I meant to share this last week before I left town. Outside my office door a student had left this box and sign:
For those who may not be seeing the image (say on an RSS reader) the sign says:
FREE FOOD
(Until my mother understands that VEGAN means no dairy, eggs, or gelatin, feel free to enjoy my care packages!)
One thought on “Just what is a vegan?”
The most common misconception about Veganism is that it’s simply a diet – this is incorrect, Vegans oppose all use and consumption of animal products – it is very much a way of life. So dairy products, to take an example from the sign in this picture, are not consumed because they come from a certain use of animals, namely milking. The basic idea is that animals are not different from human beings (those so-called “rational” animals… Though, I have my doubts about the rational part!), so stop killing them and treating them as if they were mere objects ready-to-hand (like a screwdriver, or a hammer). Look at the horrifying ways that we ‘grow’ animals in so-called ‘nurseries’ (a nice euphemism for a sickening practice!) so that they can be milked, slaughtered, sheered, or whatever, and imagine yourself (or a loved one!) growing up in such conditions. Consider why we don’t throw you in a slaughterhouse and gut you the way we might a cow. I suppose one could argue that you have too much bone and wouldn’t make for a very tasty meal (no offense), but I think we both know that the real reason is because you are viewed in a certain way – as a human being. Vegans see no important difference between you and animals, so slaughtering animals is viewed in the same light as if one were slaughtering a person.
Sorry for the Debbie-Downer details; hope this paints the picture. Cheers!