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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
 Posted - 11/17/2011 : 22:39:00
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My humanist group recently had a speaker advocating for a vegan diet. She said she just wanted to advocate for less animal-product eating, but it was clear after several false comparisons, straw-man arguments, and she compared meat eaters to puppy torturers that she was just another run-o-the-mill annoying PETA-type person.
So to follow up on this crappy presentation, we showed the film "Forks Over Knives" at our monthly movie night. As I feel like crap lately (36 weeks pregnant - it'll be over soon I hope!), I skipped the social event and just watched the film at home. At first I was pleasantly surprised and persuaded. For one thing, none of that ethical crap about animals' supposed rights to not be killed for food (I'm all for humane treatment of animals, and as such I eat local and free range meats and eggs, but I'd happily stab a thousand cows in the face if it would save my kid's life.) No, this film focused on the health benefits of a vegan, oh excuse me, I mean a "whole-foods, plant-based diet". They avoided the term vegan in the film, probably because they don't want to be associated with annoying jackasses who think eating a burger is the same thing as sticking puppies with hot pokers while laughing maniacally. The film focused a lot on the work of Doctor's Caldwell Esselstyn (author of "Prevent and Reserve Heart Disease") and T. Colin Campbell (author of "The China Study".) I've read both of those books before. They are the two books that basically converted my dad to a mostly vegan diet (he occasionally eats fish too) after he had triple bypass surgery in his early 50's. So this film didn't really tell me anything I had't heard before.
However, I have developed a serious bias against these types of films. My Humanist group watches them all the time (I'm talking about documentaries with a message, usually political, that means to inspire viewer to take action.) But we always watch films that support political and philosophical stances that most of our members already agree with, and so the skeptical treatment of the film is always severely lacking. Most of these films are just preaching to the choir and full of bullshit and glossing over of important criticisms. So after watching this film I did what I always do - I went hunting for critical articles about it. I found a couple that were't particularly persuasive and I was just about to contently sit back and accept that maybe this film really has done a great service to the public with its message.
But the I found this review, "Forks Over Knives": Is the Science Legit?
The review is long, to say the least. It took me an hour and a half to plow through it making sure I was really comprehending all the criticisms, but every time I fully understood a second, I sat back and said, "Damn, that's revealing!" By the end my opinion of the film and its message was entirely diminished.
So the I really had my mind blown. I went to the "About" page for the blogger, and she's a 24 year old woman who doesn't even have a related degree of any kind. She just has a passionate interest in the subject of nutrition and diet, passion for truth, aversion to dogmatic ways of thinking, and a pretty great sense of humor and writing style.
For those who interested enough to check this out, enjoy!
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"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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Edited by - marfknox on 11/18/2011 08:37:47
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13476 Posts |
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perrodetokio
Skeptic Friend
275 Posts |
Posted - 11/18/2011 : 22:53:48 [Permalink]
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| I am from Argentina and, after a couple of decades living elsewhere, Iīm living there since 2006. This is a country where people are crazy about meat. Asados (argentinan barbeques) are gigantic and most people eat (a lot) of meat on a daily basis. So I can understand the health, sustainability and ethical issues regarding the abusive consumption of meat. However, I thought (and I may be wrong here) that human beings are omnivorous. Plus, on an ethical stance, plants are living beings and even though they donīt run and scream when butchered (?) we do kill a living thing when we eat them (except fruits and some vegetable which we just maim). So, as I understand it, there is no real way of avoiding hurting living things in order to eat or live. Of course we can lessen the suffering and eradicate the animal "factories", but thatīs about it. Anyway (forgive my ramblings) I think it always comes to the fact that we are overpopulating the planet and (some of us) indulging in over-consumerism. |
"Yes I have a belief in a creator/God but do not know that he exists." Bill Scott
"They are still mosquitoes! They did not turn into whales or lizards or anything else. They are still mosquitoes!..." Bill Scott
"We should have millions of missing links or transition fossils showing a fish turning into a philosopher..." Bill Scott |
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2011 : 08:17:06 [Permalink]
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perrodetokio wrote: | I think it always comes to the fact that we are overpopulating the planet and (some of us) indulging in over-consumerism. |
This is definitely true. Which is exactly why I stick to eating way more fresh fruits/veggies, whole grains, and legumes than animal products, and why I shop local for those products.
I'm actually glad the films like "Forks Over Knives" come out, mainly because I don't think people will watch it and convert over into a totally vegan diet and becoming an annoying, tireless advocate for veganism, but rather, they might simply start trying to eat more whole foods and plants and less processed food and meat, which would be good for almost anyone in America and many other Western nations. I'm hoping that the diet recommendations and the general social consciousness about diet and health is trending in that direction. But things like the US government qualifying the tomato paste on pizza as a serving of "vegetables" for kids in public schools dashes a lot of those hopes. |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2011 : 08:20:45 [Permalink]
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| On the topic of overpopulation - I believe one of the most evidence-based ways to curb that is by educating girls and women and giving all people access to birth control and education about birth control. |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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| Edited by - marfknox on 11/19/2011 08:21:19 |
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24 yr old blogger totally pwns "Forks Over Knives"
