In todays' world can any person call themselves "Vegan" and be accurate?!
In todays' world can any person call themselves "Vegan" and be accurate?
Considering the definition of vegan:
"Veganism is a way of living which excludes all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, the animal kingdom, and includes a reverence for life."
Is this possible in 2007?
Please just answer the question. None of the predictable condescension. Additional Details
2 days ago
krister "until he/she's blue and they face"
More krister gibberish.
2 days ago
redshirt----you did not answer my question. This isn't a forum for you to voice your opinions. If you wish to answer a question, you answer the question. If you do not wish to answer the question, you don't post anything. You are not obligated to answer any questions at all.
2 days ago
reshirt---it isn't that I don't like veganism. I find it to be a noble cause albeit unattainable. I abhor condescension though. I abhor hypocrisy. I endeavor to expose hypocrisy in those who condescend.
I asked a simple question. If you cannot/will not answer my questions, then please move on to another question.
2 days ago
red---use Shaz as an example.......question asked/question answered.
2 days ago
peach----It's my fault. I'm angering some of them. I've posted only facts though so they are angry at the messenger because they don't want to hear the message.
2 days ago
tart---this answers my question "Well, it's impossible to be a "perfect vegan.""......the rest is the condescension that spawns and fuels questions like these.
2 days ago
mary----did you grow those veges yourself so you know they weren't fertilized with fertilizer from animal rendering plants?
do you know if those vegetables were pollinated by captive swarms of bees or not?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pollination...
do you drive a vehicle, even a bicycle? They use products from the "rendering" of animals too.
http://www.api4animals.org/articles?p=37...
Again, I'm not against veganism. I'm just making a point that there is no such thing as a vegan. The people that refer to themselves as vegans are just a more militant vegetarian, but far from being a vegan. In 2007, being a vegan isn't possible.
Answers: 2 days ago
krister "until he/she's blue and they face"
More krister gibberish.2 days ago
redshirt----you did not answer my question. This isn't a forum for you to voice your opinions. If you wish to answer a question, you answer the question. If you do not wish to answer the question, you don't post anything. You are not obligated to answer any questions at all.2 days ago
reshirt---it isn't that I don't like veganism. I find it to be a noble cause albeit unattainable. I abhor condescension though. I abhor hypocrisy. I endeavor to expose hypocrisy in those who condescend.
I asked a simple question. If you cannot/will not answer my questions, then please move on to another question.2 days ago
red---use Shaz as an example.......question asked/question answered.2 days ago
peach----It's my fault. I'm angering some of them. I've posted only facts though so they are angry at the messenger because they don't want to hear the message.2 days ago
tart---this answers my question "Well, it's impossible to be a "perfect vegan.""......the rest is the condescension that spawns and fuels questions like these.2 days ago
mary----did you grow those veges yourself so you know they weren't fertilized with fertilizer from animal rendering plants?
do you know if those vegetables were pollinated by captive swarms of bees or not?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pollination...
do you drive a vehicle, even a bicycle? They use products from the "rendering" of animals too.
http://www.api4animals.org/articles?p=37...
Again, I'm not against veganism. I'm just making a point that there is no such thing as a vegan. The people that refer to themselves as vegans are just a more militant vegetarian, but far from being a vegan. In 2007, being a vegan isn't possible. I agree with Justin W. Those that most closely would fit that definition most certainly would be found in other cultures. I've met them.
They would find the fanatics on the V&V forum laughable. Their veganism is an integral part of their spirituality and that is something that is quite foreign here on V&V. I'm sure the crazies on here would think more beans or something like that give one "spirituality".
On the other hand, I think even the true vegans of other cultures would find it difficult to transplant their lifestyle into our techno-culture. There just is no way that even the "vegan approved" is indeed "vegan". Wolves cannot be vegan
edit: Hey who is giving me thumbs down? How on earth can a wolf be vegan? The asker is clearly a wolf NO. Everything we do has some kind of cruelty done to animals. If they drive a car, the metal was mined out of the ground thus destroying habitat, this includes bicycles and even recycled metal. If they eat veggies, even if grown organically displaced somethings habitat to make room for the farm. I respect what people try to do, but no, impossible. i believe so no plants that are grown are grown with cow poo.... and nothing is grown in water so... a vegetarian may eat eggs, cheese, milk, etc.
a vegan stays away from all animal products.
may not be a bad idea in this new world. too bad i like meat. no. dont think it is possible unless you live grow everything yourself just for yourself I think it must be VERY VERY hard. It also depends on your theories. Can a vegan own a pet? Some say yes some say no. Can you wear anything that was ever tested on animals? What about animal testing in the medical feild.
I just think it is so hard to avoid animal by-products and avoid exploiting animals. Think shoes, bags, any premade food. It's not easy. I do think that it is possible though as long as you want to die young because of lack of medical attention. The logic behind veganism is to limit as much as possible the exploitation and cruelty to animals. There are some aspects that cannot be avoided today. hahahah with that definition I suppose so... but no.. in reality almost nobody is a vegan, because true vegans don't eat meat, or use any product created from animals, this includes milk and a variety of other products. MY MOM IS A RAW VEGETERIAN SHE DOESNT EAT ANYTHING BUT RAW AND LIVING FOODS NO CANNED FOODS NO FROZEN STUFF EVRYTHING IS FRESH AND LIVING AND SHE DRINGS A SHOT OF WHEAT GRASS EVERY MORNING SHE STARTED THE BEGGINING OF THIS YEAR WHEN SHE WAS 325LBS SHE IS CURRENTLY 175 SHE LOST ALL TAHT WEIGHT IN LESS THAN A YEAR ......SHE IS VERY TRUE TO HER VEGANISM AND DOESNT WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH MEAT OR PROCESSED FOODS "For one being to live, another must die". That's the way of the world.
For a fox to live, it must eat chickens and rabbits.
For a rabbit to live, it must eat cabbage/tettuce/vegetables, which are also living creatures, and which also die.
I don't believe plants are any less worthy of life than animals, which is what vegetarians and vegans obviously do, so I eat both meat and plants.
If you can live without causing unnecessary harm to animals or plants, do it, by all means. But just don't say killing animals is wrong, then go off and kill some plants to eat. That's just stupidity. It would be very difficult. To raise food, you have to destroy an already thriving habitat to make room for crops. Then you have to limit insects and pests. Also, a lot of fertilizers come from animal products. Indirectly, the plants are needing the exploitation of an animal. You could depend on chemical fertilizers but the pollution from those are going to kill animals.
This might be possible to pull off for an individual person. That person could tend crops in an area after carefully relocating any indigenious animals and then carefully working to prevent insects and pests from being attracted to the food. Then, the person would have to find a no kill method to deal with these animals. Finally, the person could try to find alternate ferlizing methods.
This would be impossible for a large group of people to depend upon though. It would be too labor intensive and cost effective. Unless we are willing to instigate slave labor, we will need to find cost effective solutions. To feed millions (or billions) of people, animals have to be harmed. There is no way around it. Just imagine where to find enough fertilizer to get those crops to grow. The only sources would depend on raising large amounts of animals such as cows. Their excuse is this...
We do not want to harm animals that can feel pain...
AKA slaughtering animals for our food...
Yet the animals that they defend eat other animals themselves...
Ironic maybe?
We dont promote violence, yet we dont do anything about it...
And they have no problem uprooting plants all day long so they can eat... (plants cant feel a thing) is their excuse... They can do the best that they can, given society. Truthfully, though, no. I'm pretty sure that your definition of veganism is quite useless and irrelevant.
Only people that have respect for all life would have their opinion respected on this issue. Not some hypocrite that wants to argue until he/she's blue in the face. If they forget to breathe, my respects to their family. A single person can choose to act in any manner they choose. They can make choices about how they live on the planet. Also I think it is important to not see animals as victims all the time. There are many things in a natural life that can seem very cruel from a human perspective but from the eyes of the animals may be the entire purpose for living. Please be clear here as I stated a NATURAL life. The one each animal is born and designed to live.
However I think any vegan can make a choice to be a consumer of products that support the beliefs they hold. Also they can to informed and support programs that promote the ideas at the center of a vegan heart.
Live free! Vegans do not use or consume animal products of any kind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/vegan...
.......
In todays word it would be nearly impossible to 'not use or consume animal products of any kind.' In just looking around my office I see, water (brought from the ground by a drilling rig that disturbed the earth, the microscopic animals and it's layers to get the water) that is in a plastic container that was made with machines that were of metal/plastics/etc that came from the earth. Then there is the blouse I have on, made of cotton and polyester, (what about all the bugs in the cotton?) harvested cotton with machines, etc. and my slacks of cotton, same issue. Then there are the shoes of leather YIKES! The paper I make lists on came from trees harvested and hauled by machines to companies to make the paper (all involving animals of some sort or another). Need I say more? It would be extremely difficult if not impossible, I think, to be a totally true vegan. Yes, but I doubt anyone who is a true vegan actually worries about labels or titles such as "vegan". There would probably be a better chance of finding one of these people outside the u.s. per dictionary vegan is defined as "A vegetarian who eats plant products only, especially one who uses no products derived from animals, as fur or leather."
Now in this day and age I would say it is not really possible to life by the letter of the definition. Too many things are made from animals without our even knowing like glue, plastic, rubber, salad dressing, pasta, maple syrup, refined sugar, fruit juices, paint, wallpaper, ceramic tiles, laundry detergent+fabric softener are just a few that require animal products to be made.
Good reasons to go vegan would be
1)that the factory farming of animals is a leading factor in methane production which is a big factor in greenhouse gases (methane is much more a problem then CO2 or CFCs)
2) transfer of energy is less efficient from meat than plants..meaning all the food used to feed one cow could feed multiple people
3) Factory farming crams animals into small spaces to increase profit and efficiency which can lead to more issues with disease.
those are 3 off top of my head without going too deep...but I do eat meat..it is tasty..I have no problem with people that go vegan or vegetarian.
Just one last blurb..if you are gonna tell me meat is murder and that is only reason then that makes me sad...because plants are alive too and you basically said it is ok to cut, tear, kill and eat stuff that cannot even try to run away and cannot express pain in a way you are familiar with Yes. Raw Foodists are Vegan. I was 100% raw for 7 months and never felt better in my life. Well, it's impossible to be a "perfect vegan." But I avoid products of animal exploitation as much as possible--what do you do?
As for plants, it takes between three and sixteen pounds of plant foods to produce a pound of animal food. So meat eaters kill EVEN MORE plants than us veg*ans and even more of the animals who are unfortunately killed during harvesting.