The Fetish of Being Vegan
By all means, be vegan, but let’s not make a fetish out of our personal consumption, at the cost of our attention to other things that may impact the lives of animals much, much more.
By all means, be vegan, but let’s not make a fetish out of our personal consumption, at the cost of our attention to other things that may impact the lives of animals much, much more.
According to research-based recommendations on the most important areas of focus for improving animal lives, factory-farmed birds and fish need our help most.
Why is it so hard to get most people to give up meat? An expert provides an overview of some of the research into the psychology of meat eating.
Listening to others we may disagree with doesn’t mean we have to give up on our convictions, but we can learn from the exchange or gain new allies.
Now and then, we come across something that gives us a glimpse of how a meat-free future is unfolding. The most amazing testimony of things to come comes from meat companies that are actually giving up on meat.
In the end, we can’t make other people do anything. But we can influence them in the right direction and help them open their heart and minds.
“The problem of factory farming is just so severe that you want multiple solutions. Just as with the problem of fossil fuels, you don’t want just one alternative, like wind. Similarly, plant-based meats are a great solution to the factory farming problem, but you also want other alternatives, including clean meat.”
As a vegan, should you always reject and refute the reasons other people give for not being (entirely) vegan? I think not. I think “making apologies” – the thing so frowned upon by hardliners – is often a good thing.
To what extent can those who advocate the abolition of animal exploitation compare themselves to, and draw inspiration from, slavery abolitionists? Were their goals and tactics similar? Is there anything that can be learned from their failures and successes?
Animal advocates are often prone to compare the struggle for animal rights with other social justice issues, like racism and sexism. In an interview with Dr. Kristof Dhont, we explore to what extent these issues are connected, and how to discuss their connection in a way that isn’t alienating.
Is the vegan situation in Israel indeed remarkable? Answering questions like these is never easy, but in the case of Israel, personal and political agendas and biases make the task even more complex.