Honore de Balzac
provocative poll
I decided to move the question of readiness to eat meat from the realm of hypothetical reasoning to a more concrete plane. To do this, I needed to find a way to reach a large audience of vegetarians at the same time. The social network VKontakte is the best suited for solving this issue. After all, it is there that the largest army of vegans and vegetarians is concentrated.
Survey text looked like this:
And then there are three possible answers:
Attached to the survey is a picture:
Contacting admins several of the largest groups, I expected that these guys, just like me, would be interested in knowing the answer of the participants to such a sensitive question. But where is it. To put it mildly, I was rejected by everyone I contacted. None of them understood why such studies were needed. Why arrange a provocation within the group?
The Importance of Research
Exploratory approach often requires conflict, opposition and may cause bewilderment among the inhabitants. But it is precisely due to the fact that scientists are conducting various experiments that we know so much about the world around us and have the opportunity to treat deadly diseases. For example, no matter how sorry the animals are, on which various preparations and medicines are tested, it is thanks to vivisection that today people do not die from those diseases that used to kill them by the thousands. Here is what I.P. said about the experiments. Pavlov:
«».
Explorations can be weird, weird, and sometimes emotionally difficult. But they are necessary. We must study ourselves, we must study each other in order to discover the truth. Even if we don’t like it.
By not allowing the possibility of obtaining new knowledge, we hinder progress. Why are we doing this? To keep the status quo. A kind of stability. There is just no stability. Life is motion. It is a constant balancing act between good and evil. Between activity and passivity. Between joy and sadness. Between knowledge and ignorance. Research is progress.
The bravest admin
Denying me to post a survey, all the admins, it seems to them, sought to keep calm among the participants and did not want suspicions of inadequacy to fall on their group. I quote their answers: “”, “”, “”, etc. But at the moment when I was already desperate to find a like-minded person, I received a message from a girl named Anna, to whom I wrote one of the first. She oversees the most active and numerous VKontakte group “I am a vegetarian”. Her answer to my request was extremely simple: “”.
Anya posted a survey, and within an hour, the first hundred people gave their answers. Then the second. Third. Fifth. With every hour the figure grew and very soon ran up to 1000 people. The next day, more than 2690 people voted. A week later, I stopped following the results, and when two thousand six hundred and ninety (XNUMX) people had already voted, I took a screenshot and fixed the result.
Poll results
Are you wondering how many vegetarians will eat meat for money? Then look at the voting results:
1. Agree – 27.8%
2. Refuse – 64.3%
3. Agree if no one finds out – 7.9%
Result: for $1000, approximately 35% of vegetarians will agree to eat meat. The other 65% will remain true to their principles. Data received. I believe that among those who voted there could be non-vegetarians. But this is hardly a large percentage. Throughout the entire voting period, the data trend was the same and fluctuated within 2-3% in one direction or another. I want to thank everyone who took part in this vote. You have made a contribution to the common cause. Thanks to Anna, the admin girl, for her openness to new experiences. Thanks to VEGETARIAN for the opportunity to share news and knowledge.
What do the survey results give us?
Food for thought. And for us vegetarians, the most important thing is reflection. Intelligence is our main advantage in this life. And the strength of the intellect and the strength of the individual is built on our principles. Therefore, at the very beginning of the article, I quoted Honore de Balzac, which says that circumstances are changeable, but principles should never be changed.
On the other hand, questions arise. And what is stronger – money or principles? What if there was a number in the survey with one more zero? But is it really so important to adhere to these principles, as Balzac convinces us of this? And where is the line between adequacy and fanaticism? As one guy, a six-year vegan, wrote in the comments: “”. And he is right in his own way. Having eaten a cutlet once, you won’t stop being a vegetarian, right? And with the money you receive, you can make a gift to yourself or a loved one. Is it possible to be a vegetarian, but eat a cutlet every six months? But what if you deliberately or accidentally put meat that you ate in your food? There are a lot of questions. In order not to be a fanatic, one must always look for new, deeper questions. And constantly think about them.
P.S. I always say that vegetarianism is a personal evolution. And there are dozens of arguments for that. I also took part in this survey. My answer was “No”. But, honestly admitting to myself, I understand that if there was one more zero in the proposed amount, I would have thought for a very long time about what decision to make.
Meditate.