What I mean is that if you are super thin or have health issues for example, do you feel like people judge you because you are vegan? Like it would be bad for veganism if you get what I mean
No, because I know anti-vegans will grasp at anything to try to discredit veganism. People do judge veganism when they meet very thin or ill vegans. But they also judge fat vegans. If we're at a weight they approve of or appear to be healthy we get hit with the "Well, veganism is possible for you because you're healthy, other people can't be vegan due to disability or health issues."
It's always going to be something because it's not about the vegan being judged. It's about the anti-vegan trying to create narratives that justify their own decisions.
To me, unless it's a company selling bovine nosehair supplements and they want some influencer to claim it gave them all their teeth back + free tickets to see Taylor Swift, I feel like there's already free labor out there. Or is there something that got uncovered that I'm ignorant of?
i've seen this post before. after reading what others have said, im certain it's fake.
they said not to trust them despite supposedly trying to warn us about people being paid to discredit veganism. they claimed to be essentially be a whistleblower but they were afraid of being caught or whatever so they wouldn't give actual details to prove anything, so then why make the post? also, people said they saw pro-vegan stuff on their account as well before it was deleted. it's interesting to read because there's some nuggets of truth when it comes to how many antivegans behave and also center for consumer freedom, but other than that it seems to just be well-researched fiction.
that post has literally nothing to prove it was ever more than a lie. i would not advise referencing it as if it's fact.
That was just a response to your question on whether something had been uncovered, that's all I've seen recently. You can never know if claims on Reddit people make about themselves are correct. I have no idea if it's true, but I don't find it that hard to believe, considering these big industries have a lot of money and often make other very visible attempts to discredit potential market competitors.
That's as bad as Trump saying all protestor are paid. Come on, be logical. Most people who are anti-vegan are just anti-vegan, not paid, not a conspiracy, just people who disagree with you.
I never said all. But many. Especially on YouTube and social media. Just recently a whistleblower came forward and admitted to being paid by a large food producer in the US to lie and attack veganism. Never underestimate what people will do for money and the power of the meat and dairy industry. Did you really not find it strange that all these so called carnivores and ex vegans all started popping out of the wood work at the exact same time?? It's an agenda.
Not even many, maybe a tiny handful, though far more likely that person lied for internet fame (and thus money). Anti- vegans, exvegans, carnivores have been and for DECADES. Hell, I know four exvegans and a pretty decent number of antivegans who are tired of the holier-than-thou vegan culture. Getting bashed on online is what happens when the online culture of vegans is more about emotional, black and white rhetoric than actual logical arguments and nuance.
Ok, some were not working for a group but they jumped on a bandwagon that got rolling and pushed by big meat and dairy simply as push back against the rise of veganism. Then overnight 100s of youtubers focusing on this carnivore diet which funnily enough is so extreme there is no real long term data on the effects of this diet and lifestyle. But they all know for sure it is how humans should live 100% and every plant will poison you. Absolute madness. So, humans are carnivore, omnivore or fruitarian depending on what you want to believe.
Yeah, I got the same thing in climate activism: if you were a scientist you were "privileged", if you were a student you were "rebellious youth", if you were a layman doing a normie job you were "clueless and misguided", if you were older you were a "paranoid old bugger" etc. Anything to keep from having to engage with the actual substance.
Besides the mean people, I am glad we have lots of variety of people who are vegans. It's more welcoming. It's good to be an inclusive environment for the most part, with the exception of bullies, racists, homophobic people, etc - I don't like those people representing veganism
Edit: standing up for yourself and others doesn't make you a mean person
Your definition of a mean person who doesn't take shit? Someone who isn't fake? That's an unusual definition
If you're actively bullying someone, I'd consider you a mean person. If you're racist, sexist, homophobic, I'd consider you a mean person. If you're harming others, I'd consider you a mean person
If you're just standing up for yourself, ya that's not mean lol
I am NOT inclusive to those who are bullies or racist or sexist
Please don't be needlessly rude here. This subreddit should be a friendly, informative resource, not a place to air grievances. This is a space for people to engage constructively; no belittling, insulting, or disrespectful language is permitted.
I think I understand you. You’re tired of vegans being made to feel bad by non-vegans. Is being mean gonna help though? What if bring judgy, militant, holier than thou, etc. is why society disdains us?
Sometimes yes. I don’t really think that is how it is. I mean I’ve been vegetarian or vegan for 25 years and I’ve seen a lot of people go vegetarian or vegan and they get bullied by their family or people around them and then when they bite back they are call judgy etc. I think it’s a phenomenon and then being purposely magnified that vegans are judgier etc than others to get vegans in general to shut up.
I’ve been told many times through the year that I don’t “look” vegan, I get jokes I look more like a limberjack or country guy. I’m athletic and healthier than the average person.
It doesn’t matter. People will still talk at me that veganism is unhealthy, the diet isn’t sustainable, blah blah. The once or twice a year I get a cold is “due” to my diet. I might be fit but I’d be “more fit” if I ate meat. My cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglycerides are on point but I’m “probably B12 deficient.”
Literally doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s not going to change the bad image of veganism the general population will always have.
Congrats on your health. Sorry the general public believes so many myths about veganism, but it’s easy to see why. The myths function as a cultural release valve for guilt and cognitive dissonance.
It’s funny cause vegans are not over represented in the b12 deficiency. We have sources for it, we don’t have reliable ones. I think it had become the last straw to grasp and it’s a solved problem.
That said take your fucking b12 and D supplement and whatever.
No because it's the norm to consume animals and you will see lot of variety. I do judge sick looking carnivores tho and think they give bad image to the movement.
Personally I don't judge vegans if they have xyz thing but lot of people do which is why I asked this question. I'm very thin, have some health issues and lot of people say it's because I eat very little animal products so I feel like it's a valid question.
but you are relying on anecdote. the average vegan isn't underweight and doesn't have health problems, and you are blaming plants (even though you aren't vegan) for your health problem and thinness when you should be blaming not tracking calories and not going to the gym. i gained weight when i became vegan and became more muscular, i was 6'3 and 145 lbs when i became vegan, now i'm 6'3 and 180 lbs and twice as strong as i was before i was vegan.
I'm not saying that the average vegan is anything. This question was only towards those who are thin or have health issues. I'm neither saying lack of animal products is the issue for me, I said thats what OTHER people say to me.
i understand, it's just not a good idea to trust non-experts in nutrition like that. like the average non-expert also think vaccines cause most diseases, it makes just as much sense to trust them on veganism as it does to trust them on vaccines. no matter what someone's health issue is, non-experts would blame veganism for it. if you were too fat they'd be saying that eating too many plants is making you fat. if you were too short they'd blame that on plants too. if you needed glasses they'd blame plants on that. you just need to realize that the meat and dairy industry spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on anti-vegan propaganda. so it's going to trickle down to everyday non-experts, who will be constantly repeating that propaganda. for good info on veganism, trust people who have degree in nutrition, not friends and family around you.
People will do that. The only chronic things I got is running in the family but people will try to blame veganism for that as well. So yeah I understand your q if that’s where it comes from.
I’m quite healthy, and I’m a regular weight, but I think I strengthen the stereotype of “crazy vegans”, because I’m quite direct with how I feel about meat eating
*average weight. But I second you on this. I made a post on IG and in my caption I said something along the lines of if you have the means to go vegan, then you should be, no excuses. Just happened to lose a few followers after that but I could care less.
Haha this was me the only thing that saved me was I have a pretty agreeable personality. So I could deliver what I thought and it still felt like a good convo. I’ve lost that. Becoming of man shouting at clouds :)
Edit: so better shut up a bit about veganism. I’ll go fucking crazy after retirement.
if a vegans skinny they say veganism is unhealthy and makes you malnourished. if a vegans overweight they’re surprised as they think we only eat fruit or they will say all vegan food is processed
there’s no way to win so i just live my life. although it would be really cool to be jacked and surprise people when i say im vegan
It's okay to have feelings about someone harming others. You don't judge someone who hits their kid in public, or belittles their spouse, or kicks their dog? You're either lying or you endorse it. I don't think it's a vegans responsibility to look away or make it more comfortable for people to abuse animals.
Well that’s true and I do have zero respect for people who hit their kids. But I can understand it a bit, that it’s just people doing what they know or punching down on someone weaker to feel better about the fact someone else is doing the same to them. It comes down to what’s most helpful, and being confrontational or outwardly judgmental and hostile might not be best.
Generally no. At some point you may experience it.
People who judge like that are:
- uninformed
- quick to conflate correlation with causation
- probably pretty biased
- not curious and open minded
- probably can‘t be reasoned with
It takes a 5 second web or ai search to find out about the healthfulness of plant based diets.
I stopped caring about peoples false opinions about me or what I stand for, if anything it shows their ignorance. Not something about me.
If I want to have an impact or do activism I‘d find open minded, interested people. That‘s time and energy much better spent than trying to portray an image to people who aren‘t.
1- It’s for the animals so that point of view shows ignorance
2- personally both me & my husband look healthier because we follow a whole foods leaning diet (he even won natty bodybuilding comp)
No. People will literally find any excuse to denigrate vegans. It means they don't have to engage with the reality of their ethical choices. Shoot the messenger.
I'm far from skinny but I do have significant health problems. Absolutely none of them are caused by my being a vegan, and on the rare occasion that my being a vegan comes up, I am usually quick to point out that I have been ill far longer than I have been a vegan.
Sometimes. I have a chronic illness & I do wish I was the picture of health for the cause. More practically, I wish I was well enough to volunteer and help.
I’m a walking example of how amazing the switch can be for your health.
I went vegan 8 years ago. At that time, I was about 30lbs overweight, my cholesterol was so bad that my doctor was trying to put me on Lipitor. I was pre-diabetic, had terrible IBS, slept like shit, and was frequently low-energy, or depressed.
Within 6 months of going plant-based, those issues were basically reversed.
I turn 50 in a few weeks, and I’m running/working out with folks who are half my age. I can see my abs again (Something I’ve missed since I was active duty in the military). I’ve actually built mass in my arms, chest, shoulders, quads, and calves.
And while it might be TMI, my libido feels like I’m in high school again. Lol
I have several friends who are now experimenting with vegetarian/pescatarian diets, or have gone vegan because of my results.
I’m very proud of that.
The irony is, the only people who have tried to trash-talk, or make fun of veganism (“You can’t get enough protein bro!”) have been overweight, out of shape, and plagued with correctable health problems. I find that hilarious.
I’m curious too. Why don’t you get along with other vegans? I lowkey don’t either but it’s because I’m more practical and less extremist. Then again, I’ve always gotten along great with vegans irl.
I have a neurological sleep disorder that I’ve had since before I went vegan and people love to say that it would go away if changed my diet lol. I’ve even had a couple primary care doctors (not a neurologist or sleep specialist) try to say the same thing even though my labs come back perfect every year.
I don’t give veganism a bad image though. Before I was vegan, people tried to blame it on other stuff. Somehow some people will always know better than the professionals.
This is a reason I’m pretty careful about taking supplements. I’d say I’m average looking and look roughly my age. Health professionals during my pregnancies are pretty positive about my overall health and blood levels of things so I probably give a good image of us in those settings. I feel lucky that my kid is so obviously healthy and tall, because I know people judge the choice to raise him vegan.
I kinda think the vegan image can’t be resuscitated. I tell people I don’t eat animal products or most processed foods, for my health. Sometimes I say I don’t respect how the animals are treated, but when I do, I add, “but I don’t judge.”
People often act surprised and tell me I look really healthy. They're even more surprised when I tell them I've been vegan nearly 10 years. I get a lot of "just wait, it'll catch up to you".
My doctors love it and say to keep it up, my blood looks great.
Be that as it may, any time I have any issues whatsoever with my health, people assume it's because I'm vegan. I swear I could break my toe and someone is going to make it about me being vegan and having brittle bones.
Less know that I've quit drinking. I'm sure some of the hangover tiredness was mistaken by some people as nutrient deficiency. But mostly I think about having more stamina to be active for the animals.
Na, I’m aware of super thin, super fat, super unhealthy folks that are not vegan, too. In fact, statistically there are exponentially more unhealthy non-vegans than vegans.
regardless, if folks think my health is bad due to veganism, they don’t know what veganism is about.
No, I am in good health and have been vegetarian for like 25 years and vegan about eight straight now in the end. I also think my personality helps pretty agreeable but firm in my ideas about morality. I have a very social job and like ten years ago I did take a pause as I had so many dinners in my job that it became a hustle if i didn’t got to weigh in in the choose of restaurant. So I was vegetarian on the job but ate vegan all of the time other time and also bought second hand and vegan most of the stuff I had.
I do feel many wants to attribute the only chronic condition I have which is sleep apnea and tight airways to veganism. I’m doing a marathon this year. And I am pretty “big” as in large shoulders.
I used to be a bit confronting back in the days but I felt people were more open minding discussing animal welfare and environmental impact. Now most people think it’s bullying and can get triggered just by me choosing to avoid animal products. But that’s the way I might have given veganism a bad name maybe. That I between 20-35 was open and discussed it. Now I mainly shut it down and don’t share that much about it.
Edit: I don’t really think I “look like a vegan” as people has told me that a few times. Im a little above my target BMI but I am also pretty “large framed” so I don’t know.
I also look young for my age (no wrinkles at all) but that’s genes as well I think.
I feel some compulsion to stay fit in order to be a good representative of veganism. I don't think it's an obligation, but it's definitely good to show people you can thrive on a plant based diet.
I do have to say though I have been incorporating lots of vegan food into my life, eating little to no meat(it’s a long journey). I have noticed a significant improvement in my overall mood and I seem more relaxed?
People have literally judged me for being vegan, and I give veganism a bad name by not fitting the image of what a vegan should like according to the collage of stereotypes they have in their brain. Everything is always food and appearance related.
One of my high school classmates from DR informed me that the others said that my vegan diet had failed because I was still obese right after our 20-year reunion. Apparently, veganism means that you should be skinny; otherwise, it's a failure, lol. It doesn't matter that I am healthier now than when I was omnivorous and put on all the weight.
I also once broke my ankle walking down a muddy hill after the rains during a hike, and a few of my local Meetup friends in Ohio perpetually thought I had weak bones from low calcium when my blood levels have always been in the normal range.
My mom and aunt would criticize me for not drinking plant milks as a beverage with meals and would tell me that I am doing a vegan diet wrong. I have been vegan for 8+ years, certainly not thanks to them. 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠
Honestly, I learned years ago that the unsolicited opinions of those who don't pay my bills, which are all under my name, don't matter to me.
Sorry. You seem to have some awareness though that you might not come across well. I was just curious. I deal with shame issues and don’t want non-vegans to feel like I’m judging them.
Tried to answer your other response to a deleted comment and it might go through here regarding mean and nice vegans, you might relate;
Society disdains us because existing and not exploiting animals is proof that they are living in ways that misalign with the way they see themselves, and it's uncomfortable. But it isn't my fault they're carnists, or propagandized to, or uneducated. I'm not going to tone down the way I feel to make an animal abuser more comfortable, and I'm not going to make myself smaller to excuse a civil rights violation, and that puts me outside of polite society. A.K.A, it's mean to ignore the sensitivities of others and point out the blood-soaked elephant in the room. I would much rather be true to myself and my reality than kill myself being someone I'm not.
Unfortunately there are a lot of pickme vegans who think that the vegan who stands up every time is actually the enemy. Those vegans want to fit into a cruel society rather than change it.
I think meeting people where they’re at, even if it’s a harm reduction approach (rather than total elimination) can save more animals faster. For example I got my best friend to eat way more veggies and way less meat. I recognize other approaches, like being militant with the torture and guilt memes, can also reach people who wouldn’t otherwise be reached. The post was about the vegan image though and I gotta assume that if vegans were warm and welcoming and understanding and more practical rather than fire-and-brimstone and extremist, it might make more people consider veganism.
I said there’s many approaches. Right? Being kind and gentle is one way. Being fire and brimstone is another. I didn’t downplay advocacy. I think it’s important to reach as many people as possible, as fast as possible.
No, because I know anti-vegans will grasp at anything to try to discredit veganism. People do judge veganism when they meet very thin or ill vegans. But they also judge fat vegans. If we're at a weight they approve of or appear to be healthy we get hit with the "Well, veganism is possible for you because you're healthy, other people can't be vegan due to disability or health issues."
It's always going to be something because it's not about the vegan being judged. It's about the anti-vegan trying to create narratives that justify their own decisions.
Remember a lot of these anti-vegans are literally paid actors/agents. They will lie and smeer veganism because they are in it for the money.
To me, unless it's a company selling bovine nosehair supplements and they want some influencer to claim it gave them all their teeth back + free tickets to see Taylor Swift, I feel like there's already free labor out there. Or is there something that got uncovered that I'm ignorant of?
https://www.reddit.com/r/AMA/s/viDTpMvhY3
i've seen this post before. after reading what others have said, im certain it's fake.
they said not to trust them despite supposedly trying to warn us about people being paid to discredit veganism. they claimed to be essentially be a whistleblower but they were afraid of being caught or whatever so they wouldn't give actual details to prove anything, so then why make the post? also, people said they saw pro-vegan stuff on their account as well before it was deleted. it's interesting to read because there's some nuggets of truth when it comes to how many antivegans behave and also center for consumer freedom, but other than that it seems to just be well-researched fiction.
that post has literally nothing to prove it was ever more than a lie. i would not advise referencing it as if it's fact.
Yes, I don't believe that post.
That was just a response to your question on whether something had been uncovered, that's all I've seen recently. You can never know if claims on Reddit people make about themselves are correct. I have no idea if it's true, but I don't find it that hard to believe, considering these big industries have a lot of money and often make other very visible attempts to discredit potential market competitors.
That's as bad as Trump saying all protestor are paid. Come on, be logical. Most people who are anti-vegan are just anti-vegan, not paid, not a conspiracy, just people who disagree with you.
I never said all. But many. Especially on YouTube and social media. Just recently a whistleblower came forward and admitted to being paid by a large food producer in the US to lie and attack veganism. Never underestimate what people will do for money and the power of the meat and dairy industry. Did you really not find it strange that all these so called carnivores and ex vegans all started popping out of the wood work at the exact same time?? It's an agenda.
Not even many, maybe a tiny handful, though far more likely that person lied for internet fame (and thus money). Anti- vegans, exvegans, carnivores have been and for DECADES. Hell, I know four exvegans and a pretty decent number of antivegans who are tired of the holier-than-thou vegan culture. Getting bashed on online is what happens when the online culture of vegans is more about emotional, black and white rhetoric than actual logical arguments and nuance.
Ok, some were not working for a group but they jumped on a bandwagon that got rolling and pushed by big meat and dairy simply as push back against the rise of veganism. Then overnight 100s of youtubers focusing on this carnivore diet which funnily enough is so extreme there is no real long term data on the effects of this diet and lifestyle. But they all know for sure it is how humans should live 100% and every plant will poison you. Absolute madness. So, humans are carnivore, omnivore or fruitarian depending on what you want to believe.
Carnivore is stuck a tiny, niche, online only diet that is more about being an influencer pushing for hypermasculine than an astroturfing.
Humans are omnivores, the actual science doesn't dispute that. Going vegan is a choice.
Yeah, I got the same thing in climate activism: if you were a scientist you were "privileged", if you were a student you were "rebellious youth", if you were a layman doing a normie job you were "clueless and misguided", if you were older you were a "paranoid old bugger" etc. Anything to keep from having to engage with the actual substance.
Heads I win, tails you lose.
Nah
Vegans are still human
We can be fat, skinny, healthy, unhealthy
We can even be mean, kind, etc
Besides the mean people, I am glad we have lots of variety of people who are vegans. It's more welcoming. It's good to be an inclusive environment for the most part, with the exception of bullies, racists, homophobic people, etc - I don't like those people representing veganism
Edit: standing up for yourself and others doesn't make you a mean person
I'm glad we have mean vegans because I hate seeing vegans being walked all over and feeling bad about themselves for existing compassionately.
Huh? How does that relate?
Mean vegans don't take shit like that or hide their feelings because they want to appear nice.
Your definition of a mean person who doesn't take shit? Someone who isn't fake? That's an unusual definition
If you're actively bullying someone, I'd consider you a mean person. If you're racist, sexist, homophobic, I'd consider you a mean person. If you're harming others, I'd consider you a mean person
If you're just standing up for yourself, ya that's not mean lol
I am NOT inclusive to those who are bullies or racist or sexist
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Please don't be needlessly rude here. This subreddit should be a friendly, informative resource, not a place to air grievances. This is a space for people to engage constructively; no belittling, insulting, or disrespectful language is permitted.
I think I understand you. You’re tired of vegans being made to feel bad by non-vegans. Is being mean gonna help though? What if bring judgy, militant, holier than thou, etc. is why society disdains us?
Sometimes yes. I don’t really think that is how it is. I mean I’ve been vegetarian or vegan for 25 years and I’ve seen a lot of people go vegetarian or vegan and they get bullied by their family or people around them and then when they bite back they are call judgy etc. I think it’s a phenomenon and then being purposely magnified that vegans are judgier etc than others to get vegans in general to shut up.
I'm fat so no, not as far as weight goes. And most vegans who are "too skinny" are really just in good shape.
I'm like 250 and have been vegan for around 5 or 6 years I can't truly remember.
But I do my best and that's all I can do, and if we are being honest I don't care about how others view me.
I’ve been told many times through the year that I don’t “look” vegan, I get jokes I look more like a limberjack or country guy. I’m athletic and healthier than the average person.
It doesn’t matter. People will still talk at me that veganism is unhealthy, the diet isn’t sustainable, blah blah. The once or twice a year I get a cold is “due” to my diet. I might be fit but I’d be “more fit” if I ate meat. My cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglycerides are on point but I’m “probably B12 deficient.”
Literally doesn’t matter what you look like, it’s not going to change the bad image of veganism the general population will always have.
Congrats on your health. Sorry the general public believes so many myths about veganism, but it’s easy to see why. The myths function as a cultural release valve for guilt and cognitive dissonance.
It’s funny cause vegans are not over represented in the b12 deficiency. We have sources for it, we don’t have reliable ones. I think it had become the last straw to grasp and it’s a solved problem.
That said take your fucking b12 and D supplement and whatever.
Do you feel the carnists riding around in mobility scooters at the store is bad for the image of animal based diet people?
No because it's the norm to consume animals and you will see lot of variety. I do judge sick looking carnivores tho and think they give bad image to the movement.
Personally I don't judge vegans if they have xyz thing but lot of people do which is why I asked this question. I'm very thin, have some health issues and lot of people say it's because I eat very little animal products so I feel like it's a valid question.
but you are relying on anecdote. the average vegan isn't underweight and doesn't have health problems, and you are blaming plants (even though you aren't vegan) for your health problem and thinness when you should be blaming not tracking calories and not going to the gym. i gained weight when i became vegan and became more muscular, i was 6'3 and 145 lbs when i became vegan, now i'm 6'3 and 180 lbs and twice as strong as i was before i was vegan.
I'm not saying that the average vegan is anything. This question was only towards those who are thin or have health issues. I'm neither saying lack of animal products is the issue for me, I said thats what OTHER people say to me.
i understand, it's just not a good idea to trust non-experts in nutrition like that. like the average non-expert also think vaccines cause most diseases, it makes just as much sense to trust them on veganism as it does to trust them on vaccines. no matter what someone's health issue is, non-experts would blame veganism for it. if you were too fat they'd be saying that eating too many plants is making you fat. if you were too short they'd blame that on plants too. if you needed glasses they'd blame plants on that. you just need to realize that the meat and dairy industry spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on anti-vegan propaganda. so it's going to trickle down to everyday non-experts, who will be constantly repeating that propaganda. for good info on veganism, trust people who have degree in nutrition, not friends and family around you.
People will do that. The only chronic things I got is running in the family but people will try to blame veganism for that as well. So yeah I understand your q if that’s where it comes from.
I’m quite healthy, and I’m a regular weight, but I think I strengthen the stereotype of “crazy vegans”, because I’m quite direct with how I feel about meat eating
*average weight. But I second you on this. I made a post on IG and in my caption I said something along the lines of if you have the means to go vegan, then you should be, no excuses. Just happened to lose a few followers after that but I could care less.
Based and justicepilled
Haha this was me the only thing that saved me was I have a pretty agreeable personality. So I could deliver what I thought and it still felt like a good convo. I’ve lost that. Becoming of man shouting at clouds :)
Edit: so better shut up a bit about veganism. I’ll go fucking crazy after retirement.
Oh boy. So “yes” basically.
if a vegans skinny they say veganism is unhealthy and makes you malnourished. if a vegans overweight they’re surprised as they think we only eat fruit or they will say all vegan food is processed
there’s no way to win so i just live my life. although it would be really cool to be jacked and surprise people when i say im vegan
Maybe, I really don't care honestly. The only vegan the general public will like is a quiet one.
I’m pretty sure you can be a likeable vegan. Right? For example, they like you, then find out you don’t consume animal products but you don’t judge.
It's okay to have feelings about someone harming others. You don't judge someone who hits their kid in public, or belittles their spouse, or kicks their dog? You're either lying or you endorse it. I don't think it's a vegans responsibility to look away or make it more comfortable for people to abuse animals.
Well that’s true and I do have zero respect for people who hit their kids. But I can understand it a bit, that it’s just people doing what they know or punching down on someone weaker to feel better about the fact someone else is doing the same to them. It comes down to what’s most helpful, and being confrontational or outwardly judgmental and hostile might not be best.
I agree
Confrontation is, unfortunately or not, necessary.
Generally no. At some point you may experience it.
People who judge like that are: - uninformed - quick to conflate correlation with causation - probably pretty biased - not curious and open minded - probably can‘t be reasoned with
It takes a 5 second web or ai search to find out about the healthfulness of plant based diets.
I stopped caring about peoples false opinions about me or what I stand for, if anything it shows their ignorance. Not something about me.
If I want to have an impact or do activism I‘d find open minded, interested people. That‘s time and energy much better spent than trying to portray an image to people who aren‘t.
1- It’s for the animals so that point of view shows ignorance 2- personally both me & my husband look healthier because we follow a whole foods leaning diet (he even won natty bodybuilding comp)
I just really appreciate your first point so much tbh
No. People will literally find any excuse to denigrate vegans. It means they don't have to engage with the reality of their ethical choices. Shoot the messenger.
No cause I'm a beast.
Dont care. I’m a full human like everyone else. Not a fake advertisement or a posterboy.
I'm far from skinny but I do have significant health problems. Absolutely none of them are caused by my being a vegan, and on the rare occasion that my being a vegan comes up, I am usually quick to point out that I have been ill far longer than I have been a vegan.
Sometimes. I have a chronic illness & I do wish I was the picture of health for the cause. More practically, I wish I was well enough to volunteer and help.
Sorry to hear about your illness.
If you're on discord, I have some communities I could plug you into if you'd like to do text or speech based outreach 💚
To the privileged and comfortable, absolutely. To other activists, no.
I’m a walking example of how amazing the switch can be for your health.
I went vegan 8 years ago. At that time, I was about 30lbs overweight, my cholesterol was so bad that my doctor was trying to put me on Lipitor. I was pre-diabetic, had terrible IBS, slept like shit, and was frequently low-energy, or depressed.
Within 6 months of going plant-based, those issues were basically reversed.
I turn 50 in a few weeks, and I’m running/working out with folks who are half my age. I can see my abs again (Something I’ve missed since I was active duty in the military). I’ve actually built mass in my arms, chest, shoulders, quads, and calves. And while it might be TMI, my libido feels like I’m in high school again. Lol
I have several friends who are now experimenting with vegetarian/pescatarian diets, or have gone vegan because of my results. I’m very proud of that.
The irony is, the only people who have tried to trash-talk, or make fun of veganism (“You can’t get enough protein bro!”) have been overweight, out of shape, and plagued with correctable health problems. I find that hilarious.
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I don't get along with other vegans, so possibly from that point of view.
Why though?
I’m curious too. Why don’t you get along with other vegans? I lowkey don’t either but it’s because I’m more practical and less extremist. Then again, I’ve always gotten along great with vegans irl.
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I have a neurological sleep disorder that I’ve had since before I went vegan and people love to say that it would go away if changed my diet lol. I’ve even had a couple primary care doctors (not a neurologist or sleep specialist) try to say the same thing even though my labs come back perfect every year.
I don’t give veganism a bad image though. Before I was vegan, people tried to blame it on other stuff. Somehow some people will always know better than the professionals.
I don’t know or control people’s thoughts but I haven’t personally had this verbalized to me
This is a reason I’m pretty careful about taking supplements. I’d say I’m average looking and look roughly my age. Health professionals during my pregnancies are pretty positive about my overall health and blood levels of things so I probably give a good image of us in those settings. I feel lucky that my kid is so obviously healthy and tall, because I know people judge the choice to raise him vegan.
I think it’s awesome you’re teaching your kid to eat fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts, etc. I wish I’d been raised that way.
I am very thin and I know people think that way about it. But I was also very thin as an omnivore so I just say that if anyone says something.
I kinda think the vegan image can’t be resuscitated. I tell people I don’t eat animal products or most processed foods, for my health. Sometimes I say I don’t respect how the animals are treated, but when I do, I add, “but I don’t judge.”
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People often act surprised and tell me I look really healthy. They're even more surprised when I tell them I've been vegan nearly 10 years. I get a lot of "just wait, it'll catch up to you".
My doctors love it and say to keep it up, my blood looks great.
Be that as it may, any time I have any issues whatsoever with my health, people assume it's because I'm vegan. I swear I could break my toe and someone is going to make it about me being vegan and having brittle bones.
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Less know that I've quit drinking. I'm sure some of the hangover tiredness was mistaken by some people as nutrient deficiency. But mostly I think about having more stamina to be active for the animals.
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Na, I’m aware of super thin, super fat, super unhealthy folks that are not vegan, too. In fact, statistically there are exponentially more unhealthy non-vegans than vegans.
regardless, if folks think my health is bad due to veganism, they don’t know what veganism is about.
No, I am in good health and have been vegetarian for like 25 years and vegan about eight straight now in the end. I also think my personality helps pretty agreeable but firm in my ideas about morality. I have a very social job and like ten years ago I did take a pause as I had so many dinners in my job that it became a hustle if i didn’t got to weigh in in the choose of restaurant. So I was vegetarian on the job but ate vegan all of the time other time and also bought second hand and vegan most of the stuff I had.
I do feel many wants to attribute the only chronic condition I have which is sleep apnea and tight airways to veganism. I’m doing a marathon this year. And I am pretty “big” as in large shoulders.
I used to be a bit confronting back in the days but I felt people were more open minding discussing animal welfare and environmental impact. Now most people think it’s bullying and can get triggered just by me choosing to avoid animal products. But that’s the way I might have given veganism a bad name maybe. That I between 20-35 was open and discussed it. Now I mainly shut it down and don’t share that much about it.
Edit: I don’t really think I “look like a vegan” as people has told me that a few times. Im a little above my target BMI but I am also pretty “large framed” so I don’t know.
I also look young for my age (no wrinkles at all) but that’s genes as well I think.
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I feel some compulsion to stay fit in order to be a good representative of veganism. I don't think it's an obligation, but it's definitely good to show people you can thrive on a plant based diet.
I definitely feel like I do. I have an eating disorder, but everyone’s been attributing my health issues to the veganism 😓
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I do my part by constantly calling my coworkers bloodmouths.
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I do have to say though I have been incorporating lots of vegan food into my life, eating little to no meat(it’s a long journey). I have noticed a significant improvement in my overall mood and I seem more relaxed?
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People have literally judged me for being vegan, and I give veganism a bad name by not fitting the image of what a vegan should like according to the collage of stereotypes they have in their brain. Everything is always food and appearance related.
One of my high school classmates from DR informed me that the others said that my vegan diet had failed because I was still obese right after our 20-year reunion. Apparently, veganism means that you should be skinny; otherwise, it's a failure, lol. It doesn't matter that I am healthier now than when I was omnivorous and put on all the weight.
I also once broke my ankle walking down a muddy hill after the rains during a hike, and a few of my local Meetup friends in Ohio perpetually thought I had weak bones from low calcium when my blood levels have always been in the normal range.
My mom and aunt would criticize me for not drinking plant milks as a beverage with meals and would tell me that I am doing a vegan diet wrong. I have been vegan for 8+ years, certainly not thanks to them. 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠
Honestly, I learned years ago that the unsolicited opinions of those who don't pay my bills, which are all under my name, don't matter to me.
For me, this is a big motivation to stay healthy and keep working out and doing a lot of strength training.
No. What a strange question.
I don't care cause other people can shove it
I'm super outspoken. People judge me for being vegan anyways, I'm not gonna suddenly change my personality to accommodate that.
Are you the holier than thou stereotype?
Kind of a rude question.
Sorry. You seem to have some awareness though that you might not come across well. I was just curious. I deal with shame issues and don’t want non-vegans to feel like I’m judging them.
Tried to answer your other response to a deleted comment and it might go through here regarding mean and nice vegans, you might relate;
Society disdains us because existing and not exploiting animals is proof that they are living in ways that misalign with the way they see themselves, and it's uncomfortable. But it isn't my fault they're carnists, or propagandized to, or uneducated. I'm not going to tone down the way I feel to make an animal abuser more comfortable, and I'm not going to make myself smaller to excuse a civil rights violation, and that puts me outside of polite society. A.K.A, it's mean to ignore the sensitivities of others and point out the blood-soaked elephant in the room. I would much rather be true to myself and my reality than kill myself being someone I'm not.
Unfortunately there are a lot of pickme vegans who think that the vegan who stands up every time is actually the enemy. Those vegans want to fit into a cruel society rather than change it.
I think meeting people where they’re at, even if it’s a harm reduction approach (rather than total elimination) can save more animals faster. For example I got my best friend to eat way more veggies and way less meat. I recognize other approaches, like being militant with the torture and guilt memes, can also reach people who wouldn’t otherwise be reached. The post was about the vegan image though and I gotta assume that if vegans were warm and welcoming and understanding and more practical rather than fire-and-brimstone and extremist, it might make more people consider veganism.
I don't think it's fair to downplay advocacy as "guilt." That's not what I or most activists do.
I said there’s many approaches. Right? Being kind and gentle is one way. Being fire and brimstone is another. I didn’t downplay advocacy. I think it’s important to reach as many people as possible, as fast as possible.