CosmicSkeptic is No Longer Vegan

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  • Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
  • My thoughts on Cosmic Skeptic's recent post about eating animal products again, and no longer supporting individual-focused activism.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 520

  • @UnnaturalVegan
    @UnnaturalVegan  Рік тому +358

    It seems the "people have noticed" comment refers to a talk he had with Mikhaila Peterson several months ago. Apparently, there wasn't much pushback on some of her dodgy claims. Would y'all be interested in a video on it?

    • @cyssoK
      @cyssoK Рік тому +25

      Yesss

    • @haircafekevin
      @haircafekevin Рік тому

      Mikhaila Peterson is such a dishonest narcissist. She deserves to get called out on her bullshit.

    • @willhudson5625
      @willhudson5625 Рік тому +10

      Yes

    • @vofflan8170
      @vofflan8170 Рік тому +10

      Hell yeah!

    • @anuuuul
      @anuuuul Рік тому +14

      Yes, please! I can't possibly go through it on my own without a proper commentary.

  • @cookiequeen5430
    @cookiequeen5430 Рік тому +110

    Honestly him being no longer vegan had a stronger emotional impact on me than I would have expected. I need to check what I get upset about lol

    • @isaacgates5859
      @isaacgates5859 Рік тому +16

      Yeah I'm feeling a bit sad myself. I'm not upset at him at all, but it is sad to see someone who had such a big impact on me stop being vegan. He was a large part of why I went vegan and also played a large roll in my religious deconstruction. I'm not sure if this makes sense but it feels like I lost someone important to me. Even if I didn't really know him, I definitely looked up to him.

    • @stefanisilva2493
      @stefanisilva2493 Рік тому +13

      @@isaacgates5859 Bear in mind, as someone pointed here, even though he has strong philosophical knowledge he lacks severely in scientific background, making him a good target for "healthy centric" meat propaganda.
      And also don't forget our passions and desires often trumps logics- thus, is not absurd that a person like him could easily get involved in the current "pro meat" diatary trend and also see on it a great scapegoat for fulfill some gastronomic desire.

    • @stefanisilva2493
      @stefanisilva2493 Рік тому +5

      That's why we should never take people seriously. We take their good messages, ideals and try to make them real in our lives. But real people? No way, is always full of deception and failure.
      Those perfect couples? Divorce. Perfect diets of models? Cocaine. Etc ...
      What I see is that by watching another human achieving something great we DO get REAL psicological strengh to REALY bring that into our lives.
      And that's the worth of idols and influencers. But we should always remrmber that they are not what they sell.

    • @davidryan0808
      @davidryan0808 Рік тому +1

      @@isaacgates5859 well when i'm sad i just read comments on awesome channels like this one. Balances out everything..glad u were able to shake the religion vibe..myself i can't help myself lighting candles and the like lol..can't shake it at all

    • @marcosbenjaminsastre2668
      @marcosbenjaminsastre2668 Рік тому +1

      You're not alone, it also made me feel worse than I'd have thought.. I felt "cheated", even though I'm fully aware that he doesn't own me a thing, and it's just the emotional (an intelectual) weight I decided to put in a person.. Lesson learnt I guess :')
      Even when the arguments don't change, it's weird to refer people to their vegan videos while he's not.. Really looking forward to that video explaining a bit more in detail what happened

  • @Clawaccio
    @Clawaccio Рік тому +420

    I genuinely think the reason this has upset most people is that he was so passionate about veganism and so logical about the ethics. How can somebody so educated on the matter wilfully ignore it? It opens up the fear within each of us that one day, even though we know it's wrong, we might start eating meat again too.

    • @Unmasking_Viandalisme
      @Unmasking_Viandalisme Рік тому +18

      I remember his 'A meat eater's case for veganism' video (posted 6-Apr-2019) & understood it to be, primarily, an academic exercise. In terms of vegan advocacy, I think he'd simply backed himself into a corner & played the roll.

    • @stefanisilva2493
      @stefanisilva2493 Рік тому +59

      It just shows us a very important issue that surpass veganism deeply but also any other human stence - feelings and desires trump logics ALL THE TIME. It means if we want some idea to spread and get strong we need to make it the easier or most pleasureble choice. That's why I currently invest in scientific ativism about veganism - vegan choice MUST be the cheapest and most delicious. Fortunately we are very next to get It.

    • @foodsupply5071
      @foodsupply5071 Рік тому +13

      I think you are right
      This person not being vegan any more has upset and disappointed me. Not because I judge him more but because I somehow had this hope that you could do it with clear morals.
      He became a vegan at about the same time as I and we have the same age. It shows me that every positive thing that I accomplish is not safe from me becoming a worse person again.

    • @davidryan0808
      @davidryan0808 Рік тому +8

      It is weird..i think he was going thur a phase and really wasn't a vegan..poor fellow couldn't handle france with all their awesome veg

    • @TheAleatoriorandom
      @TheAleatoriorandom Рік тому +8

      Very valid point. We are only human, going against the current (and I definetly say being vegan qualifies as that) is not easy. We still don't have a lot of details of this situation, but it really can awaken a certain feeling of futility. Personally I don't agree with that visison. I think changes like this are a long arduous process, I think imperfect people that did better than the average and helped the movement have merit even if they stop being fully vegan. Every step closer to the goal counts.

  • @chapa2282
    @chapa2282 Рік тому +236

    I just wanted to say that you are definitely one of the few people who actually make veganism look easy and approachable, whether through what I eat in a days or your realistic approach to transitioning
    so thank you for that! going vegan without you would have probably been harder for me personally

    • @UnnaturalVegan
      @UnnaturalVegan  Рік тому +27

      This made my morning, thank you. :)

    • @jstarASMR3103
      @jstarASMR3103 Рік тому +3

      That’s what I have been saying! I am not vegan and don’t have any plans to ever be, but swayze definitely makes it so that if I wanted to, I feel like I could in a snap. I am so informed just from watching her!

    • @erinpufunt
      @erinpufunt Рік тому +3

      Yes! Swazy and Lauren Toyota keep me vegan!

    • @spandel100
      @spandel100 Рік тому +6

      @@jstarASMR3103 And you are not vegan why?

    • @jdmmg4904
      @jdmmg4904 Рік тому

      I really don't know how many vegan youtubers you follow but I follow a lot of vegans and they don't make a plant based diet look complicated. So UV by far is not the only one who shows an approachable way to live as a vegan. Coming from a German speaking country I also follow German channels with vegan content and it's really not that hard to find reasonable ones.

  • @anastrophethis
    @anastrophethis Рік тому +44

    I think regarding the 'individualism', we're a bit past 'individuals' and into 'a small movement' regarding veganism; this strikes me as an important distinction. A small movement may not have the power to reshape industry through regulation or deprivation of funds via boycotting animal products, but it CAN reshape industry by providing legitimate/profitable demand for alternatives, which is a big first step... Or at least, those are my thoughts. I don't have a firm grasp of the animal industry, or business in general. XD

    • @lexaray5
      @lexaray5 Рік тому +4

      That's a perfect summary of how I feel about it which is why I was so confused by the "appropriateness of individual action" comment. He wasn't vegan for that long so maybe he didn't notice it, but as someone who's been doing it for over 6 years the items on menus and in grocery stores have become wildly more vegan friendly. It seems so obvious to me that we have a movement and it's made a difference.

  • @jadeterrain4771
    @jadeterrain4771 Рік тому +111

    I also don't believe an individual based boycott will stop animal farming, but that doesn't alleviate you from the personal responsibility of contributing to the problem.

    • @rondarkman.
      @rondarkman. Рік тому

      I support the farmers , animals are food

    • @jadeterrain4771
      @jadeterrain4771 Рік тому

      @@rondarkman. do you think dogs are food? Do you think people enjoy a job where they have to kill hundreds of animals every day?

    • @jadeterrain4771
      @jadeterrain4771 Рік тому

      @@rondarkman. the "animal agriculture" industry is exploitative of humans as well as other animals

    • @Debate_Bot
      @Debate_Bot Рік тому +11

      And it also doesnt even matter, you alone will save thousands of animals throughout your live no matter how many others boycott meat

    • @jadeterrain4771
      @jadeterrain4771 Рік тому +12

      @hmm PhD Exactly. And even saving one animal is significant.
      I don't think I'm going to solve crime rates in my city by not murdering people, but I'm still not going to do it lmao.

  • @FPOAK
    @FPOAK Рік тому +168

    The weird thing about the “ineffectiveness of individual boycotts” argument against veganism is that nobody would ever use this type of reasoning for any other ethical decision. For example, I don’t think my individual choice not to lie will solve the world’s dishonestly problem but I hardly think that’s an argument to go around telling lies. Each individual decision to cause unnecessary suffering for taste pleasure is unjustified even if the consequences are small relative to the larger problem

    • @juliusg.7074
      @juliusg.7074 Рік тому +18

      Very true and good example.
      Additionally people who use that argument seem to think that you can only do one at a time? But I can be vegan AND vote for better systems, even when I think that one of those 2 options is less effective

    • @liammarshall-butler3384
      @liammarshall-butler3384 Рік тому +9

      People use this argument for a lot of things though. My choice to recycle won't change the world. Choice to eat fair trade chocolate won't end slavery. We can't focus on charity because systemic problems led to poverty so only systemic changes can fix it.

    • @UnnaturalVegan
      @UnnaturalVegan  Рік тому +11

      I got the impression he doesn't want to promote veganism anymore because he thinks it's ineffective, but he isn't vegan for other reasons.

    • @bebo2781
      @bebo2781 Рік тому +14

      I was going to stop intentionally running over dogs when I drive across my state, but then I realized, dogs get hit by cars all the time, and the world we live in is cruel. Plus, whenever I buy products from the store, I realize that product was likely transported to the store via truck, and that truck driver may have hit a dog when driving across the country to transport the product to the store. So now when I see a dog crossing the street when I'm driving I say fuck it, and hit the gas to intentionally run over the dog, because by me not running over dogs I am not going to stop dogs from getting run over in general.

    • @mikebarnacle1469
      @mikebarnacle1469 Рік тому +2

      Yeah it sounds like the same old nirvana fallacy we always hear from apologists. Very surprising coming from him.

  • @sophia3408
    @sophia3408 Рік тому +51

    As many others in the comments have mentioned already, I really have to emphasise how much I appreciate your rational approach towards veganism. It helped me tremendously to stay vegan (7 years now 🎉).
    Also, whenever friends ask me for advice to incorporate vegan foods in their diet, I refer to your channel. I even created curated playlists of your videos for different kinds of questions I get 😂

    • @peanut-mochi6726
      @peanut-mochi6726 Рік тому +1

      omg i love this 😂😂😂 if u could make them public that would be appreciated ahahah (i’m 7 years vegan too!!)

  • @fictionfatale3913
    @fictionfatale3913 Рік тому +52

    This is the first ‘no longer vegan’ incident that has actually shocked and upset me. I can’t believe it.

    • @drsalka
      @drsalka Рік тому +8

      If you spent enough time around left leaning intellectuals, you would have known they are more about the outrage and talk and the performance, than they are about doing anything substantial about the thing they are outraged about. Have dealt with the disappointments of witnessing very intelligent and materially privileged individuals making the most choices and disingenuous claims for the past 12+years I've been vegan. I am hurt by Alex's decision, but at the same time I have seen similar examples too many times not to be surprised by it at all. Sad for the animals & the movement :I

    • @lilithveganyan913
      @lilithveganyan913 Рік тому

      Same

    • @NoOneYT1991
      @NoOneYT1991 Рік тому +6

      He's intelligent. He knows what his body needs

    • @Animal_lives_matter
      @Animal_lives_matter Рік тому

      @@NoOneYT1991
      It sounds like Alex lacks the intelligence needed to figure out how to be nutritionally sufficient without eating animals, which I'm happy to admit can be difficult in the long term, and as such I fully expect most people to fail at.

    • @NoOneYT1991
      @NoOneYT1991 Рік тому +4

      @@Animal_lives_matter Stop it. I was vegetarian for 15 whole years. I was living but didn't feel alive. Eating meat makes me feel alive and healthy. It also helps me from falling into the delusional state of mind which comes with Vitamin B deficiency.Fruits/Nuts, Dairy and Meat products are meant to be eaten. I'm against animal cruelty too. Even the crops get infested by rodents, birds and insects. All these animals are found dead on the farm. Plants also have life. They communicate with each other and they also share knowledge about water sources and whether it'll rain sooner or later. Stop eating plants too.

  • @MichaelPennMath
    @MichaelPennMath Рік тому +11

    The take at 7:25 is spot on! Of course that is coming from someone who has also been vegan since before it was so easy, has a vegan partner and two vegan kids...

  • @missloly824
    @missloly824 Рік тому +59

    This was the best response I've seen so far. Also, I'd like to echo an earlier commenter's sentiment - your levelheaded approach to veganism has helped me to stick with it (3 years!) and be more positive about smaller changes made by people in my life.

    • @Co-km6cl
      @Co-km6cl Рік тому

      Joey Carbstrong's response was really good as well

    • @TheOfficialOriginalChad
      @TheOfficialOriginalChad Рік тому

      I came to say this. Also the commenters here are way more logical.

  • @Celestina0
    @Celestina0 Рік тому +15

    Hard to take his comment about the effectiveness of personal boycotts seriously. He has a massive UA-cam channel. The consequences of his being vegan were always going to be far greater than those of us who don’t have that kind of platform, and whose only say on this issue is what we choose to buy at the supermarket.

  • @kilodzul
    @kilodzul Рік тому +38

    I'm not saying that what's going on here but I kind of hate how people take the concept of 'there's no ethical consumption under capitalism' and just use it to excuse their personal choices. Especially that it's mostly used by the reasonably wealthy, middle-class urban progressives whenever they would have to make any kind of effort or personal sacrifice to act on their principles. No, this phrase was meant to protect the most vulnerable, poor communities against becoming the scapegoats to blame for the problems caused by the big corporations, not get out the jail card for choosing the most comfortable consumeristic option. Nor does it mean that all choices are equally unethical.

    • @VirgoVibe
      @VirgoVibe Рік тому +4

      This. While it may be small, voting with your wallet does work. I live in a smaller town and my local grocery store tried having a vegan section for a year. Recently, they scaled it down because there was zero demand for vegan food to justify the shelf space.

    • @lexaray5
      @lexaray5 Рік тому

      @@VirgoVibe Yep. Meanwhile, in the past six years my city has gone from having vegan food at whole foods and trader Joe's to now every single grocery store having a vegan section. Demand does matter, even if it's not everything.

    • @shreyasbhatt7112
      @shreyasbhatt7112 Рік тому

      I do not think that cosmicskeptic is doing it for this reason solely. I am confident that there is a nuanced reason

  • @aunt_jozzy
    @aunt_jozzy Рік тому +8

    For me this is the worst “I’m no longer vegan” because he’s clearly an intelligent person who chose veganism for ethical purposes and wasn’t using it for money, fame, or seemingly anything else. I can handle silly lifestyle vloggers changing their minds because of course but this sits really terribly with me.

    • @micfynjbvg
      @micfynjbvg Рік тому

      Live your own life and let people live their own life

    • @aunt_jozzy
      @aunt_jozzy Рік тому +1

      @@micfynjbvg thanks for the comment! I’m curious to know how my response is interfering with other people living their lives

  • @eduardoo31
    @eduardoo31 Рік тому +44

    i really don't get his reasoning. as a comparison: the reason i don't murder people is that i think it's wrong, not that i think i'm somehow lowering homicide rates or something by refraining from doing murder.

    • @CasualEngineering
      @CasualEngineering Рік тому +8

      Yeah, that's if you have an antispeciesist mindset. But there are plenty of vegans with a speciesist or anthropocentric mindset. I don't know exactly the case in this situation, we'll just have to wait and see.

    • @robsengahay5614
      @robsengahay5614 Рік тому +7

      I always use a littering analogy. I have never dropped litter and the majority of people wouldn’t either. My choosing to not dropping my wrapper on the ground won’t make a great deal of difference given that there is litter already on the ground but I don’t see why it is necessary to participate. A lot of meat eaters will understand that analogy more than perhaps the murder one.

    • @zornrose3547
      @zornrose3547 Рік тому +1

      I'm not sure I agree with this. It seems pretty plausible to me that the main reason it's wrong to murder someone is that doing so increases the number of people who are murdered - that us to say, because me refraining from murdering anyone decreases the homicide rate.

    • @robsengahay5614
      @robsengahay5614 Рік тому +2

      @@zornrose3547 I am sure you must be joking here as, using that logic, it would be fine to commit murder so long as nobody found the dead body and the individual was considered to be a missing person.

    • @zornrose3547
      @zornrose3547 Рік тому +1

      @@robsengahay5614 When I talk about homicide rates I'm talking about actual homicide rates, not reported homicide rates - I wouldn't say that a country that stops reporting homicides has thereby lowered its homicide rate to zero.

  • @fitnesse1288
    @fitnesse1288 Рік тому +28

    Does he not think fish is from factory farming? Most people I've met who are "opposed to factory farming" do literally nothing to stop it. If they go to a restaurant, they will not ask about the source of the food. They will eat meat.

    • @Inconito___
      @Inconito___ Рік тому +5

      He said seafood, that could totally only be oysters that are certainly not sentient, we'll only have more detail during the next video

    • @tofu-munchingCoalition.ofChaos
      @tofu-munchingCoalition.ofChaos Рік тому +5

      @@Inconito___ He said mainly seafood but not limited to seafood.

    • @Inconito___
      @Inconito___ Рік тому +2

      @@tofu-munchingCoalition.ofChaos Ha thank you, I missed that detail, we'll have more info in the next video I guess

    •  Рік тому

      @@tofu-munchingCoalition.ofChaos maybe he meant honey.

    • @Celestina0
      @Celestina0 Рік тому +1

      Proof of this is that whenever they survey people on whether factory farming should be banned everyone says yes… the same people who buy all the meat at the supermarket blissfully ignorant of where it came from

  • @chim3ric4l
    @chim3ric4l Рік тому +49

    For what it's worth, your forgiving and balanced approach towards promoting veganism was almost entirely why I've started work g my way towards veganism. I'm still not there yet, but I'm continuing to work on it.
    I've wanted to for years, but the militant vegan mindset always made me feel like if I couldn't do it perfectly, it wasn't worth it, so I never really tried. Your attitude of 'every little bit counts' has led me to make more significant and lasting changes than I ever would have with the 'perfectionism or nothing' mindset.

    • @perrydimes6915
      @perrydimes6915 Рік тому +1

      I on the other hand basically failed to give up animal products to any significant extent for years until I stopped trying to settle for vegetarian, "freegan", "flexitarian", etc, and just went 100%. It's easier to just go all the way, for me.
      And that isn't to discount your experience. There's countless people like you probably, and there's countless people like me. I don't think there's one answer to this, and I think militant veganism has its place and should coexist with non-militant veganism.

  • @Tanyathestoryteller
    @Tanyathestoryteller Рік тому +15

    I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 29, that's less than a year ago. It was last October. I have had this invisible disorder my entire life, and one of the major things we suffer from is lack of executive function, which affects how we eat. Sometimes we straight up... don't eat, because cooking is too much work and we just can't bring ourselves to do it, so we resort to a lot of fast food or eating out, or eating junk we can just throw in the microwave. Sometimes we straight up don't want to eat even when we're hungry and would rather starve. This explains so much, because when I tried to go vegetarian to than transition to veganism (which I never got to do), I was experiencing malnutrition because I wasn't eating enough on an omnivore diet as it was, the vegetarian diet was even worse for me. Even on an omnivore diet, I'm lucky if I eat a full two meals a day sometimes.
    I want to do this so freaking bad, but I can barely get nutrition normally. Combined with the fact that the cheapest way to be vegan is to cook all the time and all the vegan junk tends to be rather pricey, this is why veganism is simply not compatible for someone like me, at least right now with how my life is, and I know I'm not the only one, and other people may have other reasons where they simply aren't able to. Maybe in the future once I learn how to get around the symptoms, I live on my own away from people who eat meat so they can't tempt me, make more money, and do all the food shopping so that I am guaranteed protein options, it will be easier. But I just wanted to give an example of someone who wants to go vegan, but can't because it's so hard for so many reasons.

    • @fleabitz1474
      @fleabitz1474 Рік тому +3

      The only way I can manage it is to take blocks of time to prep food in advance so that when I get hungry, eating nutritious food is as frictionless as possible. For instance I will prepare six salads so I just have to grab one. I hate cooking, but every other week I make a big pot of soup and then freeze the portions. All this means that on most days of the week I don't have to cook at all, just warm something up or dump a little dressing on a salad. Oh another thing I make is a big batch of refrigerator oatmeal (no cooking, just stirring some stuff up) that I portion up and there again is another thing I can just grab.

    • @Tanyathestoryteller
      @Tanyathestoryteller Рік тому +4

      @@fleabitz1474 that's great advice, thank you! I will definitely keep this in mind for when I get my own place one day.

    • @Tanyathestoryteller
      @Tanyathestoryteller Рік тому

      @@Littleonesmicrosanctuary soup is the best food honestly. This gives me hope, thank you.

    • @Bluyless
      @Bluyless Рік тому +1

      I've been vegan for over 5 years and I also have adhd so I know how difficult living with executive dysfunction is. In terms of veganism, just do your best eating less animal products whenever your adhd allows. In terms of making your life easier I highly recommend checking out the channel Healthy Gamer here on YT. He's a psychiatrist and his videos are spot on. I found his course very helpful as well. Also, if a higher price is not an issue I would also recommend The Antiplanner, a book of practical tips on how to approach different chores you just cannot bring yourself to do. Good luck

    • @elCamaradaR
      @elCamaradaR Рік тому

      I do not believe you want to do this , you are talking about temptations, prices and lazyness. Please stay away , veganism is too good for you

  • @animalsarebeautifulpeople3094
    @animalsarebeautifulpeople3094 Рік тому +11

    Please check out Joey Carbstrong's video - Alex apparently reached out to him from France, claiming that it's practically impossible to be vegan in .... France...?

    • @Hope00Love
      @Hope00Love Рік тому +7

      Yes, that made me really curious about what Alex views as practicable.

    • @ONeill01
      @ONeill01 Рік тому +2

      @heidiyf Yes it is easy

    • @sunnyhie1249
      @sunnyhie1249 Рік тому +2

      @heidiyf It's very easy ! There are TONS of vegan alternatives in the stores and if you live in a city there are vegan options in cafes and restaurants but you just gotta do a bit of research before going somewhere

  • @JohnnieHougaardNielsen
    @JohnnieHougaardNielsen Рік тому +19

    CosmicSceptic can be pretty hard on others when they do not follow his ethics convictions, which may not always be weighted against "the real world", but he can also be pretty hard on himself.

    • @drsalka
      @drsalka Рік тому +3

      Not hard enough on himself if he has wifi access to message Joey C. to ask and complain about the supposed lack of vegan options, instead of using said wifi tool to go on happycow and, as Joey shared he himself did for Alex in that moment, find out there's 20 vegan restaurants/options nearby where he was in that moment. He's more committed to the world of ideas than he was to putting certain ideas into practice, grounding them into a shared, tangible reality. Sloppy & floppy.

    • @ifihadfriends437
      @ifihadfriends437 Рік тому +4

      @@drsalka The UK is quite possibly the best country in the world for vegan options (definitely the best in my experience of Europe and Australia/NZ). He has no excuses.

    • @nom3nnescio
      @nom3nnescio Рік тому

      @@ifihadfriends437 "he has no excuses" Look everybody! We found the vegan taliban

    • @elCamaradaR
      @elCamaradaR Рік тому

      @@nom3nnescio why are you defending a non vegan?

  • @evedotcom
    @evedotcom Рік тому +8

    Ugh, bummer! I've followed him for years, and was stoked when I found out he'd gone vegan. He is such an intelligent, effective communicator and seemed like a huge asset to the vegan movement. I'm less upset that he's no longer vegan, and more concerned that this may influence others who are already doubtful. Look forward to hearing him expand on this in a video.

  • @ΘάνατοςΧορτοφάγος

    Cosmic let down

  • @hester234
    @hester234 Рік тому +10

    Your response is by far the most compassionate I've seen so far, my feelings are mixed. While I understand that people are different, that change is often harder for some than for others, I view back on his video about cognitive dissonance and I wonder what today's Alex has to say to the points former Alex once made. How bad must his health be now and how little trust must he have had in all of his vegan followers, I'm sure some of them could have helped him.
    Also, when he says he is against factory farming... sorry, but everybody says this! The individual animal should be the focus of our concern, the individual who is tormented and killed for no good reason at all. Saying you are against factory farming while eating animals is - - warning: analogy NOT equation incoming - - like saying you are against human trafficking but selling your girlfriend to your best buddy is totally fine, I mean, she had a really good life so far and no matter if she experiences a little bit of violence in the end that's a net positive after all! ...
    Can't deny I'm bitter about that, can't deny I am disappointed. I hope he'll make a video.

  • @dompal1
    @dompal1 Рік тому +34

    Super happy to see a more measured take on this statement! Seeing so many vegans seeing this as the worst loss in the world of veganism has been crazy to me.
    Also just wanted to say loving the new effort put into the background and editing, looks great!

  • @cameronbethea123
    @cameronbethea123 Рік тому +3

    I'm sure my anecdote won't be well received here, but I understand Alex. I tried veganism for 2 years. Maybe I didn't balance my diet right or take the right supplements, but honestly it was a pretty text book healthy vegan diet. I didn't eat much processed food, and ate mainly quinoa, rice, beans, peas, barley, potatoes, and various veggies, fruits, nuts, and seeds, I got enough fats from the cooking oil and nuts, and I took b12. I was getting enough calories, over 2 years I only lost 6 pounds, I was already a healthy BMI and was just trying to maintain weight, so there wasn't a significant calorie deficit.
    After about 6 months, I noticed some fatigue, which only got worse the longer I remained on the diet. I also constantly felt depressed for no reason. I noticed myself being in denial, pretending like my symptoms had nothing to do with the diet. Not only that, but I started trying extra hard to convince friends and family to go vegan, but I was really just being insecure and coping.
    Maybe I don't have the genetics to do well as a vegan. I care about animals, but I selfishly care about my quality of life more. Since I've been eating animal products for around 8 months now, I've started feeling much better. I guess I'm not a moral person.

    • @mr.beauregard8419
      @mr.beauregard8419 Рік тому

      Did you get any bloodwork done? Perhaps you became deficient in some other nutrient than B12 like iron. It's entirely possible and even likely that your problems would've gone away had you just started supplementing said deficiency. I hope you give veganism another go, but this time with a multivitamin and regular bloodwork.

  • @abdullaalmadhoob2187
    @abdullaalmadhoob2187 Рік тому +4

    An individual-based approach might not bring an end to an injustice, but at least you're not taking part in it.

  • @yewthegreenman
    @yewthegreenman Рік тому +2

    I dont see the problem with being vegan mon-fri.
    It'll still be a benefit for society.

  • @Shelf_Improvement
    @Shelf_Improvement Рік тому +5

    I ❤CosmicSkeptic. I'm a Christian and really enjoy his debates with Christian apologists. I really appreciate his integrity and sharp intellect. My living arrangement is changing and I might try veganism again. Or at least as close as I can get to it. I've cut meat, so that's a good first step.

    • @nom3nnescio
      @nom3nnescio Рік тому

      Cut the religion too, you'll be so much better.

    • @elCamaradaR
      @elCamaradaR Рік тому

      But your god is an animal killer and actually gave you some dominion about other species, why do you care for animals when your god does not?

  • @mujnick
    @mujnick Рік тому +5

    I think that the main impact any of us can have is to normalize veganism in our social circles. Promoting and supporting plant-based alternatives is close second.

    • @elCamaradaR
      @elCamaradaR Рік тому

      normalize? what do you mean?

    • @mujnick
      @mujnick Рік тому

      @@elCamaradaR That for most people veganism won't be something alien. That when people hear "vegan", the'll think: "My friend from work is vegan" instead of "Vegans are a dangerous extremist cult trying to ban eating everything I love"

  • @ainajorgohwilliams726
    @ainajorgohwilliams726 Рік тому +11

    I never comment on videos but honestly your way of approaching veganism is so refreshing. I've been vegan since 2014 and was veggie for a couple years before that. But I'm allergic to soy, legumes, nuts (apart from hazelnuts), onions, chickpeas, butterbeans etc and am gluten intolerant. When I lived in the UK it was honestly pretty easy...I just cooked at home and always took a packed lunch if I was going out, sure there were really rough moments but it was mostly fine. However, since moving to China I've found it much harder to stay vegan as everything has hidden ingredients and obviously with all my allergies and intolerances. I'm not about to stop being vegan, but it made me realise how much easier it was (even with my allergies) in a different country where ingredients are clearly stated and declared.

    • @Bluyless
      @Bluyless Рік тому +1

      May I ask what your typical meal looks like? What foods that are higher in protein can you eat?

    • @ainajorgohwilliams726
      @ainajorgohwilliams726 Рік тому +2

      @@Bluyless Hemp 👌

  • @tarabooartarmy3654
    @tarabooartarmy3654 Рік тому +2

    This is why so many UA-camrs are terrified to call themselves vegan. I’ve actually heard UA-camrs call themselves “plant-based” because they’re terrified that if they slips up “the vegans will come for them”. I actually resisted eating this way for years out of pure defiance because of how many times I’d been chastised online by “militant vegans”. I get it. You’re passionate (not you who is reading this comment specifically, but militant vegans). Lots of people are passionate about things. But the quickest way to have someone completely ignore you is to be rude and overbearing. You can be passionate without being a bully.
    I’ve been seeing a lot of these “so-and-so is no longer vegan” videos because I’ve been watching a lot of plant-based content recently as I try to ease into this lifestyle, and it’s a turn off. I’m not saying don’t make them. I’m totally on board with you making whatever content you want. And I understand being disappointed when people you look up to make decisions you’re not happy about. But they are THEIR decisions. We all get one life. We get to lead it the way we want to. I’m just saying that I personally feel disappointed seeing other people chastised and looked down on because of the decisions they make for their own lives.
    The quickest way to have your message ignored is to be rude about it. Vegans are supposed to be about kindness and love, right? So please be kind to humans, too. If you want more people to convert to veganism, be kind. Be understanding. Be aware that not everyone is perfect, and some people slip up. Because if you go after someone in anger because they made a mistake, it’s likely to have the opposite effect from the one you’re looking for.

    • @elCamaradaR
      @elCamaradaR Рік тому

      please stop pretending to know things without having any clue, veganism is not about love. I am so tired of dumb people complaining about how vegans handled this thing, Animal are slaves in multiple concentration camps and you asked me love? Really, do you want me to love those who pay for it? c mon, be serious

  • @SlugcatEmporium
    @SlugcatEmporium Рік тому +4

    As a non-patron, I would love to get to hear the titles/topics of your “controversial videos“ that got published over there! That would help me to judge whether or not I am interested. 😊

  • @jugglingotaku
    @jugglingotaku Рік тому +1

    I still respect CosmicSkeptic because he is cognizant of the ethical issues involved with factory farming. I don't think you have to be 100% vegan to advocate against producing unnecessary harm to animals. For example, you can eat meat from animals that died of natural causes, which doesn't seem to produce suffering to the animal. There's always better or worse things you can do. Eating one fewer animal-based meal per week is better than eating animal products all the time. We should advocate for animal welfare, by teaching people to make better choices.

  • @joannware6228
    @joannware6228 Рік тому +1

    "But the tax collector stood off at a distance
    and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
    but beat his breast and prayed,
    ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
    I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
    for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
    and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
    Lk 18

  • @jeffreyjohnson3192
    @jeffreyjohnson3192 Рік тому +1

    How hard is it to conceive that, while the ethical position may be philosophically sound, maybe health-wise a diet that has no evolutionary precedent in our biology isn't optimal?
    All of the reaction videos only address a supposed logical hypocrisy as if health decay wasn't the answer.
    Your diet lacks like 20 necessary vitamins, no human in prehistory would have done this, and there's a reason more than 80% of vegans eventually return to a balanced diet.
    I was a vegan too, and I'm sorry but you know deep inside that now amount of nutriologists appointments will fix a fundamentally flawed diet.
    Wake up

  • @Geordie504
    @Geordie504 Рік тому +1

    I just find it weird. I came to being a vegan through the overwhelming evidence that it is healthier. Yes, I still like the smell of bbq, and if real mozzarella makes it into my mouth I don’t go into an existential hissy fit. Once your tastebuds change, meat is actually quite yucky. At that point the unethical veganism changes into a kind of smug righteousness reserved for MacOS users, Tesla drivers, and Neil deGrass Tyson.
    I find it odd that the public intellectuals that I admire find it so hard to go vegan.
    Getting any kind of ethical guidance from a Peterson is also kind of strange - the only kind of salad they are associated with is the kind made of words.

  • @umejiaku6
    @umejiaku6 Рік тому +1

    It feels like there needs to be some fear or disgust in meat and nonvegans to stay vegan. Harsh, irrational, emotional involvement is required. You cannot logic yourself into a vegan diet for humanitarian reasons. As humans, we need positive reinforcement to solidify a logical assumption. There needs to be some realized benefit. If you become vegan because you think factory farming is bad and is worsening global climate change...you will never see a realized benefit.

  • @LeaFsinger74
    @LeaFsinger74 Рік тому +8

    damn. I was SUCH a fan of his Veganism among other things he tackles.

    • @rondarkman.
      @rondarkman. Рік тому

      He is back on the good side blees him

  • @rebeccagypsysol
    @rebeccagypsysol Рік тому +1

    My biggest question is.... If not factory farming then WHAT? If you're going to insist on consuming mass amounts of animal products, and statistics show that Americans are eating more meat than ever in history, how is he proposing we accomplish that? Obviously, the system is broken, but pretending like he can just stop supporting factory farming, and that's what everyone should do- but he'll continue to consume animal products- seems so faulty to me.... Additionally, as Earthling Ed as said so many times, every factory farm is local to someone. These facilities don't exist in a vacuum. So...........?

  • @danielbarber9423
    @danielbarber9423 Рік тому +2

    It's really not ,hard core / extreme to be vegan . Its easy, especially after you really put the effort into fully understanding all aspects.
    Makes me think , where is te effort needed. .

  • @grunff
    @grunff Рік тому +8

    The "go after big societal changes" argument drives me nuts. Imagine for a minute "I don't believe in slavery, I think it's wrong, but I keep slaves because there's nothing I can really do - what we need to do is go after the slave traders."

  • @xen6481
    @xen6481 Рік тому +6

    besides that, I think that having empathy for animals and knowledge about what they go through as individuals is really important

    • @xen6481
      @xen6481 Рік тому +1

      so individuals are important to the matter of animal welfare

  • @AbirZenith
    @AbirZenith Рік тому +1

    I have never been happy or healthy with a Vegan diet, even though I understand some of the points Vegans make. For some of us it simply does not work, also living in certain regions on top of it makes it even harder and sometimes completely impractical .

  • @szajkaninidanda
    @szajkaninidanda Рік тому +1

    I do agree with him that indivisual approach is not as good as institutional but I do not think it is a valid reason against veganism.

  • @muscleNPmama
    @muscleNPmama Рік тому +1

    It's not hard to eat vegan. Especially if you're making at least middle class income. Also its laughable to say it's not healthy. It's also not healthy to eat non vegan. It just depends on the choices you make.

  • @shaijahalohalove1
    @shaijahalohalove1 Рік тому +7

    “Jesus Christ, just be vegan” - Swayze 🥰

    • @rondarkman.
      @rondarkman. Рік тому +1

      No way way way to many delicious animals to feast apon

    • @zephyrus3554
      @zephyrus3554 Рік тому

      @@rondarkman. you eat the same 3 or 4 animals lmao clown
      Too*

    • @lllULTIMATEMASTERlll
      @lllULTIMATEMASTERlll Рік тому

      @@rondarkman. lol get a life buddy. Imagine making a UA-cam account just to troll people. We get it, you’re insecure.

    • @rondarkman.
      @rondarkman. Рік тому

      How is it trolling?

    • @lllULTIMATEMASTERlll
      @lllULTIMATEMASTERlll Рік тому

      @@rondarkman. 🥱

  • @talks2squirrels953
    @talks2squirrels953 Рік тому +2

    I would like a video on Alex ( when we know more ) and Sam Harris Both .

  • @roseg2239
    @roseg2239 Рік тому +1

    I honestly don't understand why it's so hard for people to stay veg or vegan. Sure, the transition can be difficult, but you do it because you care about the animals and don't want them to suffer because of you. I think maybe he never fully connected to animal suffering. I think you have to be an animal lover or an empath to really make the connection. I don't think he doesn't care at all, I just think some people care more than others.

  • @vegangames3468
    @vegangames3468 Рік тому +2

    Alex is a huge disappointment. Cosmic Flip Flop.

  • @zarelli7831
    @zarelli7831 Рік тому +3

    The drop out rate from veganism is around 70%. This doesn't surprise me.

    • @zarelli7831
      @zarelli7831 Рік тому

      @H M I remember training in the military and my instructor said to me the last form of weakness I need to get rid of was compassion.

  • @spandel100
    @spandel100 Рік тому +1

    If we all did the right thing it would have a very big impact...simple.I cannot fathom why people have problems dropping the eating of a corpse...it is fundamentally disgusting and all the blubbering and whining about how difficult it is,is nonsensical beyond belief.

  • @thesupremechickenhed
    @thesupremechickenhed Рік тому +1

    Im disappointed in him. Not because he left. I understand that some people can't hack it socially. But he could have just said "I couldn't handle the social pressures. I like the convenience of not checking ingredients when I eat. I still support vegans and hope the movement continues growing. "
    What Alex did was intellectually lazy.

  • @visionary202
    @visionary202 Рік тому +4

    Thank you. I really enjoy your perspective on things, especially as you are far more even-handed, reasonable, and realistic

  • @chopsueykungfu
    @chopsueykungfu Рік тому

    I’m surprised he didn’t hold out just a little longer for the lab grown meat, then he could be an ethical meat eating vegan! In the meantime, the plant based meats are not bad at all - not healthy, but certainly more healthy and ethical than eating fish with high loads of mercury and plastic content. He does join a long list of celebrity people who idealized veganism but couldn’t stick with it, or didn’t even try it, people like Ophra Winfrey, Richard Dawkins, Gene Roddenberry…

  • @nom3nnescio
    @nom3nnescio Рік тому +1

    _WHY_ are we interested in what someone random eats?

  • @setitheredcap2677
    @setitheredcap2677 Рік тому +1

    Veganism is hard. I struggle with the diet aspect, even constantly trying new recipes. Unfortunately, not everyone thrives nor enjoys it, and for me, it's been keeping me on the verge of an eating disorder. I'm bored with the food. My ethics are what keep me pushing, but I can't say I really enjoy eating a whole foods plant based diet. The selection of recipes available is not anything to look forward to.

  • @ΘάνατοςΧορτοφάγος

    Pointing at corporations instead of their own responsibility is a cop out. You dont change other by not changing yourself

  • @danielaxc2900
    @danielaxc2900 Рік тому +3

    Hardcore vegans will sneer at the idea of vegan nutrition being an important facet of veganism as they state it detracts from the animals, then act surprised when the turnover rate from veganism is so high due to nutrition concerns. It's maddening.

  • @jamesjack8622
    @jamesjack8622 Рік тому +7

    As a vegan I don’t get it. I’m like how can you go back. I want to scream and shout and give all the arguments you would give.
    However. I’ve only been a vegan for 2 years. And I’ve been on and off vegetarian for about 15 years prior to that.
    First in High school it became to hard with the family I was basically only eating peanut butter sandwiches. Didn’t now how to cook and just went back to eating with the family.
    Then in my early 20’s but I didn’t loose weight so I started a diet which included lots of meat. And dropped weight but didn’t feel good. Then again in my late 20’s and then in my early 30’s. That’s when I started buying vegan cookbooks cause all the vegetarian stuff was just so boring and all cheese cheese cheese.
    So then I watched a documentary about health. And stuff clicked my fathers cancer and him
    Dying, my moms cancer. All the other stuff. When I was eating meat and a butcher telling me to massage the meat before cooking so to release the stress from the cutlet. All that stuff just turned my world upside down. And I became vegan overnight and didn’t look back. But that process has taken me 18 years. Cause of so many reasons, societal pressure, family gatherings and so on.
    I think once you made the choice to go vegan and open your eyes to all the suffering then going back to eating meat it must weigh even harder on you. So I think sooner or later you wont be able to achieve your “goals”or happiness on that piece of meat or fish as well. Cause you can’t unsee of unfeel what you know to be true every-time you pick a meal with suffering in it. You take that suffering and you consume it. It becomes part of you and it’ll just start to eat away at you.

  • @nicolesandel-dixon4622
    @nicolesandel-dixon4622 Рік тому +1

    I think you made a really good point by mentioning not only how easy or difficult being vegan could be because of where you live and your personal circumstances, but also those intrinsic factors like willpower. I think it is pretty clear from your insanely restrictive former diets and you always remaining small that you have unnaturally strong levels of self control and discipline. You have also mentioned that you really never even liked the taste of things like milk and eggs or meat so it wasn't as enormous of a sacrifice for you to make. ( Although, your dedication to veganism is still very inspiring and impressive!)

  • @Sourcoolness
    @Sourcoolness Рік тому +9

    Because I am so lazy, and work long hours, and recently have dealt with a low appetite which has effected my ability to meet daily nutritional requirements, and don't plan my meals properly most of the time, I personally am struggling to understand why it's so hard for others when even I have been able to stay vegan and healthy over the past five years. Like, if I can do it even when I'm not trying, why is it so hard for them? But you're right, I need to shut those instincts down, I don't know their lives and I suspect alot of people don't share my personal dietary proclivities (I happen to really like legumes and veggies and would eat them anyway) which have turned out to be advantageous for me. I'm also lucky to have a vegetarian mother who is lactose intolerant and a good cook, that comes in handy as I visit her alot. Many people have no support at all and it can be very isolating.

    • @liammarshall-butler3384
      @liammarshall-butler3384 Рік тому +2

      Yeah, i think we can never really understand how big or small of a deal it is for others. I know that I found the switch to vegetarianism to be extremely easy, but the switch to veganism much harder. So, I have to imagine that for some people veganism is easy and for others even vegetarianism is hard.

    • @Sourcoolness
      @Sourcoolness Рік тому +1

      @@liammarshall-butler3384 Yes, and another thing I have noticed is that people like yourself who start out vegetarian or plant-based have a much better chance of sticking to it long-term, whereas the people who dive straight in have a much harder time staying the course. This is why I think we should promote a healthy, reasonable transition period as much as possible, even though hardcore vegan activists would probably prefer everyone switch over night. In alot of cases, that is simply setting people up for failure. I guess the real question is, what can we do to support and help new and prospective vegans to stay healthy and vegan in the long-term?
      Edited for spelling

    • @chakiranaynaymorris260
      @chakiranaynaymorris260 Рік тому +1

      Oh my GOSH! That is my experience.

  • @barnacleboii
    @barnacleboii Рік тому +1

    His decision.

  • @skepticalbutopen4620
    @skepticalbutopen4620 Рік тому +2

    When I see these so called influencers, intellectuals, philosophers, etc. fail at having the discipline to adopt a diet beneficial to them, those around them, and our planet as a whole, it just motivates me to become even more disciplined and lets me know they are just as undisciplined as the average person.

  • @Acehigh-Jenkins
    @Acehigh-Jenkins Рік тому +3

    I have IBS and pretty much all veg and pulses are foods I have to avoid:( I mostly eat mock meats refined grains and the odd banana. I could stop being vegan but what’s the point my diet would remain appalling (healthy food is trigger food, I miss sprouts) it’d just be more meat based. But I can understand other peoples health complaints might impact differently. At least thanks to unnatural vegan I learnt the importance of taking my vegan vitamins with the b12 in :)

    • @hannahmitchell87
      @hannahmitchell87 Рік тому

      Ugh, I feel your pain. The number of trigger foods I cycled through, trying to pinpoint the cause!!
      I reduced my IBS symptoms dramatically a few months after going vegan. It could've been any number of things that helped clear it up but I just wanted to share the things I threw at it, in the hope they might help you if you haven't already tried them.
      1) stopping taking NSAIDs eg ibuprofen
      2) drinking 2 tsp L-Glutamine dissolved in juice daily on an empty stomach, for probably about two months straight. (This, in my opinion, was what made the biggest difference for me. If I forgot for a day or two, I'd be cramping & all that s**t, literally, all over again. Back to square one. But once I noticed the trigger was skipping the glutamine & got really strict with it, I perservered cause it was working & tbh, can't remember how I decided to stop? Maybe I read it? Maybe I ran out? Maybe I just eased off & had no return of symptoms? But since then, it's honestly been such a huge improvement. I only get a flare up every few months, if that, compared to almost daily at its worst.
      Oh yeah, and 3) not drinking much before or during meals. I'd chug so much (like multiple pints) & didn't reallise I was diluting my stomach acid & hindering digestion. I think that helped too.
      Insert disclaimer here about this not being medical advice yada yada yada but I really hope you find some relief if you're open to trying any of these approaches. IBS is brutal x

    • @Acehigh-Jenkins
      @Acehigh-Jenkins Рік тому

      @@hannahmitchell87 thanks mate! Unfortunately I can’t stop my NSAIDs or any of my other pain meds coz I have chronic pain. I think probably the amount of meds I have to put in my stomach on a daily basis is probably one of the reasons I have IBS 😔but thanks so much for your advice! It’s so kind and I hope for the best for you and your symptoms going forward 💜

  • @zepzour7391
    @zepzour7391 Рік тому +2

    I’m a little sad too see this as I have always loved his channel. He really helped me in regards to atheism and his defense of gay rights. However I can absolutely sympathize, 1.5 years into my vegan journey I ended up getting into around a 6 month rut where I was no longer fully vegan due to my binge eating disorder and alcoholism (and ultimately my own choices of course, no excuses). My parents and later my roomates when I moved out would sometimes have leftover pizza or a Reese’s candy stash or something and I would often get into it while drunk or on a binge. I’ve recommitted to veganism now with the new year but it has absolutely made me realize that being vegan is not as easy for everyone as it might seem. The other factors and struggles in their life can really play a part in the struggle.
    Anyways I am very glad and appreciative that his response is much better than many of the former-vegans online we’ve had so far

  • @zoelu472
    @zoelu472 Рік тому +3

    Re: "it's easy to be vegan nowadays" - I always struggle with this statement. On the one hand, being a vegan is (objectively) difficult for me as I have IBS, an autoimmune condition, history of EDs + mental health issues, severe food aversion due to neurodivergence that all make eating already difficult without being vegan. On the other hand, I've been vegetarian and then vegan for almost a decade now (I know many vegans don't count vegetarianism for anything but I was a kid living in a boarding school in a different country from the rest of my family, so I'm still proud that I did everything I possibly could to avoid animal products) and I do wish other people tried harder instead of giving excuses. Curious to see the follow-up on cosmic skeptic, but I believe the crux of the bigger picture is reducetarianism - most people definitely should try harder to reduce animal products (and their negative impacts on the planet in general), whereas "extremists" (e.g., vegans who would shame someone for not being vegan because they had Oreos, which contain sugar that may be processed with bone char) could be more empathetic.

    • @elCamaradaR
      @elCamaradaR Рік тому

      why is more difficult to be vegan if you already had food aversion?

  • @edusch
    @edusch Рік тому +3

    I was waiting for your video for 4 days now. Thanks for sharing your thoughts

  • @skepticalbutopen4620
    @skepticalbutopen4620 Рік тому +1

    Very disappointing…

  • @pep_z780
    @pep_z780 Рік тому +1

    The whole “my actions don’t mean much in comparison to big companies” is so obnoxious. Just say you want to eat meat.

  • @bryceandrewmusicofficial
    @bryceandrewmusicofficial Рік тому +2

    Alex’s video will not help the vegan movement at all, I don’t need his video. The animals don’t need his video.

  • @vicentema31
    @vicentema31 Рік тому +2

    It'd be interesting to watch a video in which you analyze different vegan youtubers' responses to Alex's community post.
    I think some of them were way off and bordering cult behavior and others were quite reasonable, although not as reasonable as yours.

  • @baylees9800
    @baylees9800 Рік тому +2

    Dang, I am really surprised. He had a big impact on me finally going vegan. Glad to see his honesty though and to see kindness in this comments section.

  • @katandann
    @katandann Рік тому +1

    Thanks for doing a video on this. It bugs me tho that he is only against factory farming and not against killing animals for food in general. I hope he will at least support plant based meat alternatives and lab grown food. At least that would make veganism more practicable for everyone if those foods were more common and cheaper

  • @CasualEngineering
    @CasualEngineering Рік тому +1

    I hope that when/if he creates the explanatory video he won't blame the vegan diet itself just because he couldn't follow it for whatever reason. It would be unfair to the animals (not just to those in factory farms).
    Eating vegan is not rocket science. If we had grown up in vegan families as infants, we would have taken veganism for granted. So we only need to get over this mental block that it's something terribly unusual / against tradition / inconvenient, etc. (I mean at least for people who have the means to go vegan, not those living in harsh climates, for example). We already know a well-planned plant-based diet is healthy for the human body.
    The moment you take the animals out of the equation, you are able to see or create unique solutions for various problems (probably even in cases we would have not considered from the start). The reason we haven't advanced fast enough for ethical issues we care about is that we still see the unethical solutions as valid, as a `Plan B`. But see how fast you can come up with solutions in an emergency or when you don't have a choice.

  • @anna-katehowell9852
    @anna-katehowell9852 Рік тому +3

    Vegetarian here and I appreciate your approach so much!

  • @undertheivy299
    @undertheivy299 Рік тому +3

    I can’t take any more of these videos. So depressing😢 losing hope that things will ever get better for animals.

    • @kelseykjarsgaard5774
      @kelseykjarsgaard5774 Рік тому

      They probably wont. I am just going to eat way less animals probably

  • @quel3301
    @quel3301 Рік тому +2

    I've got really upset learning about this. I felt like I lost a really strong ally. I can't help but feel skeptical and ask questions like "was he taking vitamins?", "was he eating too much processed foods?", etc. Obviously I don't know what his health issues are so I should not assume his experience. I just feel it's common for ex-vegans to attribute their health issues to their vegan diet. If they were eating a diet with animal products would they attribute their health issues to their diet then??? How do you not know it comes from other factors that is not dependent on your diet? this is more for myself to rant and I am understanding of Alex's situation 😭 In the end my experience with being vegan is not the same as everyone else's. A great reminder Swayze

    • @youtubeposter3814
      @youtubeposter3814 Рік тому +1

      I’m mostly upset because he had the platform to potentially make thousands of people vegan directly it or indirectly. So him being like “individual effort isn’t enough” is BS because him stopping veganism will likely directly lead to others stopping being vegan. It’s not like it’s just him. Same with all UA-camrs though

  • @mariaangelova8275
    @mariaangelova8275 Рік тому +1

    I think that Alex flip-flopping on Veganism is super low. Disappointing to say the least. But.
    INDIVIDUAL CHOICES DO MATTER.
    So we need to do both -- individual choices and fight the big corporations. Otherwise it won't work, we won't win this fight.

  • @joannware6228
    @joannware6228 Рік тому

    Teaching Math
    1. TEACHING MATH IN 1950
    A logger sells a truckload of timber for $100 His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit? $____

    2.Teaching Math In 1970...
    A logger sells a truckload of timber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit? $___

    3. Teaching Math In 1990...
    A logger sells a truckload of timber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit? __Yes or __No

    4. Teaching Math In 2000...
    A logger sells a truckload of timber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20.
    Your assignment: Underline the number 20

    5. Teaching Math In 2015...
    A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living?
    Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes.

    6. Teaching Math in 2022...
    Math is Racist. It was only invented to prove the superiority of whites.
    Students no longer need any math skills to go to Graduate school.
    2+2 = 4, or 22, or whatever you feel is correct.
    There are no wrong answers, feel free to express your feelings e.g., anger, anxiety, inadequacy, helplessness etc. Should you require debriefing at the conclusion of the exam there are counselors available to assist you to adjust back into the real world.

    Don't feel bad. I wasn't laughing either. We're doomed.

  • @nesthi
    @nesthi Рік тому

    😁“Efforting” and “calendaring” are acting as verbs. The Oxford English Dictionary has an entry for “effort” as a verb meaning “To strengthen, fortify,” from about 1661, but calls its usage “obsolete.” Most other dictionaries don't acknowledge “effort” as a verb.

  • @JasonJohnSwartz
    @JasonJohnSwartz Рік тому

    I like the "Jesus Christ, just be vegan." Well, thank God he wasn't a vegan. 😄

  • @joannware6228
    @joannware6228 Рік тому

    That Peter, James, John, Paul, Thomas, and the rest could announce throughout the Mediterranean world that Jesus was in fact the long-awaited Israelite Messiah, and that they could go to their deaths defending this claim, are the surest indications that something monumentally significant happened to Jesus after his death.
    That something was the Resurrection. Though too many modern theologians have tried to explain the Resurrection away as a wish-fulfilling fantasy, a vague symbol, or a literary invention, the New Testament writers could not be clearer: the crucified Jesus, who had died and been buried, appeared alive again to his disciples.
    Bishop Robert Barron "Daily Gospel Reflection (03/01/2023)"

  • @AlexCab_49
    @AlexCab_49 6 місяців тому

    I used to watch the cosmic skeptic and liked his videos and never knew he was vegan but I could understand why he chose to eat meat again (though not very much) and that's because veganism is hard for a lot of ppl, they may not have the money for plant based alternatives to animal products or they live in a area where things like diary are intrinsically tied to the diets of their community and may find it hard to move away from such products

  • @tangerinetangerine4400
    @tangerinetangerine4400 Рік тому

    As someone who was a vegan since the 90s, I can say that the impact of individual decisions is visible and bigger than I could have ever imagined as a teenager who was no longer comfortable with consuming animals. Trust me! I had no idea we'd be where we are now. But keep going! Don't get discouraged. Don't stop.
    Regardless of the impact of my individual decision to avoid doing harm, I see it first and foremost as a personal moral responsibility. Other people might never stop starting wars, killing, r*ping, torturing, etc but since when is that a justification for ME to start doing those things? Why apply different logic to our behaviour towards non humans? Either they are worthy of moral consideration or they're not?

  • @real_pattern
    @real_pattern Рік тому

    2 things: alex doesn't believe in any formulation of free will, nor in any 'objective', normative system of morality with some mysterious, transcendentally-sourced, 'intrinsic' 'good' and 'bad'.
    it is clear that going vegan is 'good' in the sense that it's extremely effectively conducive (only on a significant collective scale - individual consumption is statistically irrelevant) to mitigating whatever 'bad' variable we wanna talk about, be it the suffering entailed by factory farming, environmental destruction, potential antibiotic-resistant strains and novel/zoonotic diseases proliferation etc..
    all these aren't 'meaningful' or 'bad' according to alex's preferred system of morality in the sense that they are for most other people, which may help explain this turn.

  • @SunFellow941
    @SunFellow941 Рік тому

    15% of self-identified liberals are vegetarian (10%) or vegan (5%).
    2% of self-identified conservatives are vegetarian or vegan.

  • @teainortakoy
    @teainortakoy Рік тому +2

    Thank you for this video, I am efforting to encourage others to watch your channel! 😃 Didn't know to effort was a thing either!

  • @stemcareers8844
    @stemcareers8844 Рік тому

    The individual boycotts comment doesn't make sense to me because its an entirely separate issue from a moral rights issue. Even if my individual boycott doesnt change a harmful industry am I then morally justified to continue participating in that industry?
    Those are two separate problems. From a moral rights perspective, no I dont have moral justification to support avoidable animal rights violations regardless of whether ot not my impact is large. From a will this change the world perspective then it may or may not. Its worth noting that veganism isnt solely an individual thing. At this point its grown to a proper movement and reducing meat intake is increasingly brought up as a serious topic of discussion. So I think there should be an effort to recognise that while individual vegans may have a negligible impact, a vegan movement could actually change a lot. And what are movements made up of if not individuals?

  • @joannware6228
    @joannware6228 Рік тому

    Jesus answered and said to her,
    “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;
    but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;
    the water I shall give will become in him
    a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
    Jn 4

  • @orsikocs
    @orsikocs Рік тому

    They way we “farm” animals now is 100% inhumane and morally wrong. I will never go fully vegan but your channel made me more aware of the issues and also that someone can be healthy while not eating meat so i managed to reduce my meat and dairy consumption significantly over the years. I’m always thankful i found ur channel at a time when i had very bad stomach problems and almost went down the fullyraw christina way of things but decided to instead have a more balanced approach try and find the specific food groups i have reactions to and modify my diet a little bit and not drastically.
    I also agree that small choices make a difference. It shows in our supermarkets. Because there is a demand for meat free products there is now a bigger meat free section available which early 2010s wasn’t there. If the consumer has a need, the market will respond and the more in number the bigger that isle becomes. We do make a difference individually.

  • @Akash_Vegan
    @Akash_Vegan Рік тому

    I wouldn't appreciate him for the way he has justified not being vegan anymore. His views on other topics is irrelevant. The fact that he made you 'appreciate' his position, and me too initially, looks like manipulation. He is an extremely smart individual, but that doesn't mean he isn't absolutely, morally, and indeed ethically awry. I don't appreciate any of his arguments on this topic. I also don't think this invalidates his other opinions, but this is disingenuous.

  • @jeremiasremix
    @jeremiasremix Рік тому

    There's a clash between the personal feelings/ethics that bring people closer to the left (justice, rights, etc) and the ideological rationale created by Marx and his successors. The same discussion has been happing in the environmental niche, climate influencers have been pushing the idea that personal choices don't really have an impact and are truly a ideology veil created by big companies.
    When it comes to veganism this has to be stretched further because we enjoy (literally) the harm we decide to pay for. As so I've seen the argument being made that veganism itself is an ideology promoted by big companies to divert attention from their social responsibilities and so on.
    In the end this is the result of being attached to a political "cult" more than to your initial desire to change the world or at least do your best with what you have.

  • @Stoic_Crusader
    @Stoic_Crusader Рік тому

    His diet is probably 98% still vegan.
    It's very doubtful that he is eating steaks and pork chops.
    The occasional oyster or medical tablet containing lactose or similar hardly breaks the vegan identity in any real sense.
    It will be interesting to see what specifically he has started consuming and how often.

  • @jennoscura2381
    @jennoscura2381 Рік тому +1

    The individual boycott very obviously works. Look at all the products that companies stopped making because they didn’t sell well. On the flip side look at all the various non dairy milk options at regular grocery stores. Our choices as individuals do make a difference. Regardless; we shouldn’t participate in unethical behavior if we can avoid it.
    Unfortunately due to being disabled and chronically ill I can’t be completely vegan. Sometimes dinner ends up being a cheese pizza from Little Caesar’s. It’s cheap, easy, and something I am almost always willing to eat. I am however still trying. I recently got into Soylent. It’s a great easy food option. So far it seems to be helping me avoid pizza delivery.
    I still use the vegan label because it helps me keep in mind that I am consuming the products of sentient beings. And in situations where I am eating with other people; it’s easier to say vegan than to explain situations that aren’t applicable to the current food situation.
    I know that being mostly vegan still has an impact. I am glad your channel exists. It helps keep me focused. I have sadly left vegan Facebook groups because I was shit on for mistakes or grey areas and nuance. For example. I once ordered a “regular pizza without cheese”; from Little Caesar’s. It wasn’t until I got home that I discovered that it had pepperoni. The damage was done; so I ate the perfectly good food. I made a post on a Facebook group so other people can avoid that situation. People shit all over me for eating the pizza. I left another group over oyster sauce. I mentioned buying oyster sauce to try. I linked some info on ostroveganism so people could learn more. I of course got shit on by the “no animal products ever” folks. I haven’t been there since then. It’s unfortunate because it’s a local group. It’s a great place to learn about new vegan restaurants or vegan options in local stores.
    Fanatical vegans drive people away. I am glad you exist as an alternative to the fanatics.

    • @micfynjbvg
      @micfynjbvg Рік тому

      You’re just making meat cheaper for meat eaters

  • @uledisuddie952
    @uledisuddie952 Рік тому

    I thought comic skeptic was better than this . He is smart 🧠 enough to be vegan .WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO HIM .

  • @jonathanmitchell8698
    @jonathanmitchell8698 Рік тому +1

    The "individually focused boycott" point is kind of ridiculous in my opinion. Collective behavior follows from individual behavior; the two are mutually entailing, not mutually exclusive. I personally think that the largest effect that becoming vegan has is to normalize that decision and get people to spend a little more time considering the lives of animals. Economics is not the only means by which change happens, even under capitalism.
    I also think there is a meaningful distinction between boycotting animal products and boycotting other products that may have involved unethical practices in their production. When you are buying meat, you are literally buying the body of the being that was exploited. That animal must have been exploited and killed for the meat to end up in your shopping cart. Therefore you know with essentially 100% certainty that exploitation was involved in it's production. You don't have that same certainty when buying clothes. You have to do quite a bit of research to find out of any given piece of clothing involved slave labor. No, it's not a categorical distinction, but I think there is a clear distinction between these two things. I think it's reasonable as a vegan to buy wine without doing extensive research into the kinds is clarifying agents that were used (some of which are animal products). In America, alcohol companies aren't required to label ingredients, and it is often difficult to find information for a company's wine unless you call them and ask (and trust their response). In this case, there is a high degree of uncertainty about whether exploitation was involved, so I think focusing out energy on this kind of boycott is less worthwhile. I like to buy a brand if wine that I know it's vegan when I do buy wine, but if someone offers me a glass of wine I usually don't check of it's technically vegan because unfortunately that information is obscured. I've been thinking that it would probably be good to exercise positive economic power in these cases, preferentially buying brands that advertise/label their product as vegan, maybe calling those brands to give positive feedback. But I do think there is less of a moral imperative.
    Lastly, consider other products where a living being's exploration and suffering is necessary. It may be difficult to hold people morally accountable for buying a computer that may or may not have involved exploration at some point in it's production, but what about buying human organs? What about paying someone to steal a person's possessions? What about paying to see a performance by a castrati singer (assuming you know that castrati singers must have been castrated as children for their vocal abilities to manifest). It seems to me like these examples warrant boycott more than the clothing example because the product is directly tied to the exploration, so you can be a lot more certain that exploitation must have occurred to produce the product.

  • @romnarz344
    @romnarz344 Рік тому

    The comments here remind me of the constant calls that atheist shows get. On the line of “he was never a true Christian “ Alex advocated the vegan cause with the typical passion of a convert . He then used his considerable intellect to coherently and logically present an argument. None of us can argue from a neutral position - we fall into the trap of failing to recognise our biases.

  • @MyJam
    @MyJam Рік тому

    Is this just gearing up for a massive April Fools’ prank? This doesn’t make sense with everything he’s said and the knowledge he has. Or is he just a sellout? This is sad.

  • @julianwest4030
    @julianwest4030 Рік тому +1

    This totally threw me because Alex in particular really influenced me to go Vegan.

  • @aaronmerkel5216
    @aaronmerkel5216 Рік тому

    Was he ever vegan though? Highly doubtful. If he is able to change his mind and not even justify it, did he ever truly understand veganism? I think not.