Being a Vegetarian -- a statement as much as a diet

There was a South Park episode a while back in which a big dark cloud of "smug" drifted over the continental U.S. It was a clever play on words with a satirical jab at the smugness of environmentalists whose Prius ownership provided a way for them to feel superior to anyone who didn't adhere to all the dogmas of modern environmentalism. (Watch Smug Alert.)

Don't you get it? When people drive hybrid cars they get so full of themselves they spew tons of self satisfied garbage into the air. That isn't smog. It's smug!

This brings us to vegetarians. One reason a person might avoid meat, it would seem, would be for health reasons given some of the bad news that comes out from time to time about meat consumption. But Pacific Standard addresses the statement it makes and asks What Does Being a Vegetarian Say About You? Note that the article is aimed at "you," the vegetarian, suggesting there must be many in their reading audience. And conveniently, the image presented of the vegetarian should be very self satisfying to them.

That they have a liberal world view isn't surprising. But take a look at this excerpt:

Among Westerners, vegetarians (compared to meat-eaters) were “more concerned about the impact of their daily food choices on the environment and on animal welfare, more concerned with general animal welfare, more strongly endorsed values of universalism, and less strongly endorsed right-wing authoritarianism,” the researchers report.

Aw, "right-wing authoritarianism." So it's the right-wing that endorses authoritarianism is it? They've been breathing Smug so long it has somehow blocked out all the authoritarian moves by the left. They must not have heard Jonah Goldberg on liberal fascism. And being way up there in the Pacific Northwest news about the overreaching law called Obamacare must not have reached them yet.

The Smug must be thick up there. Maybe they should eat a Big Mac, lighten up, and quit trying to ram rules down our throats.

P.S. Is Kool-Aid on the vegetarian diet?-- Robo-Ed.  It's a staple.-- Sleepless.