# Are Vegetarians Evil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 20, 2007, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695 "2007-01-20T09:15:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Barbecue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@Barbecue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbecue)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/1 "2007-01-20T09:15:03Z")
I have heard a lot of discussion on this lately, and even read a blog where someone has posted as much. I have gone to this website: \*\*[VegetariansAreEvil.com](http://www.vegetariansareevil.com) \*\* They not only mention how Pol Pot, Adolf Hitler, Charles Manson and other were/are vegetarians, but why vegetarians and vegans are often involved in militancy and militant causes (Animal Rights activists come to mind…). One of the arguments went that they are starved of the animal protein - and as we know, a hungry person is an angry person - and that this puts their bodies into “hunting mode”, with elevated levels of anxiety and prepared to kill prey or whatever gets in their way. Humans evolved to be omnivorous and a vegan diet is unhealthy (not just with regard to Vitamin B12) and unnatural. Knowing some vegans (militants too), this makes sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/2 "2007-01-20T09:21:12Z")
Uh, no. Everyone in my family is a vegetarian (except me), and they’re not evil. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/3 "2007-01-20T09:23:36Z")
Oh, and I didn’t click on your link, and I think everyone should do the same. ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/4 "2007-01-20T09:47:40Z")
If you look near the end of this old thread, you’ll see some convincing arguments that Hitler was not really a vegetarian. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=2479226&highlight=adolf+hitler+vegetarian#post2479226](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=2479226&highlight=adolf+hitler+vegetarian#post2479226) I’ve seen similar stuff elsehere on the SDMB > **[Hitler a Christian?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=402112)** > > There was a very comprehensive report on the matter, then at the end, they went and blew it :smack: “Do you know what? Hitler was a vegetarian!” and in one line they buy in to another Hitler urban myth. As good a concept as it is, Hitler’s... > [@](#): > > There was a very comprehensive report on the matter, then at the end, they went and blew it “Do you know what? Hitler was a vegetarian!” and in one line they buy in to another Hitler urban myth. > As good a concept as it is, Hitler’s biographers and those who knew him well are all agreed that Hitler liked Game pie, Bavarian sausages and stuffed pigeon. He was never a vegetarian and the origin of this myth is unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Barbecue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@Barbecue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbecue)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/5 "2007-01-20T10:49:02Z")
[QUOTE=FRDE] If you look near the end of this old thread, you’ll see some convincing arguments that Hitler was not really a vegetarian. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=2479226&highlight=adolf+hitler+vegetarian#post2479226](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=2479226&highlight=adolf+hitler+vegetarian#post2479226) I’ve seen similar stuff elsehere on the SDMB > **[Hitler a Christian?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=402112)** > > There was a very comprehensive report on the matter, then at the end, they went and blew it :smack: “Do you know what? Hitler was a vegetarian!” and in one line they buy in to another Hitler urban myth. As good a concept as it is, Hitler’s... [/QUOTE] Actually, he wasn’t a vegetarian in his earlier years, but after his live-in girlfriend killed herself, he became one saying that to eat meat reminded him of Geli’s corpse. It’s documented. Pol Pot was a vegan as is Charles Manson. Actually, I have a vegetarian friend and he’s okay. But my vegetarian ex-girlfriend… well, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Barbecue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@Barbecue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbecue)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/6 "2007-01-20T10:51:09Z")
[QUOTE=BrightNShiny] Oh, and I didn’t click on your link, and I think everyone should do the same. [/QUOTE] You don’t have to. It’s not “mine”, I just found it funny. This one isn’t “mine” either, but it’s illuminating regarding the Animal Rights activists and PETA members: > **[PETA Kills AnimalsHome - PETA Kills Animals](https://petakillsanimals.com/)** Now, I’m sure there are some very nice people involved with PETA - misguided as that may be - but there are some troubling issues with this organization that the folks who put up that site have raised. Maybe if you ignore the truth, it will go away? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/7 "2007-01-20T11:52:25Z")
An anti-vegetarian thread written by a guest named **Barbecue**? Thanks for the chuckle. [QUOTE=Barbecue] One of the arguments went that they are starved of the animal protein - and as we know, a hungry person is an angry person - and that this puts their bodies into “hunting mode”, with elevated levels of anxiety and prepared to kill prey or whatever gets in their way. Humans evolved to be omnivorous and a vegan diet is unhealthy (not just with regard to Vitamin B12) and unnatural. [/quote] This is a bad argument because the body doesn’t care where it obtains protein, as long as it gets all the protein it needs. This is possible with a vegetarian diet, otherwise they would be dropping dead. There are good reasons to be a vegetarian that have nothing to do with PETA or animal rights activists, although I personally would not wish to give up steak or pork. Yummy. Maybe we’ll have meat grown in a vat in the future. As for it being “unnatural”, well, that’s a non-starter. Everything we do should be natural since we are natural. I see no reason why the Hoover dam is any less natural than a beaver’s dam. And even if we were to say that human activities are unnatural then I would prefer to keep my computers, glasses, and hygienic food than return to the natural environment of the African grasslands where we evolved. I can’t be arsed to spear an antelope for breakfast. > [@](#): > > Knowing some vegans (militants too), this makes sense to me. Have they tried to conquer Poland in their spare time? This is all very bizarre logic. I’m sure one could find other traits that cherry picked dictators and madman had in common and then pronounce said trait the cause of their irrational beliefs about the world. Of course, said person would be laughed out of the room minus a credible cite in the scientific literature. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/8 "2007-01-20T12:02:47Z")
[QUOTE=mstay] This is all very bizarre logic. I’m sure one could find other traits that cherry picked dictators and madman had in common and then pronounce said trait the cause of their irrational beliefs about the world. Of course, said person would be laughed out of the room minus a credible cite in the scientific literature. [/QUOTE] Socialism? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/9 "2007-01-20T13:01:06Z")
So you found a troll web site on which to base a troll thread. Big deal. There is not even a pretense of a serious debate here. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/10 "2007-01-20T14:24:28Z")
[QUOTE=Johanna] So you found a troll web site on which to base a troll thread. Big deal. There is not even a pretense of a serious debate here. [/QUOTE] Perhaps not a debate, but a question about nutrition: [ul] [li]Are vegans (to take the most extreme form of vegetarianism in widespread currency) typically deficient of any nutrients?[/li][li]If they are, are those nutrients linked to behavioral shifts?[/li][li]Is there a consistent correlation between those extreme violent vegetarians and the people with the key deficiencies in their diets?[/li][/ul]I’m guessing the answer to all three questions is no, but they are well-formed and logical questions which can be answered in an intelligent way. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/11 "2007-01-20T15:28:32Z")
[QUOTE=Barbecue] Actually, he wasn’t a vegetarian in his earlier years, but after his live-in girlfriend killed herself, he became one saying that to eat meat reminded him of Geli’s corpse. It’s documented. Pol Pot was a vegan as is Charles Manson. Actually, I have a vegetarian friend and he’s okay. But my vegetarian ex-girlfriend… well, never mind. [/QUOTE] First, Geli was NOT his live-in girlfriend, but his own half-niece, with whom (who?) he was obsessed. He may or may not have made attempts to seduce her. Second, from what I gather, Hitler avoided meat for health reasons-apparently, he suffered from severe indigestion and flatulence. The same ill-logic used to claim that vegetarians are “evil” because so and so was a vegetarian can be turned around-Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer, anyone? And if that website is your only source, try finding a second, non-biased one. ---
**Author:** ![Charger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/12 "2007-01-20T17:30:58Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] The same ill-logic used to claim that vegetarians are “evil” because so and so was a vegetarian can be turned around-Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer, anyone? And if that website is your only source, try finding a second, non-biased one. [/QUOTE] My guess is that it’s a spoof on the use of celebrities to promote vegetarianism on sites like [goveg.com](http://goveg.com). It’s just as silly to say, “Wow, Spiderman is a vegetarian? I guess I have to be one as well.” ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/13 "2007-01-20T17:38:08Z")
Hitler was a man. Are men evil? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/14 "2007-01-20T18:19:47Z")
Hitler was a _man_ ?? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/15 "2007-01-20T18:27:36Z")
[QUOTE=Charger] My guess is that it’s a spoof on the use of celebrities to promote vegetarianism on sites like [goveg.com](http://goveg.com). It’s just as silly to say, “Wow, Spiderman is a vegetarian? I guess I have to be one as well.” [/QUOTE] Well, I have to confess, I didn’t bother to look at the site, assuming it was something like that, or some whackjob from [crank.net](http://crank.net) ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/16 "2007-01-20T18:29:42Z")
[QUOTE=Barbecue] Maybe if you ignore the truth, it will go away? 😉 [/QUOTE] If you’re definition of truthiness is that people who don’t eat meat are hungry, yeah, hopefully the notion will go away. It makes no sense. People who don’t eat at all are the ones who are hungry. Oh, and it is possible to get all your nutritional needs met from lacto-vegetarian diet or a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet. With a vegan diet, you’d need to be more creative, but that’s completely doable in this day and age. So, yeah, based on what you posted about the site, it’s bunk. But anyone who wants to click on it, feel free. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/17 "2007-01-20T21:29:53Z")
[QUOTE=Johanna] So you found a troll web site on which to base a troll thread. Big deal. There is not even a pretense of a serious debate here. [/QUOTE] **Moderator’s Warning:** Please don’t make accusations of trolling in Great Debates, or in any forum outside of the Pit. (In the Pit, the t-word may be tossed around as an insult. Personal insults are not permitted in GD.) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/18 "2007-01-20T22:30:12Z")
[QUOTE=Barbecue] They not only mention how Pol Pot, Adolf Hitler, Charles Manson and other were/are vegetarians, but why vegetarians and vegans are often involved in militancy and militant causes (Animal Rights activists come to mind…). [/QUOTE] This logic really inspires me! I saw a picture of Hitler wearing tan (or was it khaki?) pants. A quick check shows that people in tan (or perhaps khaki) pants have been involved in basically _every single military conflict in the 20th century_! OMG! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/19 "2007-01-20T22:48:07Z")
Hitler wore a moustache. Stalin wore a moustache. Saddam Hussein wore a moustache. Lip hair is the hair of EVIL. EVIL, I tell you! ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695/20 "2007-01-20T23:45:17Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] …Second, from what I gather, Hitler avoided meat for health reasons-apparently, he suffered from severe indigestion and flatulence… [/QUOTE] He also loved a type of dumpling made with chicken liver. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-vegetarians-evil/388695.md?page=2)