speedvegan

i joined the world of podcasting during this year’s tour de france. it was the only way to keep up with the tour since i don’t have cable. after a while, my super-hip boss recommended several podcasts he subscribes too and i found some myself that appealed to me. one of these was vegan freak, which is produced by two hard-core vegans. i wasn’t very impressed with the first show i downloaded and disagreed with a few of their viewpoints on veganism, but listened to the shows i had missed anyway. i became exceptionally enraged after they put down those who lead a vegan lifestyle for religious reasons. they claim it discourages others from becoming vegan. whatever.

their latest show might be the last show i ever listen to. they touched on something i’m very passionate about: sweat shops and the exploitation of workers in third world countries by large american companies. i feel that i should explain something about vegans before i delve further into this subject. vegans don’t eat meat (obviously) or animals products. however, veganism is not just a special diet. it is a way of life. vegans don’t wear animal products, be it leather or wool or fur… you see the trend. they will go as far as not purchasing products that use chemicals or pesticides used in farming, for example, because yes, it kills insects. also, it is harmful to the environment which is ultimately harmful to all living creatures. some vegans (the elites as i call them) will only purchase products from manufacturers who ONLY make and sell vegan products. as you can see there are many levels of veganism. i know a vegan who will not even associate with non-vegans, including vegetarians. actually, vegan animosity towards vegetarians is more common than i thought. i had a chance to experience this first hand when the organizer of our local vegan meetup and i tried to “merge” our groups and many of the vegans complained.

these are some of the reasons why most of the time, i introduce myself as vegetarian instead of vegan. i don’t consider myself a hard-core vegan. i am simply a good person who tries to cause as little harm, pain and suffering to the world i inhabit as i possibly can. not eating animals is part of that equation, of course, but in my scale of priorities, human beings weigh significantly more than any animal. anyone who knows me, knows that i try my best to be as kind to every person i encounter as i can possibly be given my circumstances at the moment. that is why i wanted to reach through my headphones and strangle these two vegan-nazis when i heard their latest show. i guess they chose a good name for their show after all because they truly are freaks.

the last bit of their show was devoted to a rant about the vegan way of life. they were specifically discussing the purchase of vegan shoes. both mentioned that you must also think about human working conditions when making a purchasing decision. the woman then clarified that “vegan” should still be FIRST on your checklist. i’m sorry, but when did a cow’s life become more important than a human’s ? although i agree that some human beings deserve to be “sold by the pound,” in general, their potential is far greater than any 4-legged animal i know of.

i am not saying that everyone should take a list of priorities to the mall, but if you are a hard-core vegan freak, chances are you are not buying $10 shoes at a local superstore and can definitely afford to have a bit of consideration for your fellow man, as well as your beloved 4-legged creatures. just don’t preach to me about providing a better quality of life for the animal population when you are supporting poor quality of life for mankind.