eat them.”

That was obviously a joke, but I’ve actually seen a lot of people online supporting the idea that by spending a whole bunch of money to shoot an endangered animal, they money they spend helps “save” endangered species. So they think it’s okay to kill one member of endangered species in order to save others of that species. I have a better idea. To save endangered species, how about just donating all that money to those organizations WITHOUT killing any animals. That would help conserve them a lot more!

And then we get back into the reversed vegan arguments:

14. “That coconut was going to grow into a palm tree. Why would you eat that?”

Vegan equivalent: “That lamb was going to grow into a sheep. Why would you eat that?”

I’ve actually never understood why people choose to eat baby animals. I was even against that back when I ate meat. But what a lot of people don’t know is that animals on factory farms never even get to live the full lifespan they’re capable of living. For all intents and purposes, all factory farmed animals are still extremely young.

15. “I could never eat plants that are raised in crowded farms and inhumane living conditions, with less than one square inch of space per stalk, stuck in the soil against their will.”

Vegan equivalent: “I could never eat animals that are raised in crowded farms and inhumane living conditions, with less than one square foot per slot (for chickens), stuck in cages against their will.”

This is actually a valid argument. Chickens, pigs, cows, and other livestock are often crammed into spaces where they can’t even stand up or turn around. Imagine living like that. There is no argument that such a thing is cruel and unnecessary. In fact, even what we know to be “free range” isn’t that free after all.

16. “Have you ever thought of going meat-eater to help save the planet? Or do you just not care about the earth?”

Vegan equivalent: “Have you ever thought about going vegan to help save the planet? Or do you just not care about the earth?”

Everyone cares about the planet to some degree. And going vegan can actually help the planet in a HUGE way! It can help reduce your carbon footprint.

And can also help save a LOT of animals.

And people.

17. “Have you seen the Kale-spiracy documentary? You’ve gotta see it. It’s so heartbreaking seeing how all the plants are killed and the deforestation from the plant farming and unsustainable farming practices. Kale farming is the number one destroyer of the environment. Once you see it, you'll never eat plants again.”

Vegan equivalent: “Have you seen the Cowspiracy documentary? You’ve gotta see it. It’s so heartbreaking seeing how all the animals are killed and the deforestation from the factory farming and unsustainable farming practices. Cattle farming is the number one destroyer of the environment. Once you see it, you’ll never eat meat again.”

JP is right on this one. The Cowspiracy documentary really is very eye-opening. In fact, I’m surprised that there are so many people who shout about climate change, but they ignore the info in this film. It really could change everything for the better if more people made the switch.

He then throws in some comments from other characters in the sketch.

18. “As he redundantly repeated his emotionally-charged nutritional opinions at me, I was instantly convinced to become a meat-eater.”

Yeah, no one ever gets convinced by someone trying to force their views. When people ask me about veganism, though, I do make it a top priority to have actual nutritional studies as references, though, so my argument is not just an “emotionally charged opinion.”

19. “JP was the most illogical condescending person I’ve ever met.”

I’ve met a lot of meat eaters like that too. Jerks can show up anywhere anytime.

20. “Saying something like that is just a symptom of being overly alkaline. It just makes you mean and you can’t think straight.”

Vegan equivalent: “Saying something like that is just a symptom of being overly acidic. It just makes you mean and you can’t think straight.”

Well, one common symptom of a high acid diet is mood swings. ;) But in all seriousness, of course there will be a couple vegans here and there who are rude like this, but there is bound to be a rude member of ANY group or movement out there. That includes any religion, social group, political group, etc. I don’t believe that trying to force your opinions on anyone is right, but I also notice that sometimes people ask me about veganism, or even challenge me on it, and then get angry at me for answering truthfully. But I never go out of my way to preach veganism to anyone unless they ask, and all of my vegan friends seem to do the same.

I did actually think this was a funny video, because there are a few vegans, especially on YouTube, who have taken things too far a few times. But it saddened me that most people who watched JP’s video took it as how vegans actually act, and then shared it all over social media, labeling it as such. I can tell you honestly, most vegans are nothing like this. However, even if there are those few vegans who make the movement look bad, we must remember that the truth is the truth no matter how it is portrayed or how “rude” a believer in that truth might be. One funny thing I did notice, though, was that for a while, JP had some clickable links in the video for faux meat that people could purchase if they were interested. So I wouldn’t say he was completely against the movement after all. ;)

Rebuttal to Roaming Millennial's Video: “The Problem With Vegans”

Here is the original video:

As I mention before any rebuttal, I have no issues with Roaming Millennial as a person. I see her as a very intelligent girl and I usually agree with most video topics she posts about. This is just something I felt was way too generalizing and I wanted to offer some balance and perspective.

In Roaming Millennial's video introduction, she says she just has an issue with vegans, not veganism. On the surface, this doesn’t make much sense. You don’t have a problem with a movement, just those who follow the movement. Right… But I do understand what she was attempting to get across. She has no problem with the choice to abstain from animal products, but does have a problem with vegans that are pushy and disrespectful of other’s beliefs. In that case, though, it would have been helpful for her to express her point in those words specifically as opposed to just mentioning mere “vegans.”

She does mention that she thinks there are a lot of benefits to veganism as well as environmental/sustainability benefits and though she chooses not to take part in it, she doesn’t see veganism as a bad thing. She also mentions that most Americans eat way too much meat and too much processed food and that it’s way more cost efficient to eat greens than meat. Lastly, she mentions how so many animals are treated inhumanely by the animal agriculture industry. She says that those are not the main points of her video, though.

She then switches the main theme which is simply “a lot of vegans act like jerks.” And then we get on to the five main arguments she offers:

1. They “don’t shut up about being vegan.” She says this is the least serious but most common problem that she’s noticed. She says most vegans feel like they have to tell everyone about veganism as much as they can, which is annoying to her, stating, “No one cares about your diet.”

So people aren’t allowed to talk about their lifestyle or express what they’re passionate about? I get that it can be annoying if someone talks about something you disagree with. I’ve had many talks with people of other religions who were passionate and encouraged me to join them at their church sometime, but I didn’t take it personally because when people do that, it’s not a personal attack. On the contrary, when someone shares a personal belief with you, it’s like when you see a beautiful rainbow and can’t wait to tell other people about it so they can experience its beauty and happy feelings too. You share your beliefs with others because you want them to feel how good you feel. Now in my own case, I rarely talk to people about my vegan lifestyle unless I am asked. But let me tell you, I am asked a LOT. People are fascinated by lifestyles that are not the norm, especially when it comes to different diets, so though I don’t go out of my way to tell people about what I believe, I still end up doing it because I’m ALWAYS being asked, “Why didn’t you take a hamburger? They’re delicious!” or “Why did you ask for no cheese on your salad? Are you trying to lose weight?” That kind of thing.

2. Vegans are often “aggressive and hostile.” She says she’s been called a murderer and a rapist by vegans online. She mentions a lot of vegans on subreddits express how they wish they could stop viewing meat eaters as evil beings.

First off, Reddit is not only a creepy place, but also is in no way an example of how most vegans view meat eaters. Also, when vegans say things like that, it is because they have seen all the footage of what happens to animals in factory farms and they are disgusted that people still support something so terrible and horrific. I would agree that it is horrific and that more people need to take responsibility, wake up to what’s really going on, and make an effort to change toward a more ethical way of doing things. I don’t see this as meat eaters being evil, but instead, just clinging to a social norm. Yes, there are people out there who protest aggressively and use ad hominem attacks against meat eaters. But veganism aside, there are aggressive and hostile people in literally ANY group of people. Every religion, every diet group, every belief system, EVERY group has a portion of them that are jerks. Unfortunately, the mean ones with loud mouths are usually the ones who are noticed the most, so people assume that the majority of the group is like that, when in real life, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Literally NONE of my vegan friends are anything like that. Also, about the hate comments you receive from people online, for one, welcome to the internet. It’s full of haters no matter what you’re talking about. But also, if you want to avoid hate comments from a group of people, maybe refrain from making a video about how much you dislike that group of people. Like attracts like, after all. If you post something negative, people will respond in a negative way.

3. Vegans often conflate meat eaters with the meat industry. She says most meat eaters do not support animal cruelty and most, if they saw how the animals were being mistreated, would want that situation to be changed, even if they don’t stop eating animal products.

I actually cringe a bit whenever I hear vegans online saying “by eating meat, you are a murderer.” I used to be a meat eater and I get what roaming millennial is saying here, to a certain point. I always considered myself an animal lover even when I wasn’t vegan.  But a lot of people don’t understand the idea of voting with your dollar. By purchasing animal products, you are directly contributing to the torture and death of that animal. No, you are not committing the act of harm with your own hands, but you are paying someone else to. Yes, a lot of meat eaters do care when they see footage of what happens to animals in factory farms and they want to do something about it. But they don’t want to give up animal products, so they buy from things labeled “humanely raised.” We have to ask ourselves, though, is there such thing as humane killing? Even if the animal was given more space to walk around during their life, was given better food, etc. does that mean it’s okay to take their life for the sake of our tastebuds? No. In this time and in the Western world, we have nearly infinite choices when it comes to choosing what food to purchase. If we have that choice and can even be healthier, as Roaming Millennial herself even mentioned, why would we not make the more compassionate option?

4. Vegans don’t get sentience or intelligence hierarchies. She mentions how in the past Peta used the number of people killed in the holocaust compared to the number of animals killed every single day in factory farms, because they were approximately the same number (which is definitely horrifying). People took offense to Peta mentioning the holocaust in a vegan campaign. She says a lot of vegans see all animal lives, even that of a fly, as equal to lives of human beings (which is not true). She also mentions how some vegans bring up the pro life movement, “equating” human fetuses with pigs. She also says she doesn’t think animals are intelligent or sentient enough to be akin to murder for our food.

So first of all, I am both vegan AND pro-life because I don’t agree with any killing that is not purely for self defense situations. Also, veganism is not about equating human life with animal life. If I had to choose between saving a dog or a human child, I’d save the child. I still kill ants if they infest my house or any other pests that might come in. We have a right to defend ourselves. And yes, I’ve been known to kill flies if they’re becoming a problem, though I do catch them in a cup when I can and let them outside. The point of veganism is not purity, and it’s not putting yourself on the level of an animal. It’s simply to reduce cruelty as much as possible. That’s really it. As for the argument about sentience and intelligence, it doesn’t make sense to say animals aren’t “sentient enough” to be considered murdered if they are killed. There is no spectrum of sentience. You are either a sentient being (which has a brain and/or nervous system) or a non-sentient being, like a plant. The word “Sentient,” according to Google, is defined as “able to perceive or feel things.” It’s not a measure of intelligence. On that subject, though, Roaming Millennial claims that animals who are smarter should be able to live while less intelligent animals should be subject to killing for food. She mentions in one part that pigs are smarter than dogs, so pigs probably shouldn’t be killed either. Something tells me she’s never spent time with a cow. They are just like a big dog. They love to cuddle, have their head and belly rubbed, run around and play, and even push beach balls around with their nose.

Check out these smart cows!

Other animals show the same loving behavior as dogs too. Chickens love to be petted and hugged, and turkeys recognize and enjoy music. There is intelligence in every animal if we simply observe it. Sadly, not many farm animals get the chance to show this, though, because they are raised to be killed. Also, if we’re just going off of intelligence as a sign of worth, what does that say about people who are mentally handicapped? Should we not feel bad when they are treated cruelly because their lower intelligence makes them less important? No, not even close. Intelligence is irrelevant when it comes to the value of any life.

5.Vegans often “misrepresent or misinterpret nutritional studies.” She says most vegans claim meat to be the worst thing you can put in your body. She also points to a video that claims why high cholesterol foods are “good for you.” She claims that the reason for most vegans and vegetarians being healthier than other people is because they don’t smoke as much, drink as much, or eat as much processed food as a lot of meat eaters.

I want to first address the “doctor” she alludes to. He mentions a study where vegetarian people were found to be not much healthier than meat eaters. Key word: VEGETARIAN. There were no vegans in the study, meaning people who participated still ate animal products.This same doctor has other videos talking about how having a high cholesterol number isn’t really dangerous and that doctors are just lying to you about it. Sound like a legit medical professional? Didn’t think so. That aside, there is a HUGE amount of studies done on this topic. Check out nutritionfacts.org for actual scholarly articles and peer reviewed studies as explained by a nutritional doctor. Visit Doctor John McDougall’s website. He conducts a lot of his own peer reviewed studies. Or even read the book about one of the biggest studies ever done on this topic: The China Study. The information is out there if we’re willing to look. A lot of people these days like falling for fad diet books that give you nice sounding promises like being able to eat tons of butter, cheese and bacon all day to lose weight, but if you look up these authors, most are not even doctors or licensed nutritionists! It helps to seek out the source and follow the money. One other thing to note is that nutritional doctors like Michael Greger and John McDougall offer all of their info for free on their websites and on YouTube. People promoting low carb, paleo, and other diets typically have you buy their book before you can read the info. If money is being made, they are most likely just telling the reader what they want to hear. ;)

Also, I don’t believe meat is the “worst” thing you can put in your body. I mean, you could drink bleach and die in a matter of minutes or seconds. But that doesn’t mean animal products aren’t the leading cause of the most common diseases the Western world faces today, so yes, it is worth telling people about, even if some vegans choose to do it in a pushy way (sad as that is).

Overall, by making this video, Roaming Millennial is basically going against things she claims to be opposed to in her other videos as a whole:

1. She believes people shouldn’t be condemned for free speech, yet she tells vegans to stop talking about veganism all the time because it’s annoying.
2. She says a lot of vegans are hostile with their words, meaning her argument is based mainly on feelings instead of facts.
3. She links no credible sources for her nutritional claims, just one YouTube video with a questionable doctor in it. No peer reviewed studies on vegan nutrition at all. So she was not prepared to provide solid facts in her argument.

Sure, I don’t like it when people are mean or pushy to me about their beliefs, but that doesn’t mean the movement is wrong and it doesn’t mean the majority of vegans act this way. Roaming Millennial claimed after making the video that she was only targeting the “mean” vegans and that she has no problem with vegans who don’t push their beliefs on others. Yet, if you look at the videos this girl makes, she pushes her beliefs on people all the time and could be considered quite “mean” and “insensitive” on some of the topics she speaks about. For example, in her video “Body Positivity: Please Tell Me I'm Pretty!” she talks about how the current fat acceptance movement has gone way too far in trying to normalize being overweight and call it healthy or beautiful. I agree with everything she says in the video, and yet, SO many people get personally offended by this viewpoint and say

“Stop judging overweight people! If you want to be skinny, that’s fine, but don’t force your lifestyle on me!”

Sound familiar? Because as a vegan, I often hear,

“Stop judging meat eaters! If you want to be vegan, that’s fine, but don’t force your lifestyle on me!”

The funny thing is, like I said, I only mention my diet to people who ask in the first place. I never push them to do it, though I do tell them how great it makes me feel, how it helps the animals, etc. Some people still take it personally, though, and choose to view my testimony as “mean.” That is the main reason why I had a problem with Roaming Millennial's video. Let’s stop trying to silence people from talking about their lifestyle just because it makes you feel guilty. If you feel guilty because someone is trying to do something good for the world, how about trying to find out why they do it instead of just labeling them as a “mean” person you can no longer associate with. In fact, if something a vegan says makes you feel guilty, perhaps ask yourself, “Why do I feel guilty about this? Do I feel what I’m doing is wrong? And if I feel this way, should I change my lifestyle?”

At the end of the day, we make a lot more progress in the world when we encourage what we do believe in instead of ranting about what we don’t believe in. So let’s look for the good in not only our differing beliefs, but ultimately, each other. :)