I hang out and discuss with vegans for about 15 years now, in political social contexts. So even though I'm not vegan I probably know the arguments and still have important thoughts to add to the discussion, if you can imagine tjat as a possibillity
"Vegan" doesn't signify a higher spirit.
I do admit it was kinda spiky. To defend that I wanna point out how obviously and loud the instagram aspect of veganism is taking over over the past 15 years (at least for the veganism I could observe during that time).
And I don't know if I understand you right, but it's exactly the "lifestyle" encoded into diet-questions, that differs between veganism and other progressive movements. Logically this is where it's ideology (ideology in a descriptive, non-normative sense) is taking place, developing, and bringing about cultural practices including the implicit creation of "meaning".
In other words, a salad recipe with alsmost no practical value, presented as another revoltion in your personal lifestyle (feat. instagrammable images), can tell you a lot about how meaning is created.
This is what I thought is a obvious challenge for political veganism and just became visible so blatantly in the thing I commented on.
First of all disclaimer, since this is seemingly identity-relevant: I think eating vegan is a good thing.
Ok come on, the article I didn't link? Its what the thing i commented on was reporting on and linking on, the core of it.
Pointing out the orchastration of "lifestyle innovation", in this case ridiculous "recipes", is critique of one aspect of vegan culture.
"Shit-stirring" and "tankie".. maybe you are jumping to conclusions because you feel attacked.
But guess what, criticizing the mislead, weird, zeitgeist influenced and alienating aspects of contemporary veganism and its development is part of the necessary self-reflection of any progressive movement. Thats why I call it censorship.
And if this isn't obvious to you, please note: you can very well, and definetly should criticize problematic aspects of a movement you like, want to support and are part of!
"Vegan" as a cultural, political identity is problematic, exactly because it can (!) easily miss out on contextualizing itself in the political. Neo-liberal self optimozation (also of the ethic kind) is an outstanding example. Constructing a vague idea of innovation and progress through the next even shinier bs recipe combined with more instagram image cultivation just shouldn't to be confused with political progress.
Staving of that kind of critique (ceitique doesn't say "you are a bad person" but "this seems worth thinking about") kinda signifies that a movement is turning in on itself, focusing on protecting the idea of doing good and loosing focus on questioning it's own methods and development.
And, regarding the jump to identity games as in "tankie": yup I'm a marixst in a broader sense, but in that spectrum I almost couldn't be farther away from tankies. If you need proof, look into my comment history.
I read them and don't see what I did wrong. Unless you see pointing out nonsense found in a posted link as bad faith.
I just commented on a weird and pretty contradictory recipe article /lifestyle blog posted in this community. It got deleted. This looks like loosing contact to the social realities of vegan media content, but on purpose..
Wow you guys censoring critique?
If you seek to destroy the individually evil without dealing with the structural problems of your society, you safe the world.
Great take on liberalist contrafactual ideology in harry potter (core of the matter in 2nd half): https://youtu.be/-1iaJWSwUZs?si=s38CyAHt_ieW50Im
I agree with you about most people not understanding their social structural sorroundings sufficiently to lead their (collective) lives in a souvereign way.
But this is not a primarily cognitive problem. Just as much it is rooted in the social structure itself. One must take into account: Which opportunities does a given act of thinking and understanding provide an individual?
In an individualized and individualizing political, ecological, cultural landscape, understanding things critically often is fruitless. For example to ensure social affiliation or navigate through the market specifique concepts, notions and sorts of "truth" are productive. Analyzing your culture to find collective paths of historic development require different scopes.
Praxeology might be a notion you could enjoy exploring.
IMO this is important if you want both, get of the high horse and fly the mighty dragon of critique.
I wonder what those people claim they keep politics and science seperated. You know, because if you get a lab coat you're immune
I think of it like this:
Lacking fundamental critique of the political economy, they believe the liberal narrative of the market and democratic institutions would bring about a fair or good economy.
Either you stop believing that, wich comes with quite a reorientation towards your own society, history and biography with significant social consequences ("what are you, a socialist now?) and mental stress (radical opposition is not exactly calming).
...or you assume there is something disturbing your otherwise functioning order and ideology from the outside. Damn those immigrants, if it it wasn't for them there would be more jobs, higher wages, less crime and I'd finally get all that trickle down.
This latter is the energetically more efficient choice for each individual, and importantly, this really is true - as long as there is no collective perspective of systemic change, wich of course in turn only materializes when people make their bet for the possible, not the actual.
This perspective doesn't really exist atm, it's not in sight and nobody talks about it. This is the result of anticommunism and a massive failure of the left.
We need to be couragous and make room for utopian thought while giving opportunities to experience and try solidaric socialization. This makes not being idiot a convincing alternative.
You're a writer too. If you so far decided to not get organized, you and your fellow writers are just copying what you read from others.