I'm not sure one excludes the other. It's no different than (extreme) dog lovers that often anthropomorphize their pet above actual humans.

@Lukian they don’t necessarily exclude other issues, but... priorities. Where would you put vegan issues such as killing animals for food on the following list? How would you rank vegan trauma compared to the trauma of those in the following situations?

1. Gun violence and wars
2. Child sexual and physical abuse
3. Other types of abuse against children
4. Abuse, of any type against, adults (includes rape, violence, against women, against the elderly)
5. Drug abuse
6. Drunk driving
7. Crushing effects of poverty
8. Lack of medical care and the crushing impact of medial expense
9. Inequality, racism and bigotry of any type
10. Poor educational opportunity
11. Poor educational outcomes/ignorance
12. Economic abuse brought about by unequal legal systems, illegal acts and discrimination, etc.

There are a number of other items that can be added as well, such as fair and secure elections, cyber security, infrastructure needs but these generally are not associated with traumatic experiences.

For me, I can’t see how vegan issues can even hit any where on this list. Treating animals well is important too, but priorities...

@Rob1948 your opinions are strong. You may have been blinded by my short reply instead of what I was saying: I don't think all vegans think animal welfare outweighs human welfare. That is not what the article is saying either yet their views on animal welfare is strong enough to cause anxiety and depression... sort of having lost faith in humankind. What item on your list gives you that feeling? then maybe you can relate. It's a question of perception not of what it the most pressing global issue or not (although vegan's concerns often gravitate on climate change due to human activity and is also a source of anxiety and depression).
One person's anxiety/depression is personal to them and should not be dismissed by whatabouttism but rather with compassion.

@Lukian I’m not traumatized personally but, I was abused as a child. But, to answer your question, Parkland survivors or Las Vegas survivors or Vistnam and Gulf War vets would have a lot to say about gun violence and war respectively, compared to the trauma a vegan suffered because an animal was slaughtered. So would any childhood victim of child abuse or the children of addicted parents. So on and so forth... my point being each person who hits a point on that list, particularly the higher up the list they go, will have a lot to say about what they suffered compared to a vegan’s claim of traumatization.

Yes, I have a strong opinion. I understand where they met come from but I happen to think that a child suffering from abuse or extreme poverty has a greater claim to being traumatized. And, I happen to think their situation is far more important than what concerns a vegan.

Put yourself in the tattered shoes of a child who does not know where his/her next meal is coming from. Or walk in the steps of a little girl left with an uncle who abuses her sexually every day. Or that of a baby whose mother injects her with bleach because she (the mother) could not live her. Or, how about that if a woman, repeatedly raped, had bleach poured down her throat, and then left in a plastic bad and garbage can to suffocate.

Would you equate the traumatization of a vegan on a level any where close to theirs or that if their family in the last example)? I wouldn’t.

I sympathize with vegans having a cause they believe in but, I think that their priorities are screwed up if they get to the point that animals being killed for food is so traumatizing as to push them to suicide and dysfunctional lives. They need some perspective and that perspective may help to balance their lives.

I know too many people that struggle to live their lives while having to deal with childhood abuse or being raped, etc. This is not whataboutism. It is about reality. If Vegans are about the suffering of animals, work to find more humane methods. Unfortunately, that is not what their goal is. It is to stop consumption of meat for eating or any other purpose. They believe that to be a healthy lifestyle choice. That belief is not scientific fact. It is their lifestyle choice. They want to impose it on you me, everyone. Their choice. Does that rate their trauma giving equal perceptual value to that of a war vet? Yes, pain is pain and depression is depression. Do we now give Evangelicals an excuse to claim trauma because they have seen pictures of aborted fetuses. Or because their courthouse is not allowed to post the 10 commandments. Or, because the fake press hounds Donald Trump? Just where do we draw the line between what is worthy of societal concern and what is not? (I’m not saying that their psychic pain or issues aren’t important to them personally. It is.)

If that sounds hash to you, so be it. But I know and see too much suffering from issues which are real and pervasive.

@Rob1948 again, like I said before, one cause does not negate or supersede another (or all others). Like you and every humans on earth, vegans don't have only one issue at heart and the fact that you are making it out that way is incorrect and misguided. Let's say they are acting on just one more issue than all the ones you have pointed out.
Last question: which item on the list have you dedicated most of your waking hours thinking about and did something about?

@Lukian not that that is any of your business but I have spent a great deal of time listening to and talking with abuse survivors (rape, child sex and physical abuse and emotional abuse).

@Rob1948 Then sir, I commend you for that. Your dedication is of merit not as much, not more, not less, not the same as a vegan dedicating their waking life choices to reduce animal welfare abuse and help the environment. In both cases, someone does not understand why the injustice still happens.

I understand your point about language and somewhat agree yet the trauma is actually defined in the article and although it may sound trivial to others, one's sense of trauma is relative to them only regardless to what others think. Call it overly dramatic, it does not take away the anguish of the person.

actually the purpose of the article was not about stats but helping people. I also think that the passion is replaced by misanthropy.

@Lukian You're inferring there is a correlation between vegans and depression. I say vegans are no more depressed than any other demographic. This is where stats is important. Are they really depressed because they're vegan? Or is it just that sensitive or self-absorbed people or hermits are more likely to be depressed? As for misanthrope, I guess you can be passionate about that, but I have found vegans to be very social, people who appreciate all living things. They often stick together to support one another. They have a cause....to educate.

On a personal note, I consider myself a humanist but not that humans are more important than animals or plant life. We are interdependent. Humans are more evolved but with that we have a responsibility to oversee a balanced ecosystem and healthy planet. To do this we may need to cull a few humans (since we are overpopulated with people) to save orangutans, polar bears, koalas, black rhino, certain turtles and help clean up the planet. And if we are to cull people I'd start with the trophy hunters. So lets say I'm a selective misanthropist. . NB Please don't take this as a personal attack on your opinions. I like to debate and throw out different ideas.

@MsDemeanour I'm not inferring that and neither is the article. I understand your ideas.

@Lukian The article IS inferring a correlation between sensitive vegans and depression. The young have always been passionate about causes.The young are the revolutionaries. Whatever their cause, I am glad they're getting help to see a broader view of life and discovering hope.

@MsDemeanour correlation yes but not demographics or comparisons. The article does not imply vegans are more depressed but their depression is often misanthropy.

This article makes it sounds like we poor vegans are traumatized people who need help. I mean, one can hardly take a source like VICE as reliable. Most of us vegans are not euphoric over the status quo but we function normally and we provide support for each other in many ways. And we love exchanging recipes!!! I used to hate cooking but now that I’m vegan I enjoy creating delicious dishes and sharing them with friends. My SO is now vegetarian and loves the meals I cook. He’s ecstatic that his health has improved and he’s lost weight with little effort. At least some of us are joyous veggies.

Not trying to have an argument with you. Just commenting on the slant of this article.

@graceylou Heh! I wasn't thinking that all vegans are emaciated, hive-minded, joyless automatons of self-righteousness ready to off themselves in an effort to reduce the human population. A niece-in-law became the stereotypically preachy, self-righteous type. Another niece just quietly goes about her business, walking her talk. I didn't interpret your comment as an attempt to argue with me.

There are a lot more resources available than when I was vegan.

@ailurophile "When you were a Vegan?" Obviously you did not become Vegan for the sake of easing the horrid suffering of other species. I cannot imagne anyone going back to carnism. "Accept your place in the food chain" typical carnist excuse..nope not an ethical Vegan for sure.

@ailurophile I think you'll find that new vegans, just like new born-again christians, just like those reformed smokers, all tend to pontificate on their new found righteous living. Give them a couple of years to settle in.

Do you really accept your place in the food chain? Are you willing to be the prey & not just the predator? Most of us seem to be unwilling to even let microorganisms consume our bodies after we die. Humans want to pick & choose.

people would pay more attention to you if you actually read the post then comment on it. I question if you are vegan since you are alienating actual vegans in this thread. Grow up!

You're failing at this "ambassador for veganism" thing. ????

I used to have social anxiety so SAD was Social Anxiety Disorder. You have no idea how much I have changed. I love being 55, freedom, purposeful, value driven life. Sorry to detract from you important post.

precisely what the article is talking about. thanks for sharing

Obviously you have done no research, and know nothing of what animal products are doing to the human body. Read the medical scientists Dr Neal Barnard, Dr Joel Fuhrman, Dr Dean Ornish, Dr Alona Pulde, Dr Matthew Lederman . I would not even attempt to discuss a word with anybody who has not educated themselves . These are researchers also of the NIH research also. Its sad to me that no one know what the SAD is . Standard American Diet. Read. Educate yourself. This si not some new fad diet. It is a lifestyle humans never should have departed from. Not care about your health ? In a few years you will remember and regret you ever said that. I am 80 and I do. Something to think about. These scientists also strongly advocate for the animals , read their books, they are mind shocking.

Wow. That person was crazy. And made little sense. Block function works great.

@graceylou Obviously, you are very good at copy-and-paste. Early human diets were omnivorous, close to that of modern chimpanzees.

@ailurophile I didn’t cut and paste anything. I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Veganisn to me isn’t a diet. It’s a life of compassion for animals and the environment. I’m also neither an early human (I’ve evolved thanks) nor a chimpanzee. When was the last time you speared a mammoth? My degree is in ArchaeologyAnthripology and I’ve studied Human Evolution and Primatology. I have a pretty good idea about the diets of various primates, hominoids, hominids, and early humans. Today and as modern humans we have more knowledge and understanding of our world and we also have options that reduce our need to kill and eat animals. Modern humans don’t have to hunt for their food. We pay other people to kill animals in a slaughterhouse so we can take home neatly packaged meat from the store. We are not like early humans at all.

The article isn’t about being vegan per se but about how vegans respond to the world psychologically. That was what I was responding to. As a vegan of 9 years, I’ve heard all the excuses and arguments against the lifestyle. I’ve learned to respond to all of them by now. I’m a lifelong vegan and the healthiest I have ever been.

@graceylou I'm sorry... I hit the wrong "reply" button. I meant that for FlaGoldenGirl.

P.S. I'm wondering if FlaGoldenGirl may have hit the wrong "reply" button, too, even though it does look like she copied-and-pasted part of her reply in her other replies.

@ailurophile It looks that way. And to say that I haven’t done any research is ridiculous. I’ve done nothing but research everthing I put in my mouth. I just blocked her because her comment was rambling and hard to follow.

@graceylou Good one! I still see the comment and it highlights some of the antisocial points in the article. Appreciate your input. thanks!

@Lukian I’m sure it’s there but since I blocked her I can’t see it. I’m antisocial by choice but I’ve been around vegans enough to know we reach out to each other more than we would a psychologist. The article you posted is from a source that I wouldn’t consider reliable in the first place.

@graceylou Vice is often mis-labelled as unreliable because they go out of their way not to be mainstream. the subjects they cover are often refreshing and surprising informative.

@Lukian Well I know in this case it’s not. Or at the very least it’s slanted.

@Gooniesnvrdie not that one in particular but Hamilton's Pharmacopea is particularly interesting to me.

@Gooniesnvrdie start here: [viceland.com]

@pmar044 Should have blocked FlaGoldenGirl, she's the one causing trouble not the one you blocked (her comment was a mistake)

@pmar044 cool then. Power to you!

@pmar044 You are doing as I did, removing one food at a time and increasing my vegetable intake. It was difficult because I doubted the benefits of a plant-based diet; although, I'd seen Forks over Knives and other evidence, because I'm skeptical. After years of waffling, I finally did it; quit all animal products, including all kinds of meat, cheese, yogurt, butter, etc. Within three months, doctors removed me from my blood pressure medication, yet I weighed over 400 lbs. I'm losing weight, and have lost down to 350. My BP is about 110/70, without BP meds. I post daily in the group Battling Obesity, if you are interested. The health benefits are not limited to blood pressure, and the younger you make the change the more likely you are to live long and healthy. Good luck.

@pmar044 Witchcraft LOL. Ty and good luck on your mission.