Hi all!
I have been wanting to do this post for quite some time. In October 2019, Jubilee – a YouTube channel, posted a video called ‘Do All Vegans Think The Same?’
You can watch the original video by clicking the title above. In this clip, five different vegans were invited to participate in a study. They were provided with six statements relating to veganism and had to answer based on the following criteria: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Somewhat Disagree, Somewhat Agree, Agree and Strongly Agree. I recommend checking it out. It’s actually super interesting. These people were from all walks of life, cultures, races, ages, shapes and sizes. They had differing opinions which answered the million dollar question: Do All Vegans Think The Same – obviously no.
Today I am going to be responding to that video by answering the six statements. This will be from my perspective as a vegan and where I land on the spectrum. Just a quick little PSA: I have been vegan for nearly 7 years now, so I feel I have quite a lot to say on the subject. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
1 – YOU CAN BE VEGAN FOR REASONS OTHER THAN ETHICAL
Agree
A lot of people go vegan for different reasons. Some for their health, others for the environment. Yes veganism is predominately described as an ethical lifestyle, but there are multiple doorways one can enter.
2 – I WILL NOT BUY OR COOK NON-VEGAN ITEMS FOR LOVED ONES
Somewhat Agree
I cannot say strongly agree because I have cooked my daughter a tiny bit of egg before to test for allergens as advised by her nurse. I did not buy it, but I did hard-boil it. I personally will never purchase nor cook meat myself and I’ll strive to do the same with all animal products, but I would never put veganism above my child’s well-being. If there ever comes a time where she needs animal products for her health, I will have no choice but to implement them into her diet. I just won’t in my own.
3 – YOU’RE STILL A VEGAN IF YOU ALLOW YOURSELF AN EXCEPTION OCCASIONALLY
Somewhat Disagree
If you call yourself a vegan and live in a country that makes it easy/affordable to be vegan but ‘treat’ yourself to animal products occasionally – I would say you’re not a vegan. If you’re somebody who lives in an area where it is much more difficult and expensive to be vegan (look up ‘food deserts’) – you may need to make exceptions in order to survive.
4 – I’VE BEEN BULLIED FOR BEING VEGAN
Somewhat Agree
I have been teased and made fun of by friends/randoms. Despite vegans getting a bad reputation for being ‘pushy’, it’s usually omnivores that initiate the bullying once they learn what you are. I haven’t been verbally abused to the point of tears, but I’ve definitely been told that the way I live my life is stupid.
5 – IF YOU WEAR LEATHER, YOU ARE NOT VEGAN
Strongly Disagree
If you actively buy leather when you’re vegan, that is unethical. If you wear secondhand-leather, I see no issue. It seems a waste to throw out expensive, leather products you’ve owned for years (and like) just because of their material. My philosophy is to avoid supporting suffering as best as possible. Once we know better, we can do better.
6 – YOU’RE A BETTER PERSON IF YOU’RE VEGAN
Disagree
You can be vegan, but still be racist, homophobic, violent, sexist and loads more. Yes, by being vegan, your choices are helping the animals and planet significantly more than somebody who purchases/consumes animal products, but that doesn’t mean you are necessarily an all-round better person.
I hope you enjoyed this post. What are your thoughts? I would love to know. Thanks so much for reading.
Peace & Love xoxo