| Why I'm not a Vegan Now |
[Jan. 30th, 2010|05:10 pm] |
Veganism, Ethical Foods, Animal Rights
I've been thinking on this a lot lately and I'm closing three million tabs, so I'm going to try and make sense of everything I've been looking at over the last month or so.
There are (for me) some tricky areas and ethical questions.
The main ones I've been looking at of late seem to revolve around Abolitionism vs Welfarism.
This is a complex issue and I can see some points for both sides.
What follows is my point of view on the issue and not an unbiased report.
For full disclosure, It's important for me to say that I'm largely weighing in on the side of those labeled Welfarists, as I consider any steps along the path to animal liberation to be important. While I don't agree with all that he says, especially on animal testing, I think Peter Singer is a good starting point for considering the ethics surrounding animal rights and food choices. He examines a range of ethical decisions and choices regarding food (ranging from environmental considerations for vegans to ethical considerations for meat eaters) in his book with Jim Mason 'The Ethics of What We Eat'.
( Abolitionism )
( Welfarism )
( More Ethical Questions on Abolitionism vs Welfarism )
My Conclusions
I think there are too many lines being drawn in the sand and fingers pointed saying 'You're not a real vegan, I am.' I don't think this is useful. I think that all efforts on the path of making things better for animals should be respected for what they are and not held up to a 'pure' ideal and discarded if they don't match up.
When I became vegan it was after discussing issues of veganism with friends and reading the book Vegan Freak which I found raised some very good points despite being somewhat preachy and hypocritical (most notably disparaging vegetarians for not doing enough while the vegan authors admit to occasionally eating meat). The idea was conveyed to me by this book, conversations with friends, and other resources, that while it's impossible to know absolutely everything about the ingredients that go into your food or to be a `perfect' vegan, you do the best you can and keep trying to learn and do more. My main goal was to stop contributing to the suffering of animals. It was a personal choice, for me.
I later went on to read `The Ethics of What We Eat' by Peter Singer and Jim Mason (also called The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter)which I found to be a more balanced approach to ethical decisions about food. While I felt being vegan was the right choice for me I tend to think that ethical decisions should be made on a case by case basis. I respect the right of other people to make their own choices, even if I don't agree with them. As long as people are considering the ethical issues and making their own minds up, that is enough for me. Who am I to say that my ethical choices are the right ones for anyone but me. What I do object to is being told what I am and what I am not because someone else has decided their definition is right, especially when not even they can be consistent with their own definition.
I'm now in the position that I don't agree with the definition people are trying to say I must fit to be a vegan. I faced a similar problem with feminism and decided I'd opt out and just go for making my own ethical decisions about equality. Therefore, I'm also opting out of veganism and continuing to make my own ethical choices about food and animals.
I will continue not to eat meat or other animal products to the best of my ability. This includes milk, eggs and cheese. I will continue to be opposed to animal cruelty. As for the rest of it I'll continue making my own ethical choices without the label. So long, and thanks for all the soy. |
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| Vitamin D |
[Aug. 23rd, 2009|03:14 pm] |
I've decided to not be so lazy and make the effort to research the Vitamin D.
So there's lots of info and speculation ( under here )
I took Ccino out for a walk in the sunlight earlier but it was rather cold and windy and a bit cloudy on and off, so I'm not sure how much time or exposed skin I was really needing there.
My Nuttelex non-dairy margarine apparently already has Vitamin D2 in it, and I eat rather a lot of that, as well as a bit of various soy products that may or may not be fortified with Vitamin D2 already. My current intake is apparently not sufficient through fortified foods though.
So the solution for the moment looks like sun where I can get it plus vitamins. I've been given a link by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) bamboo_gnome to Freeda Vitamins for vegan Vitamin D. They have a vitamin D2 . It lists a plant based calcium stearate which is cool because I previously thought calcium stearate wasn't vegan at all. I've ordered some.
The Boy has also suggested we go walking and have picnics in the gardens for the extra sunlights and that sounds rather enticing, so I think he might be onto something there. =) |
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| A judgemental rant about being judgemental (spawned from but not entirely related to WisCon posts) |
[Jun. 14th, 2008|02:22 am] |
I am constantly bewildered by people. How insecure are we? How angry are we? How easily are we threatened? What makes us care so much about what other people do with or to themselves even when we don't know them?
If someone is fat or thin or builds their body or changes their sex or gets plastic surgery. If someone decides to pierce their body or tattoos themselves or ritually scar themselves or bites their fingernails. If someone smokes or drinks or takes drugs or has a lot of caffeine. If someone dyes their hair or wears bright pink or darkest black or dresses in dresses no matter what their gender. If someone is straight or gay or has multiple partners or decides to be celibate or likes s&m. If someone does something dangerous or risky or just out of the ordinary that might hurt or change themselves physically or emotionally. If someone does something with or to their own self... where is it my right to step in?
If I care about someone, I don't want them to do something to themselves that will hurt them or be bad for them. Sometimes I just don't want people to change. Still we all do so many things that could potentially be bad for us or change who we are. Are we going to let other people decide on our relationships, diets, religions, activities, hairstyles? And who gets to decide which way of being different is right and which is wrong? Does it help to mock any of these behaviours or conditions no matter how voluntary or involuntary they may be? If it's something we don't have a choice over, or if it's something we willingly do with or to ourselves, without harming anyone else, what business is it of anyone else's?
Honestly, I'm not actually sure anymore of where to be concerned and try to help, where to give my opinion, and where to back the hell off. It's all down to a judgement. I think perhaps we're always going to make judgements about other people. It's what we do with those judgements that matter. Mocking and praising can each be destructive. Can we ever just accept people as they are and not how they were, might be or could have been? Right here I'm being judgemental and vexed and it's damn confusing. So what do I do? As much as it confuses me or enrages me or worries me I think I just have to let people be unless they're actually affecting me. And that's a whole new problem. As much as I think someone else's personal actions affect me, I'm sure they affect that person more.
So I should respect other people's decisions? Do I succeed in this? Probably not so much. I laugh at people doing things I think are stupid. I look at people's fashion choices and think Wow, that's pretty damn hideous. I get upset and angry when people hurt themselves and I can't help. I get annoyed or even devestated when people won't see something I think is obvious. I want to protect people and chastise people and teach people and save people and just shake them until they change their minds. And all of these things are pompous and self-righteous and are in some way going to impinge on someone else's freedom to make their own decision for wrong or right.
So all I think I can do is to keep poking myself and try to remember to respect other people's rights to make their own decisions... even if I don't respect those decisions themselves. And when I don't succeed in doing this and I rant and I rail I can only hope you'll forgive me for all of these words that incessantly pour out of my brain. I promise I'll stop some day and listen.
If I care for you then I care for the person you want to be and choose to be. |
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| I just want you for your brains |
[Mar. 3rd, 2008|10:04 pm] |
Photos from the Melbourne Cup Day Zombie Walk back in November are now up on flickr. As per usual most of the peopled shots are locked so you have to friend me on flickr to see them. This one's a freebie because I'm practising being brave and all. Watch me throw caution very gently to the wind like a little wish.
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| Friends Only |
[Aug. 17th, 2007|02:15 am] |
| [ | Sights |
| | somewhere | ] |
| [ | Feeling |
| |  blank | ] |
| [ | Sounds |
| | Enjoy - Bjork | ] |
This Journal has really been friends only for a while now. Just thought I should put up a post to that effect. So if you can only see this post, and you want to see more, post a comment here and I'll most likely add you. =) |
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