[lbo-talk] Become a vegetarian or rot in hell!!! ;-)

[ravi]

At around 31/10/06 2:21 am, Chuck wrote:
> 
> But you ask an interesting question. How many people think that
> vegetarianism or green consumerism are the best methods to "save the
> planet." I suspect that the number of people who think this way would be
> surprising. We are talking about the same set of people who mostly
> overlap with liberals who think that liberalism is a preferable strategy
> to help the poor. Poverty pimps. Utne Reader liberals.
> 

There are probably some people who think that vegetarianism or green
consumerism are necessary if insufficient conditions to save the world.
I am close to one of those myself! (in the sense of the principles
motivating vegetarianism, not necessary complete abstinence itself). And
you could probably add me to the group who believe that liberalism is a
preferable strategy to help the poor i.e., preferable to rapacious
capitalism. I will even admit to being unable to significantly refute
market socialism type arguments.

However, I think you will find very few vegetarians who think that their
choice of food is the best method to save the planet. I don't have data
here, but the sense I get is that most of them are motivated by
[personal] ethical considerations (vegetarianism is not the means to an
end), perhaps even aesthetic ones in some cases ;-).

	--ravi