Veganism becoming more mainstream?
The Chicago Sun Times reports veganism is becoming more mainstream. I’ve always wondered how journals get that one percent statistic. That is, the statistic that 1% of Americans are vegan. Is it really one percent, or is that rounded up? Also, in what direction is that figure going? If it’s one percent, one point what? The Chicago Sun Times reports this number may be increasing while readily admitting, Good point. While I’m happy that newspapers are covering veganism with a positive, or even a neutral light, I am skeptical about how this data is collected. I don’t remember filling out a vegan census, do you? I was also pleased the article mentioned Mark Bittman’s horrendous self-labeling of veganism including his “vegan till six” diet which allows him to eat a vegan diet before six while reverting back to an omnivorous one in the evening. He has actually called this “vegan plus.” Are people like Bittman being counted in the 1%? The article does a decent job explaining the difference between veganism and (lacto-ovo) vegetarianism. At least this reporter didn’t write something idiotic like “…and the more strict vegans won’t even wear wool.” I actually read this a few days ago in someone’s newspaper. (By the way, if you’re a journalist in need of a definition, I can be reached by email.) However, I retain my skepticism about this article. Of course, I want veganism to spread, but the examples given by the paper aren’t very convincing. For instance, Alicia Silverstone (who is not a vegan) released her book “The Kind Diet,” some actress from Glee is allegedly vegan. But so what? Celebrities go vegan all the time. In fact, celebrities are as much as a risk to the portrayl of veganism as they are a benefit. Take Angelina Jolie who went vegan only briefly and reported it made her ill. No word on what the hell she was eating, apparently the very generalness of “veganism” made her sick. Or, you may recall the vegan blogs on fire a couple years ago when Oprah was doing a 21 day vegan cleanse. She even welcomed Wayne Pacelle of the HSUS to talk about some worthless animal welfare legislature his organization was trying to pass. A few days later, she gave away free KFC to her viewers. Apparently, the 1% statistic comes from the Vegetarian Resource Group which polls random people to come up with a number. Whether or not this statistic is accurate, I think we ought to turn our attention to how we are going to get this number up. We don’t need to be shy about promoting veganism or suggest that we instead use the more consumer friendly “vegetarian.” Veganism means zero animal exploitation. How can we be morally comfortable suggesting anyone do anything less than this? Follow Adam on Twitter.It’s difficult to come up with hard numbers of practicing vegans. There’s a blurry line between people who define themselves as vegan and vegetarian, and some eaters dip in and out plant-only diets.
