Militant veganism
There's a joke that says how do you know when there is a vegan in the room? 'Don't worry they'll tell you'. It is true that a vegan will usually tell you, I am included in this band of people, but it depends on the reason behind why they're telling you, and how they tell you, that is the crux of this post.
Honestly, I find talking about my diet and lifestyle awkward, unless the other person or people in the conversation are genuinely interested or want to know my reasons. I went vegan for the animals and the planet, not necessarily my diet. There are a multitude of reasons as to why people choose this lifestyle; note I say lifestyle not diet as veganism is a lifestyle and belief, not just what you choose to eat.
Militancy in veganism has caused many non-vegans to shy away from the idea of going vegan or the community and sharing their issues or questions in fear of being teased or told they are not a 'good vegan', why can I just say, doesn't exist.
The Independent wrote an article talking about how radio host Jeremy Vine was going to interview a vegan activist, Joey Armstrong, but Joey decided to abuse Vine due to his ham and cheese sandwich that was waiting on his desk to be eaten for lunch. He told Vine the ham was “the flesh of a dead pig [and] the dead body of an animal that didn’t want to die”. The cheese was also from “a mother who had her children taken from her, and had hands shoved in her anus and was artificially inseminated with bull semen. This is probably why vegans would say a dairy farmer is akin to a rapist.”
As much as I agree that ham and cheese are disgusting and what Armstrong said has a lot of truth behind it, the simple fact here is that he is bullying and tormenting people into seeing the way he thinks. I think this is bang out of order, and I would never consider telling anyone this in this way. I also think labeling farmers as 'rapists' is abhorrent, and extremely damaging to the farmer, as a human being. Rape is an extremely horrendous, evil crime and I see it as torture. I do think the artificial insemination of animals is akin to rape, as the definition of rape on Wikipedia is "Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability or is below the legal age of consent." I know I have now made readers exit this blog or feel angry that I have said this, but rape is sexual penetration without consent. This is what animals go through everyday to give you your meat and dairy. If you feel defensive, that is probably because you know it is the truth.
The issue I have with militant veganism is that it is just plain harassment and bullying in many cases. It makes people turn off from your argument for veganism and a compassionate lifestyle, and also alienates those who are not militant vegans, vegetarians or religiously-based vegans/ vegetarians. I have been in many a class debate in college over why veganism is right or wrong, specifically in my philosophy and ethics class, as my tutor is a vegan, like me, and we are the only ones out of a class of at least 9 people. However I do not agree with debates in such an unhealthy manner. It makes me uncomfortable as I cannot give my point of view without making people all wound up, which is not what a healthy debate entails.
I often hear the arguments 'but if you were stuck on a desert island....' or 'so you want all animals to vanish off the planet?....' etc etc. Honestly, these are valid questions as long as they're not in a mocking tone...apart from the island one actually. That is just stupid. Veganism is meant to educate, enlighten and equal a better world. I often have friends and even people I have only just met tell me they would become pescetarian, vegetarian and even vegan, at a push, but they will never and do not want to do it. This makes me sad, not angry, because it shows the true belief in what vegans are doing and how it does change the world for a better place, but no one wants to because it seems too hard or annoying. I just think any small step is great. My aunt and uncle have a meat free Monday, which I think is great, just as an example as to how you can change things in your life.
You know the shampoo and conditioner you use? Or the soap or toothpaste you use? The shower gel, the cleaning wipes, the deodorant, the makeup? Go and check all these products and I bet none of them are cruelty free or vegan. Jenny Mustard from The Mustards podcast made a good point: how can a product be not tested on animals and labeled cruelty free, but it contains animals and that is still deemed as cruelty free, just not vegan? It is a good point. If you change these things, I promise it will change so much. Even simple things like face washes with micro-beads in or the brand of tan you use, these things all have a huge impact, please look into changing them!
Militant veganism is NOT the way forward, and I beg you to look past these people and their rants and look into the lifestyle for yourself. I swear, they are coming from a good, truthful place, they just haven't figured out how to tell other people yet.
Honestly, I find talking about my diet and lifestyle awkward, unless the other person or people in the conversation are genuinely interested or want to know my reasons. I went vegan for the animals and the planet, not necessarily my diet. There are a multitude of reasons as to why people choose this lifestyle; note I say lifestyle not diet as veganism is a lifestyle and belief, not just what you choose to eat.
Militancy in veganism has caused many non-vegans to shy away from the idea of going vegan or the community and sharing their issues or questions in fear of being teased or told they are not a 'good vegan', why can I just say, doesn't exist.
The Independent wrote an article talking about how radio host Jeremy Vine was going to interview a vegan activist, Joey Armstrong, but Joey decided to abuse Vine due to his ham and cheese sandwich that was waiting on his desk to be eaten for lunch. He told Vine the ham was “the flesh of a dead pig [and] the dead body of an animal that didn’t want to die”. The cheese was also from “a mother who had her children taken from her, and had hands shoved in her anus and was artificially inseminated with bull semen. This is probably why vegans would say a dairy farmer is akin to a rapist.”
As much as I agree that ham and cheese are disgusting and what Armstrong said has a lot of truth behind it, the simple fact here is that he is bullying and tormenting people into seeing the way he thinks. I think this is bang out of order, and I would never consider telling anyone this in this way. I also think labeling farmers as 'rapists' is abhorrent, and extremely damaging to the farmer, as a human being. Rape is an extremely horrendous, evil crime and I see it as torture. I do think the artificial insemination of animals is akin to rape, as the definition of rape on Wikipedia is "Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person who is incapable of giving valid consent, such as one who is unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual disability or is below the legal age of consent." I know I have now made readers exit this blog or feel angry that I have said this, but rape is sexual penetration without consent. This is what animals go through everyday to give you your meat and dairy. If you feel defensive, that is probably because you know it is the truth.
The issue I have with militant veganism is that it is just plain harassment and bullying in many cases. It makes people turn off from your argument for veganism and a compassionate lifestyle, and also alienates those who are not militant vegans, vegetarians or religiously-based vegans/ vegetarians. I have been in many a class debate in college over why veganism is right or wrong, specifically in my philosophy and ethics class, as my tutor is a vegan, like me, and we are the only ones out of a class of at least 9 people. However I do not agree with debates in such an unhealthy manner. It makes me uncomfortable as I cannot give my point of view without making people all wound up, which is not what a healthy debate entails.
I often hear the arguments 'but if you were stuck on a desert island....' or 'so you want all animals to vanish off the planet?....' etc etc. Honestly, these are valid questions as long as they're not in a mocking tone...apart from the island one actually. That is just stupid. Veganism is meant to educate, enlighten and equal a better world. I often have friends and even people I have only just met tell me they would become pescetarian, vegetarian and even vegan, at a push, but they will never and do not want to do it. This makes me sad, not angry, because it shows the true belief in what vegans are doing and how it does change the world for a better place, but no one wants to because it seems too hard or annoying. I just think any small step is great. My aunt and uncle have a meat free Monday, which I think is great, just as an example as to how you can change things in your life.
You know the shampoo and conditioner you use? Or the soap or toothpaste you use? The shower gel, the cleaning wipes, the deodorant, the makeup? Go and check all these products and I bet none of them are cruelty free or vegan. Jenny Mustard from The Mustards podcast made a good point: how can a product be not tested on animals and labeled cruelty free, but it contains animals and that is still deemed as cruelty free, just not vegan? It is a good point. If you change these things, I promise it will change so much. Even simple things like face washes with micro-beads in or the brand of tan you use, these things all have a huge impact, please look into changing them!
Militant veganism is NOT the way forward, and I beg you to look past these people and their rants and look into the lifestyle for yourself. I swear, they are coming from a good, truthful place, they just haven't figured out how to tell other people yet.
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