hitler vegetarian? how come people use this as an argument against vegetarianism?
so firstly, was hitler a vegetarian? Some people think that he was vegetarian, or semi-vegetarian or something. Secondly, why do people use the fact that hitler was a vegetarian (if he was) as an argument against vegetarianism??? According to that "logic" then every non-smoker and person who doesn't drink is a nefarious bastard as well
2008-08-02T22:26:20Z
Sarrr B - something tells me that eating a hamburger won't help. And I'm very confused, not "woozy"
2008-08-03T00:33:17Z
uh, change the above comment from from 'Sarrr B' to 'sarrrah!' (either sarrah! changed her name or I'm freaking out)
2008-08-03T06:04:48Z
wahoo10001 - you have a point there. Which is why I never use the Einstein argument. Random fact: Did you know that Einstein had a smaller brain than the average person. But as you can imagine, his brain was very well connected
lo_mcg2008-08-03T01:56:42Z
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Most sources seem to suggest that Hitler wasn't vegetarian by choice, but was advised by his doctor/s to stick to a largely vegetarian diet for medical reasons. He apparently had difficulty sticking to it though.
But like you I don't give a toss what the truth of the matter is.
Some unimaginative people see 'Hitler was vegetarian!' as an unanswerable Gotcha! argument against vegetarianism; they fancy they have found the ultimate unanswerable argument that will leave us all confused and defensive.
But as we often have occasion to point out to those same people on V&V, veg*ns are not all of one mind, they are a huge diverse group of people whose views, politics, behaviours, ideas and personalities vary as widely as those of meat-eaters or any other group.
I'm sure there are racist and fascist veg*ns; I despise all they stand for, but I'm not going to start eating meat just because they don't. There are veg*n V&V users whose views appall me too.
But I'm sure we'll always get the occasional person with no other argument churning out the tired old Hitler crap
Using the "Hitler was a vegetarian" line to make a statement of why vegetarianism is bad is just as stupid as saying "Jeffrey Dahmer was an omnivore" to make eating meat look bad. I'm really not sure why people would bring this up in conversation because realistically, hitler being a vegetarian doesn't mean anything.
Scholars agree that, in addition to being a teetotaler and a non-smoker, Adolf Hitler practiced some form of vegetarianism. The vegetarianism of Adolf Hitler is believed by most experts to have been based on Richard Wagner's anti-Semitic historical theories which connected the future of Germany with vegetarianism. Hitler believed that a vegetarian diet could both alleviate his personal health problems and spiritually regenerate the human race. In spite of these beliefs, reports state that Hitler occasionally ate meat during the 1930s. While Hitler reduced his meat consumption, he may have not eliminated it entirely, with culinary accounts indicating a sporadic preference for sausage, squab, liver dumplings, ham, and caviar. As a result, many vegetarians dispute the claim that Hitler was a vegetarian.
Hitler wanted to be a vegetarian and promoted it among his close associates because he believes "it promotes discipline and displays strength of character". He was an on and off vegetarian (for medical reasons) because ironically, he didn't have the discipline nor the strength of character to be one consistently. His last meal though was vegetarian (spaghetti with marinara sauce).
The only reason why non-veggies point this fact out is to counter some equally fantastic mythical claim by some of the more fanatical vegetarians that they are less violent and more compassionate than non vegetarians. I personally don't use the "Hitler" example too much. I would point out to Pol Pot, a vegan who was responsible for the murder of an estimated 2-3 million of his countrymen. Or Charles Manson, another vegan who is one of the most notorious murderers of our time (Well mine anyway. You are probably a lot younger). Plus all those PETA activists and ELF and ALF "operators" who are responsible for more than 600 violent crimes since 1991. But again, only for argument purposes against fanatics. With others I have an stimulating and intelligent discussion instead.
No..hitler was not a vegetarian. He stopped eating some meat for a short time due to stomach issues. The only people who feel the need to connect Hitler and vegetarianism are immature little pee-ons who have no goal in life : ) There is no such thing as being semi-vegetarian. Either you are or you aren't.