Yes. You read the title correctly. I am willingly placing myself in a tug-o-war with a pack of wild, snarling dogs. My beef is about veganism, and the type of movement it has become. Don't get me wrong, I do agree with some of the things that vegans stand for, but I believe that they are going about it in all the wrong ways...
3 years ago in my ninth grade year, I watched a documentary called Earthlings, and today, the images of chickens getting their heads sliced off, cows being gutted, and small, fluffy chicks being put into a grinder still haunt me to this very day.
After seeing that documentary, I was filled with a boiling feeling of regret that haunted me for weeks. I felt secondhand embarrassment for all of humanity. After seeing this film, I was filled to the brim with regret. I was so ashamed with myself, with the human race, with what we had morphed into... We were consciously inflicting pain and suffering on other life just in the name of profit, made me feel remorse, betrayal and heartache. I was so incredibly embarrassed to be a human. Animals were innocent beings, so why were we exploiting them for our own pleasure? They did not deserve this.
Prior to this newfound feeling of hatred, I went through a vegetarian phase for a couple of weeks, refusing to eat meat, but sticking to cheese, yogurt, and plant-based foods. It didn’t last long, however, because I was not mentally ready to make this huge dietary transition in my life, not just yet. I was young, and I was uneducated on the food industry. I had to learn more before I made such a huge decision on my diet, my health, and my moral compass. I still felt that regret for all the innocent beings that are killed every day. I just couldn’t go vegetarian, let alone vegan. Not yet.
Fast forward a couple of years later, and I am watching all of these vegan YouTubers. Quite frankly, while the message that they are trying to get across to us is valid, the way that they are going about it is just absurd, and turns many people off from veganism. They attack other YouTubers for using animal products in recipes, they scowl at people who simply consume animal products, and are all around just rude to these people in general. There are vegan YouTubers who just sit and react to meateaters, and add nothing to the discussion but "Ew, chicken period." or "Yuck, using cow puss in your smoothie?" Like, people get that is what they're eating, but do you really need to keep bringing that up?
I get that you’re trying to help animals, and the planet, but you can go about doing this in a much, much kinder way.
Let me ask you all a question: Will a person all up in your face, preaching to you about “chicken periods”, “cow puss”, and murder make you want to go vegan?
Don’t get me wrong, I believe that these vegans have the best intentions, and many of them have big hearts, as I am friends with a non-preachy vegan, and I watch non-preachy vegan YouTubers as WELL as the ones who use appeal to emotion and hateful tactics to get their message across, but most of them get lost in this movement, which turns many people away from the vegan lifestyle that they so desperately want to impose of the rest of the human population.
Turning up your noses at people who eat meat, snarling at people who shove a spoonful of steak into their mouth, and just being an unpleasant person in general to people who are uneducated about this way of life is immature, and it makes people just not want to get involved with vegans. Being cynical, condescending, and using forceful tactics to spread your message is like that of a cult, as many extremists use the same in-your-face, aggressive tactics to get people to join them. Again, while many vegans have good intentions with their viewpoints, these aggressive tactics just do not work. Ever hear the phrase that you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink? The same thing rings true here: People are hardheaded.
You cannot force someone to become vegan. Sorry, but the world does not work like that. In your perfect world, everyone would be a vegan, I get it, but wake up, this is reality. All you can really do is talk about how it has changed your outlook on life. Scare-tactics and appeal to emotion fallacies don't work on a lot of people.
Many vegans argue like this:
"How can say that you love animals when you consume animal products? You are contributing to the corrupted economy, feeding government agenda, supplying your body with toxic waste and death, depleting Earth of its resources, murdering billions upon billions of innocent lives purely for your own personal gain. By consuming animal products and paying people to murder animals, you support animal slavery, torture and mistreatment, contributing to ecological disasters, creating disease within your bodies, putting the rotting flesh of animals within it... Did you know that you consume over 200 animals PER YEAR ?! In a lifetime that is about 13 000 lives you have taken, all in the name of your personal desire! It's time to wake up! Carb the FUCK up! Stop eating the flesh of other animals, you disgusting human! I am ashamed to be the same species as you!
When many should be pushing to argue like this:
"Since I cut meat and dairy our of my diet, my life has changed drastically. It was a challege right off the bat for me. I had to relearn how to eat and get the basics down. It was hard for me, becuase I have lived on meat and dairy for so long. I had to really look into my nutritional intake, impact on the environment, and I had to align everything with my beliefs. I feel like the best version of myself, without a word of a lie, like a fog has lifted from my mind and I can see things much more consciously. It’s like I woke up. I’m happier, healthier – I’ve lost over 10kgs, my skin tone is much more even and I have healed myself of a few health issues, I have more energy, my moods are much more stable and I feel so much more connected to the earth and truly feel like I am making a positive difference to my life, and the planet.
I’m so excited to share this with my own children and to reinforce their love of all animals by not having to expose them to the disconnections that the corporations have created towards animal consumption. Embracing a plant-based diet has enabled me to thrive in all aspects of my life, it’s inspired me to become more health conscious and to embrace what it really means to be a human – I truly believe the human race is here to be the guardians of all other life – the plants, the animals, the ocean, the land. All of it is not ours to own, but is ours to protect. I am so proud of myself for being the change I wish to see in the world."
I have heard many horror stories from people who have gotten involved with these preachy vegans. A friend of mine who is not vegan, but would die for the likes of an innocent animal, told me about the time that she had to cut ties with a preachy vegan friend of hers. She would peep up every time she would have a steak, or a piece of chicken, and go on and on about the cruelty of the meat industry. She would insult her, calling her a horrible human being if she would simply have a piece of cheese. She had told me that this is what is keeping her from joining the vegan movement. She does not want to be apart of the cult that this movement has morphed into.
Going vegan is a huge, life-changing decision. People do not just jump headfirst into being vegan. It takes time, energy, and financial capability. Many vegans believe that if they preach to you about how they are somehow better than you because they don’t succumb to the dependability of the dairy and meat industry will somehow guilt trip you into becoming vegan overnight. It doesn’t work like that. People have been eating meat since the beginning of humankind. It as taught to them by their ancestors, and their ancestors ancestors.
It is difficult for these people who were taught since they were children to consume animal products to just stop doing so. Be a little sympathetic of that, vegans. Take baby steps with them, and understand that it is a difficult thing to persuade people to join your little movement. You have to see both sides of the spectrum to see what it is all about. There is no need for extremist herbivores, or extremist carnivores. We have to stop judging people on their diets, and we need to help better educate the public on what it means to be healthy.
Being vegan does not make you a better person.
Morality changes with the times. There was a time when it was ethical to have slaves. there was a time when it was considered good to stone women who commit adultery (that is still considered the morally good thing to do in some countries, unfortunately). There may be a time where we will no longer consider ethical to exploit animals to the levels we do now.
Not being vegan does not make you a bad person.
I do not know most of you, so therefore I cannot make that assumption that you are suddenly a horrible person based upon your dietary choices. Biologically we are omnivores, and we have been consuming meat for who knows how long. It shouldn't be expected of us to just stop doing it. You just need to be educated on the topic and make the decision if going vegan is right for you.
Being vegan does not mean that you are healthier.
There are healthy people who follow vegan lifestyles, and there are healthy people who follow nonvegan lifestyles. Again, it depends weather or not that person wants to follow that lifestyle or not. Studies are still being conducted on the benefits of vegan and nonvegan diets. All you can do is teach people the benefits of veganism without the preachy vibes, please.
Going vegan takes time, and is a decision that the individual has to make.
Again, it is your choice to go vegan, or to not go vegan. People can only persuade you in doing so. If they want to learn more about vegans and what it stands for, welcome them with open arms. If not, then stop being in their face about it. Simple as that. Also, don't be assholes to people who asked you a simple question and go off on passive aggressive rants.
Instead of attacking individuals that do not join your movement, you could better educate them on what it means to be a vegan, and how you are helping change things for the better by being vegan. Post vegan recipes, tell people how it has changed your life for the better, and how you simply want to spread the vegan message without the hate that it has recently been ensuing. Martin Luther King Jr. used the same type of approach in order to educate people on the Civil Rights Movement, and look where that has gotten us. Spread love without using the hateful tactics, please.
You guys love the planet, right? How about loving your fellow humans too? We should help each other, and love each other, and we should simply not judge each other based upon their dietary choices. Love goes a lot farther than hate.
In the future, I do plan to go vegan. When I get out of my parents home and I am living on my own, I will make the giant leap. I get that it will be hard, but I want to do it for the animals. Yeah, some vegans may call me a hypocrite for loving animals and consuming animals products, but I don't care. I feel like veganism would fit my moral compass and will have a positive impact on my life. I want to share it with my family and friends too when I finally go through with it, but until then, I will better educate myself on this movement.
Does being vegan give me the audacity to be an asshole to people, though? No, it does not. I will eat my greens and shut up about it if I catch someone consuming a steak. That's it.
Love and support is a much better move. <3 <3 <3
Sources:
Quotes are from thefifthelementlife.com
For more information on veganism, go to vegan.com.
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