Have Gone Vegan

are there vegan characters on TV?

But before I get to that, I came across a line today while doing a Google search that although offensive, rather made me laugh. This person proposed that a campaign be started which would change the word 'gay' in the derogatory phrase that is so gay, to that is so vegan, snort. Now I've always hated the above line myself, and I think this individual was simply trying to shift a bad connotation from one minority group to another, but instead of being too offended, I thought hey, at least that means that vegans are becoming more visible. Because you certainly don't deride groups you're not even aware of.

So back to the question in the post title, are there vegans on TV? Or in movies? I can't really think of any myself, but I don't have a TV anymore, so am probably media-deprived at the moment. And just like it took forever for gay characters to become mainstream (a good indication that society is still really biphobic is in the lack of any bisexual characters, let alone those portrayed in a positive light), once vegans begin to receive airplay (even if it's initially more negative), there ain't no stopping us.

Or how about in books? There's got to be fictional vegans running around somewhere! And, um, once we do start getting caricatured, let's make sure we're not depicted as lacking a sense of humour, okay? Although, isn't that what they say about feminists? Can't win! LOL

what does it mean to be vegan?

I've been thinking a lot about this lately, especially as I'm learning more about the various ideological positions within the animal rights movement. So what DOES it mean to be vegan? It's a label obviously, a shorthand way of identifying certain objections and practices, a personal choice, a political statement, a group identity, a philosophy, and I suppose, a lifestyle. The last term I'm actually a bit uncomfortable with as it reminds me too much of its negative use as a way of defending homophobia, but in this case, it seems fitting.

But does being vegan mean that you're an animal rights activist? In a way, I think it does, even though there may be some vegans who are vegan more for health or environmental reasons. The result though, regardless of motivation, is that fewer animals are being consumed. But I want to explore this topic more fully over time by writing a series of posts on the angry vegan, the self-righteous vegan, the militant vegan, the reluctant or invisible vegan, the discouraged vegan, the hopeful vegan, the compassionate vegan, and the effective vegan. I also want to comment on the state of the animal rights movement as it is today (if the two major camps were a couple, they would be in major need of marital counselling indeed!), and what I think my own position is shaping up to be. So stay tuned.

my good vegan deed of the day

Although I could argue that just by being vegan, I'm doing a good deed every day! ;)

Anyway, this morning I spotted the BIGGEST spider I've ever seen in my life. I was both fascinated and repulsed as I saw her/him sitting cozily right by my cat's water bowl, but I knew he/she couldn't stay. Now I have to explain that I used to have this enormous spider phobia when I was younger (and I think there may be something to the theory that you attract what you fear as during the reign of this phobia I once spat out a spider that had been in my coffee, was bitten by one, and encountered countless spiders in beds, bathtubs and basements!), so am not overly fond of these creatures although I no longer fear them. Or attract them, snort. So before Kitty Kazoo could come along and be equally fascinated by the water bowl visitor, I quickly grabbed a plastic container, scooped up Ms. or Mr. Spider, and released the captive outside. And not harming any living being if you don't have to is definitely the right thing to do, but I've already released a cricket and a centipede (a former cat used to eat them -- eeeeww), so I sure seem to live in a buggy place right now!

why NOT animal rights?

145 million animals are killed every day for food; 53 billion are killed every year.* 

And that doesn't even include fish and other sea animals! I'll let those numbers sink in for a bit because if you're anything like me I find them staggering and almost unbelievable, although it helps to have a clearer picture because I bet most of us don't really think about the sheer number of animals that humans do eat. And this is only one way in which we consume other animals, and only one element of the numerous ways in which we treat other species as if they are our personal property. So how can we then deny that it might not be time to rethink our relationship with other living creatures? Because I'll also bet that none of the animals killed for food every day actually want to end up on our dinner plates.

* from the "Go Greener, Go Vegan" brochure produced by the Vegan Party of Canada (www.veganpartyofcanada.blogspot.com)

vegans poop more

It's true! Snort.

So I was in a bad mood the other night when I happened across this "I'm Vegan, and I Poop 3 Times a Day" sticker, and I must say that after laughing out loud I realized that while I had always been regular anyway (thanks to lots of fiber), since turning vegan I probably poop three times in the MORNING already, never mind the whole day! ;)

veganism -- it ain't just about what we won't eat

Veganism denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude--as far as possible and practical--all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals, and the environment.*

Welcome to So I'm Thinking Of Going Vegan!

I think the emphasis of this blog has slowly been changing, and I find that I've become fascinated with questions like what it means to be vegan, how a vegan identity is formed and maintained, how vegans are perceived by others, whether the vegan population is growing, and the influence of the different factions of the animal rights movement. At any rate, while there will still be posts that are food-related, expect more of the posts to be about exploring vegan identity, vegan books, vegan humour (yes, vegans CAN be funny) and of course more serious entries on vegan activism. 

* from The Vegan Society in England