What is a vegan? One person decided to ask that exact question to those walking around a place many consider an epicenter of vegan culture: Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Here are the… not-so-uplifting results.
Yikes. Now, I’m guessing many reading this column already know the definition of vegan, and many are probably vegans themselves. But many out there, as indicated by the video, believe a vegan is “a woman, a bug, a listener, a candy bar, or a vegetarian of an ethnic variety.” I can only hope that they interviewed 50 people that day who did, in fact, know what a vegan was and only a handful of people who didn’t. Doubtful.
But for those who don’t know what a vegan is, and they just decided to google-news the word and came across this article, a vegan is someone who abstains from eating anything containing animal products and adheres to a cruelty-free lifestyle. This means no eating chicken, fish, cows, honey, cheese, and obscure food ingredients like royal jelly and casein. For a complete list, see here. In regards to the lifestyle component, they tend not to buy leather, many cosmetics, silk, cashmere, wool, felt, and many other products that derive from animals. Being ‘100% vegan’ is difficult, if not downright impossible. Even consuming prescription meds means that you’re linking yourself to animal testing.
So where is the bright line? Clearly, the self-proclaimed vegan who enjoys a piece of salmon virtually every night perpetuates society’s confusion, and elicits the scorn of many vegans everywhere. But what about those who consume honey? Or enjoys a piece of cheese pizza once a year? On the lifestyle component, what about the person who wears their grandmother’s old cashmere sweater?
I’m the first to admit I don’t have an answer. I confess to owning a pair of shoes with leather straps, and cannot seem to part with a few of my wool sweaters. To reconcile my every day life of business school, social life, the corporate world and mainstream society with my vegan beliefs is difficult, as I'm sure it is for many vegans. To an extent, everyone is in a transition period so long as barriers in society exist that prevents a ‘100% vegan lifestyle.’ But, so long as society remains ignorant as to our very definition, as the video shows they are, the above questions of purity are mere semantics.
Comments
no need to confuse the issue further, or to give the "anti"s any more ammunition, or to give people room to make excuses like "nobody's 100% vegan....so i'll just have this one harmless little slice of cheese pizza"
intent (like most things) is the issue.
there's nothing wrong with a vegan wearing leather shoes...if they bought them before making the decision to go vegan - my leather "wedding" shoes might last me another 20 years as little as i wear them - i won't give them away or toss them - that would be a complete waste of the resources used to construct them and the work i did to earn the cash to purchase them. I still have a few leather belts, and a leather chair even, and i've been vegan for nearly 5 years now (wife and kids are too).
BUT I can't imagine a circumstance that would ever cause me to knowingly buy anything ever again that overtly contains an animal product.
my wife has completely accidentally purchased the very odd grocery item that she either missed the animal ingredient, or didn't recognize it as such. She'll want to toss it, but i tell her "it's not about purity - it's about honest intent, and not giving money to the people who directly cause the death and/or enslavement of animals" so if we can't conveniently give it to someone or return the item, we'll just eat it.
Thanks for the great article! You've inspired me to submit my application today to become an Examiner in my area (South Florida).
Peace,
Keith
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