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Maybe shouldn’t, but I’m replying in a separate comment because I want to make something clear: we agree on most things discussed here. From the start, I made clear that my ”problem” was that the issue of child labor/exploitation was being co-opted by those who wanted to make veganism the issue. You seem well-intentioned and your arguments well-articulated enough that I believe what you and were trying to say got caught in the fray, so I’d like to clarify my positions, even though, under normal circumstances, I don’t feel they would need to be defended or even explained.

1. as I’ve already explained, but I’d like to make clear: I find the concept of any form of human exploitation unacceptable. More than that: revolting and worthy of revolt. I don’t need to see some migrant child enslaved to revolt over it, but I will revolt over it all the same. I recognize and have long known that the industrial farming industry has long been one of the worst offenders in exploiting workers, especially workers of disadvantaged groups and classes, but that industry is hardly alone— yet in any discussion on lemmy about disadvantaged, exploited workers, vegans descent, en masse, to shift any discussion of exploited workers - even children - immediately to “boo hoo, what about the chickens? The cows? THE GOATS?!”

2. All care of the exploited humans, the children is always drowned out by the militant and irrational, religious belief that “Meat Is Murder” crowd with nary a thought for the vast exploited masses who slaughter and process that meat.

3. Look: you and I may disagree on the ethics of slaughter (I assure you, we do), but I’m trying to focus on the objectionable nature of exploitation of human labor under such horrific conditions, and I believe both you and I can have constructive, productive conversations about that.

Now, YES, a said some dumb-shit things when trying to one-up someone while parsing the meaning of the word “force”. I was WRONG AND DUMB, Forced labor or exploitative labor— whatever… the point is that it’s wrong and terrible, and nobody, anywhere, regardless of race, class, nationality, location, or whatever should ever have to endure it. However, I’m not convinced that meat has a causal link to that, as it exists in many other industries. Also, the slaughter and harvesting of meat exists in humane ways without exploiting either animals or humans.

And while we may disagree on some of the finer points, we can certainly proceed discussing the matter now that we understand each other on the broader points.

I hope the time I spent typing this wasn’t wasted.

Edit: I see now that you downvoted even this attempt at reasoning, that you care only to further the agenda of “meat is murder” and any reproach of human exploitation is merely a means to an end to further the dietary zealotry of veganism. no person can reason with another that places a well-being of farm animals over those of suffering humans. How disgusting.

So much for my attempt to reach out with a reason. I won’t make that mistake again.