Vegan Things I Don’t Care About
People become vegetarians and vegans for a wide variety of reasons. Some become vegan out of intense moral conviction against killing. Some are vegan to make a political or cultural statement about poverty, racism, feminism, or other societal ills while others are cultural or religious vegetarians. Some become vegan for reasons of health, and still others become vegan to reduce their footprint on the environment. Making matters even more complex, vegan and vegetarians often care about more than one of the following reasons.
As an exploration of where I stand on various lines of vegan concern, I present this list of vegan things that I just simply don’t factor into my decision to be a vegan.
- Mercury levels in fish. While I’m distressed at how we as a people pollute our natural resources with our carelessness, it has nothing to do with why I don’t eat fish.
- Possible salmonella from eggs/chicken/your kitchen counter. This line of reasoning positively reeks of ex post facto justification. You only revel in your reduced risk of this particular food borne illness after you’ve already made the decision to stop eating meat. If your concern was truly avoiding salmonella, you could just as easily work on improving your cleanliness and preparation.
- The amount of fossil fuel it takes to bring me a slab or prime rib. Yes, I know that it takes more energy to produce a calorie of animal protein than it does to produce a corresponding calorie of plant protein. If that’s your prime concern, you could just as easily turn off unnecessary lights, buy locally produced goods, turn down your air conditioner, and buy a more fuel-efficient vehicle.
- How much cheaper it is to eat a vegan diet. I’m an amateur chef and full-time bon vivant. I buy so many frou-frou ingredients that my grocery bill hasn’t dropped one cent.
- World starvation. Starvation is a problem born of distribution and an egocentric attitude. If the United States went completely vegan tomorrow, all of the “bonus” grain that would appear in a few generations would just get hoarded, wasted, and sold at a premium price. Starvation is a byproduct of the game of economic control.
- The presence of feces in meat. When you shake your co-worker’s hand, you’re probably touching a small amount of semen. That fresh fruit from the farmer’s market probably has a bit of insect poop on it. We are exposed to tiny amount of “gross” material every day in nearly every activity we undertake. If you’re willing to eat the carcass of an animal, should you really get upset about trace amounts of waste it may contain?
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