Veganism from a non-vegan | Collab post with RosieJenna!
I thought that it would be fun to do a collab with Rosie, my good friend, and see what veganism is like for her, from a non-vegan POV. If you want to see what she asked me and how I answered, make sure to visit her blog https://rosiejenna.wordpress.com/ for more.
1. What is the first thing that you think when you hear someone is vegan?
"Someone who doesn't consume anything that comes from an animal, (meat/dairy/honey etc.), or use products / items produced by an animal such as dairy, fur, skin and hide."
2. Have you ever been / would you go vegan? Why or why did you stop?
"I attempted veganism after being vegetarian for lent and would definitely do so again! I stopped / cannot continue it due to my circumstances as a student living with avid meat consumers and little time / money to prepare vegan alternatives. However, I do enjoy sourcing meat from less wasteful and negligent / non-free range farms whenever possible and am slowly adapting areas I have better power over such as cruelty free beauty, as I do believe veganism is more ethical and better for the environment."
3. Do you see being cruelty free and vegan as 2 different things? Why or why not?
"I do view cruelty free and vegan as being somewhat separate. For example, animal testing is an unnecessary practice that I do not agree with, as with using animal skins and abandoning the rest of the body or handling them with disrespect. Whilst I don't label any killing of animals as humane, as either way you take a life, I do think that trying your hardest to avoid products that unnecessarily use animal products and leaning toward free range and companies that treat animals fairly until their time of death as a much more cruelty free way of living. It really depends if you think that the act of killing is cruel, or if it is the way a product is used and how they are treated during their lifetime, and is one of the great debates that does make me question if I should just plunge into veganism, as I do wish to lead a cruelty free life."
4. What is your biggest peeve about vegans as a stereotype? Do you feel bad for vegans and if so why or why not?
"As a stereotype vegans do annoy me with the hugely in-your-face reputation they have. Though I've only encountered a couple of people I would categorise as stereotypical vegans, I can't stand seeing such upsetting footage, (Of animal abuse). If people want to be animal friendly they probably already know a lot of what goes on, and people who do care about animals certainly do no want to see that footage. There are better ways to encourage a more ethical lifestyle than to cram it down our throats and shame us for being wrong, when many of us are just in difficult circumstances that don't allow us this diet at the time being. However, I do feel sorry for vegans as I think many of them do not carry out such harsh practices or judge people for their animal consumerism. I think the actions of the few reflect the many far too often and definitely put people off becoming vegan as they don't wish to be shoved in with the stereotype."
5. What do you feel is the best way to encourage veganism and what turns you away?
"I think being stereotyped as a vegan is one of the huge things that turned me away. People ask you about your diet far more than you would ask an omnivore and many people challenge your views which of course is just asking for a very stereotypically vegan response, as you would expect in a debate. I think that showing the benefits of being a vegan helps a lot. Rather than advertising it as a 'do this or you're evil' campaign, we should encourage others the same way we encourage less waste and energy saving. If done well, it can offer health benefits, economic benefits and has great impact on pollution and animal welfare. Giving a calmer, more enticing approach and making it look like more of a sparkling achievement is what usually draws people in. I in no way want to derive from the issues vegans tackle, but in this case veganism as a trend does tackle a lot of issues with more supporters."
6. Do you agree with feeding animals vegan diets, i.e. ones being non-vegan naturally?
"I don't agree with giving animals vegan diets. Animals are not like humans, they physically need other animals to survive. I think forcing an animal to eat a vegan friendly diet is disgraceful and should be tackled as animal abuse because it is essentially starving them and taking away from their livelihood."
7. Do you have an opinion on drinking alcohol as a vegan?
"I've never considered alcohol in the vegan debate. I think if the alcohol is made with an animal product etc. you should avoid it as you would with any other item containing animal products or that has been tested on them, or else this would really go against what vegans aim to do. However, if there are vegan or cruelty free alcoholic beverages then by all means, you're just as entitled."
8. How would your family react to you choosing a vegan lifestyle?
"I think they would probably try to respect my decision but would definitely put up an argument Whilst my family love trying new vegan and vegetarian dishes, they're also just as inclined to try dishes with meat and dairy in them. However, I think they do strongly believe in what vegans stand for, they are just heavily influenced by stereotypes and their love of food and culture."
9. How often do you eat 'vegan' foods?
"I'd say I eat vegan food quite regularly as I only really consume meat as part of a main dinner course, and even then we regularly try to have vegetarian meals. However, I'd definitely say my diet is far from vegan."
10. Do you feel the word vegan is used too lightly?
"I think people who label themselves as vegan often fit into either the social media side of the stereotype or the more cruelty free supporting side. I think generally those who use the term are often very passionate about their lifestyle but I do think those who are just on-board with the increasing tend within the lifestyle will slap on the vegan label to just about anything at anything even if they aren't a vegan full time, as if it's some kind of accomplishment to have a salad to be healthy once in a blue moon. That being said, perhaps the watering down of this term could lead to a kind of revolution, as with terms such as feminism, it has had the ill fate of becoming a buzzword for hate and stereotypes but I think people do need to think more seriously about what vegans stand for when using it openly, as I would hope they're promoted a more ethical lifestyle rather than jumping on-board a trending hashtag."
What do you think? Thanks to Rosie for answering the questions so specifically!!
1. What is the first thing that you think when you hear someone is vegan?
"Someone who doesn't consume anything that comes from an animal, (meat/dairy/honey etc.), or use products / items produced by an animal such as dairy, fur, skin and hide."
2. Have you ever been / would you go vegan? Why or why did you stop?
"I attempted veganism after being vegetarian for lent and would definitely do so again! I stopped / cannot continue it due to my circumstances as a student living with avid meat consumers and little time / money to prepare vegan alternatives. However, I do enjoy sourcing meat from less wasteful and negligent / non-free range farms whenever possible and am slowly adapting areas I have better power over such as cruelty free beauty, as I do believe veganism is more ethical and better for the environment."
3. Do you see being cruelty free and vegan as 2 different things? Why or why not?
"I do view cruelty free and vegan as being somewhat separate. For example, animal testing is an unnecessary practice that I do not agree with, as with using animal skins and abandoning the rest of the body or handling them with disrespect. Whilst I don't label any killing of animals as humane, as either way you take a life, I do think that trying your hardest to avoid products that unnecessarily use animal products and leaning toward free range and companies that treat animals fairly until their time of death as a much more cruelty free way of living. It really depends if you think that the act of killing is cruel, or if it is the way a product is used and how they are treated during their lifetime, and is one of the great debates that does make me question if I should just plunge into veganism, as I do wish to lead a cruelty free life."
4. What is your biggest peeve about vegans as a stereotype? Do you feel bad for vegans and if so why or why not?
"As a stereotype vegans do annoy me with the hugely in-your-face reputation they have. Though I've only encountered a couple of people I would categorise as stereotypical vegans, I can't stand seeing such upsetting footage, (Of animal abuse). If people want to be animal friendly they probably already know a lot of what goes on, and people who do care about animals certainly do no want to see that footage. There are better ways to encourage a more ethical lifestyle than to cram it down our throats and shame us for being wrong, when many of us are just in difficult circumstances that don't allow us this diet at the time being. However, I do feel sorry for vegans as I think many of them do not carry out such harsh practices or judge people for their animal consumerism. I think the actions of the few reflect the many far too often and definitely put people off becoming vegan as they don't wish to be shoved in with the stereotype."
5. What do you feel is the best way to encourage veganism and what turns you away?
"I think being stereotyped as a vegan is one of the huge things that turned me away. People ask you about your diet far more than you would ask an omnivore and many people challenge your views which of course is just asking for a very stereotypically vegan response, as you would expect in a debate. I think that showing the benefits of being a vegan helps a lot. Rather than advertising it as a 'do this or you're evil' campaign, we should encourage others the same way we encourage less waste and energy saving. If done well, it can offer health benefits, economic benefits and has great impact on pollution and animal welfare. Giving a calmer, more enticing approach and making it look like more of a sparkling achievement is what usually draws people in. I in no way want to derive from the issues vegans tackle, but in this case veganism as a trend does tackle a lot of issues with more supporters."
6. Do you agree with feeding animals vegan diets, i.e. ones being non-vegan naturally?
"I don't agree with giving animals vegan diets. Animals are not like humans, they physically need other animals to survive. I think forcing an animal to eat a vegan friendly diet is disgraceful and should be tackled as animal abuse because it is essentially starving them and taking away from their livelihood."
7. Do you have an opinion on drinking alcohol as a vegan?
"I've never considered alcohol in the vegan debate. I think if the alcohol is made with an animal product etc. you should avoid it as you would with any other item containing animal products or that has been tested on them, or else this would really go against what vegans aim to do. However, if there are vegan or cruelty free alcoholic beverages then by all means, you're just as entitled."
8. How would your family react to you choosing a vegan lifestyle?
"I think they would probably try to respect my decision but would definitely put up an argument Whilst my family love trying new vegan and vegetarian dishes, they're also just as inclined to try dishes with meat and dairy in them. However, I think they do strongly believe in what vegans stand for, they are just heavily influenced by stereotypes and their love of food and culture."
9. How often do you eat 'vegan' foods?
"I'd say I eat vegan food quite regularly as I only really consume meat as part of a main dinner course, and even then we regularly try to have vegetarian meals. However, I'd definitely say my diet is far from vegan."
10. Do you feel the word vegan is used too lightly?
"I think people who label themselves as vegan often fit into either the social media side of the stereotype or the more cruelty free supporting side. I think generally those who use the term are often very passionate about their lifestyle but I do think those who are just on-board with the increasing tend within the lifestyle will slap on the vegan label to just about anything at anything even if they aren't a vegan full time, as if it's some kind of accomplishment to have a salad to be healthy once in a blue moon. That being said, perhaps the watering down of this term could lead to a kind of revolution, as with terms such as feminism, it has had the ill fate of becoming a buzzword for hate and stereotypes but I think people do need to think more seriously about what vegans stand for when using it openly, as I would hope they're promoted a more ethical lifestyle rather than jumping on-board a trending hashtag."
What do you think? Thanks to Rosie for answering the questions so specifically!!
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