Unraveling the Layers of Vegan Privilege

Is veganism a luxury of the rich?

Greetings internet zombies,

Many of you have probably had the pleasure of sinking your teeth into a delicious ‘guilt-free’ Beyond Burger. Veganism has come a long way over the years and many would argue that this is a good thing. After all, what could be controversial about reducing animal suffering and protecting the environment?

But like most things in life, the question of whether it is ethical for humans to eat animals isn’t black and white. There are communities that have been thriving on vegan/vegetarian diets for generations, like many Hindus for instance. And yet, I’ve never come across a video of a Hindu shaming or mocking people for eating meat. This kind of moral superiority seems to be a white, western phenomenon. And I guess what I want to say is this:

Dear vegan zombie: Have you ever considered that maybe you aren’t better than everyone else? But that perhaps you are simply more bougie than everyone else?

Maybe you’re unaware of the all factors needed to switch to a vegan diet. So let’s break them down this way:

1- Education

Let’s be real now. If you are lucky enough to have an education that teaches you the importance of healthy eating, the science being taught will be mainstream. In other words, if you’re in a regular school around the world, you’ll be taught that meat eaten in the right quantities is part of a healthy diet. Schools don’t teach children that there is something essentially unhealthy about eating meat. And health organisations don’t exclude meat and diary from a healthy diet. It makes no sense judging anyone for following the advice of the majority of the medical community. Like what do you expect regular people to do? Stop listening to their doctors and nutritionists and instead live off bananas like Freelee?

So if you’re thinking of being vegan, this probably means you have access to non-conventional science. It means that you have an internet connection to do research and watch videos. You have access to a library and bookstores. But most importantly, you have the ability to understand what you read (or you should) and analyse the data, compare both sides of the argument and choose to be vegan. How many layers of privilege is this? Let’s count.

One- You are educated enough to understand and judge competing scientific data. These are university level skills.

Two- You have access to resources.

Three- You have the means (time, money, supportive environment) to make the switch.

These factors exclude a lot of people around the world, especially in developing countries.

2- Access to the alternative

We don’t need to eat meat.

Yes you don’t necessarily need to eat meat to stay healthy…if you have access to the alternative. I’d love to try being vegan if I had constant and affordable access to mock meats, TVP, vegan cheese, and vegan supplements.

Of course, you can be vegan without necessarily relying on some of these ingredients. But the fact remains that many products that make the choice of going vegan easier are not always available and can be very expensive. I bought my first small bag of chia seeds in Kuwait for the equivalent of eight pounds.

On top of this, vegan/vegetarian labeling is an issue in a lot of countries. Vegans in the West can take these things for granted. You can walk into a Tesco and things are labelled for you. You have more vegan choices and can make use of wholesale prices and farmers markets. I live in the Middle East and access to vegan options is not the same here. Finding something as basic as tofu can be a struggle.

3- Money

This brings me to money. Even in the West where vegan friendly products are readily available, they are still more expensive. It’s sad but we live in a world where it is cheaper to buy a burger than prepare a vegan meal, or any other healthy alternative.

For many families who struggle to make ends meet, finding the time and the money to eat healthily is hard enough without adding the limitations of veganism. Beggars can’t be choosers, and if you live somewhere where your food choices revolve around meat and chicken, that’s what you’ll eat.

4- The ethical arguments/Animal suffering

I’m all for animal rights and caring for the environment. These things are important. The conditions animals are put under in factory farms are disgusting and unethical. That being said, I’ll be the first to admit that having the mental space to care about animal suffering around the world is a first world luxury.

If I was struggling to feed my children, if my family was suffering under a war, if I was living in poverty I’d be too busy thinking about my own problems, than the issues facing animals or global warming.

When I hear vegans say: ‘what about those poor animals?’ It grates on me. What about the people who rely on animal products to survive? Yes, we can and should care about both but demonizing meat-eating in a general sense is insensitive to the struggles of people around the world.

5- Should human lives hold more value than animal lives?

The answer to this question will depend on the individual’s worldview and whether they follow a human-centric ideology or not. I personally place more value on a human’s life, and I would imagine most people would agree. As in given the choice between saving a baby or a monkey in a fire, I’d save the baby.

Of course, this isn’t to say we should manipulate or abuse animals. But I’d prioritize human suffering over animal suffering. And yes, eating meat, chicken or fish is a necessary part of life for a lot, if not most, people. How we go about consuming animals is the important part of the equation. We can agree that mass factory farming is bad for the environment and unethical. We can all agree that we should reduce the amount meat we eat. We can all agree that animals should be treated with dignity.

But most importantly, we need everyone to have access to affordable and varied food options and fresh produce before judging their dietary choices.

Let’s also not pretend that crop-only production of things like almond milk and soy don’t have a negative impact on the environment and wildlife. Slaughtering animals is more visually shocking than killing several species of animals and destroying their homes in the process of creating land for agriculture.

So the moral of the story is: if you have the resources to eat better or do more for the environment or animals, go for it. But remember:

1-your ethical vegan stance is not without flaws.

2- most people don’t have the means to live your lifestyle.

Let the people eat their burgers in peace and of course,

sleep well and stay alive!