May 22, 2012
-
Does Organic Food Turn You Into a Jerk?
Living in Boulder, land of the perfectly healthy, educated and morally superior, I encounter these assholes everyday.
Imagine sitting at a restaurant.
Jackass- Are these rolls gluten free?
Waiter – Let me check.
Jackass – If you need to check the answer is no. What about substituting rice for Quinoa?
Hiking with my friend.
Her – Do you mind if we stop at the Farmer’s Market on the way back?
Me – Sure, I love their veggies.
Her – I am going to make sure they don’t use any pesticides or raise livestock before I buy from them.
In the local Safeway, there is a “Nut Bar” with a wall of mixed nuts in every variety. There’s medical marijuana shops that outnumber Starbucks, but if you light a cigarette you are scorned.
I am all for striving to be healthy, but the moral superiority that organic eaters has always irked me. Apparently I am not the only one. Dr. Kendall J. Eskine, assistant professor of the psychological sciences department at Loyola University in New Orleans, did a study of organic eaters and their level of “asshole-ness” (I made that up). These are his findings:
“the organic-food participants were more judgmental than those in the comfort-food category. They were also more reluctant when asked to volunteer time to help strangers, the study found, offering only 13 minutes vs. the brownie eaters’ 24 minutes. It’s like the group had already fulfilled its moral-justice quota by buying organic, so it felt all right slacking off in other ethics-based situations. Eskine labeled it “moral licensing.””
It reminds me of a South Park episode where the world was being overtaken by the “smug” that was being omitted from hybrid cars.
Here is the full article: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/05/21/does-organic-food-turn-you-into-a-jerk/
Comments (70)
That’s interesting!
That’s a pretty funny quote from Southpark. I know that show is funny, but it got too crude for me. I admit that I feel “morally licensed” sometimes, but I try to refrain from expressing it because even when it’s just in my brain, I think, “geez, I sound like an asshole!
I can’t stand that kind of smugness.
But then again maybe they are jerks because they are dying for a bacon cheeseburger.
I don’t know. I pay a lot of attention to what I eat because it has drastic effects on my body, especially gluten. I don’t really expect other people to do that, but I also have no problem expressing my opinion. BUT- here is something that I’ve noticed. Even though I don’t feel that food can be “moral” or “immoral” most of the time, when I do talk about the way I eat, people get very defensive and start telling me why they can’t/wouldn’t do that. Even though that’s not what I was getting at, at all.
{Note on the morality of food- to a certain extent, I believe that it is moral to eat for health and pleasure, to promote the enjoyment of life, and immoral to eat crap that you know is going to make you feel bad. That’s not something I can judge for someone else though, that’s entirely personal.}
I’m getting really hungry for my cinnamon beef stew, by the way. Oh, and I don’t care about organic, though I will get it when it’s cheaper, like at the farmer’s market or in-season fruit.
I had a friend 30 years ago who was a vegetarian for several years, but gave it up because he came to the conclusion that it was a form of gluttony, an inordinate obsession with food. Vegetarianism also forced him to reject people’s hospitality or to require them to go out of their way in preparing food for him. I think he was also realizing the tendency to smugness in himself and his vegetarian friends.
@WaitingToShrug - Yummy, that sounds great. And I agree, I also try to be careful about what I eat, especially with the recent “pink slime” that is going around. But there is a difference between being conscious about what we eat and using it as a superiority cloak. I had never encountered this level of asshole before moving to Boulder.
I know what you mean about people getting defensive, and that isn’t what I was trying to do. I was pointing out the attitude that comes with some of this more so than the actual food.You are eating beef? Well I hate to break this to you, but you are kicked out of the smug club
Spend a week in Boulder, you will know exactly what I am talking about!
@Roadkill_Spatula - Right, my daughter is dating a vegan, and they are impossible to feed! I don’t disagree with being a vegan or a vegetarian or only eating locally, I really don’t. I just hate the nose in the air attitude combined with the disgusted looks that come from some of the people who choose this.
I know a girl (my sister’s friend) who refuses to go out to eat because “it sickens me to see fat people stuffing their faces with fried food”. There is a special place in hell for her, I hope.
@lucylwrites - I want a bacon cheeseburger now… and who wouldn’t be cranky if they couldn’t have one?
@whyzat - It’s crude sometimes, but it always makes me laugh so hard… I know what you mean about keeping a lid on yourself. I try to eat healthy (most of the time) and when I went to visit my in laws in Alabama I found all sorts of smug, superior and judgmental things that wanted to escape my lips. It wouldn’t have made me popular with the in laws, however.
I’m not an organic eater, but I am vegan. here in the midwest you’re lucky you can get served vegetables without butter. Most people don’t even know what vegetarian/vegan is… I’d like to see someone ask for something gluten free around here…. >_> We can’t be very picky where I’m at…
@Megabyyte - Thanks!
LOL yeah I know the type, I have a huge family so you’ve to got one of those nuts
in my case is my younger brother, yeah the one with the drug abuse problem O.o imagine that lol he’s always supervising our food and gosh that thing is expensive down here…
healthy is good and we are a healthy family but I find the smugness very annoying so I tend to act like a nihilist jackass around those people, just cuz I like to upset them
@ShimmerBodyCream - A vegan in the midwest? You must be hungry! I am from farm and ranch country myself and meat-n-taters is what’s for dinner, every night.
A vegetarian just cuts meats from their diets (some still eat fish, though I don’t get that) and a vegan eats no animal products, dairy, butter, etc. If you do ask for gluten free, you will have to tell us all about it!
@xXxlovelylollipop - I know, right?! My daughter’s snotty little boyfriend is a vegan (and an asshole) so I always make sure to make bacon and buttery hashbrowns, fried chicken and egg salad. He loves me already
@BoulderChristina - lol isn’t that so interesting? how this people make us even less healthier instead of dragging people into their style they are such a huge temptation, you have to behave so bad around them…LOL it’s always so much fun though.
@BoulderChristina - Oh, I know YOU weren’t saying that… but a lot of other people mistake having a specific diet as being pretentious. Like because I don’t eat the bread I am judging all the people who do! Honestly, I kind of went off on a tangent because the food conversation has been in my life a lot. For a while I was just gluten-free, then not, then grain-free, then totally primal. It’s been a quest to feel better, which I’ve finally achieved, but I know people think I’m just trying the latest popular food trend.
Also, LOL at the smug club… we’ve got that in Austin too. They’ve got some perks, they’ve paved the way for restaurants accepting my weird order with no qualms and health food and specialty stores, which are great for me.
Oh, and my beef is grassfed, and the broth is homemade.
Organic beef would be useless to me; that just means that the grain feed was organically grown- still not great fat profiles!
@xXxlovelylollipop - You and I seem to share the same sardonic humor! I do love to get under his skin!
@WaitingToShrug - Yeah, I get it and I wondered about how you would take this post after our recent conversations about diet. As I told you, I am looking at changing my diet to straighten out my wacky hormones.. but if I do you have to promise to slap my face the first time I stick my nose up at someone ordering onion rings!
It’s not the diet choices that make those people douchebags, it’s the narcissism. I’ve coined a term for those narcissistic douchebags who make a big production out of their (ostensibly morally superior) food choices: egovores.
@HappierHeathen - You are a GD genius! What you said is exactly what I mean, and I beg your permission to use your term!
@BoulderChristina - Go for it!
@BoulderChristina - Nahhhh, I couldn’t slap you. I like you too much.
You know what I do? I have a bad habit of looking into other people’s grocery carts. But I keep my thoughts to myself, hehe.
Okay, so this was my lunch, I know you’re interested (right?): cinnamon beef stew with avocado on top, then strawberries with butter. Yes, butter. I just discovered last night that strawberries with (unsalted, pastured) butter is even better than strawberries and cream. Had to share. You’re welcome!
And oh, how good my belly feels!
I wonder about the smugness of people who quote article from Times News Feed…..just joking. I bet they are below the Mendoza Line on smugness. Seriously, an interesting study and it reminds me of the classic studies on dogmatic thinking.
@BoulderChristina - You’re a lot of fun. “Loose lips make us outlaws with the in laws.”
My daughter-in-law and the fella I work for are vegetarians, so I’ve learned to become very creative with my cuisine. But I know the types you’re referring to. It reminded me of this clip (funny as hell): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2LBICPEK6w
my area is starting to become like that because there is a huge organic outfit in this area and now farms are having signs pop up that say “certified organic”. In my little old town of 1400 people there is an organic grocery store and an organic restaurant.
The observation about fulfilling their “moral justice quota” is brilliantly astute. It does seem to come down to some attitude of “I’m saving the world bite by bite – what are YOU doing?!”
@HappierHeathen - I used it on facebook
@WaitingToShrug - I do love all the things you mentioned, and could go for some strawberries right about now!
@vexations - Haha, those types are at the top of the smug chain! Similar to Dr. Seuss’s Sneeches, we ARE the sneeches with stars upon ours!
@soccerdadforlife - Haha, thanks! You are right, outlaws with the inlaws…
It’s funny that you mention this lol. I have a new friend & we were going to the movies the other day & I was telling her i was sneaking in a bag of skittles if she wanted some. She gave me this look and was like “I only eat organic food, especially candy.” and then went and ordered popcorn. Pretty sure that wasnt organic, but I kept that to myself. =)
@Kellsbella - Bwahaha! His name was Colin! This is gold, thank you!
@godfatherofgreenbay - Haha, so funny, isn’t it?
@Cancerous_Sagittarius - Exactly! Thanks!
@Mrs_FoodLover - Hahaha, those are just the people I am talking about! Fine lady, more skittles for me! Organic candy, is there such a thing?
@BoulderChristina - Put butter on them! You won’t regret it!
@BoulderChristina - Excellent! I’ll never use it there — I doan do no Faceybook. It’ll be interesting to see how it spreads over the next few years. I like introducing new words and phrases just to see if they take off and how widespread they become.
@BoulderChristina – lol hell if I know!!! People that do the whole organic thing are so dramatic about it! I’ve never meet one person who didn’t eat organic that didn’t share the news! It’s like we should throw a parade for them lol
hahhaa. enjoyed this so much. i hear you! i heard a celebrity wax on about how she only uses her organic skin creams and expensive cooking oils. she acted like someone giving her a hamburger was an act of abuse. how dare they!. and i thought — okay, you’re beautiful on the outside and probably healthy on the inside, but so ugly the way she was presenting her life choices. i think a person can watch what they eat, but not be a jerk about it. lol.
like, i’m trying to lose some weight and i try to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables/nuts for my heart sake, but i generally try to keep my intake to myself/don’t make a fuss about it if people are serving something else, especially if somebody else might be offended.
i think it’s kind of prideful to look with disdain on those who are not like us – us gluten, not always organic eaters. lol. (b/c we can’t always afford them! ) – but isn’t that silly? –pride in food consumption? hahahhaha . but i guess it’s that way with a lot of things. people look down on things that aren’t the way they think are best, or that they don’t like, etc.
you almost want to take them (and me sometimes) back to kindergarten and say,”if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”
i’m like you, must have my meat and proteins too! hahhaha.
@Mrs_FoodLover - hahhahaahahaah. i’d like to see that. instead of a baton, i’ll raise my left broccoli stalk. hahhahaha
Cliches & snotty folks can be found in all kinds of places..here the Organic world is friendlier than other ppl. If ppl at the stores get upset & they think I take a moral high road bc they saw the contents of my buggy…. need to go smoke some Lavender & calm the heck down.
BTW LOL I have NO IDEA if you can smoke lavender ..so don’t actually try…
I eat organic foods… If by organic you mean containing carbon compounds. I am pretty sure everything I eat has some kind of carbon compound in it. Hmmmm I never realized consuming complex hydrocarbons makes me better than those who doesn’t!
@WaitingToShrug - I will have to try that someday
@Mrs_FoodLover - I’m with @YouToMe , I would like to see that!
@YouToMe - I’m trying to lose some weight, too. I am on this hormonal roller coaster lately which makes my weight ebb and flow
The problem is when I am trying to lose weight, that’s when I want all the comfort food! Glad you liked it, thanks!
@Kris0logy - What?!? I had my lavender all rolled out and ready…
Where do you live?
@Aloysius_son - Does that include pizza?!? Sweet! We can both take the moral high grounds then!
@BoulderChristina - I’d be tempted to respond to someone who said that with, “I’m building an environmentally friendly orphanage – out of bacon.”
I have celiac disease so I have to eat gluten free, if gluten gets in my diet it’s a literal shitstorm of cramps, loaginess and diarreah (however you spell those two words). I would never choose to be gluten free, the diet is difficult. So people who do it just because they can, fuck them. Seriously.
Sidenote: I’ve come to the conclusion over my years of studying them that hipsters only give a shit about themselves and what makes them look good, so yeah. It makes you an asshole.
Interesting. I get farm eggs because I’m from a rural community, and I can taste and tell the difference when we have to buy eggs from the store. I accidentally bought organic chard the other day and honestly couldn’t tell any difference (although maybe I’ll live an hour longer because that chard had no pesticide on it!). I love eating from my garden because it is so FRESH. Other than that, not a lot of imput. I like Boulder, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
@Roadkill_Spatula - @BoulderChristina - I am not a vegan but the overwhelming bias against them is just too mean. Contrary to the vegans you have met, the ones that I have met are self effacing and humble. I took one vegan out to eat and he was only relegated to a bowl of rice.He was not complaining and we felt bad that he didn’t have anything else to eat.
Vegans that determine not to eat meat know that their ecological footprint is lowered due to eating closer to the source. They also feel compelled not to hurt any animals.
@PPhilip – like I said, it’s not the diet that I find irksome, it’s the attitude. No they don’t all have that, that wasn’t my implication. I don’t care if someone is strictly on a beer and pizza diet – if they are assholes they are assholes. I am very aware of the reasons for veganism, I do live in boulder.
@PPhilip – An organic diet and vegan diet are not the same, either
@FattiesGonnaFat - Hipsters are what I was referring to, egocentric, morally superior smug jerks. I hope you didn’t mean I was making fun of people that have to eat that way or even choose to eat that way, I was making fun of people for their snotty attitude.
My cousin can’t have any wheat, flour or gluton because of a condition she has, and I have felt sorry for her since we were kids. She didn’t choose it and being the youngest of seven there was no shortage of breads, cookies, and other yummy smelling treats that everyone could eat but her. She wasn’t an smug asshole when she grew up, just a bitter one
@gwennieg - Farm eggs and garden vegetables are the best! I make fun of Boulder a lot, and there are things that I may change if I ruled the world, but all in all it’s a great place to live. Other than health (prejudice against overweight people and smokers) the people are very liberal and open minded. The area is beautiful, environmentally green, and magnificent trails. There is just no end of wacky things to make fun of here
@BoulderChristina - Nah, I just saw an opportunity to bash them and took it, no worries.
I never buy organic stuff. I personally think the organic food industry is too over rated.
@ZSA_MD - Well, it’s misleading advertising sometimes, I think.
@BoulderChristina – awww ((hugs))
My problem is my metabolism gets screwed up from all my fasting or when im stressed/ not sleeping well. Then when i do eat junk or solids again i can gain twice what i lost really quickly. So i am doing damage control now. Lol.
Hopefully the running will continue to help you with that. Hopefully it will help me too. Though i have no toe-no-nails
yet. Lol.
@YouToMe - Haha, I think that the toenail thing takes time. It took me 8 years, so have faith you will lose your toenails too!
I have been a runner years now and always been active (more since I moved here) but I have never had to worry about my weight much. I gained and lost but it was always reasonable. Then a couple years ago I gained – unreasonably. And then without warning I lost, also unreasonably. I did that for awhile until in the midst of my last gain I went to the doc and found out my thyroid is shot.
I have never been careful about what I ate, and since I have started making an honest effort to be more diligent I think I eat worse! I have heard fasting/not fasting is one of the worst things you can do to your body and it also messes with your thyroid (which controls metabolism). Have you had it checked out?
Dr. Zakiah recommended I check out your entry. I have to say, I don’t think it has anything to do with the organic food. There are insecure people out there who will find a way to make themselves feel superior to others as a way to compensate for their lack of self-esteem.
Some people will display a sense of superiority based on the perceived “betterness” of eating organic food, others will display that sense of superiority based on the type of car they drive, where they live, or the clothes they wear.
Ultimately, it has nothing to do with the food, the car, the house, the clothes, or anything else – it has to do with the person.
@BoulderChristina -
Awww I’m sorry :/. Thanks Yeah, I appear to be fine. I just have to be fit for my heart’s sake my cardiologist always said.
I have not been a runner for years but been active dancing and playing sports with kids a lot
For the most part I’ve been a very healthy eater bc of the heart condition too– though I certainly eat unhealthily in moderation– but definitely have
struggled with weight before, and especially bc I think as you say, the fasting can contribute to that. Then I lost it all. But then had a period of high stress and less physical (but lot of work/stress) activity recently where I gained some back.
I know it’s probably not very healthy, but in some ways I’m stubborn about it bc it doesgive me more energy and help me feel a lot better physically and spiritually. I don’t often do a full fast typically, but just drink veg juice (which tastes nasty, but i still do it Lol) or eat raw vegetables/fruits/nuts for a period of time.
Wow,that’s a long time! So neat! I’m 0 .5 years as of now. Hahaha.
@christao408 -
Good point.
Holy crap. I know what you mean!!
I didn’t think of it like that but I know a few people that are very smug about their food and snobby.. .*sighs*
my cousin is Vegan but not snobby about it. She prepares her own food for anything & brings it with her. She realizes that no one else is vegan & doesn’t want to be a bother. I thought that was really amazing of her. For Christmas she made all her own food while the rest of the family ate meat! lol My aunt did make her some things, she wasn’t asked to, she ended up surprising my cousin with this extra vegan food!
I often thought about become a vegetarian but thats because I’m not huge on meats! lol
I agree but disagree on everything you
I just think that people are just stuck up and rude anyways when
said
it comes to anything.
supposedly gluten free is good for me and my condition
REALLY??
… You have got to be kidding me… First off, every damned thing I eat is going to kill me at some point, if something else doesn’t get me first, so why in the HELL O eat healthy. Well, I really won’t go that far, but you know. I mean… come on now… I’ve had 3 twinkies this week. OH MY GOD – Sue me!!!
… Ummm, sorry… perhaps it has something to do with being up at 2:35 in the morning or maybe I just want another twinkie.
so i’m making a connection here between organic eaters and the fancy christians. come and get me.
My roomie was a vegetarian. It is ridiculously hard to be cooking for your family (one meal) and have to cook a seperate portion (second meal) without meat. I can’t say how many times (example:) I threw beef into the noodles and went “DAMNIT, Now I have to start over!” That’s also another reason that I can’t make a lifestyle change to my own diet. My husband is a meat-and-potatoes guy and he would kill me if I plated him a turkey burger with organic cooked carrots and a glass of water. I don’t even want to imagine what he would say… I guess I’ll be the housewife cooking a different meal for each family member everynight for the rest of eternity.