Activist FAQ
We have found that, surprisingly, people say only a few different things to us when we are engaged in public outreach about veganism. One way to prepare for speaking with others about veganism is to make a list of answers to the questions listed below. Additionally, we have created a list of suggested responses, which may be used as a guide to finding your own responses.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1.) Why are you vegan?
2.) What’s wrong with eating meat?
3.) I like eating meat!
4.) I was vegan for a while, but I felt tired all the time because I didn’t get enough protein.
5.) What will happen to all the animals if we don’t eat them?
6.) God put animals on the Earth for people to eat.
7.) I don’t eat red meat. I only eat chicken and fish.
8.) People have been eating meat for thousands of years!
9.) The way animals are treated in agriculture is terrible. I always buy humane, free-range, organic meat, dairy and eggs.
10.) How can you justify spending your time helping animals when there are so many people who need help?
11.) Animals are better off being raised on farms than living in the wild where they face predators, disease and starvation.
12.) I believe in the circle of life.
13.) Animals kill other animals for food, so why shouldn’t we?
14.) Don’t dairy cows need to be milked?
15.) What are your thoughts on organics?
16.) I hate PETA!
Questions with Suggested Responses:
Q: Why are you vegan?
A: I choose to be vegan because animal agriculture is a system of oppression that we support with our actions. For me, veganism is strong opposition to the oppression of all living beings, both human and non-human.
Q: What’s wrong with eating meat?
A: In order for humans to eat meat, animals are bred, raised, and killed without their consent and for human purposes. Because humans are in a position of power, they decide when and how non-human animals live and die.
Q: I like eating meat!
A: Almost all of us grew up eating meat and many people do enjoy eating it. There are a lot of things we like to do, or that feel good, that aren’t morally acceptable. For instance, if you upset me, it might feel good to punch you, but that wouldn’t be acceptable behavior. Momentary pleasure is no justification for morally questionable behaviors.
Q: I was vegan for a while, but I felt tired all the time because I didn’t get enough protein.
A: I hear that a lot. What were you eating as a vegan? What kind of protein-rich foods were you eating? This pamphlet has some nutritional info that you may find helpful if you decide to try veganism again.
Q: What will happen to all the animals if we don’t eat them?
A: All domesticated animals exist solely because we raise them for the products we make from them. If we stopped breeding them, they would cease to exist.
Q: God put animals on the Earth for people to eat.
A: Those in power have always found justifications to exploit those with less or no power. Men proclaiming dominance over women or whites over blacks are just two prominent examples.
Q: I don’t eat red meat. I only eat chicken and fish.
A: All animals are bred, raised, and killed without their consent, which is oppression.
Q: People have been eating meat for thousands of years!
A: Tradition is not a suitable excuse for oppressing others. Humans have a history of exploiting other humans, stealing the land from native peoples, and genocide. However, none of these examples are morally acceptable in our current culture.
Q: The way animals are treated in agriculture is terrible. I always buy humane, free-range, organic meat, dairy and eggs.
A: Regardless of the way an animal is treated, the feed they are given, or the conditions in which they are raised, animals are bred, raised, and killed without their consent and for human purposes. Because humans are in a position of power, they decide when and how non-human animals live and die.
Q: How can you justify spending your time helping animals when there are so many people who need help?
A: There are a lot of problems in the world and in our society. Going vegan is a simple and concrete way to take a stand against oppression.
Q: Animals are better off being raised on farms than living in the wild where they face predators, disease and starvation.
A: Animals only exist in captivity because humans breed them. Therefore, they would not exist if humans did not act on their desires to eat animals and their derivatives.
Q: I believe in the circle of life.
A: Those in power have always found justifications to exploit those with less or no power. Men proclaiming dominance over women or whites over blacks are just two prominent examples.
Q: Animals kill other animals for food, so why shouldn’t we?
A: Humans are omnivorous and therefore, can subsist healthily on a plant-based diet. Since I can be healthy and happy without killing other animals, why would I?
Q: Don’t dairy cows need to be milked?
A: As with humans, dairy cows produce milk for their children and therefore only produce milk after giving birth. So, in order for a cow to produce milk, she must be impregnated. Impregnation is commonly done by shoving a hand into the cow’s anus to guide an insemination gun that is pushed into the cow’s vagina. This process is repeated every year so she will continue to produce milk. Her baby is taken away from her shortly after birth, destined either to become veal or another dairy cow. After 4 to 6 years of being used by us as a milk machine, her milk production declines and, being no longer of any economic value for us, she is sent to slaughter. Her flesh often ends up in fast food hamburgers. All dairy products, including organic and grass-fed, come from cows destined for the slaughterhouse.
Q: What’s your stance on organics?
A: When an animal product is labeled organic, this is solely referring to the feed given to the animal. Regardless of the diet an animal is fed or the conditions in which they live, they are still being bred, raised, and slaughtered without their consent, which is oppression.
Q: I hate PETA!
A: Actually, I’m not with PETA and don’t agree with a lot of the ways that they promote their message.
