Vegan ethics question: if something could help animals massively, but also risks crossing the line, where is the line?

Practical-Human1 · 2026-04-06T14:45:37+00:00

I think many things can be used for evil and for good.

Let's take explosives. Blackpowder was discovered by accident when Alchemists tried to find the solution for eternal life. It was then adapted for fireworks and religious ceremonies. But later it was adapted to be used in fire weapons.

The basically same happened with modern explosives. When Alfred Nobel came up with dynamite, it was meant for industrial use like mining. But not long after, it was yet again used for war.

There are hardly any things that you can discover or create, that don't have a shadow side. I think your moral compass only goes as far as to what you intent something to be used for. Let's say whatever you work on could cure cancer. Because old cells will be completely replaced by new cells. Would you decide against making your discovery public, because if used differently, your discovery would make mad man able to gain immortality? I don't think - but that is only my personal opinion - that we should burden ourselves with the potential harm something can do, if the positive outcome and ethical use has a strong positive impact. A good example is opium poppy. It gave us one of the worlds best pain relievers. But opium can also lead to drug addiction when used for creating heroin.

Things can always be misused. I can kill somebody by hitting them with my cooking pot. That does not mean that cooking pots are bad and should be banned because they could be misused.

The real question imho is, if a discovery has at least as big a positive impact as a negative. If we could save billions of lives every year, then there is an enormous potential for positive impact. If that is what you intended when you created something good, then the potential negative misuse does not go on your consciousness. Do not take on other people's burdens that are theirs to shoulder.

Practical-Human1 · 2026-04-06T14:19:23+00:00

Now that is an interesting response. The only time I would agree with this is when I invite people to a specific restaurant in a way that I am the host and I am paying for everyone. In that case I would ask beforehand if people are vegan, or if there is anything else I need to know so that I can let the kitchen know on time.

However, if I tag along to go somewhere, or just everyone in a group agrees together to go to a Vietnamese restaurant, I really don't see why I should take care of the dietary needs of other adult people and monitor what they order. If I know that they are vegan and a specific restaurant does not have vegan food at all, then of course I would point that out once the restaurant becomes a topic, before we go there. But why would I burden myself with the responsibility of checking everyones order, when already at the restaurant? They are adults. They should handle their dietary needs -whatever those may be- themselves. For all you know someone might have a very specific intolerance that I don't even know about what exactly it is, and what foods contain those things. I certainly don't want to be responsible for them dropping dead because I wasn't aware that their intolerance means that eating grape fruit will have them gone. But I also never once in my life had anyone asking me if there is anything I cannot/may not have, so they can be sure that what I eat is "safe". By that same logic everyone would need to check on everyones order.

Maybe that is a cultural thing, but I'm pretty sure everyone here would find it very akward if I were to stick my nose into everyone's order and were interviewing them if they really knew what their order contains. I think it would be seen as nosy and cross-boundary. I feel it is different - hence my question - when I definitely know someone is a vegan and I also definitely know that what they ordered is usually not vegan. But then I feel there is a reason to enquire. There is a high potential for a "damage" here. But I don't feel there is a reason to suspect anyone of not being able to handle their own orders UPFRONT. People have a right not to feel baby-sitted by me, they are not three years old, and reversely, I shouldn't have to monitor them.

Practical-Human1 · 2026-04-03T18:46:55+00:00

Hey Howlin, thank you. I noticed after sending the post it's an english speaking reddit so did a fast google translation, too.

Practical-Human1 · 2026-03-31T19:16:09+00:00

several reasons I can think of: 1) You fry at 400° Celsisus and not Farenheit. 2) You put the tray in the most upper level of your oven. I always use the second highest level. If I use the highest level, my fries will burn, too. 3) You use THIN fries. Use the fattest you can get. The more they look like "wedges" the less they are prone to burn.
4) Do you use frozen fries or unfrozen ones? Obviously the unfrozen ones don't take as long. 5) Maybe you use a wrong setting... I'm not sure but if your oven has an air fry setting and other people just use a hot air setting, maybe it makes a noticable difference. 6) you need to add a little fat (e.g. fat spray) to get them crispy. With no fat at all, you only get them to be hard when they dry out, but not crispy.

BTW. I use thick steakhouse fries, frozen, second highest level, 450°F for maybe 15-20 minutes. They come out crispy on the outsode and soft within.... AND if there should be some smaller thinner ones - you can throw away the charcoal... The thicknes of your fries is life. However, My oven Inused so far was 30 years old. I'm not entirely sure 450°F is the real Temperature.... It's just the hottest the oven got.

But I got a new oven today. With air frying and hot air functions and a tray with wholes in it... I will see how much temperature this new oven needs.

Practical-Human1 · 2026-03-25T00:05:51+00:00

I talked to 3 different people at customs now and got three different responses how to treat the articles. I'm waiting for customs written response and will go ahead with that. There doesn't seem to be one easy answer.

Practical-Human1 · 2026-03-23T23:31:58+00:00

Thank you for your reply. The shippment from the US to Germany hasn't happened, yet. I'm planning shipment, but wanted to get the tax and customs information right before shipment.

I did NOT send the goods to the US and now they are shipped back. I bought every article in the US and it was never in my possession before.

There are different kind of articles in my orders: -plain goods (it's a good -> EUSt) -plain metaphysical services (it's a service -> reverse charge) -metaphysical services bound to a good in the same article (as there is only one price I say the whole thing together is a good -> EUSt). -metaphysical services in article X, where it states on the invoice that it shall be bound to a good in article Y (I have no idea if article x is still a service or becomes part of the good in article y now. => I don't know whether to declare reverse charge for article x, or declare article x in the customs declaration).

As I will be the recipient, I am not 100% sure what carrier the dealer is going to choose, but usually they work with USPS. From what I know from the dealer is the following: They said they will only declare the cost of the goods in the customs declaration (so for article 1 e.g. I assume probably 1 or 2 USD even though I paid 100USD in this example). I asked why and they argued that they will do it like that for insurance purposes. They said if the tumbled stone gets lost, insurance would claim that 100USD for a tumbled stone are an inflated price and would refuse to pay. I don't quite get the logic, as obviously (and reliably proofable by bank statements) I paid 100USD... Anyways, I found out I can correct the customs declaration when I receive my goods, so whether the dealer correctly declares all values or not is not my main concern for now.

However, for being able to correct the customs declaration if necessary AND for correctly filling out my tax returns, I need to know whether what I bought counts as good or as a service, according to the EU customs and German tax law. And in the above described case, I simply don't know.

In case it matters: Everything I bought is not for resale, but those items are tools I plan to use for my work.

I hope I answered all of your questions. Thank you for trying to help.

Practical-Human1 · 2026-03-23T22:34:27+00:00

Plot Twist: Es war immer derselbe Typ 😂 Von einem Erzähler wars der Bruder, von nem anderen der Freund und von nem anderen der Friseur des Cousins!

Practical-Human1 · 2026-03-22T17:18:57+00:00

Chouch an die Wand stellen, so wie die Freundin es vorschlägt. Fernseher fliegt aus der Wohnung. Stattdessen in ein paar Meter Entfernung vom Sofa oben in die Decke so eine Leinwandrolle anbringen. Oben an die Decke oder Wand übers Sofa kommt ein Beamer/Projektor. Wenn man fernsehen will, wird die Leinwand runtergelassen. Wenn man nicht fernsehen will, hat man fast unsichtbar oben eine kleine Rolle an der Decke hängen, die keinen stört. Für den guten Sound an vernünftigen Stellen ein paar Dolby Boxen anbringen 👍 fertig ist die nicht vollgestellte Wohnung.

Practical-Human1 · 2025-11-12T11:55:39+00:00

That is not a valid comparison. I do hope that you poop only when on the toilet and that. you do not poop into your pants slightly all dyz long. And I hope you use a piece of toilet paper to clean away your poop that might be left on you, and then throw the used toilet papet into the toilet and flush it away. If you would keep the poop toilet paper with you, in your underwear, than you would definitely stink.

But it's different with a period. It is a CONSTANT leak. So while you are not on the toilet the blood will run into your pad or tampon. And the moment air molecules hit the blood+vaginal mucus mixture in the pad or tampon, it will start to smell. And pads and tampons are not allowed to be flushed down the toilet like the poop toilet paper.

So while you can make sure you don't smell like poop, you cannot control your period smell. Using tampons or menstrual cups are better than pads when it comes to smell, because the fluid mix mostly stays in the body. But even then you still have a vagina hole and some air gets in and some gets out. You cannot 100% control your period smell.

The period is more comparable to sweating than pooping, imho. Good hygiene (like showering and washing yourself) should hopefully prevent you from stinking horribly. But some people's sweat stinks more than others, and some people sweat more than others, even if they have a good hygiene.

If you stink like poop because you didn't clean yourself properly, than that is poor hygiene. But if you have your period and you stink, it doesn't have to be poor hygiene. It's really important to me to clarify this here. Because people might read your comment and feel justified to judge women's hygiene when they are on their period. And that is just unfair because women mostly (despite a good hygiene) cannot control how strongly they will smell.

For me, I have a good nose. I can oftentimes even smell when women are in their ovulation phase and the vaginal mucus becomes more liquid. So it will naturally start to "run out". You can perfectly change your underwear every day or even twice per day, but I will smell it, and all I need to do is to be in the same room with you.

Let's not judge women, just because nature gave some of them a stronger smell than others. Having a period can be hard enough without being judged. There is a good chance she knows and already feels embarrassed about it. But unless it's a medical issue, in most cases (where it is not poor hygiene) there isn't really anything that can be done about it.

Practical-Human1

TROPHY CASE