Vegans are a group of people who, by definition, are vegetarians that eat only plant products and don't use anything derived from animals, such as leather.
So what is it about this movement that draws such ire from people? Exploding in popularity among all sorts of people -- from politicians to celebrities to school children and athletes -- veganism has moved from the fringe into the mainstream. Now, some vegans are self-righteous, lecturing, soap-boxing, holier-than-thou activists. Trust me, I have been a committed vegan for more than 25 years and there are those within the movement that cause me to roll my eyes and pray that no one is listening.
However, most of the vegans I know are soft-spoken, loving, kind, compassionate and committed to living a life that is kind to all beings and to the planet. It's a powerfully simple sentiment imbued with only good intentions.
And yet, this gentle movement that promotes the consumption of a plant-based diet, living a healthier life and leaving a lighter footprint on the planet evokes rage like I have never seen. Just read the comments on this very website whenever an article talking about veganism is posted. They can make your hair curl! The rage and indignation over someone's endorsement of a plant-based diet is mind-boggling to me.
It has made me stop and think what this rage is all about. Being openly vegan all these years, I am often in the company of people who feel the need to justify their food choices. I wish I had a nickel for every "I don't eat as much red meat as I used to" that I hear during a social gathering.
As a food and health activist, I am deeply committed to healthy food choices for all people. Wholesome foods and clean water are the birthright of all Americans ... all world citizens. But because as a society we depend so heavily on an animal-based diet, no small number of people are denied that very basic right. But I am not sure that the anger is about guilt or justification.
Georges Ohsawa, a Japanese philosopher once said that when we take more than our fair share of food, we damage all of humanity with our greed. In my view, when we choose to eat commercially manufactured meat (yes, manufactured because there ain't anything natural about factory farming), we contribute to world hunger. We deprive people of food because acre after acre of land is farmed to produce animal food and animals for food.
You can say we should be eating like our Paleolithic ancestors. You can say that commercial agriculture is also to blame for the razing of land and pollution (you would be right, but not to the degree animal food production does). You can say that it's different for you because you only eat meat from a small family farm and meat production is the lifeblood of the small rural farm. Without meat, they would go under (a stretch ... there are lots of things they can grow besides producing meat and dairy, but farmers produce what the market demands). I don't believe that any of these things prove that we are not overly dependent on animal products as a society.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, "producing animal-based food is typically much less efficient than the harvesting of grains, vegetables, legumes, seeds and fruit for direct human consumption." The chefs, farmers and sustainable food producers at Sustainable Table add that most water pollution from industrial farms results from the storage and disposal of animal waste.
Ultimately, producing meat is not so healthy for the planet. And for us? Well, not so much either.
So is it collective guilt that makes people so mad at vegans and the idea of eating a plant-based diet? I have seen mean-spirited comments on blogs posts supporting veganism that range from telling the author to "man up" to vegan members of food co-ops being accused of having "an agenda" because they do not want to sell meat. The comments range from fear-mongering warnings about vitamin B-12 deficiency (and other nutritional deficits of a plant-based diet) to the rationalization that "animals, including their use as food, are a necessary component of sustainable agriculture" according to a UN report -- a quote that is taken out of context.
The UNEP report from June 2010 calls for reduced meat consumption and a move toward a plant-based diet to curb pollution and sustain population growth. http://www¬.unep.fr/s¬hared/publ¬ications/p¬df/DTIx126¬2xPA-Prior¬ityProduct¬sAndMateri¬als_Report¬.pdft
So I am back to my original question: Why do people get so mad at the idea of living a healthy, compassionate life and not harming animals or other living things in the process of doing so?
I know there will be comments on this piece about how unhealthy a vegan diet is for people. There may even be links to the recent New York Times article that gorillas in Uganda do not experience obesity or other 'lifestyle' diseases because of their high protein diet, with an intake of protein akin to an Atkins-style diet -- 17 percent of their daily calories to be exact.
And where does that protein com from? "Protein-rich leaves dominate the gorilla's diet." Not so Atkins-like after all. You won't see gorillas chowing down on Big Macs (without the buns, in true Atkins style). And while the typical high protein diet, like the one developed by Dr. Atkins also supports the eating of green leafy veggies, it's hardly that diet that keeps gorillas from the grips of obesity. It's the plants they eat.
In the end, I have come to the conclusion that the derision and ire evoked by articles about veganism is simply a reaction to expressing an opinion that differs from the mainstream. I believe these reactions will continue to proliferate as long as we keep being told that meat is a necessary component of human health.
You don't hear health experts advising the country to eat more meat. On the contrary, most evidence suggests that the more plant food we eat, the greater the chance we have of living free of the "lifestyle diseases" that plague our culture today. Unfortunately, this message is often drowned out by an unproductive -- and irrationally angry -- dialogue.
Ellen Kanner: Meatless Monday: What Raw Vegan Looks Like
Veganism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vegan.com — Recipes, Resources, & Information
Vegan - What is a vegan? - What do vegans eat?
A huge percentage of grain is lost to rodents. Growing grain sustains far more animals than the harvesting process destroys. And far more grain must be grown because we feed it to livestock than if it were being grown only to feed humans. I might be missing something important, but your argument doesn't hold up to me for those reasons. I honestly don't see the BS you're seeing.
1.Now a cancer survivor (12 years Free) medical information provided by my doctor during treatment indicated I could extended my life by switching to a plant based diet. I first gave up dairy products, this freed me from a lifetime of pollen allergies. Then I quit eating mammal and bird meat, after several years of being a Pescetarian with fish as the only meat in my diet I became a vegan, recently going to a totally raw food diet. Each change suited my personal health needs (no prescription drug needed) and at 54 years old I feel wonderful.
2. I hike and take Nature photographs for a living... the idea of eating the beautiful creatures I capture with my lens would be heart breaking. I do understand they will die, but I prefer it not be for my consumption. My personal connection with living beings has changed, so becoming vegan was the best evolution for me.
Each of us must walk our own path on this planet... we must take care not to dictate or bully others into seeing things our way. Sharing knowledge, beliefs and ideas in a respectful manner is always appreciated.
Love to ALL!
Lee @LeeHillerLondon
Here's a top of 5 most nutritious vegetables in the world:
www.the-perfectshape.com/2007/05/top-5-most-nutritious-vegetables-in-the-world/
I think a lot of anger is just the thought of a vegan rejecting the "social values" of food. The meal is the central focus in our society. What you eat... where you eat... who you eat with. Spend five minutes watching commercials and just count how many of them are food based. Throw in the vegan wrench and some people get defensive.
Another statement that also always gets thrown my way usually goes as follows: "Well, we were going to eat at such and such place but then remembered you don't eat what we do. So where do you want to go?" I guess some people feel that eating with a vegan requires a lot of work.
I love the way I feel though felt good as a vegetarian but better on the PBD. Since I've never been much of a meat eater, this way of life is no problem though I do eat an egg once in a while without guilt and cheese on a special occasion.
I'd say the "social values" of food issue goes beyond veganism. Anytime you tell someone that you don't eat "x", where "x" is a stable/cultural food, you get that kind of reaction. However, I've never experienced someone getting angry, although I have been hassled for not eating whatever it was that I don't eat.
The anger is about when vegans try and pass their -ism off as Healthy, either for the body or the environment. It is not.
It's that simple. You want the anti-vegan sentiment to go away, stop trying to claim health and environmental benefits, and stick to something about it making you feel good personally.
I'm not going to write a book for you on protein synthesis, or essential fatty acids.
I think that if you want to make the positive claim that pretending to be an herbivore is healthy, the burden falls on you to show it, not me to debunk it every time it's brought up... which I have... many times... on these very boards.
But thanks for illustrating that vegan-charm everyone is so wild about.
The author (at least initially: yes she went way off track very quickly) was interested in why the anger.
I'm telling you why.
Most of us don't have a problem with Jews and Muslims not eating pork or shellfish, or Hundus not eating cow. In fact, we couldn't care less (at least most of us). But these groups are clear they do it for religious/personal/emotional/superstitious/mystical reasons. Vegans would get the same treatment if they simply said "I do it because it feels good" or even, "I like it", or "Just cuz". Then when/if (I know most don't: but some do) they feel superior about it, it's like when any other adherent to an -ism thinks they've found "the truth".
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." --Ghandi.
It is the fate of every truth to be an object of ridicule when it is first acclaimed..But the time is coming when people will be amazed that the human race existed so long before it recognized that thoughtless injury to life is incompatible with real ethics..~A. Schweitzer
Humanity's true moral test, its fundamental test..consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect humankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.~M. Kundera
Show me the enforced laws of a state for the prevention of cruelty to animals and I in turn will give you a correct estimate of the refinement,enlightenment,integrity&equity of that commonwealth's people.~L.T. Danshiell
Why is compassion not part of the established curriculum, an inherent part of our education? Compassion, awe, wonder, curiosity, humility - these are the foundation of any real civilisation..~Y Menhuin
To educate our people, and especially our children, to humane attitudes and actions toward living things is to preserve and strengthen our national heritage and the moral values we champion in the world.~JFK
"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way."~MLK Jr.
..Slaughter & justice cannot dwell together.~IB Singer
:)
fanned.......
Going vegan was the greatest decision of my life. I've eaten a lot of cheeseburgers in my time, but none of them were as satisfying as cruelty-free and earth friendly vegan meals.
A stretch? Really? Well, it's not so simple.
Most of the land in this country that's categorized by the USDA as agricultural is suitable ONLY for grazing, not for growing crops, because of topography (e.g., too hilly, too rocky), lack of soil fertility, lack of water, or other climate factors. The same is true in the world at large. Christina seems to believe that all agricultural land is fungible, which is not the case by any stretch of the imagination. Land presently used for grazing by dairy cows or beef cattle (or sheep or other pastured animals) could not, in most cases, be converted to growing "lots of things" - or ANYTHING other than grass and other forage plants. So if a farmer stopped using it for grazing, he couldn't necessarily just start growing tomatoes or broccoli or whatever. And farmers do not simply "produce what the market demands." They're constrained by what their land is capable of producing. The market might demand pineapples, but a farmer or rancher in Vermont or Northern California won't be producing any.
That is exactly the sort of ignorant disinformation that annoys omnivores. Like it or not, biodiversity is an essential component to every major form of sustainable agriculture. For you to claim that the importance of animals to sustainable small farms is a stretch, because farms can grow other things as well, is plainly ignorant of the basic tenets of sustainable ag, specifically the role of biodiversity.
In reality, virtually all of the commercially grown plant foods in the world are either grown with animal inputs (organic) or toxic and completely unsustainable fertilizers derived from petrochemicals. You can trumpet the virtues of veganic gardening if you like, but there is no compelling reason at this point to believe that it is a suitable replacement for the main forms of sustainable agriculture, and it represents an infinitesimal amount of the food produced in the world. Just about every former vegan farmer that I have ever encountered went back to farming with animals after learning the essential importance of animals in agriculture the hard way.
B. The cute and fuzzy argument need not apply. If your argument is in anyway based on the size or cuteness of the animal don't bother. If your care is for limiting harm then you should have as much of a problem with animal killing pesticides and traps used in producing your veggies, soy etc as you do with my steak. If you have a problem with my chicken salad then you need to have the same problem with the ants that die when you bring in the exterminator. Ants, fleas, rats, roaches, spiders, snakes, etc are animals as well.
3. Don't make bold statements and recommendations to others based on half-truths and biased half-a$$ed research. Present the whole truth and let them make their own decisions based on complete facts.
4. Make your argument if you want, but don't simply write off any dissenting view and dismiss them as defensive and angry. If you notice that most everyone around you is acting defensive it is likely you are being offensive.
My rant is now done.
I will say that, for the most part, this seems to be more of an online issue than a real life one. I doubt the vegans would have the nerve to "man up" in person to the majority of the omnivores, though they seemed to have no problem assaulting Lierre Kieth a while back(so much for " soft-spoken, loving, kind, compassionate and committed to living a life that is kind to all beings and to the planet").
Part 2
Regarding how to avoid an annoyed response from the non-vegan majority.
1. Do not make assumptions on my "environmental friendliness" based on your own dietary preconceptions and narrow viewed studies that look at a 3 dimensional issue from a 1 dimensional point of view. You know nothing of my habits, cares or practices in regards to "footprints" yours are likely larger than my own.
2. Don't be a hypocrite. I have a great deal of respect for those vegans/vegetarians who have a need to cause as little harm as possible to both their environment in general and specifically to any living being(certain Buddhist sects come to mind). Don't b*tch at me about the harm I cause to animals while ignoring the harm you are supporting.
A. Factory farming practices are destuctive to the environment, whether animal ag, or megacorporate mono-cropping(see nutrient runoff and dead zone affects to ocean).
I think one of the major points of contention(at least in an online setting) is the vegan self-conception of being "soft-spoken, loving, kind, compassionate" as well as being "gentle beings" living a "healthier life" with a "lighter footprint" as compared to the either "angry" or "ashamed" omnivores who are thoughtlessly destroying the planet, their own health and promoting the torture of animals and most likely babies in 3rd world countries. Keep in mind that this is all based on what vegans consider a lifestyle choice but everyone else considers essentially a fad diet.
I admit, I was originally drawn into this argument, quite a while back now, while visiting one of my favorite cooking(BBQ) bloggers. Before this time my interest in vegan/vegetarianism was only in what tasty and interesting recipes I could garner from the posts(yep, omnivores eat veggies too). Reading through the comments on said article I was disturbed by the "mean spirited comments" by fairly narrowly focused and uninformed vegans who were offering click through "barf", "meat is murder", "keeping pets is slavery"(from the animal abolitionists granted), as well as "fear-mongering" statements regarding how omnivores in general are "destroying the environment". Since that time I have made a minor effort to spend a couple minutes a month commenting and bringing a bit of a reality check as well as a few facts to the brainwashed minority.
Continued...