Exchange between Mr. Robbins and Mr. Cohen in which Mr. Robbins requests Mr. Cohen remove his article from Mr. Cohen's websites.

John Robbins writes:

The following exchange took place between Robert Cohen and myself in early January, 2002. Prior to this exchange I have had very little contact with Mr. Cohen. I have only spoken with him on a few occassions, and never for more than a few minutes, if that.

The following exchange is the only communication of any kind that I have had with Mr. Cohen in many months. It began with my asking Mr. Cohen to please remove an article that I had written about soy from his website. A week or two previously, he had asked permission to post my article there. He had been given this permission by someone who works with me. But I was now asking him to remove it.

I wrote Mr. Cohen a simple note asking him to remove my article from his site and inviting him to, instead, put a link on his site to my site where the article is posted. I thought this was no big deal. I thought it was a perfectly reasonable request and would be a very simply matter to conclude. But that's not what happened.

I have had grave reservations about making this exchange public. As a rule, I do not believe in "airing dirty laundry" in public. I would much rather focus on working to create a healthy and compassionate society than on the misbehavior of someone who apparently has some deep personal problems. However, events have come to light that have lead me to see Mr. Cohen's behavior toward me as merely one unfortunate example of a pattern of behavior that I believe has repeatedly caused harm to people and undermined the credibility of the cause he purports to serve. In addition, Mr. Cohen has told a number of people that in this exchange I "abused" him, that I acted "horribly," and that I displayed "an anti-Robert Cohen agenda." For these reasons I believe it has regrettably become necessary to make transparent the entire exchange, so that people can judge for themselves.

Mention is made in the exchange of Stephen Walsh. Dr. Walsh is a serious scholar, and a genuine advocate for a vegan way of life. He has has helped start several vegan housing coops, and has organized three summer camps for vegans in the UK. After 10 months on the UK Vegan Society council he was elected vice chair. My opinion of his published material is that it is extremely thorough, scientifically scrupulous, painstakingly accurate, and makes a greatly needed contribution. I have spoken with many of the most prominent nutritionists, dieticians, physicians and scientists in the vegan and vegetarian community both in the U.S. and in England about Dr. Walsh. Without exception, the people with whom I have spoken hold both his character and his work in the highest regard. Brenda Davis, R.D., former chair of the American Dietetic Association's Vegetarian Practice Group, and co-author of several books on vegetarian nutrition that I admire and recommend, commented that Stephen Walsh "is dedicated and brilliant. I am consistently impressed with his knowledge and perspectives."

I first made Stephen Walsh's acquaintance when he wrote me several months ago with several corrections of material in The Food Revolution. I thought I had been exhaustive in preparing that book, but sure enough, when I looked into what he had to say, he was right. So I take my hat off to him for his research skills and expertise. I thanked him, of course, for taking the time to provide me with his insights.

The next stage of my experience of Dr. Walsh was receiving a copy of a letter he wrote to Robert Cohen. In it, he found substantial, repeated, and serious flaws in Mr. Cohen's work. He offered to help Mr. Cohen bring his work into alignment with scientific reality, and said that he would bring these many errors in Mr. Cohen's statements to public notice unless Mr. Cohen showed some willingness to correct them. Mr. Cohen's reply was, and I quote: "I hope that nothing is lost in the translation when I tell you to go have carnal relations with yourself."

Seeing how disrespectful Mr. Cohen's reply was to Dr. Walsh, and feeling some very deep misgivings that I've long had about Mr. Cohen's respect for truth, I wrote Mr. Cohen a simple note asking him to remove my article from his site. Thus began the following exchange, which is presented below without any editing or abridgement:

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: soy article
Date: Sun, 06 Jan 2002 11:19:23 -0800
From: John Robbins
To: Robert Cohen

Dear Robert,

I see that you have posted my soy article on your site.  Could I ask
that, instead, you simply link to my site (www.foodrevolution.org) for
people to read it?  I appreciate your making this change promptly.

John Robbins
 

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: soy article
Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 16:39:46 -0500
From: "Robert Cohen"
To: "John Robbins"
 

Dear John,

I've instructed my webmaster to remove the column from
the NOTMILK site.

This wass an extremely unexpected request. Do you take
offense that I am promoted a philosophy instead of
JOHN ROBBINS, INC?

I've been very honored in the past to promote your work,
your books, and I've spoken very highly of you.

I also go out of my way to promote EarthSave, never asking
for a speaking fee, and complimenting its founder. You
have been an inspiration for me, and your letter brings
it all crumbling down. Have I been a schmuck, and should
I now be interested in the WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME, as it
seems you are doing?

Your letter sounds a bit aggressive. Very promptly?
What problem do you have with me highlighting your
column as I've done? Perhaps you would like a royalty.

I am a bit taken back by your request.
I did not expect this from you.
The article will be removed today.

Robert Cohen
http://www.nomilk.com
 

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: soy article
Date: Sun, 06 Jan 2002 19:11:55 -0800
From: John Robbins
To: Robert Cohen

Robert,

There is no need for you to be upset.  I am sorry that I expressed myself
in a way that triggered you to feel offended or hurt in any way.

I would simply prefer that you link to my site for people to read it.
That's the same thing that I've asked of Jeff Nelson  at VegSource.com,
and it's the same thing I've asked of the people from every other
internet site that has wanted to share this information with their
audience.  You are the only one, frankly, that has had even the slightest
difficulty with my request.  Everyone else has been happy to do so.  I am
sorry that I didn't make it clear that this is what I would prefer when
you first asked.

By the way, Robert, I did not say "very promptly" as your last email
indicates that I said.  Check for yourself.  Do you think it's possible
that you maybe have just the slightest tendency to over-react?

John
 

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: soy article
Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 21:17:48 -0500
From: "Robert Cohen"
To: "John Robbins"

John Robbins wrote:

{There is no need for you to be upset.  I am sorry that I expressed myself
in a way that triggered you to feel offended or hurt in any way.}

I am not upset, John. I am very upset.

{I would simply prefer that you link to my site for people to read it.}

You made that clear. I reject the selfishness of
your request. We clearly have different standards.
I invite anybiody to take my work and make it their
own. Not only did I post your column, but I posted a photo
of you, and promoted your book. I have never asked you to
do the same for me. As a matter of fact, I could not care
less if you did or not. I did what I did because it
was the right thing to do.

You did what you did and it was the wrong thing
to do. Examine your motives. Examine your ego.

{That's the same thing that I've asked of Jeff Nelson  at VegSource.com,
and it's the same thing I've asked of the people from every other
internet site that has wanted to share this information with their
audience.  You are the only one, frankly, that has had even the slightest
difficulty with my request.}

Screw everybody else.
I am me. Some people lack the courage to tell you
that you err. You want advisors who praise your
every word? You live in a self created yes-world,
an appropriate name for your website. I am not
everybody else, and I am not a yes-man.

I don't care how others react. You might be their deity. You are not
mine. Your request was weak and selfish, and I am disappointed
in you. End of subject. The article no longer appears on my site.

{Everyone else has been happy to do so.}

How nice.

{I am sorry that I didn't make it clear that this
is what I would prefer when you first asked.}

You have now made it very clear to me who you are, John.

{By the way, Robert, I did not say "very promptly" as your last email
indicates that I said.  Check for yourself.  Do you think it's possible
that you maybe have just the slightest tendency to over-react?}

Wonderful attempt to go on the agressive.
It does not work here.

I added the very for my own emphasis.
You still do not get it. Perhaps this movement
would have gone in a different direction had you
only possessed the ability to see why you are wrong.

You and I clearly have different standards, John.

Robert Cohen
 

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: soy4life.com and soytoy.com
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 16:53:45 -0800
From: John Robbins
To: Robert Cohen

Robert,

I’m sorry you felt very upset by our e-mail exchange of last week, as I
certainly never intended to offend you.

To be perfectly honest, Stephen Walsh’s comments on your use of statistics
and the lack of a reasonable response from you led me to feel
uncomfortable with my name and article being used in strong connection
to your sites.  It’s not that I don’t wish you and your work well, it’s
that I feel his points have merit, and did not consider your response to
him to be reasonable or even civil.  I have no desire to be involved in
the issues you and Stephen have to resolve, but do not want to be seen as
endorsing your site at this time.  This was the reason I chose to
contact you with my request.  You are still welcome to link to the
article, of course, but it would need to be in the form of a link.  This
includes soy4life.com, as well as soytoy.com, both of which still have
it posted.

Thanks for honoring my request.

Wishing you well,

John
 

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: soy4life.com and soytoy.com
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 21:30:00 -0500
From: "Robert Cohen"
To: "John Robbins"

Dear John,

You consider to astound me.
If you have an issue with me, be man enough to
bring it up. This is the first time that I am
learning of your hidden agenda. That makes your
accusations of our last email even more disappointing.

For the record: Stephen Walsh works for a pharmaceutical
chemical company. His assignment in England was to
follow and harrass me. Should you have contacts with
the EarthSave chapter in London, it would be easy to
confirm that when he started his tirade at Regents college,
he made an ass of himself, and was booed by the crowd.
I took the opportunity to implore the crowd to be quiet,
and let the man speak his mind. He did, and followed me
the next evening when I addressed an animal rights group.

The man is an infiltrator, and was there to
saboutage.

His comment was extremely technical, and he was wrong.
He criticized comments that I made in the third chapter
of my book, Milk The Deadly Poison.

I can stand up to any critic, and did so with him.

I have no control over his writing letters on the Internet,
which obviously influenced you.

{It’s not that I don’t wish you and your work well, it’s
that I feel his points have merit, and did not consider your response to
him to be reasonable or even civil.}

Which point has merit?  John, you're turning me off.
The less I have to do with you, the better off I will be.
You judge me, condemn me, and then become my critic without
any sort of hearing. Then you have the nerve to write
the next line:

{I have no desire to be involved in
the issues you and Stephen have to resolve,
but do not want to be seen as
endorsing your site at this time.}

{This was the reason I chose to contact you with my request.}

Oh, so that was the reason.
And you accused me of over reacting.
LOL

All I can say is that you are pathetic.
You exemplify what I've always been against,
John. You're just a phony. What respect I
had for you is no longer there.

{You are still welcome to link to the article, of course,
but it would need to be in the form of a link.  This
includes soy4life.com, as well as soytoy.com, both of
which still have it posted.

{Thanks for honoring my request.
Wishing you well,
John}

Honor?

Robert Cohen

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