Vegan: A Higher Standard?
A guest writer, Kathleen Baum, at Green Girls Global wrote:
“Most of the time, when an individual activist is not being consistent, it is considered quite normal. No harm is done and nobody thinks anything of that. Because living green all the time is difficult: sometimes we have to take the plane, we need a long bath, we buy a Nike football, we take our car to go to our local grocery store,… Everybody ‘understands’ these minor errors, and this activist won’t be judged in any way. However, animal rights activists are scrutinised and judged almost immediately. Just after mentioning the fact that they are vegan, they promptly have to defend themselves: ‘So you don’t think wearing plastic shoes is polluting?’ , ‘Are you sure all your clothes are fair trade?’, ‘Why don’t you consider on helping the children in Africa?’, … The shortcomings of the vegan appear to be much worse than those of the non- (vegan) activist.”
Most vegans have experienced this in one way or another. Vegans truly are held to a higher standard than many other groups of people who make lifestyle choices consistent with their ethics.
Why do you think that is?
How do you respond when other activists or nonactivists hold you to a higher standard than they hold themselves or most other people?
I think the biggest reason is because we actually think so different from the general census. We have suddenly turned 360 degrees and decided to not eat or even use things the majority have used and looked at as normal for centuries. That scares people. Or, it has always scared people, when other think different.
And someone who is different and is proud of being so is extremely scary.
The hardest part of being vegan isn’t changing your diet, finding non-animal products and such. It’s being accepted for who you really are, and I actually think that is something that stops some people from becoming vegan.
It’s the same with those who think they have to have a smoke or a beer to be social with your colleagues.
xen’s last blog post..Eye see red.
Holding activists to a higher standard is a tried and true attack designed to bury and ridicule the message. It’s ad hominem propaganda, pure and simple. There’s no merit to the line of reasoning… it’s just “nanny nanny boo boo”-style argumentation.
Humans are, by nature, imperfect. Our culture and society is extremely imperfect. And absolutely nothing is wrong with trying to make things more perfect without any hope of actually achieving perfection. One does not have to be good already to have the right to try to get better.
Veganism is not black and white. I think you can be 5% vegan, 10% vegan, 25% vegan, 95% vegan, and anywhere in between. Any time you actively make a choice to avoid supporting animal exploitation, you’ve done a positive thing. And you don’t have to make that choice 100% of the time with 100% purity for the choices you make to be positive and meaningful.
So if you try to attack veganism, the set of ideas, by trying to demonstrate that I, the individual, am not 100% vegan… you’re just full of it. No one will ever be 100% vegan… and being just 30% or 50% vegan is nothing to sneer at.
In my opinion, activists should be praised for their positive behaviors and criticized for their negative ones, just like anyone else. And never should how one or two individual activists behave or argue be used to try to debunk the idea or principle.
Ed’s last blog post..Q&A #102: Online Poker Multitabling How-To
xen wrote:
“The hardest part of being vegan isn’t changing your diet, finding non-animal products and such. It’s being accepted for who you really are, and I actually think that is something that stops some people from becoming vegan.”
I think you’re absolutely right. I wanted to be vegan since I was 13 years old but I didn’t make the real switch until age 31. And it was all because I felt safe to do it in NYC. I knew there was enough diversity here in NY to make room for me as a vegan. And now I feel safe enough to take my new found confidence back to more rural, less diverse places.
I think that’s the same reason lots of people don’t come out as gay or as feminist, etc. until they meet others like them or find safe spaces. I hope Vegan Soapbox can be one of those safe spaces for vegans in the online world.
Ed wrote:
“One does not have to be good already to have the right to try to get better.”
and
“never should how one or two individual activists behave or argue be used to try to debunk the idea or principle.”
Exactly!
The pro-animal movement is composed by many varied people and no one individual represents the movement and our ideals.
And doing something is better than doing nothing.
I’ve seen the flexible vegan bit on this site quite a few times, and I have to say, I’m confused. Let me preface the rest of this comment by saying that this is NOT a judgment on anyone using this site or anyone who isn’t vegan 100% of the time—I just want to open this up for discussion and get some other opinions.
I realize, as all of us do, that there are certain things beyond our control–the animal products that go into tires, the fact that our vegan panini in a regular restaurant is grilled on the same surface as a burger, etc. But I’m having trouble understanding why someone who is vegan for ethical reasons wouldn’t go “100%” the rest of the time. If we’re saying that we are vegan because the use of animals for our products is exploitative and cruel, then why is it okay to be exploitative and cruel sometimes? I absolutely agree that doing something is better than doing nothing, but why, if we are already doing something, don’t we go all the way?
Marlene,
This particular post is not about being a “flexible vegan”. It’s about all those other things, like fair trade, environmentalism, child labor, etc. It’s about how vegans are often held to a higher standard than other activists. We’re scrutinized by other activists and by other vegans.
For example, things that have nothing to do with veganism are treated as though they do: if I wear plastic shoes, belts, or purses that’s bad for the environment and I’m somehow being hypocritical. It’s along the lines of ‘if you can’t do everything right, you shouldn’t do anything right.’
Furthermore, the vegan police try to take away our vegan cards. People tell me Boca burgers aren’t vegan because the company that makes them also makes animal products. People say I can’t shop at Whole Foods because that’s not vegan. They define vegan differently than I define it. I avoid animal products, period. I don’t necessarily avoid all consumption practices that relate to animal products in some way. I avoid the ones I can easily avoid, the ones that go into my body, the ones that go on my feet, the ones in my skincare products, etc. And I try to consume responsibly in other areas, too. I try to buy organic cotton, recycled materials, etc. But I’m just not perfect, ok?
Since you asked, I think some people don’t go all the way because it’s a habit. It’s a terrible habit.
Have you ever quit smoking, quit drinking, quit drugs, ended a bad relationship…? These things take time.
And everyday you learn something new. There are hidden animal products in all kinds of things. There’s no way to just instantly avoid them all. It takes time to learn about that.
Furthermore, there are constantly debates in the vegan world about things like honey and sugar. For example, Taste Better just wrote about honey, and I completely disagree:
http://tastebetter.com/features/university/id=13
I think vegans should avoid honey.
Lastly, I could be the solo writer here and not let anyone else blog. But I think I would get burned out. So I’ve asked other people to contribute. So far, the only other author is “Convenient Vegan”:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/author/judith/
She writes from a “flex vegan” perspective because that’s what she is. She’s “almost vegan.”
You are welcome to write, too. Just send me your article to admin at vegansoapbox.com and if it’s appropriate I’ll publish it and perhaps add you as a writer so you can contribute more often.