It appears that the term ethical vegan has become the new dirty word. I have seen and heard it been given negative connotations on several occasions and just recently it was being used as some sort of insult against one of the members on 30BaD. People declare themselves vegan for health reasons left, right and center, but stating that one is vegan for ethical reasons sheds light upon the torture and horror that is factory farming and forces people to realize that by consuming animals and/or animal bi-products one is actually causing harm to other beings, and not only oneself. When people are faced with the moral implications of doing so, they usually get very defensive, some even angry, and try to ridicule the person making the compassionate choice in order to make themselves feel better. I will not stand for this.
The next time I am faced with this, I will tell these people exactly what they are contributing to and how appalling this behaviour really is.
I became a vegan for health reasons, but I would stay vegan even it it brought me no health benefits because it is the only morally sane choice in the world of factory farming.
What are your thoughts?
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great topic and indeed time to set the record straight.
if you tell people you are vegan for health - they are ok because, they figure you are just misguided, but trying to do the best for yourself.
if you tell people you are vegan for religious reasons - they feign enthusiasm, because they can show off how 'tolerant' and worldly they are.
but if you tell'em you are vegan for ethical reasons, well ... oh dear me ... that's not going to go over too well because that not only threatens their sense of ethics, it reveals the lack thereof. you'll draw out a series of 'holier than thou' comments ... which remember are quite true so when someone accuses me of being 'holier than thou', i acknowledge them for their astute observation of the obvious.
some people have this problem when they are told what to do, so for them it is simple enough to say something a bit more graciously than those of us with keratinous growths muster up, such as this rather good reply i came across in one of the threads here:
"i'm not telling you what to do, i'm telling you what you are doing."
either way, this truth is unavoidable no matter how they may try:
"you kill no creature, you abuse no being. rather you defend the right of the weak and helpless to exist. you protect their interests as though these were your very own. there is no stain."
http://www.30bananasaday.com/forum/topics/the-new-lothlorien
i went veg like you for health reasons and had to learn the important part of the story - the part that cannot be compromised because it contains the very soul of our humanity.
health may get you to vegan - ethics keeps you there!
in friendship,
prad
:-)
Same as when people say so you think your better? I say "Yup and so can you be your choice" ;-)
"i'm not telling you what to do, i'm telling you what you are doing."
Great line.
health may get you to vegan - ethics keeps you there!
Very true Prad.
For me I will not place a piece of suffering in my mouth for no one or anything.
Meat is not even a food for me anymore it is suffering.
I look at my hairy kids and the emotions they display each day can't imagine having ribs, liver or anything from our friends.
Take Care,
Conversations like the following rile me up a bit - I once asked this guy at a Tony Robbins seminar why he was vegan and he goes for "health reasons" (which is cool) but I went onto say "and for the animals as well or not really?". He laughed and said "haha no I'm not one of those scary fanatical vegans! Just for my health darling". WEIRD and disturbing.
So you have them to Freelee :-)
One of Denise's sisters friend who was a big veg head is now enjoying her meat. Bizarooo
Also possibly they are to attached to family and friends and don't have the courage to say "not interested in supporting your lust for flesh and abuse"
Funny you mentioned Tony Robbins - I become a veg head because of his book Unlimited Power while in the army many moons ago and it was for the health reasons.
I guess at the time my mind would not want to associate the death of animals being the fact I was training to kill people. Kind of weird but looking back it maybe it was a thought that did not cross.
I wasn't into hurting animals at all but going veg head was for health for me at first but now it is all about the animals for me.
Take Care,