i hate when.. -

Monday, June 25, 2012

i hate when..

people bitch about veganism being a white privilege/exclusively upper, upper middle and middle class, and white.

what about all of the vegans of color?
http://vegansofcolor.wordpress.com/
http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=4438&catId=5
http://veganricans.blogspot.com/2008/11/vegan-pastelon-ripe-plantain-casserole.html
http://likeawhisper.wordpress.com/tag/terry-hope-romero/
http://afrodaddy.com/food/10-great-websites-black-vegetarians-vegans
http://blactivegan.wordpress.com/2006/12/06/the-soul-of-holistic-health-repost/
http://africanvegans.com/2010/06/21/shoutout-to-great-black-vegans-of-our-time/

what about all of the vegans of the lower class?
http://vegansaurus.com/post/288158015/guide-to-eating-vegan-raw-organic-and-cheap
http://vegansofcolor.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/vegans-eat-like-the-poor-people-of-the-world/
http://www.good.is/post/is-it-cheaper-to-be-vegan-vegetarian-or-a-meat-eater/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/eat-vegan-cheap_b_840191.html#s257906&title=Shop_Seasonal_

what about all of the people who eat a vegan diet because it’s the only option that they have? and the “vegan” foods that originated in other countries?
tempeh- indonesia
seitan- china
tofu- china
soy milk- china/japan
almond milk- region stretching from the iberian peninsula to east asia
rice milk/horchata- spain
(all from wikipedia)

not to mention all of the ethnic food that is vegan or easily vegan.

are you going to disregard these people (as they are often used to) and pretend they don’t exist (as they are often used to) because you need an argument to justify your selfish diet? are you going to assume that these people are incapable of recognizing the benefits of veganism and making decisions that benefit themselves, others, animals, and the environment?

as someone who grew up in a poor, rural area and lives below poverty/on and off food stamps, i find it so frustrating when people accuse vegans of class and white privilege. i don’t think i could afford to eat meat and cheese and eggs if i wanted to. not to mention that the quality (both health and taste) of cheap animal products is awful, and i probably eat a lot healthier as a vegan than i would trying to eat a cheap omnivorous diet.