I ask this in good faith, and I do not mean to bring about struggle sessions with this question (keep it civil, please :). I'm writing a sort of mini-essay on a certain topic (Edit: not anymore, I lost my writing appetite), and veganism fits into that topic (I'm keeping it vague because I'll probably post it here and I don't want to spoil the whole thing). If people are on the fence and others want to know more about what Veganism is and why they should consume in that way, I would be grateful if others more experienced and well-read on the subject could provide resources or counter-reasons. I feel like a lot of the things I believed before going vegan turned out to be misconceptions, and it doesn't hurt to be more educated on a subject, right?
Edit: I need to take a break from the internet again, if my brain wasn't fried already it is now (not anything any of you started, I brought this upon myself)
How exactly is poultry a grey area? Have you met birds before? I hear what you're saying about oysters (even though I disagree), but making the same case for fish/octopus let alone birds is pretty fucking mind blowing.
(Not being overly contentious here. Please don't read it that way)
Many plant species, as the above poster alluded to, are at least as "sentient" as an oyster or other "lower order" animals. They respond to stimuli, etc.
There's also fungi. Again I could make a very compelling argument that many fungi are at least parallel with animals such as oysters on the scale of sentience.
Dietary reasons are one thing, I just mean on the side of "I don't want to eat an animal" how many people would say that but never object to eating mushrooms?
Is there a diet that clearly defines acceptable animals to eat based on perceived sentience? This would probably be my strongest argument against strict veganism. It's possible to be a non-vegan who eats animals like oysters, maybe snails, maybe even insects. Kinda spirals into "here's a small book I wrote on what animals I've personally deemed ok to eat" but I think the overall point is clear hopefully.
The reason I don't eat oysters as a vegan is because carnists are always looking for wedge issues and loopholes for why their favourite treat animal is actually fine to eat. When I'm out with friends and someone asks "you don't even eat oysters?" I say "no." specifically so that they don't get to say "oh well carpoftruth the vegan eats oysters but they're a super vegan so it's probably still fine for me to eat fish and look down on the steak eaters." Fuck that, I'm not giving them that satisfaction. They can carry their own water.
I have, they are capable of feeling pain and possess reasonable intelligence. I just don't consider them sapient in a way that matters. If you cut off a chicken's head, it will still act like a chicken. This implies that most of what a chicken feels mentally is instinctual. If you cut off my head and I came into work the next day acting normal, it would raise serious questions about the nature of human consciousness. Poultry shouldn't suffer unnecessarily, but I doubt it has much sapience. Thus a gray area depending on how you judge their intelligence and your own morals.
Vegans always say that but not a single person has ever responded to that point in my 6 years of making it. If you disagree, do what the vegans I've talked with failed to do and address it please.
You shouldn't eat octopus. Everything I said about poultry applies 3 fold to fish. Less capacity to feel pain and less sapience. I don't consider a creature that acts entirely on instinct to have any right to life.
This is literally the stupidest thing I've ever read on hexbear.