After having watched a video by Earthling Ed on vegetarianism, I started to reminisce all the times in my life where people had told me that veganism is extreme. I never quite understood why this case is brought up, especially considering that veganism is a lifestyle that is quite easily manageable. Nowadays, it’s easy to be vegan, if we consider the abundance of vegan products that range from mock meats, cheeses and nut milks. All of that aside however, veganism still gets a reputation for being extreme, and out of touch with reality.

Vegetarianism from the outskirts does seem like a logical and viable idea. In some cases, vegetarians are seen as noble. Vegetarian morals and ideals are those that fight for animal rights and humane treatment. From a vegetarian perspective, dead flesh is not consumed albeit the animal. Unlike veganism, vegetarians will consume the byproducts of animals such as eggs, dairy, cheese and honey. These products are not consumed by vegans because they don’t align with the vegan ethos. Vegans don’t consume animals or any of their byproducts at all. What seems like a “fine” line between veganism and vegetarianism, is actually a massive gap.

You see, the animal-based industry is one that is meticulously webbed by subsequent industries. Industries help each other out, and in turn, the wheel of doom continues in a never-ending cycle of suffering and torture. As much as I don’t want to use these gloomy symbolisms, the animal industry is not nice to the animals at all. People might be quick to shout that their local farmers treat their animals humanely, but alas, local farmers make up a minority of a minority. There are many local farmers who adopt industrial style production in order to pay off debts, and they most usually act as an intermediary for bigger companies. Local farmers that actually take care of their animals and let them roam freely out in pasture make up a miniscule number, and thus, don’t really act as a viable counterargument.

It won’t take long for someone to cringe at the fact that animal slaughter, or the condition that these animals are kept in, is foul and heavily degrading. The animals’ bodies are no longer theirs but are commodified to an eternal extent. These animals have been molded into the human framework in which their genes have been completely altered from what they once were, to becoming commodities for human consumption.

Take a typical laying hen for example. The closest relatives to the chicken lay 10 to 12 eggs a year, whilst egg-laying hens have been genetically modified to lay 365 eggs a year. A hen’s body can’t withstand this amount of pressure and in turn, ends up dying quite young because of all the stress and trauma that’s inflicted on her body. After a hen can no longer efficiently lay eggs, her body is discarded and is slaughtered.

So, does vegetarianism help?

Well to start off, vegetarians, as mentioned previously, don’t eat dead animal flesh. However, their consumption of eggs, dairy and cheese, allows the thriving of other businesses, such as the veal and beef industry, the chick and chicken industry, and other industries such as the pet’s food industry that uses animal leftovers for cat and dog feed. Moreover, some vegetarians might eat sweets, which contain gelatin, and gelatin making falls under the dead animal industry as well. Cow and pork bones are used to create gelatin, which is the key-ingredient that gives sweets their sticky and firm texture.

Why is it then that vegetarianism is seen as a modest approach, yet veganism is labeled as an extreme aversion of the human diet? Clearly, if vegetarians are continuously supporting industries that exploit animals, surely vegetarians aren’t helping out the cause in general. Buying eggs, dairy and cheese will allow companies to produce more chickens and more cows, and in turn, the cycle of abuse never ends. Veganism on the other hand suggests that these animals have a right to live on this Earth just as much as we do, and therefore, should be left out of our consumer choices. How come is that not reasonable?

I can only think of a few examples that might validate someone’s perception of veganism as an extremist agenda:

1. It’s natural to eat animals and their products
2. Humans have eaten animals and their products for a long time
3. People can’t be healthy without animal products
4. People depend on the animal business for their livelihoods

I personally can write an entire article on each of these points. However, for the sake of space and time, I’ll briefly address the reason as to why they’re not so applicable in today’s world.

The first three points are correlated to each other in that they encompass a way of living and supposed understanding of nutrition. Although humans have relied on cooking meat for thousands of years, and this act on its own has ameliorated human development, in this day and age however, humans are barely hunting but are rather buying their food from supermarkets. This is very true, especially when looking at how many animals are slaughtered every year in order to keep up with the demand. If it’s natural to eat meat, then it would also be natural to buy meat that is neatly packaged. However, that’s not entirely the case since there has to be a multitude of steps in order to ensure that an animal is turned into a product. This convenience allows the consumer to not think much of where their product came from, and the conditions it has been raised in. As such, buying animal products from a shop defeats the purpose of naturality since there is no connectedness to the animal itself, but rather, a blind sense of purchasing power.

Additionally, it has been proven that people can live healthy lives on a vegan diet, and that veganism is suitable for all ages. A plant-based diet can reduce the risks of chronic illnesses such as type two diabetes, atherosclerosis and cancer. Due to a plant-based diet’s high anti-inflammatory, low-saturated fats and zero cholesterol components, vegans are able to gain the best out of plant nutrients without having to receive them from an intermediary source, the animals themselves.

Finally, this is where people, especially farmers and agricultural workers, begin to blame veganism for having an extremist agenda. I’ve seen countless of posts and interviews of farmers saying that vegans are trying to ruin their businesses. I’m someone that respects someone else’s grind, and I truly believe that everyone should have the opportunity to become financially independent. However, I also believe that your financial gain shouldn’t rely on the exploitation of others either. It’s important to distinguish those who have a choice, and those who don’t. I’m not here talking about slaughterhouse workers, or seasonal workers, because those are usually people that come from low economic backgrounds, who frankly, don’t have any other choice. Although free will is something that is debated within society, for some people, they can’t do any better at a given moment.

What I’m trying to say is that individuals or shareholders that own massive farming businesses are the ones that we should question. We should question them about their approaches, techniques, animal welfare standards, sustainability goals etc.… These companies should be transparent with the public about their production methods, and the conditions that they raise their animals in. It’s important for consumers to know what they’re buying, because I’m very sure that if consumers had a glimpse of what their food had to go through, they’ll think twice about consuming it.

Even local farms are being exposed for animal cruelty and exploitation. In England for instance, St Helen’s farm, which is known for its high standards and their quality goat’s cheese, has been under recent negative spotlight for animal rights infringements. Video footage has circulated showing workers abusing and neglecting the animals, and this has caused outrage within communities and also petitions to remove St Helen’s products off shelves. How long are we meant to circumvent the narrative that animal life is important if the end goal is to exploit it? Change has to occur, for the sake of everyone in involved.

What can be done?

Should vegans be seen as extremists, or rather, advocates for real change? The animal agribusiness is one that is spread throughout the planet, and one that has a daily impact on individuals. It’s not enough to spread awareness. No. I believe that solutions have to be proposed for issues that are related to animal welfare, and its connection to human lives as well. There are many places on Earth where people still rely on animals, and as unfortunate as that is, they can’t just ditch their lifestyles for a vegan one. However, alternatives can be thought out, and new opportunities can be created through research and analysis. In the West, veganism is taking a strong lead, and investors have quickly caught on. It’s quite inevitable that veganism, and plant-based diets will become normal in the near future, and that to me is the exciting part of this story. People will soon make the connection, and because of that, fewer animals can be exploited for the sake of human consumption. Until then however, I stand firmly with my views that veganism is not extreme but is the most humane way to live a life alongside our fellow Earthlings.