Before going vegan, I would have been annoyed at the protests by vegans with dead animals and blood all over their shirts, but now, I understand why they are doing it. It’s because so many people are blind to what’s happening in things like the clothing, meat, and dairy industry, and they are not willing to – or don’t really care to – learn more. These ‘radical’ vegans are trying to bring light to something that won’t get light shone on it otherwise.
You Are All Miserable…
I came across a relatable Reddit post today. Here’s what the original poster said about watching Dominion with her boyfriend.
First off, that’s amazing that her boyfriend was willing to sit down and watch Dominion.
Second, I get it when she says her mental health is wrecked. Knowing what’s going on is hard, especially for someone like me who can literally feel the pain the animals are going through. Watching ignorant and just pure evil people is really hard.
I can’t understand how people talk about things like bacon being the most incredible thing ever when they have an idea of what pigs go through so that they can get their bacon.
Of course, some people go vegan instantly when they learn the truth…
I personally kept myself in the dark for as long as I could about what happens in the meat and dairy industry. I haven’t eaten meat for decades, but I didn’t want to hear about animals suffering. I didn’t want any part of it. I think I knew it would shift the way I look at humanity.
I didn’t actually start seeing the torture animals go through in the meat and dairy industry until I went vegan for my health, thanks to What The Health, and then started to actively look for more reasons to stay vegan.
Let me tell you, I have enough reasons to stay vegan forever, no matter what, and animal abuse is at the top of the list. It trumps my health and the environment now (and I passionately care about those two things).
And, what blows my mind is that even when people truly get it, some people don’t care. They can watch things like Dominion and see horrible images and learn horrible truths and still continue to eat meat or use products made from animals.
I think it’s a matter of making the connection and then understanding that you either support what’s going on or you don’t. I get it, and my ethics and my soul would never let me support it. I no longer need to watch documentaries or see pictures to strengthen my resolve.
As this person says:
When I accidentally see an image on Twitter, for example, I have to actively work on distorting or minimizing that image because it will affect me negatively on every level if I don’t. It’s not something that does me any good.
It Makes Me Not Like Meat Eaters
It’s a fact. Knowing what I do about the industry and being extremely pissed off that people don’t care enough to educate themselves has caused me to become bitter towards people still eating animals.
I spent most of my life not caring what other people ate, even though I didn’t eat meat myself. But, after educating myself around the issues, I hate it when I see people talking about meat or eating meat.
I have family members that eat meat and talk about how delicious the bacon or veal is and I have a hell of a time not throwing a complete fit in front of them. I have to focus on something else before I completely lose it.
I think the more you educate yourself, the harder it gets to deal with the shit that’s going on around you.
I feel like ignorance is bliss for the ignorant and hell for the educated.
It’s hard not to become angry and bitter towards other people that ignore the pain and suffering these animals are going through, and then talk about how much they love animals (dogs and cats) and hate seeing them suffer. There are no words to describe how that makes me feel.
Why Do Vegans Go Back To Eating Meat And Dairy?
One thing I don’t understand is how someone can be vegan, understand what goes on in the meat and dairy industry, and then go back to eating meat and dairy.
There was a YouTuber that helped me go vegan. She talked about the suffering of animals. She declared that she would never eat meat. And then all of a sudden, she was no longer vegan for ‘health reasons’.
One commenter in the thread gave a good theory on why people go back to eating meat and dairy. Specifically, the conversation was geared towards influencers who go back to eating meat.
In other words, that girl I watched was never vegan. She ate plants, thought it was a cool trend that was earning her followers, and said what she had to say to get more followers. But in the end, animals are here for her ‘health’ and she started eating both meat and dairy again.
Another Redditor had a good point about how some people might view veganism as a diet, which is why they go back to eating meat or dairy when there are other options, while others view it as a lifestyle and do everything they can to avoid contributing to the meat and dairy industry.
I Hate That Animals Are Suffering So People Can Eat Or Wear Them
That’s where I am.
I hate it when people talk about how delicious a chicken or pig or fish was.
I hate it when people talk about how they love animals but then turn a deaf ear to the suffering of animals.
I hate that people see meat as food and not a dead animal.
I hate it when people walk past an animal that is whole and has been killed and don’t blink an eye (pig roasts for example).
I hate that people are unwilling to admit that they don’t have to eat animals, they just do because they like the taste of these animals.
I hate it when people wear animals or buy products made with animals when there are plenty of other options available!
I hate it when I see marketing with smiling animals on a meat or dairy product and consumers buy into that shit. They were not even remotely happy to be bred and killed for you.
It drives me nuts that there’s nothing I can do for so many animals out there today except be bitter and angry towards the people who are contributing to their suffering.
I also know that focusing on it does nothing for the animals of the future.
I know that continuing to spread awareness is the best thing we can do to change things because, once in a while, just like all us vegans did, someone hears or sees something and changes their views completely.
