Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine received an earful when a vegan activist appearing on his show spotted his ham and cheese sandwich nearby during an interview and promptly laid into him.
Joey ‘Carbstrong’ Armstrong, who is currently touring the UK to promote a plant-based diet, tore into Vine during a segment about recent clashes between animal rights activists and farmers.
Armstrong, whose Twitter bio picture features him tenderly kissing a piglet, took Vine to task immediately for leaving his lunch out on display. Here’s how the exchange went…
Armstrong: “Well I’m a bit upset to see your sandwich has a bit of a pig’s body in there. A dead pig that didn’t want to die.
Vine: “This is a ham sandwich on the table.”
Armstrong: “Ham is a euphemism that actually comes from the flesh of a dead pig.”
Vine: “What would you rather call it?”
Armstrong: “I’d like you to call it the dead body of an animal who didn’t want to die.”
Vine: “Is the cheese a problem as well?”
Armstrong: “The cheese comes from a mother who had her children taken from her, and had hands shoved in her anus and was artificially inseminated with bull semen. Probably why vegans would say that a dairy farmer is akin to a rapist. I wouldn’t call a farmer a rapist, I wouldn’t use any of those words without explaining to them the process and why they involve themselves in these types of practices.”
Vine: “For you - I obviously won’t eat this sandwich now, I might never eat it - but it’s offensive to see it?”
Armstrong: “I believe is more offensive to actually show me the piece of animal who didn’t want to die than it is to call someone out for it.”
While Armstrong’s diatribe apparently succeeded in preventing Vine from eating his ham sandwich, it didn’t go down so well with listeners.
“It’s your life choice mate, not everyone has to conform,” remarked TheRealGarr, while John Devlin tweeted: “That bloke did nothing for his cause.”
“His point would be much better made if he wasn’t so aggressive, gets people’s backs up, not the way to persuade anyone of anything,” opined FireWasp.
Armstrong was also branded a “precious little snowflake”, while Keith Nickless quipped he had: “Laughed so much I had to have a steak.”
Despite the backlash, Armstrong did have some support, with self-described animal lover and dedicated vegan Patricia Caputo stating: “He was very articulate”, while Matthew Gough tweeted: “He’s got a point, we’re socialised not to eat dead dog = cruel but that’s exactly what we call it when other cultures do. Ham = abused dead pig.”
A suitably chastised Vine later wrote: “Tip: When interviewing a militant vegan, don’t leave a ham sandwich in view.”