A new study shows that folks who fequently buy, eat or advocate for organics are more snotty and judgmental than folks with less exposure to organic food.
To be honest I have seen this, in some cases, but now it’s officially documented – not good news for organic advocates. The claim that organic food turns people into jerks stems from a new study published this week in the journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Study author, Kendall Eskine, assistant professor of the department of psychological sciences at Loyola University in New Orleans, tells Health on Today, “There’s a line of research showing that when people can pat themselves on the back for their moral behavior, they can become self-righteous.” Eskine also points out that lots of organic products are marketed with moral terminology, like Honest Tea, which may be part of the problem.
The study found out the following:
- Organic advocates judge others much harder than people who mainly stick to conventional or comfort food groups.
- Organic advocates are more selfish, volunteering less than their peers.
- Study results suggest that exposure to organic foods may lead people to affirm their moral identities.
Eskine notes that maybe exposure to organic food makes people feel better about themselves, which in turn may give them a bigger license to act unethically. Eskine compares it to going to the gym, noting, “It’s like when you run a few miles and you feel good about yourself, so you eat a candy bar.”
I get it, because the “I’m better than you” attitude isn’t exclusive to, but is very relevant among green living advocates. After ten or so years of trying to live greener, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it all…
- “I’d never give my kid non-organics!“
- “Are you really going to buy that plastic toy?!“
- “I can’t believe that mom at play group bought Bert’s Bees instead of Earth Mama Angel Baby.“
- “Chemicals have never touched my child!“
And on and on. Tree huggers can be an outstandingly annoying bunch. Luckily, I don’t believe this is true across the board. Sure I’ve met jerk organic advocates, but I’ve also met well-balanced, nice organic advocates. I try to be nice about green living, organics especially, because it’s a sensitive issue for many. I also really try to make sure that everyone knows I’m not perfect, because one, you win more love and advocacy with honey and two, no one is perfect. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there’s no such thing as perfect green living. People who act holy green are flat out scamming you.
The next time you run into an organic advocate who is acting like a jerk, it might be wise to speak up. Tell the individual that they’re harming, not helping the organic cause. For more tips read: 10 sane tips for a green, safe and happy life.
Do you think organic advocates are ruder than other people? Let me know in the comments.
Images by Flickr Users: Br3nda; WordRidden
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Funny. I just wrote a post on this and wondered whether you did too. And, you did!
By the way, have you seen the show “Portlandia”? Funny stuff, but I guess it’s sad too since some people really do act like that.
I’ve definitely felt belittled by hard-core organic friends because we make compromises like buying very little organic produce in favor of local produce and less toxic cleaning and skin products and cloth diapers. Almost none of us can do it all, so each of us can do what we can. I will admit that it irks me to receive a lecture on how my use of incandescent bulbs and non-organic produce is harming my family and the planet from someone who uses disposable diapers. That is one of the reasons that I love this site. You’ve become a great source of green information, even if I don’t always agree, because you realize that each family has to do what is best for them, even if its not the same as yours.
@Peggy – hey, you did write the same – great minds and all… I LOVE Portlandia, but when I saw that Health on Today piece quote, “It was like a ‘Portlandia skit.’ They were so snotty and arrogant.”I have to say, as a PDX resident I got kind of defensive and it made me like Portlandia a bit less. It’s a funny show, and some stuff is super right on (like the biker skits for example), but across the board, we’re not the only town acting like this. In Humboldt, folks were way more elite about green living and in Santa Fe and even Albuquerque there were some major “green” cliques. I think this sort of behavior happens in most places, but to varying amounts.
@Laundry Lady – It’s funny. The reason I like this site (I know I’m prejudiced) is because my readers are also pretty open to doing what they can, not what’s perfect as well. On some other green sites I’ve written for, readers can get super judgmental – especially when I start going off about doing what’s best for your own family. I like that the readers here leave nice comments and send cool emails (mostly) even though I’m not die-hard green. It’s a good balance of folks hanging here.
Sometimes I wonder why/how people weigh stuff like they do – like are cloth diapers better than organics or are green toys smarter than green cleaning. Is local better than other green things? It’s odd how we all come up with such different value systems on the same issues.
I know that many of the decisions we make are financially based. (which is why I love your Live green and save $50,000 in five years series). We generally make green choices that are also frugal; such as using homemade green cleaning products instead of paying more for store bought green cleaners. We chose the cloth diaper for a combination of environmental and financial reasons. As far as local produce goes, many of the local growers in our area practice greener growing without the labels or PR, plus the produce is much fresher, plus I like the idea of supporting more local growers. I’d rather buy from them than pay more for officially organic produce shipped from California or elsewhere (we live on the East Coast). I’d definitely rather grow my own produce when I can than purchase from any store, organic or not, because of the freshness factor.