Is Veganism a Privilege?
"There is such a thing as morality, and morality is higher than economics."
-Robert Fogel
High Society
Caviar, foie gras, shark fin soup. What do these products have in common? These aren't foods you'd find in just any kitchen. They are a symbol of status, of wealth, of privilege. When I think of these foods, caviar in particular, I imagine people in the upper echelons of society, dressed up in tuxedos and ballgowns prancing around at galas, delicately eating these hors d'oeuvres off china plates or bowls and sipping expensive wines from diamond goblets. Maybe that's a bit extreme, but when I look at the food I eat, I can see those luxuriously-clad socialites scoffing at my commonness.
Let's Compare
I've never understood this excuse that veganism is only for the privileged. It doesn't take a deep dive through the history books or a trip across the world to discover what the most unprivileged and impoverished people in the world traditionally have eaten; a quick trip to the grocery store will do. A bag of rice, a few cans of beans, and some fruits and vegetables are enough to feed one person for at least a few days, and that's hardly going to break the bank. But how much does a pound of meat cost? (No, really, I don't know, but I know it's not as cheap as a 79¢ can of black beans.) And you get a lot more bang for your buck with a five-pound bag of potatoes than a few ounces of dairy cheese.
Why Are Animal Products So Expensive?
Have you ever thought about how much time, energy, natural resources, and money goes into rearing just one cow, or even a smaller animal like a chicken, for food? The animal has to be bred from two parents; raised for (in the case of a chicken) at least six weeks eating and drinking constantly to get as fat as possible as fast as possible, producing many pounds of excrement that must be disposed of somewhere; killed; have all the "icky" parts like hair or feathers, faces, and organs removed that us picky humans refuse to eat; and chopped up into tiny pieces for us. Then, we have to cook it well to ensure all the potential toxins and diseases are cooked out as much as possible. While the mass production of plants (and anything, really) does still require a large number of resources, it pales in comparison to animal products, especially when considering that the animals we eat consume massive amounts of plants. (Check out Cowspiracy to learn more.)
Why Are Animal Products So Cheap?
With all those steps I've laid out, it seems like it should cost hundreds of dollars to buy one piece of meat in the grocery store. And yet it doesn't. Why? Well, the government subsidizes animal products (and other unhealthy foods like sugar); billions of tax dollars go toward the animal agriculture industry every year to make it more affordable, thereby making us sicker so we can pay more money for healthcare for pills and surgeries, and paying more money to clean up the environment that we're simultaneously paying to destroy. Honestly, the whole system is just a giant messed-up cycle.
A Plant-Based Diet Can Also Be a Privilege
While I don't like to admit it, eating a plant-based diet can be a privilege. (Though I should make the distinction that veganism itself could never be, as it is an ethical decision to live without causing harm to others. That in itself doesn't have anything to do with privilege or status.) I thought it silly to ever think that I was privileged to be vegan, because the only reason I am is because of my inquisitive mind to go online to learn about animal abuse. (And also because "coming out" as a vegan to carnists is like declaring war on society as a whole. Vegans are made the butts of discriminatory jokes and have virtually no protective rights compared to other minorities. Veganism is basically just seen as a "dietary restriction," not as a moral stance against violence toward animals and other less-privileged persons in our society.) However, just living in a first-world country, providing me with the ability to access the internet and choose the things I do or do not eat, is itself a privilege; in that sense, everyone reading this right now is also similarly privileged, vegan or not.
...But It Doesn't Have to Be
However, when it comes to how we follow a plant-based diet that privilege comes into play. Many impoverished people across the world can't afford expensive animal-based foods and eat plants out of necessity. In the west, though, we have access to thousands of options of plant-based meat, dairy, egg, and honey alternatives. Right now, these are still on the more expensive side, as it is a burgeoning industry and doesn't receive all the financial aid (and legal protection) from the government. While it's nice to have these options, eating these kinds of products all the time isn't feasible for most of us. Following a whole foods, plant-based diet, rich in natural plant foods, is the most economically practical, healthy, and unprivileged (but still delicious) way to live. You can check out Forks Over Knives, Naked Food, Plant-Based on a Budget, How Not to Die, The Vegan Starter Kit, and nutritionfacts.org to learn more.
be conscious, be kind, be vegan