# "Treat meat-eaters like smokers," says unimportant leftie **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 24, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396 "2015-09-24T13:15:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/1 "2015-09-24T13:15:57Z")
…Except that this is the [Shadow Environment Secretary](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/meat-eaters-should-be-treated-like-smokers-says-the-vegan-shadow-environment-secretary-kerry-10515299.html). The 1980s called. It wants its Labour Party back. Link is from _The Independent_, and not some notoriously Tory rag, for those who worry about such things. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/2 "2015-09-24T13:20:35Z")
The SDMB is wonderfully educational. You get exposed to things you never knew existed. What the heck is the “Shadow Environment Secretary”? Is it part of the Shadow Government? I realize from your phrasing that the person cited is really important and well-known over there, but I’m completely in the dark (not the shadows) ---
**Author:** ![WilyQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WilyQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilyQuixote)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/3 "2015-09-24T13:21:44Z")
It’s good to see Kerry McCarthy doing her bit to counter the popular perception of vegans as insufferable arseholes. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/4 "2015-09-24T13:28:59Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > What the heck is the “Shadow Environment Secretary”? Is it part of the Shadow Government? > **[Shadow cabinet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Cabinet)** > > The shadow cabinet or shadow ministry is a feature of the Westminster system of government. It consists of a senior group of opposition spokespeople who, under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, form an alternative cabinet to that of the government, and whose members shadow or mirror the positions of each individual member of the Cabinet. Their areas of responsibility, in parallel with the ruling party's ministries, may be referred to as a shadow portfolio. Members of a shadow In... ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/5 "2015-09-24T13:39:14Z")
Treat smokers like meat eaters. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/6 "2015-09-24T13:43:14Z")
Treat and eat the meat of smokers. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/7 "2015-09-24T13:47:45Z")
Only if it is smoked meat. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/8 "2015-09-24T13:54:21Z")
So, can I get a 15-minute break every two hours to step outside and eat some dead pig? ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/9 "2015-09-24T14:10:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So, can I get a 15-minute break every two hours to step outside and eat some dead pig? “Back in ten, boss. Bacon sandwich break” ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/10 "2015-09-24T14:41:11Z")
Durnit, **Shodan** beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/11 "2015-09-24T15:01:18Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The SDMB is wonderfully educational. You get exposed to things you never knew existed. > > What the heck is the “Shadow Environment Secretary”? Is it part of the Shadow Government? > > I realize from your phrasing that the person cited is really important and well-known over there, but I’m completely in the dark (not the shadows) No so much on the well-known part, but she has just been appointed to a high-profile position and seems keen to get noticed early. Next up, I suppose, will be a Shadow Transport Secretary who wants all cars banned by 2021, all people travelling by bicycle and all heavy goods drawn by horses; and a Shadow Defence Secretary who’s looking to abolish the armed forces. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/12 "2015-09-24T18:09:52Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So, can I get a 15-minute break every two hours to step outside and eat some dead pig? David Cameron probably knows where you can find one. Ask for the sauce on the side… ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/13 "2015-09-24T18:23:49Z")
Only tangentially related but this reminds me of a funny family story from back in the day when you could smoke in restaurants. I have two brothers, #1 is a goody two shoes type who judges others, and is basically a self important asshole. Brother #2, let’s just say, has enjoyed the fruits of life. 🙂 He lives life to the fullest. He smokes, drinks, womanizes etc. One year at a family reunion we all went out to dinner at a restaurant. Brother #2 fired up a cigarette at the dinner table; and brother #1 says “I’d rather you pass gas than have to smell those cigarettes!” Brother #2, always well spoken 😉 takes a nice long drag off his cigarette and blows it up in the air and says wistfully: “I sure wish I could muster up a good fart right about now.” So if you don’t mind, I’ll keep eating meat. FYI, Brother #2 was asked to quit smoking by my daughter 15-20 years ago as she offered him all the money in her piggy bank; and he said OK, and never smoked again. (Unfortunately that cute 6 or 7 year old, now smokes herself.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/14 "2015-09-24T18:30:23Z")
I fully support meat smokers. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/15 "2015-09-24T18:36:23Z")
> [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](#): > > “Back in ten, boss. Bacon sandwich break” I think it’s properly called a bacon butty. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/16 "2015-09-24T21:13:47Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I fully support meat smokers. yeah, but if you smoke your meat on the Underground you deserve to be ostracized. Especially if you don’t offer me any. What the hell is up with that anti-smoking poster in the link? Do British cigs have their own tumors? ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/17 "2015-09-24T21:28:31Z")
Ooh, ooh! I’ve got one: Do we really understand the dangers of second-hand meat? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/18 "2015-09-24T21:30:43Z")
This quote of Kerry McCarthy’s from the article: > [@](#): > > She said that although progress had been made to improve animal welfare, ultimately people needed to give up meat or dairy if they really wanted to protect animals. Well, that’s bad news for cows if everyone did that, isn’t it? They don’t exactly make ideal pets, and most domesticated breeds would fare badly on their own in the wild, certainly the milk production ones. Highland cattle would probably be OK. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/19 "2015-09-24T21:44:19Z")
“Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to appoint a vegan in charge of Labour’s dealings with farmers disappointed some in the industry” True, but it’s a great time-saver to know that she’s not going to have to talk to all the meat farmers and just focus on people who go around tearing innocent plants out of the ground. Poor things can’t even run or cry for help… ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396/20 "2015-09-24T22:18:18Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Well, that’s bad news for cows if everyone did that, isn’t it? They don’t exactly make ideal pets, and most domesticated breeds would fare badly on their own in the wild, certainly the milk production ones. Highland cattle would probably be OK. \ I think they’re properly called coos.\ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treat-meat-eaters-like-smokers-says-unimportant-leftie/732396.md?page=2)