"Vegetarian" Business/Formal Shoe Options

[GBR]

Originally Posted by rfpgh

There are high-end vegetarian shoe brands like noharm or novacas that have (imo) nice styling, but as far as materials go I think synthetic leather is all basically the same.

IE plastic and probably damaging to the environment during manufacture and certainly not biodegradable.

 

[cptjeff]

Originally Posted by Made in California

I'm unsure of how to explain why I think it's so sick/awesome at the same time, but it's a little bit like how some girls are really attracted to serial killers and guys that are just sick in the head. You'd instantly get tagged "seems normal, but probably crazy," which I think is a really great way for people to perceive you.
If, god forbid, I ever have to have a limb amputated, I'm gonna have something made out of the skin just to creep people out. Actually, why not source the skin from those ultra fat people who lose so much weight excess skin has to be trimmed? Enough dollars and I think you could get just about anyone to sign off on letting somebody use their skin for something like that. And oddly enough, I have seen photos of old books bound in human skin, as well as photos a wallet made in colonial times from an executed criminal's skin (the bound the records of his trial in it too). It might be the age, but it apparently comes out a fair bit darker after tanning. And pigskin is a good description, from the pics I saw, though the bumpiness is finer.

 

[pebblegrain]

I think its fine. Don't they make bags or sweaters out of human hair?

 

[chenzhongbi]

Originally Posted by AlmostFullBenefits

Ha, it was a bit of half-hearted trolling on my part, but from what I've heard it looks like pigskin when treated. I've seen cadaver skin, and it's none too pretty, but maybe with some TLC and a fine knife it could look passable.
Euh.

 

[Bounder]

If we could get back to the Vegan bashing?

There are some people who argue that veganism is actually a mental illness akin to OCD. There is something to be said for this idea.

Fundamentally, veganism is pretty stupid. It is one thing to be against killing animals. It is another thing entirely to be against all forms of animal by-prouducts.

Take wool, for example. No sheep were harmed in the making of my jacket. When you think about it, sheep have the ideal job. They make an entire career out of standing around growing hair.

Philosophically, people need to work to live so why not animals? Sheep have an excellent deal. They are protected from predators, fed and provided with medical care. And in return they have to, well, do nothing, really. This can hardly be called "exploitation."

Vegetarianism is one thing. If you don't want to eat meat, there is certainly a case to be made for that. But an abject horror of all animal by-products is something else again.

 

[musicguy]

OP:

Originally Posted by ineffable

I don't care for this to be a discussion on the virtues/morals anything of that nature, and don't need to hear about high-quality leather shoes lasting me a long time -- I have that covered.

Bounder:

Originally Posted by Bounder

If we could get back to the Vegan bashing?

If you want to talk about veganism, make a new thread. I don't understand why so many omnivores feel threatened by vegans. Heck, I'm not vegan and I can't see myself ever being one, but live and let live brah.

 

[UnFacconable]

Originally Posted by musicguy

If you want to talk about veganism, make a new thread. I don't understand why so many omnivores feel threatened by vegans. Heck, I'm not vegan and I can't see myself ever being one, but live and let live brah.

Exactly dude, more meat for the rest of us. I'm not going around looking to drum up competition for any other commodities I like either. People seem to enjoy disabusing others of philosophical notions that they disagree with, and my guess is that a lot of those types are drawn to forums like this.

I will add - from a purely philosophical perspective, it's probably better to go with canvas over pleather because pleather still reinforces the notion that leather is for shoes. The impact of wearing visibly non-animal clothing will be greater if it's clearly non-animal.

 

[cross22]

Originally Posted by musicguy

I don't understand why so many omnivores feel threatened by vegans.

Yeah the violent reactions are interesting to watch. It seems vegans/vegetarians trigger an inferiority complex in some people.

 

[cptjeff]

Originally Posted by musicguy

If you want to talk about veganism, make a new thread. I don't understand why so many omnivores feel threatened by vegans. Heck, I'm not vegan and I can't see myself ever being one, but live and let live brah.
Because many vegans think that everyone else should go far out of their ways to appease them. I know that not all of them are like that, and that it's probably a minority, but It's certainly statistically significant and it's really ******* annoying. And most of us people comfortable eating the diet human bodies have evolved to eat simply don't like people asking us to go out of the way to support their stupid ideas. Human bodies have evolved to eat both meat and veggies. You can live on a vegetarian or a vegan diet, but your health will not be as robust as if you eat meat. There are specific amino acids that the human body simply cannot produce without animal protein. Meat. Talk to a surgeon, and they will tell you that they can often tell if you're a vegan on the first cut, because the blood is less viscous and does not clot as easily. That's not particularly good, but you'll live. Veganisim quite simply displays a fundamental discomfort with the natural order. Hell, I've heard of people trying to feed their cats vegetarian diets becuase, of course, all meat is evil, even for a predatory species that can't survive without it. Basically, I simply have absolutely no respect for the "meat is murder" types, which are the majority of vegans I've met. Millions of years of human evolution don't disappear because you've never come in close contact with your food and aren't comfortable with the natural order.

 

[Bounder]

Originally Posted by UnFacconable

Exactly dude, more meat for the rest of us. I'm not going around looking to drum up competition for any other commodities I like either. People seem to enjoy disabusing others of philosophical notions that they disagree with, and my guess is that a lot of those types are drawn to forums like this.
Why give a philosophical response? Because the OP's actual question was answered on the first page. Hell, the OP's question was answered in the first post. We are now on page 5.

I will add - from a purely philosophical perspective, it's probably better to go with canvas over pleather because pleather still reinforces the notion that leather is for shoes. The impact of wearing visibly non-animal clothing will be greater if it's clearly non-animal.

Come on, now. If you get to reinforce the finer points of militant veganism then the non-whack perspective is fair comment, too. I am constantly amazed at people who start threads on public message boards that say, "Assume ridiculous premise A. Post comments in this thread that validate my bizarre perspective only, please!" This never works out. Nor should it.

 

[Klobber]

In this day and age, it is not absolutely necessary to eat or not to eat meat. People can comfortably be vegetarian with no real trouble or detrimental effects. Thats as far as I see it.

I dont see any problem with someone committing to the moral that killing animals should be avoided if possible. These types of thoughts or actions should be considered generally good - the notion that a person will not wish or cause harm to another person or animal.

Regarding the necessity of being an omnivore:
Telling a bushman living in the Kalahari desert to become vegetarian would be like telling him to commit suicide - there aint nothing else to eat other than meat. Same would be true of eskimos. So sure, from a survival aspect, our long forgotten ancestors probably found it necessary to eat whatever possible, whenever possible to ensure survival - leading to the omnivore diet a good 70-80% of us enjoy today. However, even so, if you observe peoples diets as a whole - vegetable matter / grains still take up the bulk of most peoples diets.

I dont believe it is right to do this, and right to do that. Follow whatever makes you happy and what you feel is correct for you. To follow any other way would be sheer madness!

 

[whnay.]

Every vegan I've met has without fault been two things:

1) A self-important know-it-all dickweed

2) A left wing hack

But I guess those two things come hand in hand these days

 

[whnay.]

Originally Posted by Klobber

In this day and age, it is not absolutely necessary to eat or not to eat meat. People can comfortably be vegetarian with no real trouble or detrimental effects. Thats as far as I see it.

I dont see any problem with someone committing to the moral that killing animals should be avoided if possible. These types of thoughts or actions should be considered generally good - the notion that a person will not wish or cause harm to another person or animal.

Regarding the necessity of being an omnivore:
Telling a bushman living in the Kalahari desert to become vegetarian would be like telling him to commit suicide - there aint nothing else to eat other than meat. Same would be true of eskimos. So sure, from a survival aspect, our long forgotten ancestors probably found it necessary to eat whatever possible, whenever possible to ensure survival - leading to the omnivore diet a good 70-80% of us enjoy today. However, even so, if you observe peoples diets as a whole - vegetable matter / grains still take up the bulk of most peoples diets.

I dont believe it is right to do this, and right to do that. Follow whatever makes you happy and what you feel is correct for you. To follow any other way would be sheer madness!
Hilter was a vegetarian.

 

[cptjeff]

Comfortably be a vegetarian, sure. But they can still get some animal protein in their diets. Eggs, for example. Vegans can't. I have never seen a muscular vegan. At least, not one who got those muscles while eating a vegan diet. People who converted after building muscle don't count.

 

[DWFII]

Originally Posted by Klobber

I dont believe it is right to do this, and right to do that. Follow whatever makes you happy and what you feel is correct for you. To follow any other way would be sheer madness!
That's fine as long as you have a good, solid, well-thought-out rationale for doing it. Mindlessness (or willful ignorance) is always destructive to somebody. And if you are going to come into an arena where leather shoes are extolled (even if, in some cases, they don't deserve it) and express an opinion/perspective that runs contrary to the general consensus, then you are begging for trouble. And at the very least, you ought to be ready to defend your reasoning. It's like the sheep asking the wolf why he likes mutton.