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Service providers that need to be vegan

topic posted Fri, June 6, 2008 - 8:37 AM by  Unsubscribed 		Share/Save/Bookmark
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So I remember way wayyy back when I was transitioning to becoming vegan I had a huge argument with people on the Toronto Animal Rights listserve about needing a vegan doctor... and my point was that you don't NEED a vegan doctor. Their point was that it may be nice. My point was that you would need someone to be a good doctor first and that since doctors have no nutrition or dietary training, whether or not they are vegan is irrelevant.

My opinion has changed a lot since then, and now I would hope that my doctor is healthy at least, but it is still not a priority that he or she be vegan.

That having been said I have been thinking a lot lately about what service providers would NEED to be vegan for me to accept their services.

Obviously mechanics, plumbers and all that (again it would be nice from a "let's support local vegans" standpoint) but not necessarry.

Ditto for a massage therapist or an acupuncturist or a chiropractor, while it would be nice if they were vegan, it is not necessary. To me the same is true for a doctor, in my mind.

But a therapist, or councellor I feel would need to be vegan for me to accept his or her advice.
The same would be true for a priest, or moral counsellor of any kind, since my reasons for veganism are moral I would need anyone who gives me moral advice to be vegan.

Of course a dietician would need to be vegan.

what else?
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  • Susan
    Susan
    offline 1

    Re: Service providers that need to be vegan

    Sat, June 7, 2008 - 1:17 PM
    Why would a therapist need to be vegan?
    Does a gay person need a gay therapist? (Or a straight person, for that matter).
    Does an atheist need an atheist therapist?

    And as long as my choices are respected by these people, they don't have to make the same choices.

    I have had a gay therapist and a gay minister, and I'm heterosexual. But that worked out ok. Why would veganism be any different?
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    • Unsu...
       

      Re: Service providers that need to be vegan

      Sat, June 7, 2008 - 8:32 PM
      Susan,
      the difference is that homosexuality is not a conscious choice.
      nor is it an ethical position.

      Plus homosexuality does not impact on someone's ability to make moral decicions.

      it is not about respecting your choice. It is about the fact that a therapist will be giving you advice on your life.

      I could not take advice especially moral or ethical advice from someone that I consider to be immoral.

      Plus psychological well-being is based on seeign the truth in one's life, and I don't thinkt hat a meat-eater would be able to advise me as most of my views are foreign and confusing to him. Since he is living in denial so how could he possibly advise me?

      and if he knows all the realities of the meat industry and he is aware of the animal rights argument but still eats meat, he is not someone I WANT to get advice from.
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  • Chri...
    Christie
    offline 48

    Re: Service providers that need to be vegan

    Sat, June 7, 2008 - 7:12 PM
    I think Antoine's query is interesting, and made me think about it last night when I read it. I can see why a vegan who has ethical reasons for being vegan might only take to heart counseling and spiritual guidance from another vegan. It's a harsh world out there and most meat eaters think of things in a different way than many vegans. It's a competitive world for the average person with the motto of "survival of the fittest" and "eat or be eaten". Many a vegan starts to see the world through gentler eyes and finds that day to day problems can be handled in a caring fashion that actually benefits all, not one man over another. Or one beast over another. I think a vegan would do well to find a vegan therapist, counselor or spiritual adviser. One would be fortunate to find vegans, though. So I personally would settle for a non vegan if I needed counseling, but I would be second guessing more of their advice, wanting to consider it through my own eyes. Though we all should be doing that anyway to some extent. Don't believe something just because someone told you to. See for yourself.

    It's an interesting topic, which service providers would be most beneficial if they were vegan? I'd love to have a vegan doctor, actually.
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    • kt
      kt
      offline 23

      Re: Service providers that need to be vegan

      Thu, July 3, 2008 - 4:45 PM
      Hi. I see Antoine's point.
      I just took a class in Nutrition and LOVED it almost to wanting to be a dietician for morbidly obese, and cardiovascular risk patients. But I couldn't go any further because I couldn't study about meat, and would never be able to meal plan for them. Also, I wouldn't take a nonVegan's meals for me seriously.
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      • kt
        kt
        offline 23

        Re: Service providers that need to be vegan

        Thu, July 3, 2008 - 4:50 PM
        I have to say, I am a massage therapist and I am shocked at how many therapists I know who smoke and do not take care of themselves either.
        I'm not sure I need them to be Vegan, but they are more empowered when they own their work. Alot of people in healing services are abusive to themselves. It's like they want to take care of their problems but do it for other people out of fear of taking it on for themselves. That's where they are spiritually right now.
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