Hell, I'm going Vegan AND Swedish!

You can have my copy of The Vegan Gourmet.

Hate-baiting is fun!

piece pipe?

why not go for an even greater challenge and try to be a journalist for a week.

Just thought I’d write and say fuck you to The Mercury for your latest bit of hipster cruelty. Although I have to admit—it was pretty funny! Matt Davis cuts Sammy the lamb’s throat and eats him while Marjorie Skinner takes notes? And the story is headlined … wait for it! … “Silencing the Lamb”? Hilarious! Too much! I mean, fuck that little lamb, right? Davis was hungry! Hah hah! But, seriously, folks … Here’s the thing about being a callous narcissistic asshole: it doesn't differentiate you in any way from most of the population. The world is full of people who don’t give a shit about anything but themselves. So why do Davis and The Mercury pretend there’s something distinctive about his carnivorous frat boy shtick? It’s conformist, not unique. In a previous article, for example, Davis courageously sang the praises of foie gras. Tres provocant! Too bad the Willamette Week adopted the exact same “contrarian” stance months before The Mercury. How’s that for “alternative” – you suck-ass hipster fucks.

James Harrison

PS: If you think you're going to make up for killing Sammy with Matt's little "vegan for a week" stunt - think again. You made a lot of enemies. Imitating Morgan Spurlock isn't going to fool anyone.

"So why do Davis and The Mercury pretend there’s something distinctive about his carnivorous frat boy shtick?"

Nobody's claiming it's original, James. And I'm not trying to "make up" for anything. But thanks for commenting.

Would you be interested in coming in on Monday to debate the issue? We're looking for a vegan for our podcast and Chad at Food Fight hasn't got back to me.

You already have Matt from IDA. He's vegan. Want another, why not The Mercury's own Adam Gnade? Me thinks he might have an opinion.

I don't feel like being part of some fake attempt at "dialogue" with well established turds who are just trying to generate more sensationalist content for their weak attempt at Vice-esque journalism.

xoxo

Matt, I think you should try to get xVeGaNx in for the podcast. He really sounds like the kind of person that would be able to coherently and professionally represent the opposing views on this one...

Just something to think about.

(I'm totally not trying to get you shiv'd, I swear)

For what it's worth, Chad, I'll be moderating the conversation, and I'm personally trying very hard to avoid "sensationalist content." We've had enough of that on this topic. The vegan vs. meateater 'fight' is tired, and I'd like to get to some deeper issues, like whether diets are a personal or political choice, and where these various groups have common ground (it strikes me that In Defense of Animals, TrackersNW, vegans, and many of the city's top meat-cooking chefs all have a reverence for animals, though each take it to different ends, which is something I'd like to explore).

To that end, I'd welcome suggestions for questions of a panel that involves In Defense of Animals, TrackersNW, a rep from the vegan community, and possibly someone from the "sustainable" meat-eating community (like a New Seasons butcher, perhaps).

If xVeGaNx wants to step forward...

I'm hardly a spokesperson for the vegan community, but hell yes, I'll debate you. It would be a pleasure. Anytime, anywhere. But we damned well better be able to talk about what you did in your article, not whatever rationalizations you've managed to come up with after the fact.

You have my contact info. Get in touch.

Well... I think the point of a debate is so both parties can state their stance on the issue at hand.... right?

So wouldn't saying someone can't talk about something kind of defeat the point?

That sounds like some shit Bill O'Reilly would say to a guest before they come on his show...

Matt, you should get Bob Torres for a debate:
http://veganfreak.com/index.php?s=about

I think he would grind you into dust.

I look forward to it.

Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you, and be silent.
Epictetus
Roman (Greek-born) slave & Stoic philosopher (55 AD - 135 AD)

"Nobody's claiming it's original, James."

Yeah, James, you dumb motherfucker. How would you get the idea that The Mercury wanted to purport as a publication filled with original content? How you could you think for a second that they weren't catering to a demographic of cookie-cutter lifestyle-branded 15-20something year olds?

Thanks for clearing that one up, Matt! Keep up the good work!

hey!

MATT DAVIS!

FUK YOU!

ha ha!

I'm personally trying very hard to avoid "sensationalist content."

amy, ever thought of doing something for the community other than "getting to deeper issues"?

We can all agree that diff minded folks live in the world. why not take your own path and roll with what you think is right? Why not realise there are issues in this community like poverty, crime, and race/classism not being dealt with.
a free weekly that deals with nothing more than the highschool paper for the burbs?
that's been old sinse day one. just because you can put 2 oposing voices in the same room doesn't mean you'll do any good with it.
i'd love to see you put a mcminnimum's owner in the same room as the homeless alcoholic you walk by everyday. deeper issues, ya know?

Matt, regarding your decision to go vegan and possibly write about it: your shameless promotion and sensationalism of the vegan culture has deeply offended me. Being a strict carnivore, you have left me no choice but to abandon your publication. This makes me very sad as I will no longer be able to find out what’s going on at city hall, where the best shows and movies are playing, where the finest independent retail stores are, and where I can enjoy a tasty beverage at a reasonable price (not to mention all the other “funny” you guys pack in there every week). I will also be contacting my favorite steak/burger joints and encouraging them to pull their advertising. Farewell Mercury. You are simply to provocative for my lame sensibilities. May you be burned (medium rare) at the spit.

I'm totally going to blast some Earth Crisis today and floorpunch my way to a vegan lifestyle. DESTROY THE MACHINES!!!!

I like to eat meat (if you know what I mean)!

oh, matt davis,
i think he got back to you.
-adam

plus yer a piece
ha!

Daraleek, have you ever even read one of Amy's articles? Have YOU ever attended a neighborhood meeting? What exactly are YOU doing for the community? Your statments are very confusing and contradictory. "roll with what you think is right"?!? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Let me guess. You are one of those suburban high school students who's school paper the Mercury supposedly deals so much with? Since when? Again, what the hell are you talking about? C'mon now girl, put down the doob and quit skipping your english class.

THREE BS,
why don't you and matt daraleek my balls

Dear Matt,

First of all, I'm a vegan. Second of all, it's not particularly "vegan" to make death threats, although there are times when the state of the world around us makes us pretty fucking mad. (For people who aren't vegan, translate my reading "Silencing the Lambs" to your watching some asinine piece on George Bush/Iraq on Fox News. Sometimes it makes you want to scream, or, I suppose, make death threats.) So I don't wish you dead.

But I hope that you take this project seriously. Too many people have gone "vegan for a week" and then spent their whole article whining about how hard it was, how they miss cheese, and how we all must be these ridiculous pleasure-haters, none of which is true.

Here's what I recommend for taking this project seriously:

1) Watch "Earthlings". Start to finish. By yourself. It's on youtube in sections or the whole dvd is available at "Food Fight". It's a good first step to seeing why vegans are vegans.

2) Do some reading. Read just the first section of "Meat Market" by Erik Marcus. It's a matter-of-fact account of what goes on in various arenas of "animal agriculture." And you don't have to read the whole book, because the rest is about effective activism. There are tons of other books out there, of course - Peter Singer's Animal Liberation and for a conservative approach Matthew Scully's Dominion. Yes, we even have vegan Republicans, weirdly enough.If you want any more book rec's, I've got a million. I read up on this stuff before going vegan. That's why I'm vegan - because my research added up to nothing else making sense anymore to a human who gave a shit about the world or animals.

3) Go to this web-site http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen/index.html for a quick look at how diet impacts the environment. It's not run by a "vegan group", just a regular public interest group.

4) After you've read and watched a bit, visit all the awesome vegan and vegetarian restaurants in town. India Chaat House, Paradox Palace, Red and Black Cafe, all spring to mind immediately. But you don't have to limit yourself to specifically vegan/veg restaurants in Portland. Thai Peacock has an excellent vegan selection, Nicolas' vegan mezza is the bomb. Eat well - we do.

5) Please take this seriously. I know that's not the Mercury's "shtick", but the world doesn't really have a whole lot more time for cynicism and making fun of people who are trying to do something good. Why? Because the fucking world is collapsing, that's why. Have you noticed? And eating meat contributes to a few issues that have been in the news lately - such as global warming (diet is now a scientifically acknowledged main contributor) and the collapse of the ocean's ecosystem.There's also a great article in the Snoop Dogg issue of Rolling Stone about the horrible pollution from pig farms. This stuff is happening, and we're trying to solve it. Do you care about this stuff? Then please, if you're not going to go vegan, don't shit on our efforts and by extension, the world.

You may wonder why I ask you to read/watch some of this stuff. It's because being vegan for most of us isn't about just what we eat; it's about what we believe, what we have learned, and what we know to be the right thing to do to stop cruelty and environmental devastation. Without understanding the reasons behind it, you're not being vegan for a week, you're just being a guy doing a stunt for a week. Please consider what I'm saying.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jennifer - who won't kill you even if you write some crap article.

This piece of "journalism" was one of the most senseless and ill-advised ideas I've ever read in my life. Lame, Portland Mercury, very lame!