I've seen posts recently (on Steemit, FaceBook, YouTube, MSM, pop culture, etc) which mention veganism in order to say something negative about it. Almost like there's something inherently funny about people who don't use animal products. It seems, vegans are an easy target. One of the last groups, along with cannabis users, it's still safe to publicly denigrate. Vegans: the punchline to any joke.
Nevertheless, it has spurred me to post about it. Being grouped together with millions of other people and slandered, unnecessarily, is a shit move. Am I "vegan"? Probably not by the official definition, but by your definition, I probably am. Like other private parts of me (sexuality, beliefs, etc) I don't force my views on anyone else. In fact, I rarely talk about them.
Almost the whole industrialized world is brainwashed into believing certain sentient birds and mammals are made of "meat", and are therefore food. 99% of all North American and European meat is produced in massive factory farms, not idyllic natural grasslands of happiness as the advertisement would have us believe. It's a disgusting, unhealthy, cruel, unnecessary act. Humans don't need other animals' flesh to survive, nor to thrive. Meat eating is a cultural, religious, and social construct which today has little or no valid place. Many will look back with sadness and regret on the sheer volume of harm they caused.
A friend of mine posted that yesterday, with the caption "yum yum who's coming over tonight?", and it was wildly popular.
When I see something like that, I see a gutted corpse in bondage. It doesn't look like food, or something that will become food when heated. To me, that's death. It's decomposing animal flesh, along with a skeleton, connective tissues, and nervous system. An animal smarter than your dog and with all the same feelings, raised in an unnatural place, fed chemicals and hormones, slaughtered in a terrifying and painful way, "cleaned out", shaved, tied up, and put in a roasting pan. To me, that's an innocent, with her eyes gouged out and organs removed, made a commodity and served to already overweight people who paid $125. A clever, unique personality - a person - literally butchered for profit. In this photo, I see the glorification of extremely bad behaviour. Normalized murder, literally.
And to me, the dairy industry is probably the worst of all. Sadly, I continued my dairy addiction for YEARS after quitting meat, believing the "happy cow" myth. I wish I'd stopped milk products much sooner. The dairy industry revolves around factory workers repeatedly raping the females from a very young age to keep them pregnant and lactating their entire shortened, painful lives. Their babies are aware from birth when they're taken away, the males to be killed as "veal" and the females to be raped forever like their moms. They age rapidly and are hung by their feet and cut open to bleed out, then dropped in the grinder to become "ground beef". Cows raised 'only' for their flesh have it relatively good.
I see otherwise conscious, intelligent, and peaceful people eating... cheeseburgers. They know it required pain and suffering to create. They know the nutrients in it could easily be obtained from plants. They know animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of environmental issues and species loss. They know it's unhealthy for them. But they continue to do it anyway. They are, literally, brainwashed.
It may sound extreme from your perspective, but that's honestly how it feels from mine.
So yeah, when people slander all vegans as "annoying", "stupid", and "arrogant", it upsets me because I know they're wrong, and I won't be able to reach them. Maybe some who read this are able to see it from my perspective. If you believed what I believe, and felt how I feel, how would you react to being stereotyped?
You know why I think many of those people are making anti-vegan posts? Because they feel guilty. They won't admit that, of course, but deep down they've made the connection and realized what they're doing is wrong, but they're putting off doing what they know they need to do.
It's hard to change, but we need to change. I believe that within 5 years, the majority of planet Earth will shift toward a plant-based lifestyle. And that is hugely positive and exciting for me! The products in the grocery stores are changing. People's way of talking about food is changing. I've even seen some change in the propaganda the government and media is putting out - they're not pushing meat nearly as much nowadays! It's coming.
To you, who considers the response "BUT BACON!!", I've already heard that one.
And yeah, it's probably your guilt that causes you to react that way. And if that's how you feel, and you want to make jokes, disregard facts, and shrug veganism off, go for it. If you think "you're trying to shove veganism down my throat", am I really shoving anything down your throat? Or am I just saying what I believe to be true? I'm open to being corrected, so if I'm wrong, please show me specifically how, and I'll surely investigate. Let's debate. But I'm up on my nutritional research, so you better be too. And if you react by feeling attacked, when you actually haven't been, maybe you need to examine yourself and find out why.
Again, no need to be triggered, especially if what I'm saying doesn't apply to you. I'm only in search of the truth, and liberty for all.
How I'd like to frame this post is as an open discussion. A peaceful, neutral, and transparent conversation zone. An opportunity for ANYONE to ask genuine questions, of anyone else. Debate something I've said. Ask a question. Post your thoughts or experiences.
Remember, there was a time before you knew the entire world economy was a lie, that gold prices are manipulated, that the system is rigged against the people, and that evil bankster elites basically rule the world.
And now, an opportunity for you to wake up SOME MORE. A plant-based lifestyle is your natural state. It's how you're healthiest, how you're happiest, and how you fit in with the planet Earth best. You've been misled and conditioned to believe factory farm corporations are ethically creating animal flesh for you, and that it's important you continue eating it. But you're snapping out of it now, despite how normalized meat eating is. You're a free thinker. You've seen the facts, you've used logic to make the connections, and you can put that into action. It's not too late to change, it never is. But believe me, the sooner the better. Even a small step helps, as long as you're going the right way.
I'd be THRILLED to genuinely and honestly answer questions and help people who want it. If you only want to be negative and aren't open to learning, please don't bother.
If you feel attacked, please be assured that I didn't mean it that way. Consider looking into what's making you so defensive about this topic! Then...
From a guy who spent his teens working at Domino's Pizza and considered himself an expert on cheese, the non-dairy cheeses out there nowadays are AMAZING. Very similar to traditional cheese made from cow breastmilk, in terms of flavour. The texture is really what they've perfected, though. That dense, chewy texture when fresh and cold, and the melty stretchy texture when hot. If you haven't tried any non-dairy cheese in a while, do yourself a favour and try some.
Veganism is revolutionary! Not just because it's a major change from the way things have been, but because it's a way every person can have a huge (and immediate) positive impact! Change your food, change the way you think. And when we change the way we think, we change our world.
I think I'm just ahead of the curve on this (not wrong). Please keep using that brilliant analytical mind of yours, and investigate further, don't deny the connection you've made. This is the way we're going as a species, and it's the right way. Some of the old ways of doing things, like raising other intelligent animals as conscious nutrient sources, are ending. Hooray! :)
I honestly mean this in no disrespect to anyone, and I encourage dialogue.
Peace <3
DRutter
