Discussion Board

Anyone else here a John Robbins fan and read this book? Just wondering. I like his stand on population and less consumption.

Although I have read many of John Robbins books, I am not a big fan of his. He was a hippy-type (well not really a hippie I guess but he lived in that era and bought-into many of the ideas of the time). While I agree with some of the things he says, like vegan being healthy and we are ruining the environment by burning off the rain forest and cutting down old growth trees, I think it's going to take a lot more than going vegan to really change things. I realize he promotes new energy sources and all that, but he just doesn't seem to have the clout and comes off more like a hippy (he was so upset about things when he was young he went to live on an island by himself). In some ways he reminds me of that kid in the movie "Into the Wild"
who wanted to shun society. At least Robbins had the sense to get off the island and try to save the world, but then he put all his money in Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme and lost a small fortune. How smart was that? I think Robbins' heart is in the right place, but I would rather read something more academic about environmental problems than just the touchy-feely stuff that John Robbins writes.
I feel that Robbin's readers are a niche market and we need a plan that all humans can and will embrace if there is going to be any large scale change in government policy in regards to the future of this planet. Some of the countries (like China) that do the most polluting have the poorest people who are already doing without. You can't ask them to give up more. Of course Americans can give up more, but that doesn't neccessarily solve the problems in the rest of the world.

I guess I must be a fan of John Robbins. I think his Diet for a New America is one of the most important books ever written, a remarkable achievement. He has certainly tried valently to use his wealth to bring about positive change. It takes a lot of character and principle to make the kind of changes he made in his life, turning his back on the Ice Cream empire to espouse veganism (or close to veganism).

When you say he doesn't have "clout", I wonder just who you think does in this movement. I think he is right up there with John McDougall, Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn, Dean Ornish, Neal Barnard, and Rip Esselstyn, to name a few.

But to answer the question of the thread, I haven't read this book. I've read Healthy at 100, and Diet for a New America both of which I highly reccommend.

Dear nofriendofYale,

I agree with you that Robbins, Esslestyn, McDougall, Barnard, et al are having an impact on people's health, however they have not done much when it comes to the overall environment. That is neither their area of expertise nor their overarching mission. They are trying to make a difference in individual health. Global warming isn't simply caused by methene gas emissions from beef or pork industries. The number one polluter is industrial emissions from factories using coal. Much of the pollution is from China. The EPA, the European Environmental Agengy and the UN Environmental Program are probably making the most impact. Private organizations which are making an impact include the Pew Institute and The Climate Institute. Unfortunately there are still several countries which are not doing much, like China which has not lived up to it's agreement concerning the Kyoto Protocol.

I greatly admire John Robbins and have read "Diet for a New America" and "The New Good Life". In the latter book are many ideas for non-toxic cleaners and household products you can make yourself. As detailed in that book, he did not personally choose Madoff for his investments and in fact had never heard of the man until he learned all his life savings were gone. The choice of Madoff was made by a third party (I do not have the book in front of me).

John Robbins' talents lie elsewhere than in the world of investments and big money, even though that is his family background. He was the heir of Baskin-Robbins who renounced the enormous wealth and power that was his birthright, partly because he was troubled by the health implications of the product. You would go far to find his equal anywhere.

John Robbins has a thoughtfulness, integrity and beauty of spirit which are rare in this world. I am not sure what is gained by stereotyping him as a "hippy", or stereotyping hippies or the hippy era as negative. Many would disagree; regardless, JR is well deserving of accolades.

A Free Spirit wrote:



Well said!

I didn't think I was making a negative statement about hippies or the hippy era. I was a part of it myself and I realize that many people of that era have gone on to make positive impacts in the world. That was not my point. Sorry you took it that way. My point was that it takes more than having your heart in the right place. That is only the first step. There are some forces in the world that are more powerful than any one individual and those forces (namely governments and big business and industry) are not easily swayed. Ralph Nader and even Michael Moore have tried their best. Nader has made some impact, Moore has certainly gotten public awareness aroused and I know that John Robbins is doing his best, but let's be honest his influence is not that widespread. I wish it were, I truly do, but it is going to take a lot more than some of us stopping eating meat or making our homes more environmentally friendly to stop global warming if it indeed can be stopped or it's negative impact lessened. Those things may make us feel good (and I do those things), but it is going to take some powerful negotiating and arm twisting to get China to stop their wholesale polluting. Unfortunatley because of economic problems in the U.S., we may be losing some of our clout.

Thanks Gramma Jackie, I understand your point better now. I too apologize for the misunderstanding.

...but I would add, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."