why vegan?

i thought maybe it was time for a “why vegan?” part two and just some standard misconceptions i've seen. firstly, it can be hard for non-vegans to grasp sometimes why people are vegan and what it means to them- is it for the animals? an i’m gonna save the planet-feel good crap? some trend? new phase? health superstition? it's endless

i hate to use the word “religion” but veganism is almost like that in the sense that i really don’t give a hoot that you’re eating a cheeseburger any less than if you’re christian, catholic or buddhist while im talking to you. people more often than you would think like to make comments such as “oh haha is it okay that I eat this in front of you? do you hate me now? sorry I’m eating a burger” blah blah *sigh* no I really do not care. and no, i am not judging you or disgusted with you or something (unless maybe you’re eating mcdonalds then I may walk away because that crap is so gross and the smell makes me wanna vomit…just being courteous!)

so relax, not all vegans are so pretentious and judgmental that they are always trying to secretly convert you.

honestly “vegan” is just a word. for me it just represents what i eat and believe. it’s like being kosher or how in some countries cows are sacred. this brings me to those people that don’t take vegetarian or vegan diets seriously and think “well it’s just one hot dog…you’re not going to die from it” or some lame remark about how this burger is from a happy cow.

no, i am not making the choice to skip the dairy or meat because i have some superstition that i will immediately die or my insides will spit it out. it is simply a choice. i choose to not eat animal products and not because i think i’ll immediately get cancer or be poisoned and die (although many people are lactose intolerant and go vegan simply because they’re bodies reject dairy). so just like no jewish person would eat pork to save their life; eating meat is out of the question if i say it is. i’m not trying to be bothersome or picky.

personally i have made the choice that i am always a strict vegetarian (no meat is fairly easy to avoid) but on some occasions when i do not know if what i am eating is vegan or have doubts, it is not the end of the world if it is not 100% vegan. especially when it comes to other people’s houses and traveling, you just do the best you can and make your own choice.

i think you have to be flexible at times which is okay since progress is what matters most. i learned that from peter singer, the father of animal liberation.

it seems some people resent and fear the V word like it’s a cult. i think it is for the most part a response to the unfamiliar. i do not enjoy telling people i am vegan unless they notice and take an interest to my diet by asking questions. more often than not if i am offered non vegan food a simple no thank you works just fine and i do not have to explain myself.

 i tend to ignore silly and rude comments about being vegan simply because i understand that people have no idea why someone would be vegan and what it means to me. sure, there are plenty pretentious bad apple vegans but to each their own i guess.

 i honestly don’t even dare tell my doctor that i am vegan from fear she may lecture me about how dangerous it is and how i need to take 30+ vitamins. one time i had to answer if i drank milk and i said just soy milk and she immediately, without checking to see if i actually WAS vitamin D deficient, wrote me a prescription. she went on to say that a lot of people are vitamin d deficient, which is true, but either way i don’t believe in vitamins anyways.

when i asked her what foods contained calcium and vitamin D, since i would much rather increase my intake through foods, she could not answer me and said "ohh you'll learn all about that in nursing school" (i wonder what her excuse would have been if she didn’t know i needed this physical for the nursing program).

 i completely understand her genuine concern and belief that she was doing it right. so i kept my mouth shut and never picked up a prescription.

i do think being vegan is starting to be much more known and so little less gawked at...it really isn’t that weird folks. maybe one day it will be such a regular thing like vegetarianism is or being kosher etc.

why i am vegan for the animals is simply because i know and it has been researched (because it’s so questionable apparently) that animals are sentient beings who feel pain and fear. i simply do not support the meat and dairy industry and refuse to eat animals pumped with hormones and fed a corn based diet. no thanks. i do not care to drink milk because 1) i am not a baby 2) cows milk is for baby cows 3) i have enough estrogen, thanks 4) i wouldn’t want to be milked my entire life and taken away from my babies either.

i just think animals are not ours to use and abuse. but sadly it seems to be skys the limit when it comes to animal torture. so don’t get me started on furs and shit. i don’t care to take the skin off a mink or dog or alligator to put on my new shiny shoes. believe me when i say these practices are far worse and grotesque than you can possibly imagine.

however, for most people it is a matter of “out of sight out of mind”. as paul mcartney says “if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian”. i understand it is hard to relate to some creature you have never met but you HAVE met your dog, cat, rabbit, snake and you would never dream of killing them with a bat or stuffing them in a cage and eating them for breakfast or wear their fur.

basically, as much as i don't feel using the word vegan is something otherworldly it seems to be received negatively at times and i find my self steering away from it. the diet i strive for is a "whole foods plant based diet" and anyone can do that whenever, wherever, once a week or once a month for whatever reason they choose.

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all the arguments to prove man's superiority cannot shatter this hard fact: in suffering the animals are our equals.

-peter singer

^^^ just watched this debate about "should animals be off the menu?" and it is a wonderful start for those interested in the arguments from both sides of the debate on this issue and just to gain some insight. i must say i was really impressed with the audiences questions and comments in the end, they were very coherent and informed (for the most part) and challenged the "expert" panel diligently. watch it to see who wins this time vegans vs. omnivores ;) 

my favorite quote of the debate: 

it is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it. - upton sinclair