radical love!: The ability to be a vegetarian or vegan in today's western society stems from a position of social privilege.

monkeyhott:

godadatoday:

loveasaradicalact:

theveganarchist:

This is true. However, that fact does not ethically excuse those who have the ability to be vegan from doing so. We can’t all avoid sweatshop-made clothing, but if we can and we choose not to, we’re complicit.

The problem arises, though, because we’re not in a position to assume others’ privilege or lack thereof in most cases, and as such, trying to force veganism on others comes across issues of privilege whether we realize it or not. IMO, it’s best to lead by example, state clearly why you choose veganism, and leave it at that- shame is neither persuasive nor community-building.

Also I don’t think I know anyone who can or does entirely avoid sweatshop-made clothing short of freegans and those who shop exclusively used, so I don’t know how well the comparison works? I get the idea though.

As some one who is proudly non-vegan, I try to respect vegetarianism/veganism/freeganism in all aspects. However, I would like to point out that there are benefits to eating meat and dairy products (both to the self and to the animal being milked), and that often vegetables are being grown and picked in sweatshop conditions similar to those that anarchistvegan derides in their post.

I fortunately live in an area of America where I can choose to eat organically and locally grown fruit and vegetables, as well as sustainable meat from animals that have been raised on a farm and treated well. I tend to buy secondhand clothes, and so on. Eating meat is a choice that doesn’t necessarily dictate that everything I do has a negative effect, and I humbly submit that vegetarianism/veganism should be considered a choice just like eating meat, rather than a somehow superior lifestyle option. Choosing not to eat meat doesn’t magically make you blameless in other aspects of life, and I grow weary of hearing that point of view, if not from anyone who has previously posted, than certainly from vegetarians and vegans that I have met offline.

Again, I have respect for those who choose to be vegetarians or vegans, but I lose a little bit (please note that I still have respect, just not as much) of respect for those who attempt to force their lifestyle choices on others.

You had me at ‘proudly non-vegan’. Okay, Ill bite. What exactly are the benefits of dairy products to those being milked? I fail to see how being raised as a product for human benefit, separated from your mother at an early age, forcibly kept pregnant and then milked until you are finally slaughtered is in any way a good life.

Newsflash: treating animals well means NOT killing them. So organic meat is a total joke.

Yes, vegetables are often picked by people who work in poor conditions but that doesn’t mean that we should kill animals too. This argument makes no sense. We can live without animal products but we can’t live without vegetables. How does eating meat, dairy and eggs impact on the people who are picking the fruit and vegetables? It doesn’t. These are just excuses.

(Source: anarchyagogo)