Recently, there has been an increase in heated debates between vegans over various topics, ranging from food choices to lifestyle practices. This is due to the fact that veganism is a diverse movement and encompasses a wide range of beliefs and philosophies. For example, some vegans are against any type of animal exploitation while others do not oppose dairy and egg production as long as it is done ethically.
These differing views can lead to misunderstandings and disagreements, which can then lead to vegan attacks. It is therefore important for vegans to try to be respectful and understanding of others’ opinions and strive for a unified approach that acknowledges the diversity of vegan beliefs.
Don’t get me wrong, I love being part of Vegan Twitter, but when people start arguing and shaming each other, it gets quite uncomfortable. I thought we were all on the same page. I thought we were in this together.
Why are some vegans okay with eating honey and some say you can’t call yourself vegan if you eat honey? Why do some vegans feed their pets other animals and some say they are hypocrites? Why do vegans fat-shame each other?
Why are we doing this when we know this is not helping the cause?
The Honey Argument
To some vegans, the honey argument is black and white. They will say “of course vegans don’t eat honey, it’s exploiting bees”. And some vegans will say, “I only eat honey from local beekeepers who I know treat their bees well”.
I perceive the honey argument to be a gray area. I personally choose not to eat it because of its potential to harm and exploit bees. However, I am not going to argue and judge another vegan who chooses to consume it.
Let me just say this, if we are going to argue about honey, then we need to argue about almonds, blueberries, and cherries.
The almond industry depends entirely on honey bees at bloom time, and blueberries and cherries depend almost 90% on honey bee pollination.
The almond, blueberry, and cherry industries don’t just rely on wild honey bees to pollinate their crops, they rely on beekeepers and the honey bee industry. One could argue that sending large numbers of bees to pollinate almonds laden with pesticides is sending bees to their death.
One could argue that that is worse than consuming honey.
So if you tell someone they are not vegan because they eat honey, please take a look at yourself too. Do you eat fruit, almonds, or broccoli?
You get the point.
Do what you can do to reduce animal exploitation and stop shaming fellow vegans for doing their best.
The Pet Food Argument
Many people criticize vegans for owning pets because they are “using them for their own enjoyment”, “they belong in the wild”, or the most popular, “they feed their pets other dead animals”. Vegans understand that they should not purchase animals from breeders or pet stores. They also understand that animals need to be rescued and adopted.
They understand that you cannot take a domesticated animal and put it in the wild where it won’t survive. Most vegans will agree on all of those points. The disagreement comes in when we talk about what to feed our pets.
I have a dog that is fed a plant-based diet. She’s a sweet old lady and is doing well on it. This is besides the point, but I believe if she had a chance to decide for herself, she would choose not to eat other animals. She has never hurt an animal in her life, even the bunnies that made a home in the backyard. Other dogs are natural hunters and would choose to catch and eat other animals.
But when we adopt and take care of a pet, as humans, we get to decide what they eat. Since dogs can survive and thrive on the proper plant-based diet with supplements, that is what I choose to do.
But what if you have an obligate carnivore?
The latest attack I saw on Twitter was a vegan shaming another vegan for feeding their snake dead mice. The person with the snake said that he had it before he was vegan and that he had to feed it this way or the snake would die. The attacker said, “then don’t call yourself vegan”.
Ugh, that’s tough man. That is a hard situation. The attacker suggested that the snake owner give the snake away to a non-vegan. But the fact is, that snake would still be getting fed dead mice, so what’s the point?
Sometimes we have to make hard decisions in life. Sometimes the most practical thing to do is to keep taking care of the snake. And you know what? Practical and possible can mean different things to different people. I think it’s practicable and possible to feed my dog a vegan diet. Some other people might not have the means.
Please don’t say someone is not a vegan because they are not doing what you think is right.
I would say, do whatever you can to not harm other creatures while feeding your pet. Dogs especially can thrive on supplemented plant-based foods (of course do your research first). There are even vegan cat foods that have shown some success.
Hopefully, one day, lab-grown meat will be available to give our pets all the nutrients they need without harming other creatures.
Thy Body-Type Argument
I will be honest, before I went vegan, I used to think most vegans were thin. It turns out, that was just a stereotype. Vegans come in all shapes and sizes. Some vegans, however, think bigger people should not be representing veganism. They say it gives veganism a bad name. Vegans should be fit and healthy so other people will want to be vegans.
Well, guess what, veganism actually has nothing to do with health. Veganism is about not harming animals. There are fit, healthy vegans, and there are junk-food vegans, and there are vegans somewhere in between. Shaming another vegan for being overweight will only hurt our cause.
Why do Vegans Attack Each Other?
So why do vegans attack each other? Is it because we let our egos get in the way of the greater good? Don’t we have better things to do like saving animals?
Can’t we all work towards what we agree on?
- Slaughterhouses are horrible.
- Overfishing is wrong.
- Trophy hunting is barbaric.
- Dairy farming is cruel.
The obvious truths are staring us in the face yet here we are arguing about weight and honey. Please lift each other up. We can have conversations about these things without attacking each other. But what if we all focus our efforts on the things we all want to see changed?