Now there is a new form of intolerance stalking a social media site.
It isn't antisemitic, racist or homophobic and that makes it more pathetic than serious, and yet every so often someone will make a tilt against vegetarianism.
It can come in the form of an apparently innocent question which then allows a shed full of vacuous humorous asides, one of which will be to invoke the name of Hitler who they tell me didn’t eat meat, which somehow links vegetarianism with mass murder.
Of course I wouldn’t dream of pointing out that Genghis Khan, Peter the Great along with most of the notorious Borgia family ate meat and went on to perform plenty of unpleasant crimes against humanity.
But that would be to make a cheap comment.
Instead I wonder at what drives people to make the comments.
Clearly there is an element of inadequacy on their part that pushes them to return to the same topic, again and again and again, in the belief that this will launch them on a comic career to rival Malcolm and Maurice the comic partnership from Peckham.
Or perhaps it is their ignorance of just how many of the world’s cuisines admit little meat into their cannon of dishes, which I freely admit may have had something to do with the scarcity of meat but has resulted in some fine food.
But fear not there will be the clever thoughtful defender of all things carnivore who points out that meat eating preserves the animal herds, which is a tad silly given that the end process is their death, but hey why let that simple observation enter the debate.
Not that it is ever a debate.
Heaven forbid that we should be treated to a rational discussion on how with more mouths to eat the world uses inordinate amounts of grain and grass to produce a limited amount of animal protein.
Still a debate is not what we get, just unfunny jibes to bolster an empty existence.
But unlike these purveyors of nonsense, this story will have a short shelf life, after all who would ever want to be seen in the same club as them?
Added to which I don’t have to defend a life choice, I just quietly get on with, unlike those who feel this represents a challenge, or having watched the paint dry for a hour, feel the urge to register their existence by leading another soulless and unfunny charge into obscurity.
And no the pictures have no connection to what I have said and the post will fade around 5 pm never to return unless by popular request.
Picture; from the collection of Andrew Simpson
It can come in the form of an apparently innocent question which then allows a shed full of vacuous humorous asides, one of which will be to invoke the name of Hitler who they tell me didn’t eat meat, which somehow links vegetarianism with mass murder.
Of course I wouldn’t dream of pointing out that Genghis Khan, Peter the Great along with most of the notorious Borgia family ate meat and went on to perform plenty of unpleasant crimes against humanity.
But that would be to make a cheap comment.
Instead I wonder at what drives people to make the comments.
Clearly there is an element of inadequacy on their part that pushes them to return to the same topic, again and again and again, in the belief that this will launch them on a comic career to rival Malcolm and Maurice the comic partnership from Peckham.
Or perhaps it is their ignorance of just how many of the world’s cuisines admit little meat into their cannon of dishes, which I freely admit may have had something to do with the scarcity of meat but has resulted in some fine food.
But fear not there will be the clever thoughtful defender of all things carnivore who points out that meat eating preserves the animal herds, which is a tad silly given that the end process is their death, but hey why let that simple observation enter the debate.
Heaven forbid that we should be treated to a rational discussion on how with more mouths to eat the world uses inordinate amounts of grain and grass to produce a limited amount of animal protein.
Still a debate is not what we get, just unfunny jibes to bolster an empty existence.
But unlike these purveyors of nonsense, this story will have a short shelf life, after all who would ever want to be seen in the same club as them?
Added to which I don’t have to defend a life choice, I just quietly get on with, unlike those who feel this represents a challenge, or having watched the paint dry for a hour, feel the urge to register their existence by leading another soulless and unfunny charge into obscurity.
And no the pictures have no connection to what I have said and the post will fade around 5 pm never to return unless by popular request.
Picture; from the collection of Andrew Simpson
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