Two years gone by, and the thought occurs to me, I should write a blog post. So here I am. I started off reading over my last post, two years ago, when I was just settling back into Wellington life. I felt the need to write then because someone's sexist comment was playing on my mind. I felt the need to write today for comments on veganism. So here it goes, with fair warning this is an unforgiving, sick of this bullshit, ranty vegan post.
You tease, you joke, you laugh. I don't. It's not funny. Billions of animals being killed for no reason other than taste is not funny. The environment suffering for human greed is not funny. The fact that I care about this suffering, of animals and the planet, is not funny. I am doing the best that I can with my awareness of the impact of animal agriculture, and part of that is actually tuning out a lot of the reality. I think of all the poor sweet animals born into an industry which is truly horrifying, and it hurts. My heart aches for the animals who die for your dinner. I can't live every moment with that weight in my chest so I try not to think about it. Then you say something like "you'll be ordering the steak then?" and you laugh, and I laugh because I don't want to be that person, perpetuating the idea you probably have of "stuck up vegans." But underneath my laugh I am thinking about the cow. About every cow who stood scared in a slaughterhouse line, waiting for their death, in order to become your dinner, and there is nothing funny about it. I think about the cow and feel my chest tighten with that heartache, that pain, the absolute despair that my otherwise smart, kind, caring friends, do not acknowledge this suffering. I struggle to understand how someone can knowingly take an animals life so unnecessarily. I wonder how anyone can carry on doing that when they know there is an alternative. I hope just by being here, eating wonderful vegan food, being in good health, I hope this opens more eyes to the alternative. I will keep on, doing the best I can. Trying to laugh to keep myself from crying in the face of your "jokes." Trying to be understanding and patient because using animals is so ingrained in us, and it is hard to open your eyes and change your way of thinking, and then to act on that and remove yourself from such practices. It is hard to go against the majority, against the current accepted diet. Trying not to blame people as they order animal products, thinking nothing of the life lost for it. I will keep on trying to believe that you do not mean to hurt me, that you have no idea how deep your words go, though I cannot understand how you can find humour in the loss of so many innocent lives.
If you are reading this and are not vegan, I urge you to watch Cowspiracy, Earthlings, and Forks Over Knives. Please educate yourself so you understand why what you think of as a joke actually causes so much pain.
