Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Vegans

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I read this in my Vegetarian Society of Hawai'i newsletter recently and had to share it.It's funny and true! we vegans are not just a fad!

"When many people think of the term "vegan" they immediately picture a malnourished, stick-in-the-mud, chopping on a head of lettuce while longing for a Big Mac dipped in cheese sauce. And, of course, as vegans we know that couldn't be farther from the truth. Without further adieu, here is a list of ten things everyone should know about vegans.

1. Vegans love to eat. Or make that loooove to eat. Our taste buds and appetites are in fine working order. We salivate, drool, get food cravings, and can chow down, gobble up, and overindulge with the best of 'em. And all with plants! (Not that we're bragging.)

2. Vegans aren't masochists. Being vegan doesn't mean deprivation or sacrifice—our lives are richer, not poorer, for following a plant-based diet. And we don't get off on hair shirts or self-flagellation, either, just for the record.

3. Vegans have a sense of humor. That's right. Your average vegan is not an incessantly intense, laughter-impaired stick-in-the-mud. We like to have fun as much as the next person; we're just not going to torture animals to do it.

4. Vegans aren't all malnourished skinny b*****s. We're female and male, we come in all shapes and sizes, and we're probably the healthiest people you know.

5. Vegans aren't just young, privileged, and white. We proudly count among our number people of color, the working class, and folks of every age. And we're getting more diverse all the time. Because you don't need a certain skin color, bank balance, or birthday to be an ethical eater.

6. Vegans care about people. Just because vegans are deeply compassionate toward animals doesn't mean we're misanthropes. Far from it. We don't want any of our fellow earthlings—whether two-legged or four-legged, furred or feathered or finned—to suffer or be exploited.

7. Vegans don't rely on "willpower." Veganism isn't about gritting your teeth and toughing it out every time you pass a burger joint. We're not white-knuckling it every day of our lives. Once the logic and beauty of veganism clicks in, the rest becomes easy. Anyone can do it. Even you.

8. Vegans aren't following a "fad." Sure, it seems chic to be vegan these days, what with rap stars and former Presidents all championing a vegan diet. But trust us, this isn't a blip on the cultural radar (like the macarena or singing plastic fish). As the economic, environmental, and ethical hazards of animal-based food systems are made increasingly evident, the more mainstream veganism will become.

9. Vegans understand you. The great majority of vegans weren't raised that way. We've gnawed our share of babyback ribs, noshed on McNuggets, ordered pizza with extra pepperoni—and there was a time when we couldn't imagine giving up any of those things. Ever. Sound familiar?

10. Vegans are optimists. And that's because we know, first-hand, that change is possible. We see how our own lives have transformed, how a diet that once sounded impossibly radical now feels completely sensible and indispensable. We know if we can change, anybody can. And we know that every little change means a little less suffering, a little less cruelty, a little better world."
by Elizabeth Gordon

I have a lot of respect for vegans but I know I wouldn't be able to do it. I have too many texture issues and like only a few vegetables and fruits. Not to mention going out to eat is more difficult as they have limited options to what they can eat in a restaurant. As much as I would love to be thin and beautiful, I think I would be miserable as a vegan or vegetarian. >.<

Why do I need to know these things? They have no effect on my life either way.

I support vegans, but I'll never become one myself.

The newsletter seem righteous. In my opinion it is wrong to judge others over their choice of diet even if it means killing animals.

I like the idea of veganism and generally eating less meat from an environmental/ ecological standpoint. I also like less animal cruelty.

Maybe it is something that is meant to be taken in jest. Some sort of in joke for vegans. That is something present in all groups. Otherwise, i find it worrying, it seems like being a vegan allows someone to feel better than others. This is not the way to get results as it is eletist and might make many less people who considered veganism actually try it. Again, that seems to be something happening in any group

So basically, it dispels minor aspects of the stereotype while supporting the main body of it by demonstrating the stereotypical vegan arrogance, snobbiness and percieved superiority with every word.

Vegans "don't torture animals to have fun".
Yes, those evil people who aren't vegans torture animals all the time.
We tear bloody chunks off of screaming kittens with our teeth.
We pounce on lions pouncing gazelles and suck them into our gaping maws with a scream of "OMNOMNOM!".

Vegans are "ethical eaters".
And obviously you have the One True Grasp of ethics, and we're all unethical.

Vegans are "probably the healthiest people you know".
Yes, you're far superior to those evil people who eat reasonable diets that happen to include meat! It's the magic vegan spell, I tell you!

Vegans "Don't want anything to suffer".
Oh, that's cute. I'm so glad you spoke to every f*****g vegan about what they think and every single one agreed that nobody deserves to suffer. Even the rape survivors and such. Yeah, I can totally picture that.

/sarcasm
This is functionally anti-vegan propaganda disguised as pro vegan.. Whatever you call it.

There's a vegan badge on my washing up liquid, and I wondered why I'd want to drink it.

Wow-this was meant as a harmless thread.Never intended these kinds of reactions! It's nice to get support as a vegan,and to have people understand where you are coming from when you decide to not only eat but live mindfully. It makes such a strong impact on me knowing exactly what I eat,where it comes from and if it is processed according to certain standards or not.I thought these were kind of funny,too,so why not share it?

It's ok love some of us took it that way, here is a copy of a post I made in another thread about veganism that the hostile omnivore society came out to mock and abuse...

Let each draw their own lines in the sand, they are all personal and basically arbitrary.

Things eat things, ecosystems are a delicate and ever swaying shift in these balances as energy is changed from one form to another by organisms consuming each other, that my friends is life and death and the whole damned game
.
I say go the lovely vegans they are not all high and mighty and judgmental, many are intelligent, sensitive individuals and quite accepting of peoples right to choose, however they may get frustrated from time to time by the hostility of those who feel uncomfortable by the vegan rejection of something they still embrace - this is common in many areas of life.

Back when I was involved in the CND there was an old airforce chap in my group, he served in WWII bombing Germany, flying as crew in Lancasters, he was one of the first kiwi's in J-Force to see ground zero in Hiroshima or Nagasaki I cannot recall which. He was still an active member in the RSA [Returned Services Association]. One day prior to a group meeting he was distracted and upset, I liked the guy a lot and asked him what was up [a rare case of empathy on my part which just shows how obvious his upset was]. His reply was that the guys at the RSA had been on his case and abusing him as a commie etc for taking a stand against nuclear weapons. I asked why he persisted in mixing with them, his reply was that they had a common bond, they had shared in different ways the same terrible experience with the exception of what he saw in Japan.
He excused them their ignorant and agressive hostility to his CND activities on the premise that they had invested so much of themselves in something so terrible that in order to make peace with them selves and get on with their lives they had had to justify it and to some extent make war good, this nessecitated being hostile to 'pinko peaceniks', they pressumed guilt about and hostility towards what they had done on his part.
He was a very wise man, a caring and intelligent individual who turned me onto something I have seen a lot of in life.

Read back over this thread, there has been way more superciliousness and open hostility on the part of the omnivores than on the part of any of the vegetarians or vegans - get over it folks we choose what we choose, if for ethical or environmental reasons this makes lots of sense and makes you uncomfortable then that is your sh#t not ours.

peace j

I see these things come up every once in a while, and I think the time where vegetarians and vegans needed to publicly justify their eating habits is long over. The reason why people get mad about these things is not because they think that you are doing something wrong, it is because all these "letters" carry that distinct taint of guilt. Deciding to not eat meat or any animal products is a decission everyone has to make for themselves. There is no right or wrong. If you believe that eating certain things is wrong, than do as you please, but leave other people alone with it. I only eat meat one day a week, because I feel that the food industry has evolved in a fashion I don't want to support. When I eat animal products, I make sure they come from organic agriculture. But I don't run around preaching my diet to other folks. It is like a religion, it is something you have to make peace with yourself. Imagine if you were a christian, someone would come and make a list of "10 things everybody needs to know about muslims", where it said "Muslims are ethical people. When they die, they go to heaven", implying that you, as a christian, are both neither ethical or will go to heaven when you die.