by EvanG » Thu Dec 20, 2012 12:18 pm veggylvr wrote:. If Christians wanted to discuss how some churches are spewing hateful rhetoric, which doesn't reflect their views, would that be offensive to all Christians? No.
Agreed. Discussing this kind of thing is fine. McDougall, Novick, you, and many others do this without being insulting. For example, Jeff's post here is very insightful http://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33542&start=88
It seems to me that people on this board should strive to stick to that type of direct message.
If people in this church started denying that they were Christian, that would seem weird. If they started making fun of Christians in general, as a way to distance themselves from any negative associations with Christianity, that would seem petty and futile.
This is an appropriate topic because people are going to refer to us as vegans whether we like it or not, or choose to use the term ourselves, and these negative attitudes reflect on us.
Agreed. I am learning more appreciation for the issues that arise when you say that you are vegan. At that point a lot of preconceptions come up, and there is a trade-off between being succinct and avoiding inaccurate notions.
I would not avoid calling myself a vegan or object to others referring to me as one. I do try to emphasize other aspects. Even my wife will say, at least it's vegan if she has some junk food. So, the practical aspect hit close to home over here, and I appreciated Jeff's post on this.
I try not to make fun of vegans by making negative generalizations. That seems counterproductive. When others do it, they seem petty and a little cowardly to me. I tried using the Christianity analogy to make my reasoning more clear.
Happy holidays to all.
