Jessie is going to be publishing the following in the Journal, give her some feedback!
I am proud to say that I have now spent over a quarter of my life meat-free. Although I loved the taste of meat as a teenager, the decision to become vegetarian for ethical reasons was an easy one, a smart one, and one that I’ve never regretted.
However, after four and a half years, I began to have a nagging sensation that perhaps vegetarianism wasn’t the answer after all – indeed, to question whether it had any value at all. Finally, in November of last year, I gave up on being a vegetarian. Or perhaps I should say I moved forward: I became a vegan.
A vegan is a person who abstains from using any animal products. I don’t eat dairy, eggs, or honey, I don’t wear leather, silk, or wool, and I don’t use hygiene products that were tested on animals or that contain animal-derived ingredients. This may seem like a restrictive lifestyle, but within a week or two of my newfound veganism I went from asking “What will I eat?” to “What the hell took me so long?”
Our society encourages a skewed relationship with animals. Some, we take into our homes and treat as family members; others, we breed, exploit, and slaughter by the tens of billions every year, for no other reason than that they taste good. Like me, you may believe that lacto-ovo vegetarianism (a diet which abstains from meat but allows dairy products and eggs) is an acceptable personal solution. Unfortunately, the treatment of dairy cows and egg hens is no better, and in many cases, much worse than the treatment of animals exploited for their flesh; when they are “spent”, as the industry calls it, they are slaughtered and used for cheap, low-grade meat. To paraphrase animal rights philosopher Gary Francione, there may be more suffering in a glass of milk than in a pound of steak.
If you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian for ethical reasons, I urge you to consider the wealth of information available online about veganism. Going vegan is easy and worthwhile, for yourself, for the environment, and of course, for the animals. Go Vegan Now!(Please see www.abolitionistapproach.com, www.peacefulprairie.org, www.vegweb.com, and varikingston.wordpress.com for starting points on your vegan journey, and come out every Tuesday at 7:00 for a meeting of the Vegan Animal Rights Initiative in the basement of Stauffer Library.)
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Hey Jessie,
I really like it. Short, sweet and sassy. I like how you don’t mention the peripheral stuff like animal testing, fur, leather etc. but rather concentrate on farm animals.
I know that this is a piece urging vegetarians to go vegan, but maybe you could say something very brief about why veganism isn’t just for vegetarians, but for omnivores as well? I know your piece has to be short, and, really, my criticism is inconsequential, so I wouldn’t worry about it if you would have to sacrifice anything else in the article.
One more thing, but this is small. In the fourth paragraph you talk about our moral schizophrenia about animals. You could mention, though this is a small point, that both farm animals and our “pets” are sentient, which is why our actions towards animals seem fucked up. However, this is implicit in what you say.
Thanks for the feedback, Peter. I think I will add a little half-sentence about omnivores, because you’re right, it’s not just vegetarians who need to go vegan. I didn’t mention sentience mainly because I didn’t want to have to spend precious words on defining it. What I’m hoping is that people will read the article and be interested enough to visit the websites listed at the bottom. Obviously I can’t even scratch the surface in this tiny little opinion piece, but hopefully it’ll get a few balls rolling anyway.
while i agree with the two of you that a word for the omnis is necessary, i have to say that i really like the focus of this article on vegetarianism. i’ve been thinking of writing a pamphlet addressed to vegetarians and those considering it, demonstrating that their reasons for going vegetarian are better addressed through abolitionist veganism, with an outline of the horrors that any animal used for milk or egg production has to go through.
beyond the importance of raising awareness to the ethical distinction between veganism and vegetarianism, i believe (based on my own experience) that many vegetarians are misinformed potential vegans, especially at the stage where they vaguely begin questioning the cruelty of the status quo.
I now agree with Daphne.
Yeah, I directed it towards vegetarians because I see them as great potential vegan converts, and also because I think a lot of them genuinely believe that going vegetarian is doing their part for the animals. I’m really getting quite tired of people saying that vegetarians and vegans should be united because “we’re all on the same team”, when it’s quite clear that there isn’t any difference between animal flesh and animal secretions (except maybe for a psychological one), and it’s something that we can’t shy away from for fear of being divisive. I love the idea of a pamphlet specifically addressed to vegetarians – maybe there should be one for the “happy meaters” as well, who like vegetarians believe that they’re doing the right thing by the animals. (Of course, there are plenty of people who know they should go vegan but refuse because “cheese is soooooo good!!!!1!”)
We surely could have at least three types of flyers:
1. Directed to vegetarians
2. Directed towards people who eat “happy” animal products
3. Directed to people who have never thought about any of this
Hey Jessie,
I remember Queen’s being full of vegetarians, so your article is going to grab a lot of people’s attentions, and I think it will provoke thought.
One suggestion to add, and it’s a silly little wording thing:
I would change, “Like me, you may believe that lacto-ovo vegetarianism (a diet which abstains from meat but allows dairy products and eggs) is an acceptable personal solution”, to “like I once did….”
It should be clear from your article that you don’t actually think that way anymore, but, you know, I wanted to post on this blog and it was all I could come up with.
Hey everyone
Liz
Hi Liz and welcome to VARI blog-world.
I’m sorry I only just read this while on vacation a la east coast USA – but Jessie, I think it is really direct and (obviously) well-written. You get to the salient points and don’t waste time on any minor or less pertinent points.
I just wanted to post to say holla back sister-g, I’m excited to see it in print!
Love,
Roommate
So I sent the piece to the Journal and they asked me to add 200-300 words. Is there any really important point that you guys think should be added? More about the treatment of dairy and egg animals? More about moral schizophrenia?