a sad day for those of us wanting to snuggle baby goats

Sad on many levels. Kids who grow up in suburban or urban areas would benefit from interaction with these gentle animals. I don’t see it as exploiting these animals.

Some people in this world live in fear that someone, somewhere, may be having a good time and they're gonna put a stop to it.

Usually most activists have good intentions and do good work but they're human like the rest of us and can take it farther than appropriate. When they do, they undermine their own message.

This will only push goat snugglers underground, to the black market of dark alleyways and sketchy barns to get their fix

sheep go to heaven. goats go to hell

You comment takes the Cake.

Let me guess-- you're wearing a short skirt and a long jacket.

69 News?

Nice.

Oh for fuck's sake.

Then you know where I'm goin' baby.....

Horns and all!!!

First world offenses.

I already put myself at risk with shady goat dealers peddling goats of unknown origin so this will only make it worse. I swear I'll quit, but right now it takes two goat snuggles just to get me to normal anymore.

[removed]

>Bear Creek Mountain Resort's first annual vegan festival in Macungie on April 16 or the first annual Allentown VegFest at Cedar Beach Park

Well, there's your problem

I lost my job to goat snuggling. The pandemic made it easy for me since I worked from home to sneak out to my local farm and just take a couple snuggles here and there. Thought it wasn’t harming anyone.

But when I returned back to the office, I couldn’t stop. I just couldn’t. I tried snuggling with other animals like dogs, cats, and birds but it just wasn’t the same. I had to have more. Eventually I was snuggling goats in the office thinking I could hide them.

Boss called me into his office and HR was there. Sent to goat rehab and eventually got clean. But then I saw them again at the Kutztown Fair this year and I lost it. This time I stopped showing up to work and was fired.

Stay away from goat snuggling, it’s a very dangerous road to go down.

I will respectively disagree, many activists are irrational in their beliefs. Far too many are eager to demand you conform through threats and violence. Their belief of moral superiority borders on mental illness.

Pretty sure the entire purpose of domesticated livestock is to exploit them.

Whether were killing and eating their flesh, or heaven forbid, cuddling them, it's simply terrible. /s

>Steinmetz said he and his wife would rather pull out of the events than ruin them with potential rioters and picketers.

Yeah, ok. People are really gonna show up and riot over your goats. This story amounts to "family decided not to do an event, blames mean messages." And the fact that the guy linked to an article fear mongering about vegan extremists ties the whole thing in a bow.

Edit - oh, and they booked two events specifically appealing to vegans and vegetarians before this totally real story

Killing =/= cuddling

Sheep are amazing

Goats are amazing

Neither of which will go to hell

Hmm, a marketing tactic, eh?

Well, I at least now know when VegFest is happening! :D

I see no problems

Only two massive opportunities to eat some damn good food and I am HERE for it! xD

You three have made me laugh so hard I think I broke some ribs. I try to read your words to my wife and I just can’t do it because I start laughing so hard. It’s crazy. Thank you.

Of all the problems in the world to protest, goat snuggling was the clear priority!

It's amazing to me how many "grown ups" are just resentful overgrown brats, still trying their best to hog playing Superman on the playground instead of letting other kids take a turn. Feral little shits

My read is more this is a side gig and they didn't feel like dealing with idiots who would disrupt the snuggling and jerk off to themselves later

I was laughing too. Absolutely hilarious.

That's why they specifically booked 2 vegan/vegetarian events and then linked an article about the dangers of vegan extremists, I'm sure.

I read it more as this guy has a pre-existing problem with vegans. I don't know any person who doesn't who would know what Protect the Harvest even is.

For those who don't know, it's an agriculture industry supported anti-anti animal cruelty organization. They oppose efforts to criminalize animal cruelty or promote animal welfare.

Pretty far left liberal here, but def not a vegan: I’m sorry but how in the hell did not one see this coming?

I mean, I know not all vegans, but this is literally the point of vegan philosophy. I mean, there’s a buttload of reasons to not eat animals, but moving to the point of “no animal based products ever” really is the idea that animals can’t consent to any kind of treatment like this, so it’s fundamentally a moral wrong (ie if it’s wrong to use a person, yo, it’s wrong to use an animal for any kind of personal gain).

I find it hard to believe that people couldn’t predict that a fair full of people with this life/economic/ world view would have something to say about it.

We have WAY BIGGER problems in the world then people wanting to cuddle goats. I’m very liberal but this shit is annoying. You want to help humanity. Go fed the homeless!

Wut

Thoughts on bestiality?

And the grave digger puts on the forceps

I mean it’s vegan focused events. That population will have a higher % of PETA/(name your extremist animal rights group here) supporters. Their intent is to destroy animal agriculture. As someone who works in agriculture I would not support these events anyway but most times like this it’s the extremists who look bad and not the farmer trying to do good.

I will believe this happened when they release the messages. It seems like they have as much an agenda as the activists.

Yeah, I think going to vegan-focused events was a bad idea. Pet-related events would be a much better idea because most pet owners understand livestock animals can be treated well (not that most of them are).

Of course, most pet-owning vegans don't admit how hypocritical they are or that their beloved PETA wants to eradicate pets.

Extremists gonna harass. Such is life.

Wow, r/unexpectedcake

This song made is way into my 24/7 head radio last week and it was finally gone. Now it's back. But I ain't mad at ya

Half these vegan shitheads probably have an obligate carnivore at home that they gleefully feed fish and poultry every day.

I think they thought the vegans would love it because "vegans love animals, so why wouldn't they like snuggling animals, doing something loving to them?" I don't think they realized there's a subset of vegans that are (as far as I understand it) against humans owning/keeping animals at all.

This is actually the Catholic church. They have been trying to prevent goat snuggling events for years because baby goats are well known to be converting children to Satanism. /s

It is a slippery slope

>these gentle animals.

Have you met goats?

≠

Save this comment for when you need to copy/paste a not equals symbol next

Yep. If it was just a rescue farm and they did real good PR, that could go over well with that crowd. But I know vegans who won't eat honey or use anything with beeswax in it because the bees can't consent. So that faction probably aren't going to be okay with a farm breeding goats for any reason. This story is like reporting on a distillery that decided it wouldn't attend an AA event. I'm not vegetarian or vegan. But know your audience.

Not a black & white issue. Domesticated animals are a fact of life. Vegans wear woolen jackets, some eat eggs. PETA has done a lot to improve the lot of farm animals. I don’t know what the solution is, but I know if you want to raise empathetic, thoughtful kids time spent in the presence of domestic animals helps.

I mean it IS a vegan festival. What do you expect?

Yes, Nubians are pretty sweet animals. The larger breeds can be ornery, but they have their moments.

=! Or is it !=

Assholes can’t help ruining good things.

Okay, now I am sure you have met goats. Because only someone who has had a fair amount of experience and loves them would use "ornery." "Yeah, Beezlegoat was a bit excitable yesterday, but he only crotch shotted me with a hoof once and left two new bruises."

It's not a black and white issue, I agree. But vegan extremists, like most of /r/vegan, can't admit that. A video of a guy eating eggs from chickens he's met, know are family pets, and see are well cared for? BURN THE WITCH.

Holy shit, that entire sub is full of people that give veganism a bad name. The elitism and snobbery is off the charts…

For what it's worth, a lot of libraries do reading with dogs.

I was in Ohio looking to get a goat snuggle fix (where it's illegal), and I wound up underneath a cvs, where they had a geriatric goat chained to a radiator. Sad stuff.

!= for c / java iirc

You and your kind should be able to safely practice your craft , judgement free, in a controlled environment with professionals on hand. Not cast into the underworld like sort of leper.

Vegans don't eat eggs. Some vegetarians do. Vegans don't consume animal products. Some vegetarians do. Vegan & vegetarian don't mean the same thing. I don't understand why people think they do. It's not like pop & soda, they are completely different terms with different meanings.

Yeah, they're definitely the vinegar and not the honey.

100% on your specific points, but there is still nuance and disagreement. Many vegans own and feed obligate carnivores. Not all vegans are comfortable eating figs that need pollination. There are varied opinions on zoos.

I mean sure but there are people i know that are vegan except for their use of local honey. Are they no longer vegan because of this one exception?

The story feels like outrage bait that gets the company some publicity. Yeah it sucks that some "not so nice" messages were sent but this is a non story.

But in all seriousness I would legit pay money to see the riot at a vegan festival that the goat owner was worried about.

The goat farmers that have only been taking their goats to festivals since last summer have an agenda? I'm honestly super curious to hear what that could possibly be.

Honey is something that isn't agreed upon as to whether it's vegan or not. Some vegans say it depends on how the bees are kept. Others say its still an "animal" product & shouldn't be consumed by humans at all. Most vegans I've known don't eat honey.

Vegans don't eat meat (including fish), dairy products, or use other animal products like bones, organs, etc. AFAIK honey is the only thing that's debated.

Oh good god.

>Vegans wear woolen jackets, some eat eggs.

This would make them non Vegans.

I agree. The guy shouldn't have thought bringing domestic animals to a vegan event was a good idea.

Unfortunately, I eat WFPB, so these events appeal to me. But, I try not to be involved in the vegan philosophy. Now, if I were to attend (which I won't be for distance and other reasons), I would feel I would be showing the extremists that I agree with them.

Why let assholes ruin it? If the organizers were OK with it, I'd do it just to stand up to bullies

The vegans I know wear wool but not leather, interesting.

Vegans I know would call them abusers.

Veganism is bad with or without the extremists. It's unnatural, unhealthy, and bad for the environment.

No. No vegan.

I had Nubians when I was in 4-H. Miss those big floppy ears. The kids liked to sit in your lap like dogs. They were loud, though. 😆

Why do extremist wackos have to ruin EVERYTHING!?

I am unfamiliar with that acronym. What does WFPB stand for in this context?

Whole lot of cross-over between religious superiority, moral superiority, and racial superiority. Seems they like to wade in the shallow end of the pool together.

Whole food plant based.

Basically vegan, but for health reasons instead of moral objections.

PETA are terrorists. Their end goal is no domestic animals, and they believe my dog is better off dead. They ran an animal shelter in a southern state and stole dogs out of back yards and euthanized them.

I am plant based for health reasons, I use some leather, don’t care what kind of milk you drink, and while I don’t care if you eat meat, I think it should be raised and slaughtered humanely with an eye on how some animal agriculture affects the environment. (Not a fan of the giant ponds of pig poo maintained by some of the giant pig farms.)

If you never interact with animals, and they are only pictures in a book, it’s easy to justify poor treatment.

You make a good point. Big difference between reading about & actually interacting with animals. This is what I was really trying to say earlier. Hard to relate just reading or watching a video. Nothing like feeling their fur, petting, feeding, caring for & having some responsibility for another being.

They eat everything in sight, including your hair.

Moderation in life is key. Would not trade anything for what I consider true friendships I have had with animals in my life. Hard to lose my last dog he was one in a million.

FYI, if you’re in the city and want to snuggle some goats, check out The Philly Goat Project. Also, just outside the city near Dresher is Rosebridge Farms.

They do great work to educate, rehabilitate, rescue, and re-home animals.

Never found goats to be snuggly. Animal activists generally aren't, either. This publicity hound farmer probably isn't snuggly.