Stuff that I never had to think about when talking to fellow chileans in the street. Not even when performing in the poorest zones of the city, or when talking to homeless people, or jobless people, or etc people.
No chilean had ever suggested that eating vegan is a privilege. Maybe because when you tell them that what we eat most is legumes, rice, pasta, fruits and vegetables, they understand that that’s the cheapest food to find. They know that meat is expensive, that cheese is expensive, and once they realize that milk is no longer needed once you’re 3+ years old, they see there’s no need to keep on drinking it.
In Chile there is no big vegan market. No Daiya, no Tofurkey. A couple of local tiny enterprises that produce almost home made burgers and sausages. When I went vegetarian almost 7 years ago, there was only one brand of pretty bad (argentinian) soy burgers in the supermarket. Today, there are two brands (a chilean and an argentinian one). When you tell people they can buy that in the supermarket, that it has no cholesterol, that it’s healthy and that no animal was harmed to get it, they get curious and try it. Until last year, there were not many brands of soy milk, and no almond, coconut, hemp or whatever milk. Since there is no (big) vegan market, people do not think “To go vegan I must buy this burgers and patés, and sausages, soy and almond milk, and Tofurkey pizza, and Daiya, etc”. They think “To go vegan I must buy more lentils, and some TVP”.
So until I met Tumblr, I had never heard the whole “Vegan = Privilege” thing. So when I compare what this kids in the US complain about (“Daiya and organic food are too expensive!!”) with my experience as a vegan living in Chile, with over 100+ vegan friends and acquaintances from all economical backgrounds, living in different cities, I easily disregard what I read here. Because it’s not the reality of a vegan diet.
I wish it was just that easy to show anti vegans on Tumblr that. But since they are only looking for an excuse, and are really too selfish to contemplate going vegan, I guess that’d be only wasting my time.
P.S.: Am I wrong or you get food stamps in the US? Like, they give you the chance to get food if you’re too poor?? Pfff, talking about privilege. Here, they’d let you starve to death.
I saw this on facebook today:
On truck: “Soy: Food for animals”
Brasil
16 millions tons of soy to export.
16 millions of malnourished people.
Whenever you are eating meat or drinking milk, spare a minute to think of the people who are starving in Brazil so the cow that was murdered in your name could eat.
Eating animals is class privilege.
They will just accuse you from not caring about the working conditions on vegetable picking workers.
That they also eat.
WHY DO THEY CARE SO LITTLE ABOUT HUMANS AND OTHER ANIMALS???
Selfish assholes.
“animal byproducts are responsible for 32.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, or 51 percent of annual worldwide human caused greenhouse gas”
why am I not fucking surprised
Holy fucking shit…
(Quelle: sexy-vegan)
… if I eat meat/dairy/eggs, and use animal products, is MY PERSONAL CHOICE. Like, don’t you DARE to touch on my right to do as I please!!!!!
Human, the thing is, what you choose to eat and use has a great impact on somebody else, a sentient living being that deserves respect and is an individual. Sorry, but when your “choice” involves murdering and using somebody else, it’s no longer a choice.
It’s being fucking selfish and an abuser.
I kindly invite you to check the consequences of your “choices”. Go to a dairy, a slaughterhouse, a farm. If you can’t stand the violence and abuse inherent to animal products, then don’t support it. Learn how, put it into action. Go vegan and stay vegan.
![thebourgeoisiehobo:
I received an overwhelming response of “no, it is not alright to kill if you’ve got another choice”.
Though of course some still said they would kill for food, even though there was the alternative.
Most people don’t realize that meat, eggs, and dairy are all products of murder. It sounds dramatic, but when you boil it down to the basics, it’s true. Think about what you’re putting in your mouth - you’re choosing to kill. Why make the choice to kill when you can make the choice to be compassionate?
[Philosomegle].
I also found out that a surprising amount of people don’t know what a chips ahoy cookie is. “Did it mingle with pirates? Are they regular chips?”
That, and people know the glory that is the chewy chips ahoy.
Wow, really interesting!](http://i.imgur.com/vdS7K.jpg)
I received an overwhelming response of “no, it is not alright to kill if you’ve got another choice”.
Though of course some still said they would kill for food, even though there was the alternative.
Most people don’t realize that meat, eggs, and dairy are all products of murder. It sounds dramatic, but when you boil it down to the basics, it’s true. Think about what you’re putting in your mouth - you’re choosing to kill. Why make the choice to kill when you can make the choice to be compassionate?
[Philosomegle].
I also found out that a surprising amount of people don’t know what a chips ahoy cookie is. “Did it mingle with pirates? Are they regular chips?”
That, and people know the glory that is the chewy chips ahoy.
Wow, really interesting!
I would really love to have a conversation with somebody that can shed some light on this for me.
I am a person who strongly believes that speciesism exists; the idea that humans believe that they are somehow more valuable than other non-human animals and that those animals have some…
I agree that we should respect people’s cultures, but not necessarily all of the traditions within them, especially if they involve harming someone else. For example, infant circumcision is a practiced, often spiritual tradition within many cultures, but it is unethical. So, I don’t see why harming other animals for the sake of tradition should be respected (although, under certain circumstances, such as famine, hunting may be understandable).
Here are some articles about indigenous veganism:
Indigenous veganism: Feminist Natives do eat tofu
On the ‘right to hunt’ by a Native American vegan
About animals eating other animals, I don’t see why we should base our morality off the morality of others. It is not acceptable for a human to justify harmful behavior by leading by the example of another human, so why is it okay in reference to other animals? Also, some nonhuman animals eat their young, and rape other animals. Others don’t. The “nature, red in tooth in claw” mindset is but a very narrow, if not, inaccurate depiction of the animal kingdom, anyway. Sure, there is violence, but there is goodness as well. Humans are not the only animals who can be loving and altruistic. So if we are going to learn from animals, doesn’t it seem a bit convenient to only choose to act on the negative aspects? After all, there are herbivores in the animal kingdom. Yet people always seem to reference carnivores to somehow justify their own behavior, which they have control over, both mindfully, and biologically. Yes, humans are biologically omnivores, but that only gives us the ability to consume plant and animal protein; it does not restrict us to a diet of plants AND animals. (That would actually defeat the purpose of omnivorism, which gives us more opportunities in a changing environment, and as a migratory species.)
Basically, we as humans have a choice. Or, at least those of us privileged enough to have access to animal alternatives have a choice. And we already know that nonhuman animals are sentient, so why harm someone when you don’t need to in order to survive? Why are animal rights always left to the back-burner within social justice discussions? I say, dismantle all hierarchies and oppressive systems.
Wonderfully written, was about to say pretty much the same (:
Anita Vegan-Mahdessian (via pandacake)
This. A million times. This.
(via supervegan)
:O Best answer ever.
(via veggiebeauty)
especially when there are so many plant options.
That are healthier anyways. Canadian doctors are starting to tell middle age and elderly men to get their protein from plant sources. This is because the human body doesn’t absorb animal protein properly.
Eating chicken during pregnancy may affect the size and development of one’s son’s penis and scrotum due to phthalate contamination of the meat.
Geeez. Mom you screwed your son and all of his possible bed mates.
