Welcome to the Garden, a message board about vegetarianism.
I would appreciate if you'd take a minute to read the following before entering the board.
My hope is that the Garden will be a non-hostile environment in which to discuss vegetarian issues,
so here are a few of the moderator's (that's me!) thoughts about message
board etiquette.
On tolerance: This board is for anyone who wants to discuss
vegetarianism. It's for vegetarians, vegans, friends and relatives thereof, and non-vegetarians who are
curious about the lifestyle. You are free to express any opinion, pro or con, about vegetarianism, provided
you do not attack or insult any person or group. Any board member who repeatedly chooses to post inflammatory
messages will be (first) warned, (second) temporarily blocked from posting, and (third, if previous disciplinary
measures were ineffective) permanently banned.
On argument: An argument is not a battle to be won or lost; it is
an opportunity to share opinions and experiences in the hopes that both parties will learn something new or
gain insight they previously did not have. It's nice to be able to argue so convincingly that you change
someone's mind about something, but that rarely happens, and anyone entering into an argument should not
have that in mind as a 'goal' to be achieved. Remember that when a person states an opinion that is contrary
to your own, it does not mean that they are trying to change your mind; everyone is free to express themselves
as long as they don't oppress other people in the process. In intellectual debates, people challenge ideas
all the time, without actually attacking other people. "I wonder if vegans really do get enough iron and
protein in their diets?" is a a questioning of an idea; others have an opportunity to offer evidence to support or refute the idea of
veganism, and the questioner has an opportunity to learn. "Vegans suck!" is an attack on people who support an idea; it is insulting and
doesn't help anyone learn anything from participating in the argument.
On judgmentalism: This is a problem that I have seen
running rampant in vegetarian communities, both online and in the real world.
Not only do vegetarians bash meat-eaters as cruel and heartless barbarians, but vegans
look down their noses at egg- and dairy-eaters, and many people put on a holier-than-thou
attitude when they meet someone who is 'less' of a vegetarian than they are. Rather than berating someone
for not doing as much for the cause (the environment or the animals or whatever) as you are,
congratulate them and celebrate that all of you are doing something to help, even if it's only a little bit.
Remember that if two people cut out only half the meat from their diets, they are doing as much to reduce
resource overconsumption and animal suffering as one person who stops eating meat altogether.
Whew. Now that that's out of the way, on to the board! Have fun and play nice.
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