When it is celebrated.
International Vegan Day has been celebrated annually on November 1st since 1994, when the Vegan Community celebrated its 60th anniversary.
Veganism or veganism is a lifestyle limited to strict vegetarianism. Vegans - adherents of veganism - eat and use only plant-based products, that is, they completely exclude components of animal origin in their composition.
The history and ideology of veganism.
The Vegan Society was formed in the UK on November 1, 1944. The main goal of the new society was to convey information about veganism to people, explain the main ideas to them and urge them to abandon the use of meat and other animal products.
50 years later, on the organization's birthday, the world celebrated World Vegan Day for the first time. By the way, the very term "vegan" was suggested by the ideological inspirer of the movement - Mr. Donald Watson.
What do vegans and don't eat?
The word vegan was formed by Donald Watson from the first three and last two letters of the English word “vegetarian”. The term was first used by the Vegan Society, founded by Watson in November 1944 in London.
But if you think vegans are short for vegetarianism, you are wrong. Vegans are even more ideological people and, apart from meat, do not eat anything related to animal origin. This applies to milk, eggs, naturally meat, and even honey! Only plant foods.
Don't think veganism is all about food. In fact, this is a whole philosophical teaching. Vegans not only do not eat animal food, they do not use furs, leather, wool, and animal-based cosmetics. Their task is to preserve the diversity of nature, to perceive a person not in isolation, but inside the animal world. They are against any violence against animals and it does not matter for what purpose it is done - for human food, for clothing, or even for serious scientific experiments.
As you know, opposites attract, but some differences of opinion can fundamentally ruin family life or quarrel close friends. Often the subject of controversy is the taste preferences of one family member, for example, vegetarianism, while the rest are staunch meat eaters.
The strictest type of vegetarianism is veganism. Its adherents not only refuse food of animal origin (including milk, eggs, fish and honey), but also oppose any form of exploitation of animals for experimentation, profit or entertainment. They also don't use fur and leather.
People with this lifestyle have their own holiday - World Vegan Day, which is celebrated on November 1.
History and traditions
The British Donald Watson was actively involved in the popularization of vegetarianism, who himself gave up meat at the age of 14, and by the age of 30 he became a full vegan (he and his wife introduced this definition) and stopped eating animal products. The indefatigable public figure became one of the founders of the Vegan Society in 1944, whose members were the initiators of this holiday.
Every year on November 1, activists of the society, autonomously and jointly with representatives of the Green Party, hold various rallies, charitable and educational events in support of animals and the popularization of vegetarianism.
"Comparative anatomy confirms that man is naturally a herbivorous animal, sustaining its existence by fruits, seeds and mealy plants" (Dr. Sylvester Graham).
Nov. 1 celebrated International Vegan Day - World vegan day .
The word "vegan" was formed Donald Watson (Donald Watson) from the first three and last two letters of the English word "vegetarian" ("vegetarian", "vegetarian").
The holiday has been celebrated annually since 1994. Although the first "Vegan Community" was created in the UK back in 1944.
On World Vegan Day, events in different countries are held, lectures dedicated to vegans and veganism. There are also festivals, concerts, fairs, film and fashion screenings.
Veganism (veganism) - a way of life, subject to strict. Vegans eat only plant-based foods, completely eliminating even dairy products, eggs and honey from their diet.
They also refuse to wear clothes made of leather, fur, wool, silk.
Why do people go vegan?
The main reason is probably pity, compassion, unwillingness to be the reason for the killing and cruel treatment of animals.
Sir Paul McCartney said, "If the slaughterhouses had glass walls, all people would be vegetarians."
It seems to me that he is absolutely right.
Most of us do not think at all how many animals die to fill the shelves of stores, markets, and then the shelves of our refrigerators.
For example, after reading the verses of the English poet of the 17th century Pope , I no longer want sausage and steak:
"Lamb, doomed by your greed
To cruel torture, in a moment of mortal agony
Looks into your eyes, innocent, amazed,
And tenderly licks your hands, the killer! "
The founders of many religions were also vegetarians.
For example, the founder of the Buddhist religion Siddhartha Gautama , known to the world as Buddha (623-544 BC), gave up eating meat in his youth.
Didn't eat meat Confucius , founder of Zoroastrianism Zoroaster , Saint Francis of Assisi .
Most likely, Jesus Christ also did not eat meat, since this is not mentioned in any of the four Gospels.
It is known for sure that the strict vegetarian was St. Peter ... He ate only bread, olives and herbs.
The apostles did not eat meat Matthew and Jacob .
And the greatest preacher of Christianity John Chrysostom wrote: “We are like wolves and tigers! We are even worse than these animals. Nature created them so that they should eat meat, while God endowed us with reasonable speech and a sense of justice. "
Many genius people were vegetarians.
For example, Pythagoras (VI century BC), which we all learn about in elementary school.
But Pythagoras was not only a scientist and philosopher, he was also the founder of the first vegetarian association, which includes 300 young people from the most influential families in the city.
The main commandment of the members of this society was - "Do not kill or harm innocent animals."
Pythagoras convinced his students that, content with plant foods, they will have health and peace of mind.
Pythagoras himself ate bread, boiled and raw, honey.
The biographer of Pythagoras wrote: "the dream of Pythagoras was short, the soul is pure and vigorous, the body is tempered in perfect and indestructible health."
The ancient poet Ovid wrote with admiration about the teachings of Pythagoras in his Metamorphoses: “He, Pythagoras, was the first to forbid the serving of animal meat; first opened his mouth to speak words full of wisdom ... ".
Plato, who is considered a follower of Pythagoras, was also a vegetarian.
Plato founded the "Academy" near Athens and gave his lectures there.
Plato was convinced that eating meat leads to the emergence of many diseases that can be avoided by eating plant foods, cheese, honey. life ... ".
Antiquity writer and historian was a vegetarian Plutarch ... In his writings there are the following words: “I, for my part, do not understand what kind of feelings, thought or reason guided the person who first decided to defile his mouth with blood and allowed his lips to touch the meat of a murdered creature ... Nothing leads us to embarrassment: neither the wonderful beauty of the helpless animals that we kill for food, nor the pitiful gentle sounds of their voices, nor their mental faculties. Just because of a piece of their meat, we deprive them of their radiant light, the life for which they were born. "
A strict vegetarian was the great painter and scientist of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci , who wrote: "The time will come when people will look at killing animals as they now look at killing a person."
The supporters of vegetarianism were Voltaire and Russo , English poet of the early 19th century P.B. Shelley , philosophers Montaigne and Schopenhauer, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Henry Ford, Mahatma Gandhi , writer and playwright Bernard Show .
Shaw was an unusually witty and harsh person, when asked by the curious audience about his refusal to eat meat, he answered: “Why demand from me an account of why I eat like a decent person. If I ate the burnt corpses of innocent beings, you would have reason to ask me why I am doing this. "
We all know that the great Russian writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy preached the rejection of meat.
It is difficult even to list all the great people who adhere to vegetarianism.
Many of our contemporaries do not eat meat: movie stars Brigitte Bardot, Richard Gere, Pamela Anderson, David Duchovny, Cameron Diaz, Steven Segal, Demi Moore …
Probably, each of us decides for himself what exactly he has.
But if you do not refuse, then reducing the amount of meat in the diet is good for, all scientists and doctors agree with this.
And in conclusion, the verses of Pythagoras:
“You people are full of defiling yourself with illicit food!
Do you have cereals; under the weight of the rich
The branches of the trees bow down to the juicy, ruddy fruits;
Bunches on the vines hang in bulk; roots and herbs
Delicate, delicious ripening in the fields; while others,
Those that are coarser are softened and sweetened by fire;
Pure milk moisture and fragrant honeycomb
Sweet honey that smells like fluffy grass - thyme,
Are not prohibited to you. Wasteful generous all the blessings
The land offers you; no brutal murders and no blood
She prepares delicious dishes for you.
Only wild beasts
They satisfy their hunger with live meat ...
... And what a criminal custom,
What a terrible abomination: guts - guts absorption!
Is it possible to feed creatures like us with meat and blood
Your greedy body and the killing of another creature,
By someone else's death, to support life? "
Since 1994, the world has celebrated Vegan Day on November 1, but the exact number of people who consider this day their holiday has not been named. It can only be argued that about 6% of the world's population adheres to the principles of vegetarianism and veganism, and this figure tends to increase.
What is the ideology of veganism?
To say that vegans are people who adhere to the strictest form of vegetarianism is to say nothing, because apart from a conscious rejection of meat, fish and seafood for the sake of preserving the life of animals and depriving yourself of dairy products, eggs, honey, etc. (so as not to exploit our smaller brothers) vegans by their own example and way of life oppose violence in all its forms.
It can be argued that the vegan movement on a global scale is part of the ideology of non-violence, and attracting celebrities such as Paul McCartney, Douglas Adams, Brigitte Bardot to the ranks of vegans, only contributes to the spread of this culture in the world.
The outstanding Russian writer Leo Tolstoy made a huge contribution to the development of vegetarianism in general and veganism in particular. In addition to rejecting animal products to the table, vegans do not wear furs and leather goods, pearls and mother-of-pearl, do not attend circus performances, zoos, oceanariums and dolphinariums, motivating their position primarily with an ethical component.
Deciding to join the ranks of vegans, the person, as it were, declares his protest to the whole planet against the unnatural, aggressive and greedy human nature. At the same time, there are several religious movements in the world, adherents who have long been practicing veganism (or vegetarianism) in a not-too-zealous form, for example, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism.
Despite the fact that even in the ancient world there were communities that adhered to a rigid form of veganism, people began to consciously use the term in 1944 thanks to the ideologue of the movement, Donald Watson, who introduced it as one of the classifications of vegetarianism.
Subtypes of Veganism
The current social structure of the vegan movement is extremely ramified and diverse. The strict vegan diet is divided into several subtypes, such as fruitarianism and raw food diet. Without limiting themselves to the principles of nutrition and protection of animals and the rights of representatives of the animal world, among vegans, geopolitically oriented people stand out who are focused on a global solution to the problem of hunger on earth, planet effect.
How do I become a vegan?
Waking up one day and realizing that you are a vegan is almost unrealistic, indicate persons who differ from the rest in that they do not consume meat, fish, seafood and products of exploitation of other species. These people note that the rejection of the listed products precedes the rethinking of their "I", worldview, life goals and place on the planet. In general, it is advised to avoid severe stress for the body and come to veganism through vegetarianism, first refusing to consume killed animals, and then from milk, eggs, and other animal components (gelatin, margarine, lecithin), learning to replace them with suitable and safe analogs, such as soy milk, coconut milk, palm oil, etc.
It should be added that before joining the vegan movement, it would be superfluous to contact a nutritionist for advice on cardinal contraindications, because a plant culture is not able to replace all vital trace elements and vitamins, which a person refuses along with meat and animal products ...
Experts say that it is impossible to completely replace animal protein with vegetable protein, as well as to find an alternative to vitamin B12 and some other B vitamins. It is quite logical that vegans, striving to achieve harmony with nature, their own body and spirit, are looking for a worthy alternative to products from which are denied due to their own convictions, but followers of the vegan culture should think carefully before attracting children and adolescents to their lifestyle, who, due to their body characteristics, are generally not recommended to give up lactic acid products and meat.
"Vegan freak"
November 1st is International Vegan Day
World Vegan Day has been celebrated since 1994 every year on November 1, the anniversary of the establishment of the "Vegan Society", founded in the UK in 1944. Veganism is very popular today, people write about it a lot, it is often recommended. Vegan Freak is not just a book. This is a guide to action for anyone who, as a vegan, feels uncomfortable around "normal" people, or is intimidated by the mere thought of switching to a vegan diet.
"Vegan Freak" - instructions on how to use conversational and behavioral tactics when communicating with family, friends and other representatives of the majority. Finally, it's a useful database: the text contains almost everything there is to know about animal rights violations, their consequences and alternatives to routine - from exposing the livestock system to a review of fashionable clothing brands that were not involved in the exploitation of smaller brothers.
Chapter 2. Animal rights
For meat eaters, we vegans are pathetic dumb ... s. The killers. Yes Yes exactly. We kill without repentance, often boiling prey alive in boiling water or frying it alive without a single thought of life and freedom that we take away, and of the pain that we inflict. Sometimes we even cut our victims into small pieces and eat with garlic, full of delight. We are sick and perverted. We are ruthless tyrants with no pity for the oppressed.
Are we considered that way because we confessed that we had a bloody orgy? Nope. We just try on a suit made by meat eaters.
For them, driven into an intellectual corner, we vegans are the Hannibal lecters of the vegetable world. One has only to mention that you are an ethical vegan, as some omnivore instantly raises his tail and begins to "rub down" about the "plant rights". His reasoning is that if you care about animal rights, you should also care about flora rights. And while many vegans do try to do the least damage to the environment, omnivores are trying to do something completely different with their criticism. They want to destroy our arguments for veganism with thousands of mosquito bites, because if they muddy our values, they can get indulgence in the form of the right not to think about the direct or passive struggle that we have as vegans.
And so all your life you will listen to whining about the exploitation, suffering and killing of plants, while an omnivore with a triumphant grin eats a chicken, obviously forgetting that it takes more than one kilogram of cereals to produce a pound of chicken meat. Therefore, if the omnivore really cared about plant rights, he would eat only a few grains of wheat, instead of feeding bags of cereals to those animals on the farm, whose dead flesh he would later feed with appetite. But these are trifles. It's much more fun to tease vegans by calling them executioners.
On top of that, plant rights advocates are ignoring some sound conclusions. Let's have a little brainstorming session. Let's experiment with broccoli and a piglet. Let's touch the broccoli with a hot poker. What happened? Nothing: the broccoli is a little fried (which makes it smells not very good), but it does not scream, does not twitch and does not show any reaction, because it does not have a nervous system and pain receptors. If you do the same with a piglet, it will most likely screech in pain and run away. Since it can sometimes be difficult to say something for sure about the sensitivity of a particular person or animal, things like a shrill scream can be very helpful in making educated guesses about his health and well-being. In addition to the fact that the piglet uses sound and behavioral signals, letting us know how it is, it is known that it has a nervous system and pain receptors. And the plant? It leads a "vegetable" lifestyle and feels everything in the same way, let's say.
Eating meat is a part of human life. In order for this part to change, the whole must first change, that is, the whole life. Of course, it happens that changes in life begin with the refusal to eat meat, but this does not happen often. Meat-eating habits are more likely to be called a symptom of the disease, rather than its cause. Until the cause is eliminated, it is useless to fight the symptoms.
The depth of the absurdity of the struggle for plant rights clearly shows how far people are willing to go to deny the fact that they indirectly cause suffering to animals. Omnivores are more or less responsible for the bloodbaths in slaughterhouses, since they are even ready to rush to vegans for eating the notorious broccoli. Yes, the universe is not easy.
Sadly, these criticisms have to be heeded by any vegan, especially an ethical vegan. Consumer society's rampant narcissism can still forgive veganism as a manifestation of concern for their own health. Tell them that you want to lose a couple of pounds or that you have high cholesterol, and they will fully support your decision, even if they think it is a little extreme. They will most likely also take your side, saying that you are very “brave” - because you are willing to suffer, giving up animal products.
But if you blurt out that you are a vegan, because you think that animals should not suffer for the sake of the pleasure of people, you will immediately be written as a freak. The moment you happen to mention animal rights, people stare at you as if you just kicked a deafening and aromatic kick.
The most striking thing about this behavior for vegans is that most meat eaters have their own cats and / or dogs and they know very well that their pets are able to feel pain, experience such sensations as joy, sadness and delight, and have every right not to suffer ...
Yet due to social mechanisms imposed on us, as well as to traditions, tastes and habits, we continue to take away from animals what they deserve: freedom from pain and exploitation and the ability to live life to the fullest as conscious beings. And instead of critically thinking about the transcendent suffering inherent in every gram of meat, eggs or dairy products, and how we exploit animals for our own comfort, omnivores, as usual, soar about how much they will miss chicken wings. hamburgers and cheese. We know that we are not the only ones who see this relationship between the forces of good and evil.
Based on such an inadequacy in the perception of living things in our culture, we will dump on you all the harsh person regarding animal rights. We will discuss some of the ethical, environmental, and physiological reasons for becoming and staying vegan. We emphasize the ethical dimension of veganism, using logical arguments about pain and sensitivity to argue that the exploitation of animals for our needs is morally unacceptable.
We delineate a modern philosophical framework on this issue and insist that we must develop a culture of advocating for the rights to a life without suffering. Our main argument is that animals are not property that we can dispose of as we please, and we will explore the common root of oppression of humans and animals (is it okay to say "capitalism"?) And demonstrate how the rights of humans and animals are intertwined with each other. friend.
Finally, we look at how disastrous the impact of industrial livestock farming on the lives of people, animals and the planet is. We will also destroy the logic of the popular vegan argument that really pisses us off. To wrap up, we will assess veganism for its health benefits and discuss animal rights in everyday life.
But, before we start, we make one important point.
Although we know a lot about what is happening in circuses, zoos, fish farms, fur factories, laboratories and the hunting industry, we believe that the most important issue today is industrial animal husbandry. First of all, this is the most common way of oppressing animals by humans. In addition, it is in this area that the largest number of murders occurs. In this regard, we focus on agriculture, paying less attention to problems in other areas of exploitation. Don't think that we think fur coats are normal, that dissecting animals is helpful, or that bullfighting is fun. We don't question the fact that it all "sucks" and we hope that things like this will be over soon.
Now let's talk about a sadist named Simon.
A sadist named Simon
In his book An Introduction to Animal Rights: Your Child or Dog, Gary Francione 1 offers a disarming concept for meat-eating theorists that illustrates the problems of animal perception in human culture. It is as follows. Imagine f ... the sadist Simon, who mocks his dog, burning him with a blowtorch. Now ask yourself a sad question: "Is it okay?" If you are in the same boat with us, you will answer unequivocally: "Not a fig!" Any sane person will agree that there is something unnatural in this. As far as we can tell, Simon is causing the dog incredible suffering. And if you ask him why he is doing this, he will calmly answer that he gets great pleasure from the process.
This will seem outrageous to most reasonable people: some dodger tortures a dog simply because he likes it. He cannot give any other reasons. Let's make the bold assumption that you don't have to be a vegan at all to realize that something is wrong with a guy. But what's the problem? The overwhelming majority would answer that the dog feels pain and any person is obliged to relieve it of this pain. In the meantime, it is in the dog's best interest to avoid torture. Everything seems to be correct, right? To top it off, many would say that there is simply no need for livestock.
Reasonable people tend to extend the same logic to other animals. Many dudes and chicks believe that cows, chickens and pigs should also not be cauterized with a soldering iron; and when they witness the bullying of these animals, these bullying shocks them in earnest. Outrageous cruelty seems to them absolutely unnecessary, since they understand that animals are suffering. Most are aware of this and oppose the practice (curiously, outside of the slaughterhouse, where Simon could “just do his job,” he would have been prosecuted for animal cruelty).
A hardliner should only be a strict vegan (vegetarians eat milk and eggs), prefer natural and organic food. Thus, most of the products that come from third world countries are also banned - sugar, chocolate, tropical fruits, coffee and tea - due to the hazardous working conditions in which they are produced.
Once the majority agree with the conclusion that all animals are worthy of respect and relief from pain, how can they eat dairy products, eggs, meat, fish and poultry? If we agree that animals should not suffer for the sake of someone's pleasure, how can we allow them to go under the knife and then eat? Vegans demonstrate that it is more than possible to exist without any animal products, without suffering mentally and physically. If we take for granted the fact that we are able to easily live without these products, then the thirst for meat and everything else is explained only by traditions and preferences. And if we really want to reduce the suffering of animals to zero, it turns out that our preferences in this case have no more right to exist than Simon's desire to burn the dog with a blowtorch. And the point.
Despite this, we have inherited a world in which living things are killed, dismembered and eaten, considering such actions to be the norm, and the bullying of idiotic teenagers over animals on the street is "unacceptable." As soon as our whims come into play, we see traditions and the natural course of history in the vicious practice.
Yes, it is possible to eat meat - a tradition, but with the same success in many countries it is still considered a tradition to prevent women from certain positions, deny homosexuals the rights given to straight people, or discriminate against people by skin color. If we turn to the arguments about the "natural course of history", how did it happen that we never hear about the natural course of history when a bear eats a child (as often happens in New York State) or when a crocodile attacks a person? Besides, what's natural about going to the store and buying a bloody hunk covered in Styrofoam?
Here you can argue, they say, Simon is mocking the dog, and the animals that eat do not directly suffer. True, in theory, on the way through the slaughterhouse to the plate, cruelty is not foreseen, but we must not forget that birds, for example chickens, are cut off their beaks so that they do not injure their neighbors in cramped concentration camps, devastating from hellish conditions; that, say, piglets are castrated (without any anesthesia) so that they grow fatter; that horns are removed from cattle (also, of course, without anesthesia).
This is only one hundredth of what is happening on livestock farms, where animals do not have access to sufficient air, light and space. For example, chickens that lay eggs spend their entire lives in cramped cages without the ability to move until they go to the slaughterhouse. Their beaks are removed so that they do not peck themselves or their neighbors to death from permanent mental trauma. As for the roosters, which are useless for egg production, they are usually thrown into garbage cans, worn out and ground into porridge - but alive!
It should also be remembered that many animals (for example, cows) are killed by cutting their throats, while hanging them upside down by their ankles on a chain. Although killing in many slaughterhouses involves stunning, this practice has proven to be ineffective. In a word, the modern agricultural machine puts animals in conditions that completely and permanently subordinate our brothers to our lesser human whims, without caring about their feelings and interests. Perhaps we do not seek to bring suffering to animals, but the methods that are practiced cannot be called humane. And why? Because people love the taste of eggs, milk and meat. There are simply no other reasons.
Yes, ovolacto vegetarians, you read that correctly: we included eggs and milk on the list. Some of you have decided that by giving up meat you have given a powerful kick to the killing and pain industry, but unfortunately this is far from the truth. The moment cows stop producing enough milk or can no longer get pregnant, they become beef.
In addition, the production of veal is inextricably linked with the production of milk. When a cow gives birth to a bull, farmers have nothing to do with it except to put it under the knife. When chickens get old and are no longer able to produce eggs, they also go for meat. If someone suddenly did not know: there are no fabulous pastures for retired cows, where they live out their days in gratitude for record milk yields; there are no nursing homes for their spent chickens. But it is very pleasant to think that you do not support the massacre by eating eggs and cheese - after all, you do not eat the animals themselves. But if you consider the suffering of animals for the sake of the pleasure of people unfair, you must admit that neither eggs nor milk carry anything good in themselves.
This is not written to offend ovolacto-vegetarians, but to emphasize: it is necessary to be aware of the fact that receiving milk and eggs for human needs brings pain and death to animals. We can live just as well without eggs, meat and dairy products as we can live without bullying animals. In both cases, everything depends only on our ability to adequately relate to our desires and whims. Is our hunger for animal products justified enough for 500 animals to be killed for meat in the time you read this book? How powerful is this argument for 8 billion living beings to be slaughtered annually in the United States alone?
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1 Francione, Gary Lawrence (b. 1954) is a legal scholar and author of several books on animal rights. His theoretical research investigates three main issues: the property status of animals; differences between animal rights and charity in relation to them; a theory of animal rights based on their ability to feel.
