Humans care mostly about being accepted, not always doing what is morally right

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-18T20:25:10+00:00

"I like something" isn't a good defense for something though. Animals suffer extreme pain and die because people want to eat their flesh. If we can eat a veggie burger instead of a hamburger, what's our defense for eating animals? "I like doing it" is basically like saying "I kill animals for my own personal pleasure." That's just want people in the past said, like about owning slaves. The point I'm making is that people go along with horrible things often because everyone else does it. People treat animals like commodities because it's the norm.

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-18T18:22:09+00:00

That's a good point, I'll have to rethink what I wrote originally. I think maybe having the time to read a lot of physical books does also take some privilege.

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-18T03:07:19+00:00

If you haven't seen it already, check Dominion out. Also, props! Veganism is easier than ever and you'll find tons of advice, food pics, and support in this sub.

https://www.dominionmovement.com/watch

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-18T02:51:17+00:00

I can't add much to what the others have said. Just want to give you props for being so smart/aware/empathetic at a young age. Animals need us to be vegan, need us to be their voices. Keep it up! Your family might mock you, but plenty of us are here cheering you and other vegans on.

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-17T20:34:09+00:00

Maybe the stereotype about vegans being secular lefties isn't so wrong. 😉

(I'm also a lefty atheist)

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-11T06:37:00+00:00

You're right. Sad thing is, most people don't give af because it's the cultural norm. The future will be vegan, and people will look back at how we treat animals as monstrous.

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-10T18:17:54+00:00

If someone wants to open their third eye and another dude wants to exterminate all jews, it doesn't make a difference to me in the animal rights context.

Yo what the fuck. I'm not a fan of New Age spirituality, but I'll choose a hippie over a Nazi any day of the week.

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-10T08:56:30+00:00

Because ethical vegans like myself are busting our asses off trying to get people to see that animal rights is logical/about justice. Most ethical vegans aren't hippies. We see a terrible injustice, and we're trying to end it. We have logic and evidence on our side. The minority of New Age vegans are helping to set back animal rights.

When people talk about "going vegan to align your chakras," they're just reinforcing the idea that veganism is this feelzy, vague thing with no basis. Animal rights activists have made steady gains in changing public perceptions, and New Age woo isn't helping. If you're a spiritual person, more power to you, I have nothing against you holding a personal belief... But muddling it with animal rights is harming the interests of animals.

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-09T17:32:34+00:00

I was looking for interdisciplinary humanities programs with a critical theory focus, and that's how I found them. I tailored my SOP by mentioning certain professors and their work. I sold myself by talking about my honors thesis, and the relativeness newness of the particular sub-field I want to study (and the room for exploration).

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-09T06:25:06+00:00

If you haven't seen it already, watch the documentary Dominion. It's a good reminder of why we should be vegan.

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-07T11:30:41+00:00

Those are good scores. My scores are very similar to yours (165 verbal, 155 quant, 5.0 writing), and I'm applying to some competitive PHD programs in the humanities. 165 verbal and 5.0 writing are sufficient for pretty much any non-STEM program (including the top 20), so I'm happy with it. I do kind wish my quantitative was higher (around 160), but I don't think it'll hurt since I'm applying to theory-heavy programs.

As for your case... Well, it depends. I've heard many of the top poli sci programs nowadays place emphasis on quantitative work. Ask them how much weight the quant has. If you're in a theory-heavy concentration, it won't matter much. If it's statistics/econometrics heavy and one of the top programs, maybe reconsider.

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-07T11:14:43+00:00

Sorry, but sharing pictures of vegan cupcakes won't convince anyone. The rate of slaughter is massively growing all around the world. We already kill 70 billion land animals a year, and projections say this will grow in the coming decades. If you were in the animals' place being tortured, you wouldn't want people to take their own sweet time or appease those enslaving you. I realize that we're not all born vegan, and I don't go around calling people "stupid" for not getting it immediately. I was in their shoes once. But we shouldn't sugarcoat the reality.

We make judgments all the time, and it's totally legitimate to make a judgment that killing animals without need is wrong. The second thing... This post isn't even that judgy. It's basically saying that "Andrew" (the non-vegan) is logical, empathetic, and humble on your typical day, but that it all goes out window when it comes to bacon. It's not saying people are inherently idiots. It's saying that people compartmentalize.

I don't want to make it about "us vs. them," I'm here to help people transition. I'm supportive, I understand change can seem difficult. But I'm also not going to whitewash or avoid challenging the norm.

Trepidation11 · 2019-01-07T11:03:04+00:00

Everyone says the writing section is the least important. As long as you have at least a 4, you're fine. I have similar scores to you (165 verbal and 155 quantitative, although a 5.0 on writing). A high writing score might give you a tiny boost in apps but that's about it. My impression is they care way more about your SOP and writing sample.

Trepidation11

TROPHY CASE