Meat-dealing vegetarians

The paradox of the meat-dealing vegetarian is ancient. God-fearing pharaohs of early Egyptian civilizations would refrain from dealing in dark sorcery but demanded supernatural feats from contracted shamans. Eighteenth century butchers who knew their meat was unfit for eating would sell it to the lowly peasants but refuse to stomach it themselves. During the '60s, political hippies would in-fight over the best way to protest war. Gun control activists of the late '80s took advantage of the exclusive market by selling Kalashnikovs out the trunks of their cars.

With this post, I find myself joining their ranks, but after much deliberation, I, unlike those pharaohs, butchers, hippies, and gun control activists, have been able to justify my meat-dealing. The engine behind me becoming a vegetarian was a simple calculation of the sum utility yielded from including meat in my diet versus excluding it from my diet. To avoid leading this post into a much more profound discussion than I intended, let's just say that taking into account a diverse selection of factors, I found the sum to be greater under the latter condition.

So, if eating meat yields a lower sum utility, how can dealing meat have any better an effect? Two words that have the power to turn any utilitarian argument topsy turvy -- "It's free." Our friends at Wendy's have decided to give back to investors with this sweet coupon - no strings attached - allowing my colleague at work to pass it on to me, allowing me to pass it on to you, and allowing you to go back for as many double cheeseburgers as your heart desires (and regrets after developing around its membrane a deadly yet delicious layer of cholesterol).

My hope is that we can, together, either put Wendy's out of business, saving a butt load of cows, or save a butt load of cash, because after all, it's all about the Hamiltons, baby. Copy and paste three to a page, print, and go to town.


If you end up using the coupon, especially if you end up using it more than once, please let me know by email or a comment on this post, I'd like some assurance that this isn't bullshit.

EDIT: My buddy Calvin's local Wendy's says they're, in his words, "bogus." You know what they say about things that are too good to be true.

EDIT: Maybe all that glitters be gold. Received another report that these coupons do indeed work in NYC.

*Burger photo by pointnshoot