We’re Vegans, Not Superheroes
Lane at Vegan Bits recently wrote about the vegan transformation that occurred within him and his partner, Jane:
“When we decided we were going to eat vegan, I thought to myself that over time we would settle on a mostly-vegan plan — and that once or twice a month we would go out for some sashimi or lobster, or a turkey burger. I thought to myself that having that ‘out’ would make the ’sacrifice’ of eating vegan palatable.[...] When we went vegan, however, we jointly decided that we were going to allow ourselves Thanksgiving. It has always been a special day for us and we had our own traditional menu. We knew that we would feel ‘deprived’ if we were not having our poblano chili-cornbread stuffing, or turkey, or mashed potatoes laden with butter and heavy cream. It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without all the old standards. But a funny thing happened. By the time Thanksgiving actually rolled around, we were committed to our new way of eating, the switch had been flipped. We felt weird about buying a turkey. We simply couldn’t contribute to that cruelty, and so we had a vegan Thanksgiving. Yes, we missed the turkey and the gravy… but the sides were delicious and more than satisfying. It was at that point that I truly understood we were vegans.”
Something sort of similar happened to my partner and I when we went vegan. We were vegetarian first, so there was no chance we’d go back to meat-eating, but we figured we’d allow ourselves some cheese or egg every now and then. Indeed, at first we were only “vegan at home.” We ate as lacto-ovo vegetarians when we went out to eat and we ate as vegans at home. But soon we just had to go vegan all the time. We simply wouldn’t feel the physical and emotional benefits unless we really committed.
In some ways, it actually made life easier. We claimed the label “vegan” and wear the badge proudly now. We don’t have to explain our inconsistencies because we don’t really have them anymore. (And it certainly makes doggy-bags and take-out less complicated than our previous “vegan at home” rule.)
Certainly, veganism has its challenges. New vegans must change their habits and relearn how to shop, how to cook, and how to order food from restaurants. They must learn how to deal with criticism, questions, and peer pressure. Even vegans who’ve been vegan for a long time face these challenges when traveling or changing their routines. But there’s more. The challenges of veganism go on…
Omnivores tend to sneak animal products into all kinds of foods and many simply don’t care about vegans’ beliefs and preferences at all. I can’t even tell you how many food servers don’t understand what vegan means or who don’t even try to accommodate vegans.
I’ve had milk put in my coffee when I asked for it black, I’ve had cheese put in my burrito when I’ve asked for it without, I’ve had chicken added to salads when I said I didn’t want it, and I’ve had shrimp served to me when I ordered something else entirely. I’ve had chefs refuse to give me anything other than mushrooms (I hate mushrooms). I’ve had people deliberately contaminate my meals, even my toothpaste, with nonvegan items, thinking it’s all just a joke. I’ve been moooed at by “talking” hamburgers, oinked at by omnivores shaking their bacon at me, and people have told me they’d rather eat ME than my food. I’ve been emailed photos of roadkill, pig slaughter, and other anti-animal pictures and videos by people who want to push my buttons and make me cry. I’ve been patronized, criticized, mocked, and ignored by omnivores. I have come to a point where I simply don’t trust many omnivores when it comes to food, or sometimes even when it comes to acting ethically in general.
And that IS the most difficult thing about being vegan or vegetarian: dealing with omnivores.
But, like Lane says:
“when I hear people exclaim that a vegan diet is too hard to follow, I look at Jane and myself — we’re just ordinary people… we have no special strengths or willpower. If we can do it, anyone can.”
If vegans can do it, anyone can do it. We’re not superheroes, we’re not people with exceptional will or courage, we’re not extreme fanatics, and we’re not all wealthy celebrities with personal chefs. We’re normal people who have made a commitment to ourselves, animals, and the environment. We’re just normal people who decided to do something and then we did it.
This “it’s too difficult” comment is, once again, an easy way to avoid the discussion and certainly to avoid change. I have run into it in other parts of my life as well, people telling me I am stronger than they are because I have overcome fears, for example. It really isn’t strength. It’s mainly a matter of wanting to feel more power, less helplessness, in our lives.
That’s an excellent point about power. Vegans, by taking direct action to reduce the amount of human-caused harm on animals, are expressing power. Some non-vegans likely find that power threatening and prefer to live apathetically, not caring or even bothering to think about the impact of their decision to eat animal flesh and secretions. It’s much easier to imagine that veganism is difficult than to imagine a vegan world where humans treat animals with respect and kindness.