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Degrees of veganism?


seitan_man
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It seems some vegans simply eat a plant based diet and don't dispense with animal derived cosmetics/household items etc. Do you think you can truly call yourself vegan if you simply eat a vegan or plant based diet?
Those people aren't vegans, they are strict vegetarians.
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I disagree. While many vegans will naturally seek to replace animal products other than food, there is absolutely NO consensus when it comes to "how far is far enough to be considered vegan". To some people, wearing a wool sweater makes you "non-vegan". To others, not checking your toothpaste ingredients makes you "non-vegan". To others, putting out diatomaceous earth to kill the ants in your kitchen makes you "non-vegan". Or that buying a car that has a leather steering wheel as a standard (can't opt-out) feature makes you "non-vegan".

 

So to me, someone who puts in effort to eat a vegan diet is vegan unless they're going out of their way to add animal products to their life (like buying a fur coat, hehe).

 

I say this mostly because of frustrating conversations I've had with zealous veggie converts. They ask me a million questions until they find something I own or do that involves some sort of animal product and then proclaim that I'm "not a real vegan." Hell, I've been at this sh*t for 11 years...I don't need someone who's been veggie for 2 months telling me that the wool sweater I got as a gift makes me non-vegan!

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I agree with the Medman, well said.

I dont think such a thing exists as 100% veganism, no matter how hard you try there is always going to be something that falls under your radar. Its the ideal and concept, and your passion for it that counts, not the fact you are 99.999999% vegan.

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My favorite idea about this is one a German vegan on VF told me.

 

The word "vegan" was coined by Donald Watson and his wife to mean someone who believes that it is wrong to exploit ( use to your own selfish ends ) animals. Someone can eat a vegan diet but not have that belief and not be a vegan.

 

Having written that, unless someone is calling him/herself a "vegan" while eating animal products I don't think it is worth it to bring up terminology. They might get offended and decided not to go further into a vegan lifestyle.

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I just keep going back to what I read somewhere on a PETA website, I think it was on caringconsumer.com. PETA basically said that in this industry, in this day and age it is basically impossible to be 100% vegan 100% of the time. As long as we do our best isn't that enough? As long as we care about every creature, and do our best to not partake of their destruction whether it's from eating, wearing, using, or abusing etc, I say that we should all be considered to be vegan.

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I tend to think of "veganism" as an ideal, a philosophy, rather than a label for someone (a "vegan"). So really I think it benefits people to realize that there are lots of things which certainly are not vegan. To say that they are, just because they are inconvenient to you while you strive for the label of "vegan" is ignorant. You will end up with pretty much nobody who can say they are "vegan" also. So instead just say that you aim for a vegan lifestyle, or whatever you like. Calling yourself "vegan" should just be a shortcut, so people generally know what you're talking about.

 

From my perspective, it certainly is nowhere near vegan to purchase products which are tested on animals, if that person is educated and just can't be bothered. But the actions taken by that person are the concern, not the label they give themselves.

 

Wool, leather, animal tested products, and so on, must not be labeled as "vegan", for clarity, even if some people feel it is too inconvenient for them while they aim for their title. It's a fact that it's not in line with the vegan philosophy, certainly.

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I'm a strict vegetarian. I was leaning towards the vegan lifestyle direction as far as health and beauty products, put the the judgmental attitude of veganazis turned me off and I never took the next steps.

 

I don't have a need to buy leather or wool. I bought my sparring protective gear before I started eating a vegan diet and it lasts forever.

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I'm a strict vegetarian. I was leaning towards the vegan lifestyle direction as far as health and beauty products, put the the judgmental attitude of veganazis turned me off and I never took the next steps.

 

Hey Slim

 

I delayed going to vegan until I met cool people who were also vegan, because I ran into nasty people with whom I did want anything to do with. So, I understand where you are coming from.

 

BUT

 

the "veganazi"s don't own the word "vegan".

 

You are just as entitled to use the word as they are.

Edited by beforewisdom
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I'm a strict vegetarian. I was leaning towards the vegan lifestyle direction as far as health and beauty products, put the the judgmental attitude of veganazis turned me off and I never took the next steps.

 

I don't have a need to buy leather or wool. I bought my sparring protective gear before I started eating a vegan diet and it lasts forever.

Who cares about what other people are doing.

 

Be yourself.

 

ps.veganazis are my blood brothers.

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The Watsons who invented the word "vegan" defined it as someone who believes that exploiting animals is wrong. Implicit in that ethic is getting more people to think the same way. Otherwise, that belief is pretty useless to the welfare and rights of animals.

 

If some vegans have attitudes that drive new people away from becoming vegans, then they should drop those attitudes, because they are working against their own cause.

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It seems some vegans simply eat a plant based diet and don't dispense with animal derived cosmetics/household items etc. Do you think you can truly call yourself vegan if you simply eat a vegan or plant based diet?
Those people aren't vegans, they are strict vegetarians.

 

Terms get bastardized so quickly these days it is hard to know what they mean.

 

I always thought that "strict vegetarians" were lacto ova vegetarians who didn't cheat.

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I was leaning towards the vegan lifestyle direction as far as health and beauty products, put the the judgmental attitude of veganazis turned me off and I never took the next steps.

I don't understand the relation between the attitudes of some humans and your actions regarding animals. Assuming you were thinking of dropping non-vegan health and beauty products because of the harm caused to animals, why would the behaviour of some people change your mind about this? The two have nothing to do with each other. It's not like you are somehow punishing those people with bad attitudes by not going fully vegan. I'm honestly curious about this.

 

If we wanted to avoid being in any group that contains assholes, we'd just have to kill ourselves because there are assholes in all groups, doing all things out there. So why not do what you want to do and not let the assholes influence you in one way or another?

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