Sunday, May 6, 2012
101 Reasons to Be Vegan
In this excellent presentation James Wildman of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida explains why being vegan is not only the healthiest, but the only morally justifiable diet for humans. If you're still not convinced check out Gary Yourofsky's incredible in-depth lecture, The World's #1 Killer - Eating, The Cure for Everything - Fasting, Detox, and Raw Living Foods, The Healthiest, Fittest People in the World, Raw Vegan Inspiration - Harley and Freelee, The Meat Myth, and Every Cancer Can Be Cured in Weeks!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
35 comments:
Thanks so much for sharing! I've seen Gary Yourofsky's video before - it was the final kick to make me a vegerarian. Looking forward to see this vid to the end, perhaps it'll make me vegan ;-)
Peace to our planet, Chaukee
Hey Eric,
I feel compelled to tell you that your blog has drastically changed my life. In terms of the "conspiracy stuff" I find that I agree with you on almost everything. I usually see if people talk about Zionism to determine if they are legitimate. I would like to hear your opinion on the Holocaust. I watched the (very long) video titled "One-Third of the Holocaust". I feel like the Holocaust was largely manufactured and sensationalized to create the state of Israel. There were clearly prison camps of course. However I can find no solid evidence of gas chambers, mass graves, etc. (anybody who has tried to bring this to the public's attention is destroyed). I think that Hitler's "Final Solution" was to move the Jews into their own land and not to exterminate them. I'm not antisemitic, a neo-Nazi, or anything of that sort.
Anyways... your stance on vegan-ism at first struck me as strange (and slightly offensive). I had been mostly vegetarian for a few months as I realized I just didn't like eating meat. With the information you've given, particularly the quotes on the morality aspects of eating meat/dairy/animal products and straight up facts about health, I was convinced in less than an hour that I was vegan. I accidentally ate some honey though should I throw up haha? Really good video. This issue is particularly hard to discuss with people I now realize.
I really appreciate this blog it has really inspired me. To be honest I'm a bit jealous of your lifestyle, independence, and shear work output. I'm 22 and am going through a rough transition. My parents think I'm insane and are kicking me out. Any advice you can give would be nice. I want to be able to drink clean water (non-fluoridated), eat healthy food and have shelter. Everything else is secondary at this point. Currently in California contemplating a hunger strike outside the capitol building until they stop water fluoridation. Wish me luck. I feel that the fluoridation issue is rock solid and a good issue to start with if I'm going to be engaging in non-violent protest.
Sincerely,
Forest
Thanks for the comments Chaukeedaar and Forest. I'm glad to hear about and applaud both of you for cutting down on the animal products. I agree with you about the holocaust Forest, here's an article I wrote about it:
Why the Holocaust Denial?
Thanks for the kind words, comments like yours make all the work worthwhile. Sorry to hear your parents are kicking you out, but it's gotta happen sometime, and I guess 22 is as good as ever. I'm not sure a hunger strike to end water fluoridation is going to achieve your desired outcome though I commend your courage and passion. Fasting often gives an amazing clarity of mind, if it were me I might fast and meditate on how to end water fluoridation, but not put my life in the hands of people who don't give a shit about me by going on a hunger strike. I wish you luck if you do do it, but I caution against thinking government psychopaths will have any compassion for your cause. I like your gusto though. Peace
With all that genetic engineering going on since Enki's & Enlil's days, ever wonder about the fact that "domesticated" PIGS share 83% the same DNA as humans?
Pigs are so similar to humnas their pancreas is harvested to produce insulin for (human) diabetics.
Some say human meat taste like...pork.
Pigs are the 5th smartest animal below humans. Dogs are 9th smartest on the list.
Pig domestication has gone hand in hand with human civilizations.
on a side note, perhaps our closest primates were a genetic experiment between humanoids and lower primates??? instead of evolving the other way around?
:)
@ Forest,
you certainly see the trees ;)
I too am wanting to stop the h20 fluoridation in cali, signed the petition online last year, but our water here is pretty bad. I know because my hair feels really coarse and dry when our shower filter has run its course, and when I replace the filter, my hair is back to softness again in about 2 weeks.
Then, living for 1 year in Hawaii where they don't fluoridate in Honolulu, my pineal gland buzzed after its "dormancy" in over 20 years!!!
But alas, we are back in Fluorifornia, and my energy levels are much lower here.
Best of luck to you in your journeys!
It may perhaps be more proper to say "pork tastes like human meat"
If anyone's new to the fluoride issue, check out:
The Fluoride Deception
i've tried a vegan diet it doesn't work too well with me, however now i eat less meat then ever and i try my hardest to only eat from human sources.
There is so much we dont know about the way the world works, plants are obviously alive i dont know that they cant feel and think the same way a chicken does. I agree with so much on this site but the animal holocaust is something that i really cant get behind, how is hunting a deer the animal halocaust? they are overpopulated and would otherwise be hit by a car and not consumed in the circle of life.
I also dont know that there has been one single society in the history of earth that has excelled from a purely vegan diet.
Having said all that if i was overwieght, or had any health problems the first thing i'd do is clean up my diet and try to go more towards a vegan diet.
you all will be happy to know i just got a vegan lunch and dinner, lol.
i'm not vegan cause i love eating meat, but i stay away from unhealthy inhuman meat which is definitly 95% of the meat out there.
whole foods has a elaborate system where they dont sell any meat thats from inhuman conditions the owner and founder john mackey is a vegan, he knows he cant convince everyone to go vegan cause meats so damn tasty but he can make it so the meat they buy is human and the animals live a natural life.
i've tried a vegan diet it doesn't work too well with me
What are you claiming "doesn't work too well with you?" Replacing meat/dairy with a higher intake of fruits/vegetables is always healthier for every human. Meat/dairy are acidic, cholesterol-laden, fattening, artery and intestinal-clogging, lymph-clotting, mucus-forming, inflammatory, and leave rotting metabolic waste. Fruits/vegetables are alkaline, have no cholesterol, slimming, blood oxygenating, and leave little or no metabolic waste.
The word "vegan" isn't synonymous with "healthy" because you could be vegan and eating pringles and pepsi everyday. However, saying the "vegan diet doesn't work too well with me" is simply a cop-out and you should be saying "I haven't yet made the vegan diet work well for me." Long-term corpse crunchers like yourself are chronically addicted to adrenaline and hormones from the meat and you will experience unpleasant withdrawal effects for several days or weeks as you transition away from animal protein. This does not mean that the "vegan diet doesn't work well for you," it means you have an unhealthy addiction. A heroine addict could say "being clean doesn't work well for me," but that's just an excuse coming from his withdrawal symptoms and a denial of reality... the truth is both of you would be healthier without your vices.
now i eat less meat then ever and i try my hardest to only eat from human sources.
Glad to hear you're eating less meat than ever, that's the first step. I'm assuming you misspelled "humane" otherwise your unabashedly claiming to be a cannibal. Giving you the benefit of the doubt that you're not a cannibal, I'm guessing you actually buy the lame argument that there is such a thing as "humane slaughter." Humane slaughter is an oxy-moron and an insult to the intelligence of the animal you're eating. If you honestly believe humane murder is morally justifiable then I'll send a loving assassin over to your place to compassionately kill you.
plants are obviously alive i dont know that they cant feel and think the same way a chicken does
Plants don't have a nervous system to feel pain or a brain to think like animals. They don't have legs to run away, or a mouth to scream in terror as you try to "humanely slaughter" them either. They don't have mother's and families who will grieve their deaths. The ridiculous "plants are alive too!" argument is the last refuge of the guilty flesh-eater.
I agree with so much on this site but the animal holocaust is something that i really cant get behind
Killing 300 animals a second for food, 10 billion a year, just because humans like the taste... that's something I really can't get behind.
I also dont know that there has been one single society in the history of earth that has excelled from a purely vegan diet.
Read The China Study.
Having said all that if i was overwieght, or had any health problems the first thing i'd do is clean up my diet and try to go more towards a vegan diet.
So you admit the health benefits of veganism here, but in the sentence before you claim that people don't "excel from a purely vegan diet." And in your first sentence you said "it doesn't work for you." It sounds to me like you know the truth but the mind-controlling meat-loving parasites in your intestines still have a few excuses left up their sleeves to keep you hosting their addiction.
you all will be happy to know i just got a vegan lunch and dinner, lol.
Good! Keep going! Don't stop! :) You just saved 2 animals from "humane murder." I congratulate and applaud your healthy, compassionate choice. Peace
get too skinny on the vegan diet, i know vegan body builders exist but most vegans look like twigs, if i didn't already look like a twig i wouldn't mind that i lose a tremendous amount of wieght and strength from the vegan diet, i've tried it several times and still 90% of my meals are veganisque, i've never been big on dairy so thats not really the issue but giving up meat completely is something very hard for me to do.
I'd completely disagree about there not being a humane way to kill a animal, how is hunting a deer inhumane isn't it more inhumane and more wastefull to let it get hit by a car or starve to death? If i'm a deer in the wild i'd rather be hunted for food in the natural cycle of life then starve to death or get hit by a car... there is a circle of life, and a food chain but there is a way to respectfully eat a animal and thats a lot different then just ordering a chicken nugget from mcdonalds. you cant say they are all the same because the animal dies...
there are many fake vegans as i call them that eat a 90% vegan diet but find it doesn't support them completely and need sparingly eat meat. For example in the video he mentions tony gonzolez who eats a vegan diet but has salmon at dinner, i dont think the occasional salmon or chicken is going to create a health problem in a otherwise completely healthy person, but i dont disagree with you that a disproportionate intake of animal products can lead to health issues.
Ya I should have said that my parents have every right to kick me out. The interesting part is that they are specifically kicking me out because I'm an anarchist and I refuse to pay any taxes (besides sales tax since I have to). They equate anarchy to Timothy McVeigh and the Unibomber; it is pretty hilarious. They are quite wealthy and continue to drink fluoridated water which is just sad.
Does anybody have any tips on breaking through to extremely ignorant family members? Even basic health issues. I really do care about my parents health. They really piss me off sometimes but after I do some yoga and breathing I realize how the negative energy is probably sabotaging my efforts.
And ya, the hunger strike is a no go for now. The psychopath videos changed my perspective on TPTB. However, if anyone has a massive following a hunger strike would be effective in my opinion (Gandhi comes to mind). I'm surprised that I haven't heard of anybody trying it.
get too skinny on the vegan diet, i know vegan body builders exist but most vegans look like twigs, if i didn't already look like a twig i wouldn't mind that i lose a tremendous amount of wieght and strength from the vegan diet
Raw Vegan Bodybuilding
VeganBodybuilding.com
1150 Lbs Raw Vegan
First of all, check the links and realize if you're not getting these results it's because of you, not veganism. Gorillas, elephants, moose, rhinos, hippos, and many of the other strongest and heaviest land animals are vegans. Eating corpses does not make you stronger... bodybuilding, yoga, martial arts, isometrics etc. make you stronger. I'm in a bodybuilding phase myself and putting on more weight/muscle than I've ever had even before going vegan. When you cut meat/dairy from your diet, you lose hundreds or thousands of empty calories a day and replacing them with fruits and vegetables is no small task. For breakfast today I'll have 3 mangos, 5 bananas, a kilo of mangosteens and a kilo of rambutans. After I do chest and triceps I'll have a bunch of spirulina for protein and coconut for healthy fat. Like thousands of other vegan bodybuilders, I'm lifting more and I weigh more than I ever have right now, so don't blame veganism for your own short-comings.
I'd completely disagree about there not being a humane way to kill a animal, how is hunting a deer inhumane isn't it more inhumane and more wastefull to let it get hit by a car or starve to death?
False Choice Fallacy
If I hunted down and shot your mother would you buy the excuse that if I hadn't shot her, she would have just eventually got hit by a car or starved to death? People get hit by cars and starve to death all the time, just like deer, but most people, like most deer, live long, free, happy lives without accident or starvation. Your false choice between a bullet or a car is juvenile and a fallacy of formal logic. It is not "humane" to end an animal's life prematurely just because you like the taste. There is no such thing as "humane murder" or "humane torture" or "humane rape" - they are oxy-morons by definition. If you were "humane" you wouldn't murder, torture or rape... I can't believe I have to sit here and explain this to people like it's not glaringly obvious.
there are many fake vegans as i call them that eat a 90% vegan diet but find it doesn't support them completely and need sparingly eat meat.
Fake vegans don't "NEED" to eat meat, they "CHOOSE" to eat meat. Fruits and vegetables do "support them completely" but they CHOOSE to sparingly eat meat. CHOOSE your words more carefully you humane cannibal :P
to simply my thoughts on a 100% pure vegan diet, when i eat a bunch of side dishes it feels like... i have only eaten a bunch of side dishes... i'm not trying to be sarcastic or anything thats just hte simpliest way to describe the incomplete fullness i feel from a all vegan diet at times.
I had a fallafal today for lunch it was out of this world, was totally vegan, problem is 10 minutes later i could eat another and another. I like your breakfast and i eat a similar breakfast but 5 bannanas is something that i find completely impossible to stomach.
If you shot and killed my mother and ate her as food and she was in a envirnment were she would otherwise be run over and left for dead or starve to death and die miserably then yes i would be ok with that, animals die in nature...
hard to remain anonymous when you spell like a complete retard lol. enjoy the conversation a lot and your opposing viewpoints are definitly noted.
Does anybody have any tips on breaking through to extremely ignorant family members? Even basic health issues. I really do care about my parents health.
I know this is one of the most difficult hurdles that everyone must face. Just because you've taken the red pill doesn't mean your friends and family are out of the matrix. Here's a great clip of my dad Roger explaining to Jason Bermas on the Infowars show about his awakening to the NWO:
Roger Dubay on the Infowarrior
Nowadays following my example, after seeing the benefits, both my parents are vegans and looking/feeling younger and more energetic than ever. In fact I'll send them an email and see if they can pitch in here to better help answer your question.
to simply my thoughts on a 100% pure vegan diet, when i eat a bunch of side dishes it feels like... i have only eaten a bunch of side dishes... i'm not trying to be sarcastic or anything thats just hte simpliest way to describe the incomplete fullness i feel from a all vegan diet at times. I had a fallafal today for lunch it was out of this world, was totally vegan, problem is 10 minutes later i could eat another and another. I like your breakfast and i eat a similar breakfast but 5 bannanas is something that i find completely impossible to stomach.
30 Bananas a Day .com
These guys eat up to 70 bananas a day and Harley, over 11 years raw vegan, has the best blood tests the lab has ever seen. I'm not saying you need to eat that much, but you need to eat enough calories every day whether you're vegan or not. If you've eaten "a bunch of side dishes" and you're still hungry, then you haven't eaten enough side dishes. If you're still hungry after a non-vegan meal, what do you do? You eat more, right? Well it's no different with vegan meals. You need to eat more. If you're not full, if you haven't eaten enough calories, then keep eating! Don't blame veganism!
If you shot and killed my mother and ate her as food and she was in a envirnment were she would otherwise be run over and left for dead or starve to death and die miserably then yes i would be ok with that, animals die in nature...
No, animals live and thrive in nature. They get shot or run over because of humans. Who are these "starving" deer you're talking about? There's no grass where you live? Again, you're presenting a false dilemma as if the only options deer have in this world are getting shot, run over, or starving to death! You're leaving out the most common and obvious option which is that they continue to live freely and happy without human(e) intervention. I wonder how your mom would feel about your logical fallacy?
I'm so proud of my son sharing with his Mom and I all about the health benefits of going Vegan. I was one that would always tell my wife I'm a Meat and Potato guy, Don't think I can give up Meat. Well Guess what? I was wrong. I do not miss meat !!!! I do feel so much better !!!!!. My wife and I do miss eating Cheese. But we have found Dayia Cheese and that's made from Tapioca I believe . Makes a great Pizza. And if we feel we want meat. then We will buy meats made from Soy Beans. Keep up the great work Eric. Your Mom and I are so Proud of you. We Love and miss you ""Dad""
17:02
The frame @ 17:02 really sums it up the human attitude:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMEo5LnHsW0&feature=player_embedded
a poster in the comments linked this video:
http://indianinthemachine.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/possible-false-flag-at-denver-international-airport-russia-u-s-to-hold-anti-terror-drills-in-may-airborne-troops-from-russia-and-the-untied-states-would-hold-joint-anti-terror-drills-in-the-u/
Human Genetics Depicted on Ancient Disc:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFHwKmHfdo8&feature=related
Eric and others have help convinced me to eat less or no animal products at all. Even though I do fail occasionally, I have drastically decreased the amount of animal products I eat. The only reason I do eat poor, defensless animals is because I believe I am still addicted and/or most people around me eat them.
But the excuses people make are quite ridiculous, and I can at least make some (very few) admit that veganism sounds great and healthy, but they just can't stop eating animal products because they are weak and/or just can't get over how much they like the taste.. However, most people get defensive or uncomfortable and make up the sad excuses like "it's too expensive" or "it's part of the circle of life".
I was wondering if I could get an opinion from Eric or any of his blogs viewers... If I go completely vegan (which I WILL do), and preach/inform people about the faults of eating animal products, would I be a hypocrite if I am a frequent drug user? One of my ex-homies won't even listen to anything I say because I use pharmaceuticals for recreational use..
I know I should quit using them all together, but they seriously help me cope with the stresses of the world AND they do seem to help me get more creative/ have more patience with making music.. I also plan to incorporate these taboo subjects into my music/writing, but really want to stay true to the whole concept.
Any advice or opinions would be very much appreciated. And I hope the above anons will soon find it in themselves to quit making the excuses!
Peace!
D
If I go completely vegan (which I WILL do), and preach/inform people about the faults of eating animal products, would I be a hypocrite if I am a frequent drug user? One of my ex-homies won't even listen to anything I say because I use pharmaceuticals for recreational use.. I know I should quit using them all together, but they seriously help me cope with the stresses of the world AND they do seem to help me get more creative/ have more patience with making music
Thanks for the comment Dinson and keep up the good work transitioning to a vegan lifestyle! The cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, fish and other creatures would thank you if they could :) As for helping other people, preaching certainly won't do it. My parents, fiance, and several friends have all gone vegan because of my example, but I'm sensitive not to overwhelm or preach to people and to let them come to me. I may seem prickly on this blog, but that's because here I hold no punches as you've all chosen to come here, comment, and can leave anytime. In my personal life though, people can tell my skin is clear and radiant, my mood and energy is high, I'm disease free, never get sick, and putting on muscle... after a while people who know you will want to know how you're maintaining such a high level of health and will gladly listen to your advice and follow your example.
As for drug use, that is your choice and irrelevant to the issue of veganism and animal cruelty. If anyone calls you a hypocrite for that they should open a dictionary. I would however recommend getting off those crappy pharmaceutical chemical concoctions. Why use their sub-par expensive trash when nature provides it all healthier, higher quality and free? Cannabis, salvia, DMT, ayahuasca, iboga, peyote, magic mushrooms, morning glory seeds etc. There are several leaves like gratom and coca which are healthy, alkaline, you can chew on them all day and it's natural speed. No matter what effect big pharma is selling you, uppers, downers, psychedelics... plants got there first and do it better, healthier and free. If I were you I would quit all unnatural chemical drugs and stick with the amazing variety of shamanic plants nature provides. That, along with going 100% vegan would certainly be empowering and a real step up for your health. If not, I'm afraid those pharmaceuticals will catch up with you sooner than later. Good luck and keep up the good work spreading the good word through music! Peace
Thanks for your reply man.. I was leaning more towards "inform" or as you said, using an example to try and wake people(especially this guy) up to the whole scheme of the world.
And i do realize how fucked up the whole pharmaceutical situation is, I was actually going to school to eventually become a pharmacist, but quit because i quickly took notice the "conditioning" that the medical field puts the students through..
But soon after, I pick up another addiction (aside from eating animals my whole life), and ironically its pharmacy drugs. :(
And even though I would do anything to partake on an Ayahuasca trip or chew on some alkalizing coca leaves, I just cannot find that kind of stuff where I live or work.. Maybe I just need to focus on meditation and fasting in order to find my comfort zone in this world.
Anyway, your an awesome dude as always! It seems more and more people are taking interest in your research, which is great! And that is way cool your gettin' all super buff off veggies and fruit.. I wish i had the motivation and drive as you did.
Keep pushin!
D
i'm 3 days vegan, going on four, its a start. I went to get dinner before the gym and i was feeling like some chicken, went to a buffet style place and opted for beans in stead, lady thought i was pointing at the chicken and damn near put some on my plate, had the strength to say no thank you still and pointed her to the beans.
two thoughts went through my head as i approached the line, the de beaking of the chickens and the vegan body builder in the youtube videos.
Eric you have the right idea, in public or family events or social gatherings your not doing the vegan cause a favor by preaching to people, and honestly the stick figure vegans that look like the wind would blow them over aren't doing the vegan cause a favor either, to me and the opposite sex a lot of twig vegans look as unhealthy and unnattractive as the pork eating fatties. My goal is to have great skin, energy, and a fit looking strong body, if i'm asked in social situations how i do it i'll preach the shit out of a vegan diet. If i see someone order mcdonalds i'll keep my mouth shut, unless they complain about being fat afterwards.
However within this blog i'm glad you dont pull any punches, preach on brotha.
Hey D, there are some internet sites like shamanic-extracts.com for example that sell seeds, starter kits, gratom leaves, ayahuasca and other plants. That might be an option to help start transitioning away from the chemicals back to nature. As for de-stressing I personally do pranayama breathing / meditation, yoga, and martial arts combined with massages and plenty of sleep. Drinking alkalized water and eating fresh raw alkalizing foods works to loosen, lighten and de-stress too. In my Solutions to the System podcast I focused a lot on de-stressing as I think stress is a major underlying factor of most all physical and mental illness. Stressed out people do negative things to themselves and the world like eat junk food, drink alcohol, repress emotions, get enraged, get depressed, start shit with others, close themselves off, tighten up, think rigidly, impatient, make rash decisions, etc. etc. Relaxed people tend to be more healthy, positive, friendly, warm, loving, compassionate, forgiving, helpful, etc. etc. I think people would be surprised how positively their life would change if every day they made a point to eat raw vegan food, drink alkaline water, do pranayama deep breathing, yoga stretching, give/receive massages and get plenty of sleep. Anyway, thanks again for the encouragement! Peace
Hey Anonymous, thanks so much for the great comment. Stay with it for your health and the chick's beaks! :) I actually started eating vegetarian and vegan for the health benefits and after seeing slaughterhouse videos and realizing that "loving" my pet dog while being complicit in the murder, rape, and torture of thousands of pigs, cows, and chickens because I like the way they taste... is hypocritical. I wouldn't eat my dog, why should I eat my neighbor's cow?
"Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them" ~Samuel Butler
I really liked what you wrote here: My goal is to have great skin, energy, and a fit looking strong body, if i'm asked in social situations how i do it i'll preach the shit out of a vegan diet. If i see someone order mcdonalds i'll keep my mouth shut, unless they complain about being fat afterwards. However within this blog i'm glad you dont pull any punches, preach on brotha.
That is definitely the right method and attitude that will help compassionately nudge people towards what is best for them, best for everyone else, best for the animals and the planet. Keep it up man!
@ Dinson
Marijuana vs Cannibis :)
http://ascendingstarseed.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/santos-bonacci-law-and-language-geelong-2-may-2012/
two thought thats relate to this discussion somewhat.
I was thinking today the only pharmacuetical that nature doesn't have a answer for is birth control pills, or does it? insight anyone?
secondly, i see article on here on flouride and how turrible it is for you, but haven't seen anything on solutions. well lately i have been drinking alkaline water that comes from this karggan machine, its some japenese company that has a machine that extracts the flouride chlorine and other junk and spits out alkaline water, its also amazing what this alkaline water does when you wash off non organic vegatables with it. the machine is really expensive but i'm gonna try to buy one cheaper online, i'll you know how that goes.
http://www.kangenspecialwater.com/user/davideluppi/
^maybe a good blog note in the future when discussing flouridation should be solutions and the importance of alkaline water, there are some great youtube vids on this.
The most natural birth control method is abstinence during the 7-10 day window of conception. Further to this though there are other natural methods of male birth control like eating papaya seeds or a regiment of soaking your balls in very hot water. Dr. Morse was talking about making an herbal contraceptive... not sure if he's gotten around to that yet. Natural alternatives do exist but there's not much info that I've been able to find on the net. If anyone else has any other natural birth control methods please post them here.
hey yall i got a silly question.
can a dog eat a vegan diet, its turrible how these animals for food are being treated, so i dont wann buy any meat but whats my pup gonna eat?
serious question, i know yall arent vets but a dogs a meat eater right, i've fed my dogs rice and chicken before they love it, but i aint trying to support the debeaked chickin factory.
d
Hey all.
I wanted to warn everybody about 30bananasaday.com . I know it seems pretty far fetched, but I believe that this website fits the description of a cult. I did not come up with this idea but I do agree with it. I have some experience in recognizing cults as I was a participant in Alcoholics Anonymous for a while (definitely a cult, although not the most dangerous).
Just to give a few examples for 30BAD: 1. they have leaders, namely durianrider, Freelee, and the Dr. who wrote the book. They are the gods of the cult and they are unquestionable. 2. There is a complete lack of logic or rational thinking allowed on the website. It is blatantly discouraged. Anybody who has a different opinion is subject to being banned. I'm not talking antiVegan, I mean someone who says that a little bit of beans may be good for diet will be ridiculed, have posts deleted, and/or banned.
This is enough for me but there is much more. There is a money trail as well (life coach/diet lessons, books, youtube ad money). Also, I believe the diet is not only extreme but pretty foolish and...unscientific for lack of a better word. They recommend all fruit and some veggies. Any "overt" fat is frowned upon (like avocado, any nuts, etc). BEWARE
As a side note: Eric you should totally write an article about cults. They are extremely prevalent throughout the world and are actually much harder to recognize than most people think. I was fooled by this site for around a week and I consider myself fairly open minded, rational, and intelligent. If you don't want to I'd actually like to write an article but I have no platform.
Hey Anon, dogs do very well on a vegan diet. My friend's dog is vegan and his vet said he had the best blood tests he'd ever seen of any dog:
Dogs Can Thrive on a Vegan Diet!
And Forest, Harley and Freelee are two of my personal friends and I've spent a fair amount of time with them here in Bangkok. They are no more "cult leaders" with 30BAD than I am with AC.com. They are two of the most wonderful, compassionate, intelligent, strong and fit people I have ever met. Just because you have a website, fans, occasionally censor, and sell things doesn't make you a "cult." "Cult" is just a negative word for "group." Any group you don't like you can call a cult and the gullible public will latch onto that term and thereafter think negatively about the organization. We're passionate, motivated people trying to help awaken and heal the world while making some money to support ourselves from it. If you don't jive with their style that's fine, but comparing and condemning them to the likes of Jim Jones for helping people with the raw vegan lifestyle is ludicrous.
I think you should examine your personal bias and look up what a cult really is. It appears to me you allow free thought here. I'll elaborate later but I really hope you are joking. You don't even have to post this but I'm truly second guessing your logic here. I doubt you even looked up a real definition based on what you said. The leadership, group think, leader is always right, can't question the leader, there IS a money trail. Way Different than your site.
Harley has discussed with me his heavy-handed censorship and banning and I see no problem with it. It's his website, and if people don't like the way he runs it they don't have to come back. How can a website be a cult? There's such a thing as virtual online cults now? Harley's helping people get healthy, and you're comparing him to people who initiate mass suicides? I know the dictionary definition of "cult" and every religion on Earth could and probably should be considered a cult. But colloquially people just use this term to pigeon-hole whatever group in society they dislike and that seems to me what you're doing here. What is it you dislike so much about Harley and his website?
Again you bring up the mass suicides. Nowhere in my posts did I refer to mass suicides and it makes it look like I grossly exaggerated the dangers of a cult. I believe you are utilizing the false dichotomy (logical fallacy).
I agree religions are cults and they are dangerous in the sense that they prevent people from having free open minds. They stifle open discussion and rational thinking in favor of group think, obedience to leadership, and worship of a doctrine with little to no logical basis.
As far as I know, most cults, even the mass suicide ones, did not force people to enter. Although religious indoctrination would start from a young age typically. The bottom line is that it truly does fit the definition of a cult. Extremely rigid ideology. The negative results are apparent in some of the members. I've seen some evidence that contradicts your opinion of Harley and Freelea but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they were saying what they said in fun...and providing some "tough love" as they also call it in AA... lol
I find it hypocritical that you are a self labeled anarchist (I think) yet are basically protecting a cult (like I said they are all "voluntary"). You are essentially admitting that it is a cult although you are padding it with saying that there are many cults out there. These cults are preventing the society that I thought we were striving for in our search for truth. And awakening people to the TRUTH. The TRUTH is that 30BAD is a cult, albeit it is a virtual internet one. There will likely be no cyanide punch bowl but you are providing a false dichotomy right after I called you out on it. And I know for a fact you are well aware of logical fallacies in many forms I've seen you link to them when people use them in your comments.
I maybe exaggerated the danger a little bit I admit; I was trying to make a point. That said this goes beyond the whole 30BAD issue for me at this point. I'm not going to claim that my logic is perfect or that it wouldn't be affected by a personal relationship. But after I mentioned this and you give me that response its frankly disappointing man. You were respectful to me personally which does say quite a bit about you after I called out two of your friends.
I really do love your website and all of the material I've seen on it has been great. The best blog I've seen by far. I just can't believe you would condone 30BAD or any group with that value system. I find it more likely that your account has been hacked but I suppose it goes to show how naive I really am. Regardless of an obvious difference of opinion I still do appreciate all of the work you've done and I will continue my research. Peace
Again you bring up the mass suicides.
And again you keep calling my friend's website a "cult." If we were playing Family Feud I'm sure one of the top surveyed responses for what comes to mind would be "mass suicides." But putting connotation aside, the dictionary definition of a cult is:
"A group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc." -Dictionary.com
"The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a new religious movement or other group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre." -Wikipedia.com
So are you saying Harley's website is an abnormal, bizarre group of people bound together by veneration of fruits/vegetables and people who eat them? No, you're specifically using the word "cult" for it's negative connotations like psychopaths and mass suicides. If you simply said the denotation: "30BAD is a bizarre group of people who venerate and practice the consumption of exclusively raw fruits and veggies," I'd say yeah, that sounds about right. But when you say "30BAD is a cult" you're not saying that for the denotation; you're saying it for the negative connotations (like mass suicides etc.) Get it?
I don't think eating healthy or researching conspiracies is that abnormal or bizarre, but other than that you can equally call 30BAD and AC.com cults. However you maintain that I'm running the "best blog you've seen by far," while Harley's website is a nefarious cult. Yet Harley is one of my good friends and inspirations, so how does that work?
I maybe exaggerated the danger a little bit I admit; I was trying to make a point.
You're still exaggerating and trying to turn two people's passion and compassion into something negative every time you use the word "cult" to describe their website. If people venerate Harley, Freelee, Doug Graham, Mike Arnstein, Megan Elizabeth, Patrick Marcus, Markus Rothkranz and other incredibly fit, successful 80/10/10ers then that's a good thing. They are great role models. Other people venerate Lady Gaga wearing dresses made from dead animal corpses... why aren't you harping on about Gaga's little cult monsters? Of all the truly negative groups out there you could be exposing as "cults," why are you so adamant about this raw vegan website?
The bottom line is that it truly does fit the definition of a cult. Extremely rigid ideology.
If people find that 80/10/10 truly works for them and deviations from it don't improve their health and fitness, then that rigid ideology is a good thing. I'm a vegan which means the rigid ideology of not murdering and eating animals... does that make me a cultist? Is having rigid compassion for all animals a negative thing? Are you saying anyone with rigid ideologies is a cultist? Do you see how without the negative connotations, that word "cult" doesn't mean anything but "group?"
I just can't believe you would condone 30BAD or any group with that value system.
What value system!? It's a website promoting a high-carb low-fat raw vegan diet. Do you go to Atkins website and tell all those under-carbed flabsters that they're in a cult? Their guru died of a heart attack from eating his own shitty diet, meanwhile Harley's winning bike races, Mike Arnsteins winning ultramarathons, and Doug Graham is fitter than most 25 year-olds. What is so negative about a fruit/vegetable diet and the people who eat it?
Post a Comment