Veganism and S&M

[legalmoose]

But a careful examination of both freak clusters (or, to use the more polite term, "subcultures") reveals that vegans and sadomasochists share a certain strictness and abiding passion for rules. The leather scene is carefully coded and ritualized, with coloured handkerchiefs (in either one's right or left pocket) signifying various preferences, such as fister (red), rimmer (beige), shrimper (coral) or scatologist (brown). Vegans, meanwhile, follow strict diets and argue about the ethical dilemmas surrounding honey and pollen, yeast and Jell-O with evangelical fervour. (As Jesse Grass, a young activist who appeared once on The Simpsons, bragged, "I'm a level-five vegan. I won't eat anything that casts a shadow.") Despite some mainstreaming in the past decade -- tofurky, the turkey substitute, was an answer on Jeopardy! a few years ago --- both groups spend most of their existence on the margins, extreme lifestyles suited to few.

-- Can Veganism And S&M Be Reconciled

Comments

[chown-me.livejournal.com]

wtf is a shrimper?

[legalmoose]

Think feet - someone who likes to lick or suck on toes. :-D

[chown-me.livejournal.com]

Ahh. Thanks!

[eyow.livejournal.com]

Um...yeast is a fungus. Are mushrooms also "animals", since they're not plants?

[apeliotes.livejournal.com]

Yes, but carnivore farts are more pungent. Blech.

[eyow.livejournal.com]

I don't think so, but I'm not the one baiting vegans with the "fact" that it's an animal. ;) Yeast is neither an animal, nor a plant; it's a fungus. I'm pretty sure that fungi are okay for vegans to eat.

Sure, it's *easier* to eat meat. But we make tons of choices every day, and don't always just choose the easiest option.

[eyow.livejournal.com]

I don't know why some vegans consider yeast an issue. Perhaps they forget that there are more than two kingdoms of living organisms, that it's not just a question of animal and plant? We've come a long way since Linnaeus;)

But also, if you come at them with the question worded the way you originally did, pointing out that if it's not a plant it must be an animal,. you're not really offering them the full range of choices. Sure, you'd think they should know it themselves, but hey, not everyone knows everything.

Sure, veganism is an artificial construct. I think that for most people it's an ethical choice, and something of a luxury. Not all cultures (nor certainly, other animals) have that luxury, the ability/opportunity to think about the food they eat, and make ethical decisions on whether they should eat certain things, or use animals and their parts/products.

[pinkfish.livejournal.com]

A fried of mine used to teach a philosophy of ethics class to undergrads. Vegetarianism/Veganism was one of the topics that she had the students research and discuss. One of her students came to the conclusion that it was unethical to eat anything that had ever been alive. Another concluded that we may only ethically eat dirt.

I wonder if the fellow who made the "shadow" comment also applies that principle to clothing. That could be interesting . . .

[joxn.livejournal.com]

Is semen vegan?

Just asking.

[apeliotes.livejournal.com]

The handkerchief thing--first of all, who the hell does that anymore? What is this--1978? Secondly, since when are fisting, shrimping, or scatophilia the sole or even primary provenance of sadomasichism? Tsk tsk tsk.

[apeliotes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and rimming--what the fuck? Is rimming kinky? Doesn't everybody do that?

[apeliotes.livejournal.com]

I guess it's just something I take for granted. Personally, I think it feels as if I'm geing given a body-cavity search by an octopus, but it's always good to be polite and to eat what is set before you, or at least that's what legalmoose tells me. ;-)