Vegtastic!

Do Peta’s crackpot publicity stunts make all vegans look crazy?

Sensible vegans have criticized Peta for:

• euthanasia
• sexism
• animal welfarism (as opposed to abolitionism)

And I’m going to add my own: batshit crazyism.

Bizarre antics draw media attention, but I’m not convinced it’s the good kind. (No, I’m not a member of the Center for Consumer Freedom, and I don’t believe those sites that talk about how Peta kills babies or supports terrorism or whatever.)

Mainstream America tends to generalize and succumb to fear against ideologies it doesn’t understand — all Muslims are terrorists, right?

Just like 99.9% of all people wearing a hijab don’t want to blow up your airplane, most vegans don’t want to colonize Mars with vegans or build a vegan porn site like Peta has recently said they do.

This isn’t a case of “any publicity is good publicity.” If an ad for a product that we’ve never heard of is wacky, we want to experience that product regardless of our expectations. It could be good or it could be bad. If Lindsay Lohan does something nuts, we’ll go see her new movie or buy that magazine just to gawk at the trainwreck. Sentiment (positive or negative) is irrelevant: money is key.

Veganism is different. People know what it is already, and it goes against the established dietary norm and creates feelings of guilt for a number of Americans. Going vegan isn’t about making money, where any publicity is okay as long as it encourages folks to open their wallets — it’s about animals, environment and health.

When faced with a conflict surrounding harmful behavior, people make a decision and then rationalize it; if they did they right thing, they’re cool with it. If they did the wrong thing, they say they never wanted to do the right thing in the first place. Peta’s actions confirm preexisting beliefs: hot dogs are tasty and vegans are weird. Now where’s the issue? The closed-minded omnivores (definitely not saying all omni’s are closed-minded, but the ones who are) use Peta’s craziness as just another justification for eating meat.

Still, Peta ultimately does do very positive work for animals, and supporters claim that Peta’s craziness has elevated veganism and animal rights to the national conscious.

For example, many articles, such as this one from the Huffington Post, mention something about veganism or animal rights along with reporting on stunts, which may encourage certain members of the public to do more research and ultimately become vegan:

Instead of focusing on anti-fur, the porn site will raise awareness of veganism, said Rajt. “We really want to grab people’s attention, get them talking and to question the status quo and ultimately take action, because the best way we can help the greatest number of animals is simply by not eating them.”

An increasing number of groups are suggesting that eating less meat is better for your health, and certainly better for animals. PETA’s website describes life for animals on factory farms:

Chickens have their sensitive beaks seared off with a hot blade, and male cattle and pigs are castrated without any painkillers. Farmed chickens, turkeys, and pigs spend their brief lives in dark and crowded warehouses, many of them so cramped that they can’t even turn around or spread a single wing. They are mired in their own waste, and the stench of ammonia fills the air.

Therein lies my conflict with Peta. Perhaps encouraging celebrities (please — don’t even get me started on how much I hate it when actors and actresses go vegan to stay trim under the guise of loving animals) to strip raises public awareness while also raising annoyance?

Educate me: what are your thoughts? Does Peta help or hurt the vegan and animal rights movement?

Photo by Arturo de Albornoz via Creative Commons

This post is ostensibly off-topic, but definitely related to veganism since access to public transportation has social justice and environmental impacts. It’s also a subject near and dear to my heart.

As Seattle readers may know, King country proposes to cut services if they can’t come up with additional funds — this could eliminate 17% of routes. The alternative is to ask drivers to pay an extra $20 — less than a tank of gas — per year.

If you can’t afford an extra $20 a year, you would benefit from getting rid of your car and taking the bus.

According to Metro [PDF],

[The cuts] would affect up to 80 percent of bus riders. That means as many as four out of five people will have to walk further, wait longer, make an extra transfer, stand in the aisle, or stand on the curb and see fully loaded buses pass them by. And it will force tens of thousands of people back into cars, worsening congestion for everyone.

Fewer buses means more cars on the road.

More cars on the road mean more cyclists and pedestrians placed in unsafe conditions. Want to know why cyclists are so “angry”? It’s because cars are big and we’re small, and there are a lot of stupid drivers out there — tons of a$$holes on our roads don’t realize it’s not okay to cut off pedestrians when said pedestrians have the green walking man.

Fewer buses means that people who legitimately cannot afford a car or can’t drive because of age or medical reasons will be left with few options to get around.

I have a steady desk job and relatively cheap rent, and I definitely don’t have room in my budget for a car, insurance, gas and parking — I can’t imagine how the folks who make just above minimum wage could afford a motor vehicle.

I also live in Capitol Hill and can walk and bike to work in Pioneer Square. I don’t actually ride the bus on a daily basis. For the folks who live further from downtown, reduced bus routes become a serious issue.

Fewer buses mean fewer bus drivers. 17% of these folks will presumably be out of work. This is the same reason I voted against the proposed liquor store bills last year (yes, you can hate me for having to pay that slight increase in price of hard A — I’ll live): it will put government employees out of work.

Other people have more eloquent things to say on this than I:

• Maud Daudon, Scott Armstrong and Greg Johnson at the Seattle Times
• Hanna Brooks Olsen at Seattlest
• Chris Witwer at Wallyhood

Please, please submit written testimony on why King County should not cut service.

Heck, I don’t have a car, or even a driver’s license, but I’ll pay $20 to keep buses running.

Image by Keith D. Tyler via Creative Commons.

I definitely would not be vegan if it was not for my dad.

Sure, the man loves his meat, has eaten a bowl of ice cream nightly for as long as I’ve known him, and thinks tofu is weird (taking him to Garden Fresh was one of the biggest mistakes of my vegan life). But, he has some old-school thrifty, environmentally-conscious habits that really shaped the way I think about the world.

It was my attempt to live a more ecologically-aware lifestyle that led to my transition to veganism, and I have him to thank for laying this foundation.

My dad:

• Prefers to ride his bike than to drive. He rode his bike to work nearly every day for ≈30 years, and still rides it around town now that he’s retired. He lives in California — it’s considered strange not to drive there.
• Brought his own grocery bags to the store long, long before it was popular. As a kid, I was embarrassed, but now I’m proud.
• Made his own lunch every morning from leftovers (if there was mold, he’d just cut it off) and carried it to work in repurposed bread bags.
• Repairs tattered clothes rather than buy new ones.
• Is super DIY: he did all the wiring in our house and laid the brick walkways and driveway (he’s a doctor by trade, not a contractor).
• Grew native California wildflowers in our yard instead of grass until my mom made him put grass in — seeds, not sod. (Again: suburban California — not having a well-manicured lawn puts you in the ‘eccentric’ category).
• Mows the lawn with a rusted push mower.
• Used to can jam from the apricots growing in our yard and makes his own horseradish.
• Does not wear deodorant — it’s pretty gross, but he prefers to be natural.
• Would bathe me when I was a small child in an inch of water because we were in a draught and he didn’t want to natural waste resources.
• Cares devotedly for the family turtle, originally destined to be soup, for whose aquarium he has totally pimped up with custom-made (by him) ledges and a fountain.

All of this makes him sound like some sort of crazy-pinko-commie-hippie, which I guess he is, but he’s also a professional, clean-cut man-of-few-words.

Happy Fathers Day, Dad!

The Superior Court of Pennsylvania ruled today that piercing cats’ ears is considered animal cruelty.

This is fantastic.

However, animal mutilation for aesthetic purposes happens everyday — and is considered completely acceptable in our society.

Dogs have their ears docked and their tails cropped — amputated — because those traits are associated with their breeds.

Cats are declawed, which is the equivalent of chopping of a human finger at the first joint.

If you’re going to look down on Holly Crawford for her actions, you should also frown upon anyone who breeds or buys animals that have been surgically altered.

image by andrewk100 via Creative Commons

The AARP represents pensioners. NOW does a pretty good job having womens’ backs. But something tells me the National Chicken Council ain’t lookin out for the chickens’ best interests.

- Coworker, on the National Chicken Council’s priorities

Oh yeah: the New York Times reports that chicken may contain arsenic. Gross.

Harvard Business Review recently published an article on nine things successful people do differently from the rest of us.

It got me thinking about what it takes to be a successful vegan.

Anybody can be a vegan, and I think that after you’ve done it for a while, it really doesn’t take much — if any — discipline. Meat, dairy, eggs and other animal products are not food– there’s nothing “easy” or “hard” about being vegan. It just is.

However, for many of us, going vegan is a difficult transition, and doesn’t stick for everyone. Here’s my interpretation of how HBR’s rule of success apply to vegans.

1. Get specific. Why exactly do you want to be vegan? Don’t just say, “oh, it’s better for the planet” or “yeah, I don’t really like the idea of killing anything” or “it’s better for my health.” These are all great reasons, but they’re vague — even omnivores profess to dislike killing, global warming and unhealthiness. For example, you don’t just pass over a cheese plate at a party because “cheese is bad.” What is “bad” exactly? Cookies are “bad.” Naughty kittens are “bad.” James Dean was “bad.” There’s too much ambiguity with “bad.” Associate that cheese with a specific problem you want to solve.  Cheese is bad because the dairy industry houses animals in inhumane conditions, slaughters male offspring, produces toxic runoff and is contributing to the planet’s overall decay. Cheese is bad because it contributes to your high cholesterol or obesity. Therefore, cheese = death, not cheese = bad.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. No matter how busy you are, there is a quick vegan solution to almost anything. Just like you make time to go to the gym, make time for veganism. Make a PB&J instead of a turkey sandwich. Order a take-n-bake pizza without the cheese and add your own before baking. Order Thai takeout with tofu instead of shrimp. Whip up a stir-fry. Nuke a plate of Amy’s or Trader Joe’s black bean enchiladas. Buy non-leather shoes online on your lunch break. It’s not hard — you just need to change your mentality a bit.

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go. Maybe you’ve given up eating animal products, but can’t get over your fear of cooking tofu. Maybe you dream of bacon and are afraid you’ll cave. Maybe you’ve given up everything except for honey. Recognize where you are and where you want to be.

4. Be a realistic optimist. You may still find yourself pining for pepperoni long after you thought you’d be over it. Your body and brain are used to eating certain foods (like cheese, which may or may not be addictive) and meat, eggs and dairy consumption are culturally-ingrained for some of us — what’s more American than hamburgers and hot dogs, right? Don’t sweat it — it will probably be harder than you thought, but it’s not impossible.

5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good. You’re going to slip up every once in a while. It happens. Sometimes these lapses will be conscious (like taking a bite of your boyfriend’s ice cream cone) and sometimes they will be unconscious (like forgetting to check the label of a loaf of bread). Mistakes happen — let them go, don’t beat yourself up, and don’t repeat them.

6. Have grit. Commit to being vegan, even when it isn’t “easy.” Yes, there will be temptations. That first Thanksgiving, with the turkey and the mashed potatoes and the pecan pie, will test your resolve. Trips to red states will leave you with few non-lettuce dining options. Airports have barely any consumable food, period. But stick to it.

7. Build your willpower muscle. Sometimes it helps to go slowly. Give up meat. Then eggs. Then cheese. Readjust between doing so. Get used to not eating the things that you are accustomed to, then move on.

8. Don’t tempt fate. If you can’t resist the smell of pork products, don’t hang around Joe Blow’s BBQ joint. Walk around the bakery. Avoid the shoe department at Nordy’s. If it’s not there in front of you, you’re less likely to think about it.

9. Focus on what you will do, not what you won’t do. Instead of “what can’t I eat,” think about “what can I eat?” You can still eat cookies and cupcakes and guacamole and french fries and all sorts of delicious foods. Enjoy a nice Ethiopian dinner. Treat yourself to a vegan cupcake. Splurge on a Matt and Nat purse. Try foods you’ve never tasted before. Expand your horizons.

I’ve noticed something recently: recycling animal corpses that have died of “natural” or accidental causes.

For one, discounted eco-fashion site Pure Citizen recently sold a passport case made from “cruelty free leather.”

Wait– what, what, what? No matter how nicely you kill a cow, slaughter (which is where leather usually comes from) is not by any definition cruelty free. However, this manufacturer apparently uses leather from cows that have “died naturally”:

Died naturally?  My guess is that the company does not have fields of pastureland stocked with cows that are allowed to live their life, undisturbed, until they die at the ripe old age of 90 (or whatever is old for a cow), after which they are lovingly skinned by their caretakers through through tears of sadness. Dairy cows that died “naturally” after an abbreviated lifetime of being milked seems more likely.

Second, Food Safety News published an article on eating roadkill. The author mentions:

The practice of eating roadkill is part of a waste-not, want-not philosophy that drives other people, some of them previously vegans, to scavenge meat in a fashion that is almost sanctioned by PETA…

I agree with this in theory– let nothing go to waste– but still cannot fathom the idea of eating meat. I remember in college when one of my BFFs hit a deer with his jeep (on his way back from a hunting trip– I guess he was a better hunter behind the wheel than with his gun, heh).

He took it back to his parents’ house, butchered it, and made some jerky.

I was a vegetarian then, and didn’t eat this homemade jerky. Other vegetarians did.

Now, I really don’t see anything wrong with eating flesh from an animal that you found on the side of the road (other than the health concerns that Food Safety News mentions) but since animal flesh is irrelevant, why bother?

It’s been eight years since I last consciously ate mammal meat (I did eat fish during a semester abroad in Russia in 2005), and I no longer even think of it as an edible substance.

It’s paying money for something of dubious origins that I have a proverbial beef with. Plus, I don’t like the idea that leather is ever acceptable, humane or not, since there is so much non-humane leather out there.

Ryan at This Dish is Veg has a good post on whether it’s okay to wear something like leather shoes or a wool coat that you bought during your pre-veg days. I agree that you shouldn’t throw out something perfectly functional (I still wear all the wool socks I bought when I lived in New England to keep my Reynaud’s-afflicted toesies warm), but it is important to consider what message that, say, a 100% real leather coat is sending to non-vegans.

Your thoughts?

1. Deceive a loyal audience by using photos that a) aren’t of the recipe they accompany and b) aren’t even vegan.
2. Let discussion/anger snowball on the vegan Interwebz. Don’t respond or do anything for hours.

Last tweet from @VegNews as of writing this at ≈11:30 a.m.: yesterday at 4 p.m.

11:30 update: Wait, no, literally as I posted, they’ve issued a response [PDF].

12:30 update: They’ve tweeted “And now, for some good news! Bolivia passes landmark law to protect the environment: http://veg.gy/QWccM” — no responses or apparent social media triage to anyone who’s been dissing them.

Sami Grover has an article on Treehugger about why he apologizes for eating meat when dining with a vegetarian.

…sit me next to a vegetarian and I find it hard not to be on the defensive.

Meredith Simonds tweeted that this is something she sees all the time as a vegan, and I must agree.

However, as many times as I am apologized to, I apologize myself.

I’m sorry that my choices limit us to the restaurants we can visit.

I’m sorry I won’t eat your homemade cookies.

I’m sorry that I didn’t like the wool socks you gave me for Christmas.

I’ve also found that non-vegans go on the offensive as often as the defensive; rather than apologizing for consuming flesh in my presence, they make harsh statements about my eating habits and lifestyle choices because they think I am silently judging them.

I’m not.

[Well, I am if I really stop to think about it, but I know that not everyone shares my believes and try to respect that.]

Plus, most spontaneous (i.e., not asked for) apologies stem from a genuine feeling of guilt. Though he enjoys eating meat, Sami knows

that vegetarian diets could cut carbon emissions drastically and heck, even Anthony Bourdain says we should eat less meat. And I’d be lying to myself if I said every cut of meat I eat is as sustainable as it could be.

I don’t feel guilty in any way for not eating meat/eggs/dairy, but apologize because I hate ‘inconveniencing’ my friends, or because I feel rude for rejecting a coworker’s homemade labors of baked love, or because I know that a gift from my mom was well-intentioned.

Stop.

Rather, put the situation in positive terms.

This restaurant has something we all will enjoy.

I appreciate the gesture and your cookies/these socks are lovely! However…

There’s a bill in the South Dakota state legislature now that will, according to Mother Jones,

expand the definition of “justifiable homicide” to include killings that are intended to prevent harm to a fetus—a move that could make it legal to kill doctors who perform abortions.

Wait– WTF?

This is from the people who are trying to make it mandatory for every resident to buy a gun when they turn 21. Which is totally rational: how would you be prepared to stop a potential abortionist dead in his or her tracks without a firearm?

Does a state with the poorest county in the nation really want to continue this cycle of poverty by creating more single mothers? By preventing pregnant teenage girls from finishing high school? By quashing the dreams of folks who might otherwise make their escape?

Seriously, South Dakota– are you so desperate for residents in the flat, barren wasteland you call a state that you will stop at nothing to add additional names to your census forms?

Killing a living being to prevent the killing of a group of cells that couldn’t survive outside the placenta makes about as much sense as eating a steak to get other people to eat more vegetables.

Plus, without access to abortions performed in a sterile, safe environment, ladies unhappily “in the family way” will turn to less sanitary methods to end their unwanted pregnancies, putting their lives at risk as well. So, you’ll be out a fetus and a healthy adult (or young adult) female.

Way to go, Mount Rushmore.

Fortunately, since it contradicts the US Constitution (and all logical decency), this proposal probably will not pass.

My grandfather grew up in South Dakota, went to college there, and helped build a dam there. My dad owns a small farm there. My third cousin’s nephew is the police chief of Sturgis.

I know that Pierre is pronounced ’Pier,’ not ‘Pee-ere.’ I know that the Corn Palace doubles as a basketball court in the winter. I’ve paid multiple visits to the state. My relatives are probably the idiots who want to pass this legislation. So, I have a bit of a personal vendetta when South Dakota does something dumb.

Seriously, guys, make me proud. Stop being idiots.

image by Demion via Creative Commons