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karlhubris

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Everything posted by karlhubris

  1. There in lies my frustration...I was once a member, I did get some good things from them, but I think I out grew their tactics. Like I said, even their Roadkill Cafe stunt here allowed me to meet 2 new AR people in this town I knew nothing about. But at what cost. Like I said, people swarmed to that restaraunt and flaunted their purchases. The owner said it was the best thing to happen to him since he opened!!!!!! And that place has been around for years! The point is, to use an analogy...children who act out do get alot of attention, but is it the right kind of attention?
  2. I usually wouldn't talk about this in mixed (non-vegan/vegetarian) company because I like to at least give an impression of a united front, and I know some people might get REALLY upset, but here goes... Does anybody else think that PeTA just might be , well...to put it bluntly...idiots??! Before you start getting huffy, let me explain, and other AR people have told me they feel the same but are torn...they just lack common sense PR skills. The best point is the March of Crimes campaign. I hate animal testing, I think its invalid and you know all the other facts, but when peoples kids are dying they aren't gonna listen to reasonable arguements. To most people the March of dimes represents helping children, not animal testing. It seems to most people that they are attacking a children's welfare group. I've also noticed that they like to enter an area, stir the shit, and then leave. They did that a few years ago in Amarillo with some billboards. They came in, picked a fight and immediately left. The few AR people here were themselves blindsided and had to deal with all the fall out. Again, in private conversations with AR people that will go un-named they expressed the same feelings, but were torn since they are the most well known AR group. And it is important that outsiders see a unified movement, but at what point are their tactics poorly carried out and cause more damage than good. True story, I had been working on people and convincing them of the rationality of veganism and how it was more than bleeding heart liberal crap, it was logical and reasonable, then the Oprah trial happened and PeTA showed up with some moron dancing in the streets in a cow suit. So much for veganism standing for reason, it looked more like a circus. I mean, that might work somewhere, but they obviously weren't aware of the atmoshere here. Another example, the put their "Jesus wasa Vegetarian" billboard up...immediately "good Christians" warned the SPCA that they were going to burn a cat alive every day that sign was up and the local police stated they couldn't do a thing about it because it wasn't a crime ( to threaten to burn cats alive)!!!!!I don't know if the threat was carried out, but I have little reason to suspect it wasn't. How is that helpful!? PeTa did their road kill Cafe stunt here, which I admit helped me meet some Ar people I didn't know of in this town, but it also gave that particular restaraunt a record crowd that day. They line actually went out the door because people wanted to personally say "f*** you" to the PeTA people outside ( there were 4, 2 from out of town and 2 local people). Essentially more animals suffered for their actions. It just seems that they don't think!! Oh well, thats my 2 cents...
  3. About "enforcing vegetarianism" on a child...that's kind of a tough call. I was raised in a hardcore meat eating family...they were very upset when I told them I was going to become vegetarian when I was 19. Some of my meat eating friends have in the past criticized us for forcing our morality on our child, but that is total B.S. These same people have no problem when we "forced" our daughter not to be a racist. Or forced her to be kind to other people. Or forced other "crazy" ideas of morality on her. These same people force their children to accept their religious beliefs. (That's another problem in this part of the country...public schools sending home religious material!) Thats what parents do!!!!! They instill ideas. I had friends who were raised 7 Day Adventists and were vegetarian from birth. At 16 one of them rebelled against their parents and ate a Big Mac in front of his mom. Needless to say it got him sick and he never did it again. He actually felt bad when his hormones calmed back down. I have thought that in the future her rebellion could be similar, but I doubt it. My parents thought I was rebelling, but actually I took alot of what they taught me to heart about being compassionate to the less fortunate, I just took it further than they had imagined. Thanx for your input...
  4. Thanks...I think my contempt of this place helps keep me going! I feel like when I finally do leave this place I'll feel like Harrison Bergeron (from the Kurt Vonnegut short story). This place is like a lead weight that makes me so much stronger in my convictions. At least thats how I rationalize it and keep from going insane!
  5. I was just wondering...in this country, especially here in the Panhandle of Texas where I've heard up to 80% of the beef in the USA is "processed" within a 100 miles, where it seems everybody is eating meat, how do you explain it to young children? Our daughter is 5 and I think we've done a pretty good job of it. We have had some problems. When she first started attending Pre-K we asked the school about vegetarian options and they actually told my wife she needed a doctor's notice!!! Fortunately they talked to my wife, and not me, I'm far less patient with that kind of ignorance. To be on the safe side we pack her lunch, but I know she feels left out from the other kids. I think she still has a hard time grasping that the hot dogs and burgers they serve at school are not the same that we eat at home. I know once when she was about 3 she was devastated because kids at her day care ate chicken nuggets but she wasn;t allowed, even tho we eat (soy) "chicken" nuggets at home. We since learned to watch the school/daycare menus for items and substitute veggie products. We've also learned to call them soy dogs or veggie burgers so as to eliminate some confusion. Any ways, any insight from other vegan/ vegetarian parents? I should clarify, our daughter is vegetarian not vegan, partially because we knew we wouldn't always be around to investigate less obvious food, plus Lori, my wife is vegetarian not vegan. (To be honest, I am lax sometimes on my veganism...I eat Boca burgers and some products that have trace amounts of animal products. ) Funny story...once my daughter and my wife ate at one of their friend's houses and they served chicken. When they brought it out she screamed and asked why there was a dead bird on the table. Priceless! Needless to say my wife was a bit embarrassed, but good for her for knowing EXACTLY what it was...a dead bird!
  6. For my B.A. I'm studying just a basic history load...Modern Asia, Colonial and Modern Latin America, Nazi Germany, and a bunch of American History. For my grad studies I think I will focus on early 20th century labor history or ethnohistory focusing on America's indigenous people. This summer I'm taking readings courses on Colonial American "Indians" and pre-contact peoples of South America...really interesting stuff. If I had gone to school earlier I might have studied feudal Japan, but I have a hard enough time with English, it would be hard for me to acquire the necessary language skills to properly study that subject.
  7. Greetings from Amarillo (pronounced Am-a-rill-uh, rhymes with duh...trust me it's appropriate) Texas. I've been vegetarian for 15 years, and vegan for the last 10. I study history at West Texas A&M University, where the only Ph.D program is in Agricultural science, ie beef production. I will graduate in May 2007 and will hopefully be going to grad school in either Seattle or Chapel Hill, NC. My wife and our 5 year old daughter are lacto-ovo vegetarian and we are expecting another child in November. I will be 35 on June 18th. I have dabbled in running and weight training. I have started training again recently, partly due to the effects of too much Tofutti and other delicious vegan treats. This area is very frustrating as a vegan. If I tell people I don't eat meat they look at me as if I said I eat babies. Remember, this is the place that sued Oprah for "bad mouthing" beef. I'm curious as to how it is in Houston. Any better? Glad to meet others interested in fitness and veganism.
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