Veg*ns = Better People??
Has anyone ever noticed a trend like this? Normally, when it comes to communicating with people on the internet, I avoid forums at ALL COSTS, even though, like every other human, I do need help once in a while. Because people on forums are FUCKING PRICKS. I don't know why, but they go online, being all anonymous, and use their intelligence as an excuse to be rude and condescending to every single other person they talk to. What the hell? Why do they do that? It totally ruins my day to have people think it is okay to talk to other people like that, especially when they were just asking for help! (I could see being kind of arrogant if they had done something wrong). So anyways, my point was that on vegweb everyone here is really nice and helpful and funny. I haven't encountered those few assholes that think they run the joint. And if they are here I have somehow missed them.
Does anyone think it has to do with the nature of the website? We are bound to be smarter, more compassionate folks than most, right? Does this happen anywhere else in life? I wouldn't know because I don't know an other vegans, and only like 2 vegetarians.
Also, now is as good a place as any to apologize for my crazy frequent posting today. I'm probably flooding the vegweb forums with my craziness. I'm just bored/restless/grumpy/impatient/pretty-much-every-single-other-emotion-that-would-lead-to-posting-on-forums today. I'm all over the place. Nice people + food = <3 I'll stop, I promise!
It's not just veg*n boards...I think it depends on the time of year. I notice this because where I live it doesn't snow, but a lot of people on the Net had cabin fever in February, in places where they had been snowed in and on for weeks. A lot of grumpiness, rudeness and downright flaming in unexpected places. Foundmagazine.com became untenable for about 3 weeks, we had a lot of anonymous rudeness going on. Some people feel "safe" behind the anonymity of a computer screen and a screen name.
As for "veg*ns=better people", when I run into this idea, I always wonder why the angriest ones don't seem to realise that their compassion should extend to humans as well as other animals. Isn't that speciesist? ??? If we are compassionate to all living things, it includes others like ourselves.
VegWeb is one of my safe places, kind of the "Cafe Lalo" inside my head.
I see it like this, people who may not be into computers or gaming or online whatever still need recipes. Thus we have vegans here scoping out the awesome eats. Some stumble upon the boards and stay to chat. Very very rarely are there trolls or trouble makers. Probably because it is such a small community and an oasis amidst the sea of online angst.
This said, the community does band together when people go to far. We do have "leaders" here though honestly, its not always the people posting on every topic. Are we better people? I dont think so. But our forum is better! ;)
I've never chatted on any other forums, so I don't really know....but as Cali said, I've noticed we definitely have "leaders" on VW, but not in a bad way necessarily...
and I've only read a couple of threads where things got pretty heated, but I find it entertaining. I guess I don't take things too personally.
I think niceness and beef consumption enjoy an inverse relationship. ;)
We are bound to be smarter, more compassionate folks than most, right?
demographically speaking, amongst veg*ns, just like most other groups, you'll find people predictably distributed all across the intellectual spectrum; extremes exist ... but by & by the typical "bell-curve" is still present.
~ fr
I am a member of goodreads (kinda like VW for book nerds) and I saw that they had groups you could join with forums....and since we were talking about this this morn, I decided to take a look. There is a group called "Stop Global Warming" that interested me....but as I was reading these peoples comments, I was more annoyed than anything. Then I found a group called "Vegetarians and Vegans". Now, I don't know if the few people commenting in these forums are really young or just really ignorant, but I was having a hard time reading their comments without wanting to shake them. I feel bad for feeling this way, but I think the intelligence on VW has spoiled me. I will not be a vegan-elitist, I will not be a vegan-elitist...
I think us peeps on vegweb are more motivated to keep things peaceful vs. other parts of the web - for some of us, our vegweb buddies are the only other vegans we know (so you can have someone to relate to, ask questions about nutrition, whatever). It probably also has to do with this being a recipe site... whether or not a recipe is good usually doesn't invoke strong emotions. Sometimes I post on IMDB, and people get crazy about movies/actors they hate/love! Or the icanhascheezburger sites (with exception of the original, icanhascheezburger) - there's a lot of nitpicking of what is considered a "fail" or "engrish" or a good graph or whatever, and I think generally the whole labeling-pictures-as-fail thing brings about a negative mentality - e.g., when someone commenting on a picture misspells something, someone replies with "FAIL" or whatever.
As far as being better people, I guess one could make the argument that choosing a vegan lifestyle is the better ethical choice, thereby making vegans better people. But typically only vegans would agree on that (otherwise more people would be vegan. though honestly i do get some omni people who think i'm a better person than them simply 'cause of the tofu-eatin'). Are we better people in other ways? Eh, I dunno, I don't think there are really enough vegans in this world to judge that accurately, and for the record I've met some vegetarians and vegans who are jerks.
Also keep in mind, we have learned the hard way that if we don't play nice, our forum will be taken away! (seriously not trying to flame, just stating fact based on past history)
Person A: Hi, I'm new here! I have a problem... My mother-in-law is coming for dinner and she LOVES Indian food so I want to cook something nice for her! I'm completely new at this. Any suggestions?
Person B: Well, you could start by buying a fucking cookbook.
Person C: pwned
Person D: lolz OMGWTFBBQ
---
See what I mean? I can't even imagine seeing that here... but for some reason people think it is okay to talk like that because it's the internet. >:(
:lol: Yeah, most of us aren't dumb. I find this really funny b/c my husband talks like that to his friends, online. Nubs! But yeah, I consider myself one of the better people. Duh. ^-^
I've only read a couple of threads where things got pretty heated
I feel like if something gets intense on vegweb, it's going to be because people are very passionate about something and can't help themselves. But the kind of people I'm talking about are rude from the get-go, for no reason, and over no particular subject. For instance, if vegweb were any other forum, here's the kind of thread I'd expect to see:
---
Person A: Hi, I'm new here! I have a problem... My mother-in-law is coming for dinner and she LOVES Indian food so I want to cook something nice for her! I'm completely new at this. Any suggestions?
Person B: Well, you could start by buying a fucking cookbook.
Person C: pwned
Person D: lolz OMGWTFBBQ
---
See what I mean? I can't even imagine seeing that here... but for some reason people think it is okay to talk like that because it's the internet. >:(
we should have more conversations like this. ;)b
What forums are you going to? Are they topic specific?
I'm curious because I see that ALL the time on any game forum I visit, and I pretty much only go on game or veg*n forums. Although my forum use is slightly limited, I do see the same types of people often in chatrooms or leaving nasty comments any place they can.
I don't understand it. ???
I think niceness and beef consumption enjoy an inverse relationship. ;)
:-D
I agree with you 100%.
Maybe something about less exposure to mad cow....
I think you got it right. Vegans are better people. Superior in all ways. 8-)
I've also been to many forums, and I see both good and bad people on every one. For instance, brides-to-be (on wedding forums) are some of the MEANEST people ever. I can hold my own on video game forums, and private guild forums are probably the best forums I've ever used, better than VegWeb.
However, like VegWeb, people in a single guild have a reason to communicate with each other a LOT. I think that has bearing on their internet manners.
Also, I have seen VegWeb go down the drain with "vegan police" and trolls. It's not a perfect forum. I like it, and it's going great now, but no forum is devoid of jerks.
I also do not believe vegans (or vegetarians, to be fair) are inherently better or more compassionate people. More informed and in touch with their feelings about what is going into their bodies? Sure. But I do not believe I, or anyone else on this forum, is better than... say... my cousin or my mom or my next door neighbor just because we don't eat meat. I think that there are lots of things a person can do to make the world a better place, and anyone who makes an effort to do that is a good person. I also try not to set people on a hierarchy of "goodness," because it's not fair, and I don't know everything about them. I do my best not to judge (sometimes I fail, sometimes I succeed).
Tofu or not tofu? That's not the only question.
What's a private guild forum?
It makes me think of a bunch of woodworkers talking about carpentry or something.
Guild as in video game guild or clan. Like, I was once in a guild called the Harbingers, we had a guild forum. Everyone who was part of the guild in the game would use the forums to communicate and plan events.
Good folks.
;)b
Guild as in video game guild or clan. Like, I was once in a guild called the Harbingers, we had a guild forum. Everyone who was part of the guild in the game would use the forums to communicate and plan events.
Good folks.
;)b
Ohhh ok. I see.
he wasn't a vegetarian... I think at one point he said he was, but it was a way of appearing ascetic, like he gave up all pleasures for the sake of leading/serving the people. Apparently his favorite food, however, was Polish sausage. Not vegan!
he wasn't a vegetarian... I think at one point he said he was, but it was a way of appearing ascetic, like he gave up all pleasures for the sake of leading/serving the people. Apparently his favorite food, however, was Polish sausage. Not vegan!
I think he also had some obsession with shellfish...or lobster..or something.
I believe he had an obsession with "selfish"--most insane dictators do... :-D
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