Vegan

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An online space for the vegans of Lemmy.

Rules and miscellaneous:

We take for granted that if you engage in this community, you understand that veganism is about the animals. You either are vegan for the animals, or you are not (this is not to say that discussions about climate/environment/health are not allowed, of course)
No omni/carnist apologists. This is not a place where to ask to be hand-holded into veganims. Omnis coddling/backpatting is not tolerated, nor are /r/DebateAVegan-like threads
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Circlejerking belongs to /c/vegancirclejerk
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founded 5 years ago

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Curiosity of a non-vegan (self.vegan)

submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by AzzyDev to c/vegan@lemmy.ml

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Hello folks! First, I’d like to clarify that, even as a bloodmouth, I fully understand why some people have moral objections to eating meat. I am simply here to ask about it, as someone who is not a vegan.

So I suppose I have a few questions for anyone who wants to answer them, 100% as your own opinions and feelings about the topic.

Why do you make the conscious decision to not eat meat/animal products? Do you have negative feelings towards those who raise their own animals for food, such as those who raise chickens for eggs or cattle for milk, and otherwise treat the animals ethically? Are there other reasons for not eating meat that I’m not considering? When did you choose to switch to a vegan lifestyle, what (if any) was the “catalyst”? What are some challenges that you have dealt with when it comes to this lifestyle? Why do you believe there is a continued stigma around veganism in many physical/internet communities?

I understand that as someone who isn’t vegan, this is not my space, and I am trying to be as respectful as possible while here. If I have said anything objectionable within my questions or otherwise, please let me know so I can avoid making the mistake in the future.

EDIT: Holy crap, thank you all for the responses! I appreciate y’all for taking the time out of your day to respond and share your knowledge. I’m going to go watch Dominion within the next few days since some of you mentioned that.

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[–] NoisyFlake@lemm.ee 15 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Hi there. For me it's perfectly fine for non-vegans to post here, as long as they are as respectful as you are. I'm gonna try to answer each of your questions real quick from my own point of view:

Why do you make the conscious decision to not eat meat/animal products?

Because I don't want animals to suffer just so I can have a specific meal. There's enough alternatives I can create a delicious meal with that don't involve exploiting animals.

Do you have negative feelings towards those who raise their own animals for food, such as those who raise chickens for eggs or cattle for milk, and otherwise treat the animals ethically?

That depends, meat is obviously a no-go. Milk is also pretty criticial, since a) you're taking away the milk the mother produced for it's child, b) you have to separate mother and child so that the child can't drink the milk, and c) you have to impregnate the cow against its will continuously to keep up the milk production. Eggs are probably the thing I'd see as most acceptable, as long as the chickens can roam free and are not specifically held for egg production.

Are there other reasons for not eating meat that I’m not considering?

Well, for me it's mostly ethical. But there's also a huge environmental aspect, as well as a health aspect.

When did you choose to switch to a vegan lifestyle, what (if any) was the “catalyst”?

About a year ago, I was trying to reduce my meat consumption and somehow found a link to the Dominion documentation. If you haven't watched it yet, I gotta warn you, it's absolutely brutal. I couldn't watch it until the end because I was crying and shaking, and I haven't touched meat since. I went vegetarian first for about a month, and then switched to a fully vegan lifestyle when I found out that milk and eggs can't really be produced ethically as well.

What are some challenges that you have dealt with when it comes to this lifestyle?

Acceptance from family, friends and others. Most people are pretty accepting of me being vegan, but there are always people that feel the need to justify their meat consumption without being asked, telling me that my plant-based patty should not be allowed to be called a patty or are simply rude by making jokes about veganism like "if I put tofu around this steak, would you eat it".

I live in a small town, and ordering food is really annoying. There are basically two places that deliver vegan food, and that's pizza and Subway. But I guess it's not all bad, since I cook way more often because of this.

Why do you believe there is a continued stigma around veganism in many physical/internet communities?

The same reason there's stigma around different religions: people with different beliefs try to convince the other side that they are wrong. Oh, and also because most people only have heard bad things about veganism, like extremists that take the completely wrong approach to convince people to become vegan.

I hope I answered most questions to your satisfaction.