Disqus - Latest Comments for jingaling

Re: Hi, Lena. I’ve been reading your blog(s) for years now and deeply admire your courage and honesty. I did, however, make the mistake of liking ONE of your posts here with my personal account. That, ...

Zoe — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 01:42:32 -0000

As one of the most frequently featured targets of this individual's defamation, I can offer a word of reassurance. I have worked for and been vetted by very high-profile institutions during this four-years-and-strong harassment campaign, and I shared your anxieties about how it would affect my career (particularly when this person started spreading lies that I had been fired). Yet in these four years, I've gone through reviews and formal background checks with no problem, and in the one instance when it has come up, my employer was 100% sympathetic and supportive. So I'm letting out a slow sigh of relief as it's become steadily more apparent that anyone with more than two brain cells can deduce that this person is full of lies and crazy. While it's unfortunate that more and more people are being dragged into this, there's kind of a perverse strength in numbers here: the more people he defames, the more obvious it is that he's full of shit.

So, I wouldn't worry too much. And now that your name is out there, I would recommend becoming more visible, not less: actively manage your public profiles/blogs so that any reasonable person can find an easy rebuttal to the lies.

Re: http://teresawu.tumblr.com/post/2861449255

Zoe — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:15:38 -0000

I always go with some man with a van off Craigslist - usually they're swarthy Eastern Europeans. Always been satisfied considering I don't own any classy breakable shit. P.S. I started following you (herowndevising)

Re: http://thechicktionary.com/post/2699968639

Zoe — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:48:57 -0000

Well, how else can you expect to marry Fabio??

Re: http://thechicktionary.com/post/2670204034

Zoe — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 22:54:58 -0000

Seconded on this BFC - my Avalon fave is "My Dick"

Re: Shaw Bears - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 13:44:31 -0000

"We do not have incisors like predatory animals that are evolved to tear and rip in to meat. We have thick molars like other herbivores to chew and grind plant material. We do not have claws or talons to rip and kill animals with our bare hands. We do not have intestinal tracts to process flesh."

But we do have a large brain which evolved so that humans could COOK our food. What is the primary reason for cooking? To kill meat-borne parasites. The teeth and intestinal tract evolved in conjunction with the larger brain, making humans well designed to eat cooked plants AND cooked meat. After all, we also do not have four stomachs or chew cud.

Re: http://thechicktionary.com/post/1660059197

Zoe — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:32:47 -0000

God, I hope my o-face looks better than that.

Re: http://thechicktionary.com/post/1660059197

Zoe — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:29:54 -0000

Ugh WHY did THAT have to be the still!! x_x

Re: Nimans Heritage Turkeys - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 08:46:39 -0000

It's one way to affect change, and if we are to use it, we must recognize that it inherently disenfranchises some and gives a disproportionately large vote to others.

Re: Nimans Heritage Turkeys - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 13:11:25 -0000

Nicolette, I don't think you have to apologize. I didn't have a problem with your original article, and I think the topic you chose simply illustrates the biggest dilemma facing sustainable-food advocates - how to absorb higher costs while inviting people from all lifestyles to participate? How to make everyone accountable for negative externalities?

I am just frustrated that since this dilemma first appeared decades ago (with the organic movement), we still haven't moved past what I see as an outdated and dangerous mode of thinking - that of pressuring individuals to simply pony up and pay more, reinforced with exceptionalist rhetoric ("if this person can do it, why can't you?") and moral superiority ("you don't want to save this animal's life?!") Being wealthy does not necessarily make one elitist, thus I have no problem with wealth, but this boneheaded approach to sustainability leaves little room for intersecting issues of race, class, and access, and that's what makes it elitist.

Re: Nimans Heritage Turkeys - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 11:57:47 -0000

I can commiserate. I'm a liberal yuppie obsessed with food (with a TON of respect for people like the Nimans), and most days I love The Atlantic's food articles, but I'm also a first generation immigrant of color who grew up with church handout turkeys, and some days I see a remarkable ignorance of privilege that makes me feel out of place and unwelcome here. It felt so absurd to explain why a $105 turkey is a splurge for most people that I actually had to ask my friends if I was crazy.

There's something very clubby in the way some people approach these issues, an "obviously if you CARE AT ALL this is what you should do, and if you don't, then you deserve to be mocked" mentality. It seems like a proof of membership is more important than a commitment toward moving us forward as a society (one heritage turkey at a time).

Living one's values is a luxury - having values of sustainability at all is a luxury - and people who do it within modest means should be commended. But shaming those who don't? The club's not for me.

Re: Nimans Heritage Turkeys - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 11:04:03 -0000

And my point about your juvenile tactics still stands.

Re: Nimans Heritage Turkeys - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 11:03:15 -0000

I know exactly how to research my food choices, and I certainly didn't learn it from being patronized by people like you. My only point was that I think most of us agree to the same values of sustainability, but none of us are perfect in execution. The woman you responded so rudely to was obviously someone who was trying to make the right choices, and you didn't help her, you didn't help turkeys, and you certainly didn't help advance the sustainable cause by shaming her.

Re: Nimans Heritage Turkeys - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:54:21 -0000

Yes, it is, and I'm certainly not apologizing for that. For a lot of people, the day to day business of getting by (working 1 or 2 jobs, taking care of a family) is stressful enough without taking twenty minutes to research the most sustainable food option of the day. Believe it or not, the immediate functionality of one's family may just be more important than the life of one turkey. I think I'm also coming from the perspective of a woman, and women face the disproportionate amount of pressure to make healthy choices for their families while juggling many other responsibilities.

And let's not kid ourselves, you're not saving an animal's life in that 20 minutes; all you are doing is putting in an individual vote for a more sustainable practice. These votes are important and in an optimistic world, will add up in the long run, but no, you're not actually saving an animal from suffering.

Re: Nimans Heritage Turkeys - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:46:15 -0000

But you do realize comparing the US with Indonesia, China, and India is completely irrelevant, considering the vastly different economies and agricultural structures? (Just to name a few differences: subsistence farming, Socialism, lack of an industrial fast food culture). You make the 25% and 50% in other countries seem like a choice when in fact it is necessity (per capita income is so low that people have to spend a higher proportion on food to survive). Each of those countries has a higher poverty rate than the US, so I'm not sure we should be looking toward them as a model for how high food expenditures should be (nor on issues of sustainability and animal rights). I completely agree that agricultural subsidies in the US are harmful and the industry desperately needs reform, but I maintain that it is unrealistic to expect most Americans to shop at Whole Foods, much less buy heritage turkeys. The bottom line is that we should think about food more as an industry in need of structural change than a question of personal choice.

And yes, I realize Whole Foods is imperfect, that's why I used the word "compromise." I'm well aware of the problems in "organic" and "free-range" certifications and am deeply suspicious when Walmart and McDonald's pay lip service to sustainability.

Re: Nimans Heritage Turkeys - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:55:41 -0000

I don't think that's the way most people think about Thanksgiving dinner. I considered buying a heritage bird this year, but the fact that I'm hosting a dinner for 12 people (rather than the normal 4) already means I'm spending a lot of money on one meal. As it is, my food costs will easily run up to $200. Sure there might be one lunch worth of leftovers for my immediate family, but for a lot of people, Thanksgiving is already a splurge. My taste buds and my morals can live with a compromise - I plan to buy my turkey from Whole Foods - but to say that the average American family can afford a heritage turkey is woefully ignorant.

And my $50 figure was on the low end, of course. A $7/lb heritage turkey weighing 15lbs is actually $105. So, it's really $10 a portion not including all the sides, desserts, and drinks.

Re: Nimans Heritage Turkeys - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:42:31 -0000

What a juvenile reply. This woman is clearly a conscientious shopper, and raises a good point about a reality that most working Americans face when trying to live greener lives yet still put food on the table, and the best you can do is some snobby vegan taunt? Shame on you.

Yes, twenty minutes of time is sometimes more valuable than the life of a turkey. Living in perfect consistency with one's values should be the goal but never the requirement of any worthy movement.

Re: Phillips Pig Dog - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:36:13 -0000

...You completely missed my point. Oh well.

Re: Phillips Pig Dog - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 14:38:25 -0000

I'm not trying to use the "but what about x" argument here to detract from animal cruelty in other parts of the world, but don't you think the rhetoric you (and the video) are using is a bit...hegemonic? ("Betrayal of human's best friend" smacks to me of "look at the barbarians in Asia!" since the dog as man's best friend is a Western concept.) Some cultures slaughter and eat pigs cruelly. Some cultures slaughter and eat dogs and pigs cruelly. They both bear examination, but no moral ground is gained by fingering another culture's practices.

Re: http://thechicktionary.com/post/1519155469

Zoe — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 09:55:26 -0000

Not really, I was just trying to make the point that you didn't arrive at "listen to yourself" and "safe, mutually respectful, kinky fun" in a vacuum. There's a lot of feminist ideology inherent in those statements.

Re: http://thechicktionary.com/post/1519155469

Zoe — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:40:52 -0000

"Listen to yourself, and please, for the love of god, don't make your sex life about feminist ideology. Make it about having safe, mutually respectful, kinky fun."

What do you think feminist ideology is?

Re: Shaw Foie Gras - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:26:56 -0000

You have been civil to me, but you did say that meat-eaters/hunters can't be thoughtful, which is pretty insulting.

The full title of this article, "Ethical Foie Gras: No Force-Feeding Necessary," clearly situates "ethical" within the foie gras debate, which focuses exclusively on gravage. From what I've gathered, that there is a foie gras debate at all is speaks to the strategies deployed by animal rights activists: it's much easier to focus on small, specific acts of animal cruelty than to protest all meat-eating. Therefore, I think the author was responding specifically to this debate rather than celebrating animal slaughter in general - the duck that fattens its own liver is not suffering, and this "foie gras" would exist whether a hunter came along or not. In this sense, wild foie is ethical.

I'm sure you're aware that there are plenty of people (vegetarians and meat-eaters alike) for whom animal suffering is more of an issue than animal killing. It's clear that you are not one of these people, but it'd be blind/unproductive to say ethical complexities don't exist in omnivorism.

Re: Shaw Foie Gras - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:26:59 -0000

But since you didn't stay home, could you be civil to people who don't share your specific definition of ethics?

And, as I stated above, let's not make this some broad ethical discussion re: vegetarianism/veganism, because that's obviously not what the author meant when he used the word.

Re: Shaw Foie Gras - John Hendel - Politics - The Atlantic

Zoe — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 14:52:29 -0000

Good lord, the vegans/vegetarians who keep coming here are being completely disingenuous about this whole issue. The foie gras protesters I've seen all talk about the cruelty of gravage, NOT the fact that people shouldn't be eating ducks. Now, those protesters probably do believe no one should be eating ducks, but the battle they picked was animal cruelty, not omnivorism. Hank's only point here was that ducks sometimes stuff themselves in the wild, and within the context of the FOIE GRAS debate, not some larger vegan debate, it's indeed ethical.

I mean, we get it - most of you don't think anyone should eat any meat, ever, and it's pretty much impossible for meat-eaters to get a word in here without being called some variation of stupid/heartless/wrong. But what's the point of picketing a blog post? I suspect it has less to do with getting people to stop eating meat and more to do with feeling superior.

Re: Ethical Foie Gras: No Force-Feeding Necessary - Hank Shaw - Food - The Atlantic

Zoe — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:33:05 -0000

Wow, Hank, from these comments it looks like you catapulted yourself out of the frying pan and into the fire. I really enjoyed your article and am disappointed the animal rights activists and vegans in the crowd, whom nobody denies have their hearts in the right place, couldn't keep it civil.

Re: Ethical Foie Gras: No Force-Feeding Necessary - Hank Shaw - Food - The Atlantic

Zoe — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:25:34 -0000

Ah yes, the NRA member and the Northeastern foodie: a fine example of convergent evolution.