What Is Veganism, Really?
"The greatest privilege that comes with freedom of speech is using your voice for those who don’t have one."
-Ricky Gervais
Going Vegan
By now, most people have heard the word "vegan" before, but few people truly know what it means beyond its association with vegetarian diets. However, veganism extends to far more than diet alone, and it is actually much more different from vegetarianism than it is similar. That being said, let's discuss the basics of veganism to understand why people choose to go vegan and what exactly is different about the way vegans live.
How You Think
The most important thing to note is that veganism marks a distinct shift in the way a person thinks by expanding our circle of compassion to include nonhuman animals of all species. While this often is associated with foods, it also reaches to all other areas of life in which nonhumans are or could be implicated. Veganism is very much an integral part of a vegan's life because it often influences the way we view the entire world, especially considering how animals are used in almost every imaginable way in almost every industry.
A simple way to understand veganism is to think of it as a social justice movement, similar to feminism or civil rights, except the marginalized group we focus on is animals. This doesn't mean we are anti-human rights or that we believe nonhumans deserve the same exact rights as humans -- no one is seeking to grant chickens the right to vote or squirrels the right to drive -- but that they are due certain fundamental freedoms, such as the right to live autonomously.
Why You Do It
One of the most common questions people have about veganism is, "Why do you do it?" While there are many reasons to start making vegan-positive changes in your life, being vegan is, at its core, about the animals. While vegans aren't all animal lovers, we respect nonhumans' right to exist and live freely without human interference. We often go vegan after being confronted with the cruelty in animal-use industries and make the connection that using anyone, human or nonhuman, when they are unable to consent is immoral and unjustifiable.
Even though humans create justifications to make ourselves feel better about using animals however we like, that doesn't take into account the animals' autonomy. When we are the ones perpetrating the exploitation, we have no right to justify it because we aren't the ones experiencing the abuse.
What You Buy
Vegans don't buy any products or services in which animals are used in any capacity, though the most important thing to understand about this is that veganism is truly about doing the best you can, not reaching some level of perfectionism. In the official definition of veganism, the phrase used to denote this is "as far as is possible and practicable," meaning that if you don't have the time or money to eat plant-based all the time or if you accidentally buy something nonvegan, as long as you're doing the best you can, you're still vegan. Again, this is because veganism is about how you think, about cultivating an anti-speciesist perspective of the world, not about what you do or don't purchase.
Being vegan in a non-vegan world can be tricky, and vegans aren't claiming to know everything about what is right and wrong. There are many products that fall into "gray areas" of veganism, where it can be hard to know what is the most ethical choice to make. However, we accept that our existence will always cause some harm in the world, and we simply seek to minimize the amount of harm we inflict.
Products, services, and actions vegans don't support:
Animal-based meat, including gelatin and all forms of non-plant-based seafood, such as bivalves and crustaceans
Animal-based dairy
Animal-based eggs
Animal-based honey and other insect-derived products, like beeswax, carmine, shellac, and silk
Animal hair and fur, including wool
Leather and other animal skins
Any product, ranging from mascara to fertilizer, that is tested on animals
Animal companions, unless they are adopted or rescued
Zoos, petting zoos, aquariums, rodeos, circuses where animals are used, and any other form of entertainment in which animals are used
Horseback riding, horse-drawn carriages, using pack mules, and other ways in which animals are used for transportation or labor
Hunting of terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial animals
Products, services, and activities vegans do support:
Animal-free meats, including plant meats, like coconut flesh, and alternatives to traditional meat products, like Beyond Burgers
Animal-free dairy products
Animal-free egg products
Animal-free honey products
All fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices
Edible minerals, fungi, and any other non-animal foods
Plant-based and synthetic textiles
Any other product that is not tested on animals, contains no animal-derived ingredients, and requires no animal use in any other capacity to produce
Adopted/rescued companion animals
Legitimate animal sanctuaries, shelters, reserves, and other places that contain animals for protection and/or rehabilitation and do not allow any form of hunting on the premises
Outdoor activities with minimal disturbance to wild animals and without any direct contact, including cycling, bird-watching, and photography
be conscious, be kind, be vegan