“But vegans are rude”

“But vegans are obnoxious”

“But vegans are ugly”

“But vegans are racist”

“But vegans are privileged”

“But vegans are stupid”

Whether it’s true that vegans are _ or not doesn’t matter. Really it doesn’t. Because when you choose to eat a plant-based diet and when you choose to live a life that doesn’t treat animals as resources to be used and abused indiscriminately, you can call yourself anything you want.

You don’t have to be a vegan to live a life of respect and compassion. You don’t have to identify as a vegan to eat foods labeled or called “vegan.” You don’t have to say, “I’m a vegan” if you don’t want to. You don’t have to hang out with people who call themselves vegans. You don’t have to support any vegan organizations, businesses, or products. You don’t have participate in vegan demonstrations or protests. You don’t have to be a vegan to eat like one.

Usually, when omnivores complain about vegans, they attach their complaint to their meat-eating. They tend to say things like this:

“The vegan nuts in San Fran pretty much made sure I’d never become a vegetarian, just on principle.” (source)

They don’t express truly valid criticism of some vegans the way VOC do. They aren’t trying to influence vegans to become better people. They aren’t trying to address troubling issues within the animal rights community. Instead, these omnivores use the weaknesses of some vegans in order to justify meat-eating. They excuse their own flaws by focussing on vegans’ flaws.

But worst of all, by continuing to eat meat, dairy, and eggs, they hurt animals in order to spite vegans. That’s just low.

Sections: Vegan Theory
Topics: identity, omnivores, stupid things omnivores say, Vegan