Yeah, no. Veganism isn't going to save us. It's not even a step towards a sustainable future. Insects will become a staple protein before the world becomes vegan, in no small part because it's much more difficult to get the nutrition you need from a vegan diet without money.
These WASPs should spend their effort lobbying for an end to factory beef farms or for UBI.
in no small part because it's much more difficult to get the nutrition you need from a vegan diet without money.
Lol. Compare the price of a pound of beans and a pound of beef and get back to me, would you?
I can't get more specific about costs unless you get specific about what you mean by "nutrition", but studies have consistently found plant based diets are both cheaper and healthier than omnivorous diets. Especially the average American diet.
Sure, but broadly reducing red meat consumption is a pretty good idea for a lot of reasons. I think you're acknowledging this re: factory beef farms, but I think it's important to call out and also to note that a like 80% plant-based diet can be nutritionally complete, not ridiculously expensive, and more sustainable.
“Without the money” - that’s the key. Meat is heavily subsidised, vegan stuff is not. Even though cows eat soy. Vegan stuff is more expensive than meat only because of fucked up market systems, nothing that can’t be fixed by adjusting regulations.
Of course they are that’s not the point. The price of meat is artificially deflated by subsidies, while the price of (for example) soy is artificially inflated by the food companies selling it as a novelty with immense margins.
It takes >20kg of soy to make 1kg of meat. There is no real reason, then, for a soy burger to be as or more expensive than a beef burger. Leave plant subsidies where they are, cut meat subsidies - suddenly it becomes financially sensible to eat that soy directly instead of through a cow, as it should be.
Edit: I realise I expressed myself poorly in the previous comment. By “vegan stuff” I meant processed stuff like burgers, not whole food plants.