On Skinny Bitch

Don't just buy into every word of the latest vegan diet-swathe-masquerading-as-expose-nonfiction. That said, I strongly prefer to agree upon, correctly, the many flaws in our immediate food and agriculture system (e.g., monoculture and factory farms), in well-reasoned, thoroughly researched fashion (let's not pretend that the many footnotes to PETA in "Skinny Bitch" are the equivalent of real research). Pollan, author of the Omnivore's Dilemna, sums up his latest, "In Defense of Food" thusly: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." And that is sound advice. Unlike the propagandists of "Skinny Bitch," we should point out that human populations have thrived on many types of foods for millennia--but only until the advent of highly processed, government-subsidized food did we see the rise of widespread diseases of affluence such as Type II diabetes, atherosclerosis, and other obesity-related health problems. The authors of the "Skinny Bitch" screeds, however, advocate eating precisely the types of fake foods (vegan Canadian bacon, anyone? No? How about fake cheeseburger tofu with authentic beef smoked flavor) that contribute to ENVIRONMENTAL and HEALTH problems. Not to mention their unkind, condescending tone. Foods injected with hormones, environmental toxins, and other chemicals which damage the earth upon which we live are the VERY foods that vegans promote to consume.

Tree huggers should sit in trees to save them from the loggers instead of using them as paper to write upon and houses to live within. Like animals, all plants have valuable souls, and just because a tree is grand and noble DOESN'T make it any better than a cornstalk. What, you'll lash yourself to a tree to save it but it's OK to kill and eat a cornstalk? Just because one is more attractive than the other? I think not. You can't claim trees have souls and then eat other plants, even ones that are smaller or less attractive.

BE A BREATHERARIAN. Only minerals on tap. And air. And water. It's the only way to live a morally pure life.

SO: Instead of veganism, a brand of thought which supports the idea of fake meats, psychiatric illness, unhealthy offspring, environmental damage, birth defects, child-laboring, with a side of bad, bad, and more bad, PLEASE support animal kindness and good heartedness. Have people kindness too. Stop wearing save the earth tees that you bought for 65.99 to support children tailoring in third-world countries. It breaks my heart to see child-laboring factories grow by the weeks. Save your money and help support those who need help. Not just in third-world countries, but even in poverty-stricken communities next to you.

There is no such thing as veganism. Especially not for lipstick drawn, dependent thinking, and insecurely loud vegans. PLEASE, LEARN THE FACTS. IE. The damaging affects of soy on the envrionment. Monsanto anyone? I meant to say: GLOBAL EUGENICS ANYONE? Poor families across south america are raising more and more children with birth defects JUST so you can enjoy your vegan based products while you google more PETA events on your fancy Iphone. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joweZ6uM5iY). Get real. Where's your heart? Step out of the fad, step out of your need to stand-out, STEP OUT OF THE INSECURITIES. Be independent. And ACTUALLY help the environment.

"It has often been claimed that avoiding red meat is beneficial to the environment, because it lowers emissions and less land is used to produce alternatives.

But a study by Cranfield University, commissioned by WWF, the environmental group, found a substantial number of meat substitutes – such as soy, chickpeas and lentils – were more harmful to the environment because they were imported into Britain from overseas.

The study concluded: "A switch from beef and milk to highly refined livestock product analogues such as tofu could actually increase the quantity of arable land needed to supply the UK."

The results showed that the amount of foreign land required to produce the substitute products – and the potential destruction of forests to make way for farmland – outweighed the negatives of rearing beef and lamb in the UK.

An increase in vegetarianism could result in the collapse of British farming, the study warned, causing meat production to move overseas where there may be less legal protection of forests and uncultivated land.

Meat substitutes were also found to be highly processed, often requiring large amounts of energy to produce."