• Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 days ago

    I hate this argument. I was vegan when I was living off $10 a week. I was vegan when I was in the homless center.

    I cried my first night in that shelter. They provided dinner, it was cheap box mac n cheese, some meat I forget and broccoli, I started crying, a hormonal nursing mother, the cook noticed. He let me swap the meat and cheese for extra broccoli and there was always apples and oranges in a bowl for folks. Fridays, they let us bring in our own food and use the kitchen, once they set me up with food stamps, it was game on fridays for me.

    I was vegan for my poorest years. Before being at the shelter, in them $10 a week days… Not proud of it, but I stole zuchini from a farm stand once. took three of them, I was truly starving. One day later, I saw random cans of tomatoes on the sidewalk in front of a church, took those too. made a nice meal I hadnt had in a while.

    I ate can veg and beans as meals. I ate plain ass noodles with salt, I ate weird veg mashes I got from the foodbank and just threw it all in a pan with some rice.

    Desperation teaches you many things.

    No I couldnt afford vegan products, vegan meat or cheeses, but anything marked vegan is going to have a jacked price. The entire produce section, and a lot of the tinned section, the whole pasta section, is all vegan without having the little V printed on it.

    Learning to cook is the way.

    In fact I stumbled on veganism because I legit wanted cake, but had no milk, eggs or butter. Was too broke to buy them. I found a recipie for “Depression Cake” and that was my first vegan meal I ever made myself intentionally. I got into vegan baking, because it was cheaper. Then I just gave up all meat, and eventually cheese, because it was cheaper. Thats why I started, to save money. Then I started reading about factory farming practices. Dont watch Earthlings while nursing a newborn. Dont recommend, but that film changed my life. I was already plant bases (I always consumed local honey seasonally tbh) but Earthings solidified everything.

    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      You may hate the argument, and I get that too, but many people just don’t have your level of knowledge. Many men I know for example, literally wouldn’t even know how to operate a stovetop. I’m not even trying to make the point that it’s the most common situation to not have a possible way to being vegan, I’m just trying to make the point that it is ludicrous to suggest that everyone can “EASILY” go fully vegan today. That makes so many assumptions that don’t fit the lives of many people.

      • Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 days ago

        Everyone can learn to read.

        Everyone can learn to cook. Some need guidance. I try to help folks where I am able in this, in my daily life. Help your homies learn to cook.

        We get no where on our own.

        • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Everyone can learn to read.

          See, this is exactly my point. No, they absolutely cannot. Over half of adults in America are functionally illiterate. I’m close to someone who teaches middle schoolers to read who struggle, usually with a combination of horrible educational background, low income situations, intellectual disability, or hardship caused by having to flee their country of origin, for their own safety.

          Even if we had universally offered free classes to teach reading and cooking (we don’t, not even close), there still would be many people who wouldn’t even be able to take advantage of them, for various reasons.

          What I’m really arguing here is against the absolutist attitude. It’s just not helpful and it sets you up mentally to be even more disappointed in people than you’d be without the attitude…

          Edit: the fact that this comment is getting downvotes tells you all you need to know about why people have to choose veganism in spite of your horrible messaging about it, and never because of it.

          • Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            2 days ago

            yes they can, with help.

            with help

            What the fuck is it, to each ones ability and each ones need or some shit.

            Help. You, person here, should help.

            I dislike absolutist attitudes too. Its just, just help.

            edit, my neighbors mow thier grass to dirt. Shoulda seen this fuck yesterday across my street creating a dust storm just so he could sit on a tractor with a beer. This doesnt mean I do the same. Do you, in whatever ways you can, to be a helper. I literally sat 8 feet from a bunny hiding in the shaded tall clover while I swear this bun was watching this fool with me.

            • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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              2 days ago

              I mean even that’s not true. Probably 98% could learn these things. 2% is not zero. In reality though even if a much greater number of volunteer teachers existed, we’d still end up with an even more non-zero number.

              • Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                2 days ago

                this just seems like negative thinking, wrapped in realism, while I, an idealist, dream of hope.

                Some folks cling to hope, some except reality as hopeless.

                • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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                  2 days ago

                  I lived in a world of realistic optimism where it was possible that maybe ya know, up to 10% might vote for Donald Trump. Like 35% of eligible voters chose him and most of them still would even after he’s hurt them directly. And I started off “more negative” than you are now. There’s being optimistic and then there’s being mad at the world for not being perfect.