Those Damn Vegans...

I’ve never really wanted to, nor felt the need to, write anything about how I’m vegan. Sure, I’m super passionate about it and I strongly believe that veganism is better for the world, but I never wanted to be one of those people who wanted to shout from the roof-tops ‘I’M A VEGAN’. I’ve only been vegan for about 8 months, but I can honestly say that I can’t believe I ever ate animal products after knowing the things that I now know.

I really thought that everyone was pretty accepting of veganism, but I recently read a post on the ‘Girls Advice’ page on Facebook and my views have definitely been challenged. The original post was a simple enquiry about who eats meat, who’s a vegetarian and who is vegan. But I was shocked to read such intense and often unnecessary comments about ‘vegan agendas’ and how ‘vegans shove their beliefs down other people’s throats’. Some people compared veganism to a religion and others just commented about how they were craving a big juicy steak.

Reading all the comments really got me thinking. Originally, I was quite hurt by them, I’ve never thought that I was shoving ‘my beliefs’ down anyone’s throats. I don’t personally know of any aggressive vegans either. Primarily, veganism is about promoting peace and love for animals. For many, including myself, it also goes deeper. It’s about promoting a healthy diet, helping the environment, and really all in all just aligning my diet with my beliefs.

So why does veganism cop so much slack? I think it’s because when you challenge someone’s views, or their way of life, the first instinct is to defend yourself. You don’t want to feel like what you’re doing might be wrong! We’ve been raised in a Western society where eating animal products is the norm. We don’t even question it. So, when someone starts to ask questions and challenge the norm, it’s generally widely frowned upon. The same way it was with slavery, women’s rights and more currently same-sex marriage. Overtime, those originally radical ideas are now widely accepted rights. Veganism is a movement that promotes animal rights, and while majority of us aren’t familiar with the idea of always considering another sentient being and putting their rights before our desire for taste, what’s to say that it always has to be that way?

When someone turns the mirror around on you and shows you a different way to exist, it’s the small steps that open you up to the idea. Instead of just shutting veganism down, we need to educate everyone in a friendly way. No-one likes animal cruelty, so let’s start aligning our diet with our beliefs.

As John Lennon said, "I don't think animals were meant to be eaten and worn. We have enough resources to do without them. It's common sense to me that you shouldn't eat most of the chemically treated rubbish most people seem to stuff themselves with."

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