Animal Rights Celebs Dabbing at hippocracy!

[RAINRA]

Now I think first off that animal organizations are out there to promote veganism. Boy was I wrong.

 

I see more and more celebrities out there who sponsor one form of cruelty and yet they are not a chance vegan or confuse the fact that leather is not bad.

 

Really... if your gonna speak out first off I think you need to understand that you better not be a hippocrate. Eating meat is no different than fur or dairy consumption. The suffering and mistreatment is still their.

 

It seems like the non profit pick and choose what they like and what they think they can follow. Now common! for real is that a joke. It is like picking one type of style and saying this one suites me.

 

My way is vegan or bust. Not half way or oh it is too hard. I went from a standard American fast food diet with no veggies and not only that I hated veggies and now I am vegan eating a large amount of veggies. I don't buy or wear animals to wear and so on.

 

I think people are out there sending the wrong message and veganism is the only way. I make exceptions for people working hard to be vegan and transitioning but everyone esle just plain lazy and selfish.

 

Just My rant...

 

If your goal is not true veganism I am not interested!

[Marcina]

That's kind of an elitist thing to say... Attitudes like that usually turn people off from veganism. And you know what? It IS hard. It's so awkward when I go visit my family and I choose to go hungry while they eat their dinner. It's awkward when people have to "prepare" for my visit and have to make an extra effort to accommodate me. It's awkward because I don't like being a burden on other people.. I wonder if they think I'm being selfish?

 

Veganism is probably easier on people who live alone, or don't get to see their families that often.. Or at least share their lives with people who share the same views. I don't.. And I treat my family and friends with the same dignity and respect they give me. I can preach all I want about animal rights but it won't make a difference. It'll just annoy the crap out of them.

[RAINRA]

Direct response to Marcina:

I am sorry you struggle with your family and food. It is awkward I understand. But awkward is not hard. The actual physical aspects of prepping, finding vegan food is not hard it is only when we try to be picky with how we have to have our meal or how we have to be accepted is it hard. Bring your own food. It is ok to be different.

 

I think our society is so standardized, that anyone outside the box is shunned. That from my opinion is ridiculous. Why do we care so much about image and what others think. Why are we so set on trends and keeping up with what is the norm? Why are flowers for girls, why is crying for children and women? Why do we say men should have muscle and women should not. Why do we give such boundaries to ourselves? Why are we so structured to fall under the same lifestyle of college, career, marriage, kids and death. This is one way of living a life. You are free to be who you want to be. To have the ideas that you want. That is why I see so many depressed people in this world because it seems that everyone is trying to fit in the same box. Veganism allows one to see outside the box and live a life how he or she wants to live and on top of that not harming others, Humans and beings.

 

I know it seems ironic because I think everyone should be vegan. That is a impossibility. But trying to persuade a large number of people to follow a respectful path in every day life is a honorable way to live your life. But basically if you can do what you want to do as long is it does not cause harm or offend another, or harm our environment; then I think one should be free to be.

[Vegan Joe]

You mean like being vegan and thinking abortion is a good thing? http://wormsrus.50webs.com/Earthworms/can%20of%20worms.jpg

[RAINRA]

abortion not afraid to get into the subject but here is another question to put out there... Would you allow a tiny cow fetus to be born if you knew it was going straight to a slaughter plant to become hamburger meat? whmmm tough questions...

[Vegan Joe]

abortion not afraid to get into the subject but here is another question to put out there... Would you allow a tiny cow fetus to be born if you knew it was going straight to a slaughter plant to become hamburger meat? whmmm tough questions...

Not a tough question at all. Except for the fact that your "if" has no other senerio, that would allow me to give a complete answer.

[Marcina]

I don't know about you guys, but I find veganism hard sometimes. Sometimes I miss eating "normal food".. But that normal food always made me sick. Even if I wanted to go back, I couldn't.

[RAINRA]

Well no one doubts that some still are attached to their old ways. One of my parkour instructors asked why do people eat something like tofurky. Why not eat turkey if you want something that is similar. I explained that many people don't go vegan because they don't like meat but it is all about the animals. Many still like the taste of meat and meat dishes but because it is the result of killing animals they are not so for it.

 

See again I came from a nutritional vegan to become a ethical vegan pretty much at the same time. I mean to say that health was my main concern. I never had animals to care about or have any relationship with. So that was not on my mind. Earthlings put things in perspective.

 

Hearing the horror of the animals before they are killed or while they are being cut up alive with are the screaching and moaning of agonizing pain .... pretty much does it for me.

 

Never care not do I ever care about meat or dairy. I don't even miss it! Like I said before I never ate veggies before going vegan besides iceberg lettuce. Now I love them.

 

If you think for a second animals don't know what the F*** is going on the watch this... video. No slaughter images in this video.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHTNq33cXBQ

 

and then tell me that animals are not aware...

[lobsteriffic]

Marcina I totally get what you are saying. I've avoided visiting my husband's family since I've gone vegan because I have no idea what I would eat...when I was vegetarian it was fine but they are Ukraianian and everything they eat that isn't meat is smothered with butter and/or cream sauce. His mom is really sweet about it though, she managed to find some Earth Balance and froze it so she can make me vegan things. I'm going to bite the bullet and go up there during the holidays. But still, it's going to be awkward. There's going to be like 20 people gathered for dinner and then I made this poor woman go and cook me special things...I just feel like others will see me as being selfish.

 

And then there's the times that friends suggest going out for dinner and they have to make a big deal about whether or not I can join them. I know they're being thoughtful, but it still makes me feel like a burden.

 

 

I suppose part of it is just being comfortable with your choice and start to appreciate other peoples' concern and not be embarrassed about it? Or at least that's what I'm working on.

[chewybaws]

Yeah I barely eat out now. The nearest vegan restaurants are a 40 min train ride away, and I only know 2 vegans lol. If I'm going anywhere else I just take my own food. It can be very awkward at times which sucks.

 

I'm the same as rainra, I never miss meat/cheese (after the initial couple of months for me). I'd never go back. Not a doubt in my mind. Even if I did somehow manage to justify the slaughter and torture of defenseless creatures in my mind I'd still be way too concerned for my health. Veganism is an all round win for me and goes hand in hand with the kind of person I am.

[Vegan Joe]

Ego is tied into it:

"I'm helping to save the planet"

"I'm compassionate to all living creatures"

"I eat healthy foods"

Plus I guess other ways to look at it.

I have wondered if this attitude was my only driving force, but cannot rationalize going back to my old ways.

I wonder if I could conciously do it? Seems as if it would be a conflict within me if I were to eat something non-vegan.

I guess sometimes you gotta just love ego.

 

PS I never say never, I don't think I would ever though.

[Marcina]

Marcina I totally get what you are saying. I've avoided visiting my husband's family since I've gone vegan because I have no idea what I would eat...when I was vegetarian it was fine but they are Ukraianian and everything they eat that isn't meat is smothered with butter and/or cream sauce. His mom is really sweet about it though, she managed to find some Earth Balance and froze it so she can make me vegan things. I'm going to bite the bullet and go up there during the holidays. But still, it's going to be awkward. There's going to be like 20 people gathered for dinner and then I made this poor woman go and cook me special things...I just feel like others will see me as being selfish.

 

And then there's the times that friends suggest going out for dinner and they have to make a big deal about whether or not I can join them. I know they're being thoughtful, but it still makes me feel like a burden.

 

 

I suppose part of it is just being comfortable with your choice and start to appreciate other peoples' concern and not be embarrassed about it? Or at least that's what I'm working on.

 

That's exactly how I feel! My stepdad is Ukrainian and his family came down and they wanted to feed me so badly but I couldn't eat any of the food they made! I felt terrible. We still had a good time though

[lobsteriffic]

I'm pretty sure Ukrainians aren't happy unless they are feeding someone.

[MalcKiera]

Well I'm the "lucky" one who lives alone - with 2 vegan dogs! - and has a vegetarian mum as only family, who is happy to be vegan when she visits and make me vegan food when I visit her. However, at work we have a large, very food orientated team, and guess what, there are 2 vegetarians who are unable to cook anything without dairy (the number of mouthwatering cakes I've watched go past that turned out to have eggs in them - and there's me thinking: I could of done the same thing without eggs! ) and then there's me, "the vegan". So whenever there is yet another occasion for which everyone brings food in, I make sure that I have something extra tasty for me and I bring in something really nice for the whole team. Usually it's cakes, but last time it I took the easy option and brought in Linda McCartney sausage rolls and a few home made dips. Guess who's bringing the sausage rolls for the Xmas party - by popular demand!

 

I can't help saying this again and again tho, you just don't encourage anyone to go vegan with an "all or nothing and NOW" attitude. I used to be like that when I just got vegan, I couldn't see that not everyone around me didn't see what I saw - even though it'd taken me the first 23 years of my own life to see it myself (!) - and when confronted with the facts didn't throw their weekly shop and new shoes away in dissgust, to become a militant vegan right there and then. It doesn't work like that tho, I've learned that you have to engage with people at their level and with what they are capable of and willing to accept from you. Else you're just looked at as the "vegan freak" and people will just blank anything you're telling them, and that doesn't help the animals.

I think that at least I'm now known to the team as a co-worker who happens to be vegan, rather than "that vegan that I work with". Hopefully that will, in the long run, count towards veganism becoming more mainstream and a viable option for people.

[chrisjs]

Veganism is probably easier on people who live alone, or don't get to see their families that often.. Or at least share their lives with people who share the same views. I don't.. And I treat my family and friends with the same dignity and respect they give me. I can preach all I want about animal rights but it won't make a difference. It'll just annoy the crap out of them.

My wife, daughter (14 mos), and I are all vegan and that makes it that much easier. Her mother and family aren't very supportive, but they've got their own separate issues that cause us to see them less and less anyway. My parents aren't vegetarian, but my mother does make an effort to accommodate us (using vegan margarine, etc) and we always bring food for everyone when we go over for holidays.

 

I do wish it was more convenient to eat out, but I went vegan back in high school, so I guess I never really got used to that convenience so it's easier.

 

 

Now I think first off that animal organizations are out there to promote veganism. Boy was I wrong.

...

I think people are out there sending the wrong message and veganism is the only way. I make exceptions for people working hard to be vegan and transitioning but everyone esle just plain lazy and selfish.

...

If your goal is not true veganism I am not interested!

While I understand your point, I think your attitude towards these people is more destructive than their hypocritical views. It's not (just) that they are lazy and selfish, it's that they don't see things the same way you do. They're not going to change their mind by force, the more negative attention they get the more they'll resist. I didn't become vegan because someone criticized me.

[Marcina]

I'm pretty sure Ukrainians aren't happy unless they are feeding someone.

 

Italians are the same. My mom's half Italian. Lol!

 

My boyfriend is also Italian but he eats mostly the same foods I do. He's very health conscious.

[RAINRA]

I don't see everyone going vegan. I understand that. What I am saying is that I think that this pat on the back that people give a lot seems to me counter active. People need to see that this is a serious issue. Not in a way that you are confrontational. I say no to aggression.

 

My angle is showing people evidence and also make them think about situations that they never thought about before.

 

Like if people are so into dairy why do they not have breast milk icecream or cat milk ice cream .... seems nasty right? Yet people think cows were put on this planet so that their milk could symbiotically work in building strong bones and with out it we would die.

 

For me there are vegans and then there is everyone else. I can't tell you the times I heard people say that they are vegetarian but they still eat fish. Last time I remembered fish, eggs or milk were not vegetables. These labels are all over the place and confusing people and not taking the matter seriously. This is really no difference with racism or feminism. People in many countries accept these as normal. Vegetarian to me is like saying yeah ok you can be racist agains this tone of skin to this one but this other skin tone well I am gonna still be racist against that. Your either racist or your not. Your either for the animals or your not. It must go beyond you. The world does not revolve around one person although some would like to think this. I understand that everyone has some times needs some time to register all this and I get it. I do respect people making a valiant effort to change. Those who are aware of the abuse and poor treatment of animals and who make a minimum effort to change, make me feel that they are the ones who don't take matters seriously. If your a vegetarian for 11 years then what I have to say to that is you probably eat better cause you don't eat meat but come on 11 years and you could not close the deal...that seems selfish to me and I don't take them seriously.

 

SOLUTIONS TO DEAL WITH TOUGH FAMILIES

- Eat before you go to a social gathering.

- Bring your own food to the gathering and share it with non vegans.

- Eat after the gathering.

- Offer to help prepare the food by adding your own vegan recipes.

- Explain what vegan is well and offer a list of ingredients that you can not eat.

- Eat the salad for the time being until you get to the next meal.

 

Plus you do more by going to these events that isolating yourself. In the past year I was offended when I went to these gatherings. Now somehow I see that families feel compelled to ask a lot of questions and talk about veganism. It really is quite powerful. Good seed planting.