Something a little different…
It’s no secret that I belong to a few South African vegan Facebook groups. Whilst these groups have been the most amazing source of inspiration and motivation, they have also led to a lot of frustration and irritation. One would ASSUME that if COMPASSION towards animals was the main goal then all vegans would be compassionate, at least towards each other. This is sadly not always the case. Instead of letting it upset me, I brush it off and move on and TRY (being the operative word) not to get involved in silly online disputes. I find that people’s opinions are far more harsh from behind a computer screen anyway.
So for FUN, I decided to create (reenact?) what I deem a typical Facebook post on a typical day:
SALLY SAUSAGE: Hi guys! Thank you SO MUCH for letting me be in the group! I’m vegetarian, but I’m considering going vegan but I still have so much to learn! I just wanted to share this picture with you! Isn’t it amazing!!? I can’t believe these are vegan!?I’m so excited. Quick question: is bread vegan?
FILET MINYON: Where did you get them? (no “please”)
SALLY SAUSAGE: From Woolworths in Kaksonderend!
JED KNIGHT: Why would you shop at Woolworths!?!?! I never shop at Woolworths – they use too much plastic! (not the point of the post)
BIN SUPARMAN: Welcome to the group Sally! We are so pleased to have you! Congrats on the awesome find, and yes – bread is vegan.
JURASSIC PARQ: YES!!!! Bread is vegan (even though someone has already answered it)
BUD LIGHT: Are you still vegetarian???? Maybe you should be in a transitioning group. Try Group X.
MACDONALED BERGER: BWAHAHAA. Are you serious? Bread is vegan. (even though it’s been answered twice)
SALLY SAUSAGE: I’m sorry I really didn’t know.
TAHRA DACTYL: Urgh! Hate those biscuits. I prefer Brand Y.
DYL PICKLE: PALM OIL IS NOT VEGAN. FFS.
SALLY SAUSAGE: Why isn’t it vegan?
LORD BRAIN: Google it! Palm Oil is DEFINITELY not vegan.
CHRIS P. BACON: We’re trading dairy for diabetes? SO much sugar though.
DR. JOELLE ROLLO-KOSTER: I sell homemade biscuits – much healthier – try my Website A
GOWEN GETER: Bread is vegan. Just Google it. FFS (or maybe you should read that it’s been answered three times already)
SUE H. YOO: Yes Sweetie, Bread is Vegan xx (5th time)
TYRANNOSAURUS REX MULLINS: Post a pic of the ingredients. (“please”??)
MISTER LOVE: Where did you get these from? (read above…)
DONALD DUCK: These don’t taste great. (very useful. thank you)
DR. KEN HURT: Isn’t there palm oil in these?
(AT THIS POINT SALLY SAUSAGE HAS LEFT THE GROUP – BUT NO ONE NOTICES. SALLY SAUSAGE decided that vegans are mean people – and veganism as a lifestyle choice is hard enough for her – but to feel attacked is worse. So she’ll stick to being vegetarian and not tell anyone.)
ALMA L. KNACK: I’m selling my raw vegan version at Market C this weekend!
BROCK LEE: It says MAY CONTAIN MILK – and I know someone who works at the factory who says it definitely does.
SMASHER MCIRONCOCK: Eish! Palm Oil. Not vegan.
SHAM: Is there palm oil in these?
LOONEY WARDE: Yes.
HARDY-HARR: I need a good vomit emoticon for this.
BEAR TRAPP: I would never eat that crap
PHOEBE CHOI: The company that makes this is responsible for the destruction of the Amazon!
LOONEY WARDE: Exactly! Why are we supporting these kinds of companies!?!?!
BEAR TRAPP: Cos people have no fucking clue.
JUDY SWALLOWS: I make my own – here is a link to the recipe on my blog… Link http://www.D.com
WANG LIQUIN: Aren’t vegans supposed to be HEALTHY? Why would you want to put this in your body?
SUE H. YOO: She is just sharing what she found @Sally – ignore the hate.
WANG LIQUIN: I’m entitled to my own opinion @Sue!
SUE H. YOO: @Wang I’m not going to fight with you.
WANG LIQUIN: Thought so!
SUE H. YOO: WTF is THAT supposed to mean?
ADMIN: Can I please remind the group to keep things civil.
BEN DOVER: Thank you @Admin.
STEF CRAPS: Palm Oil?
DIXIE NORMOUS: It doesn’t state whether the palm oil is ethically sourced.
JACK GOFF: Is this a joke? The whole bread thing. Lol.
JUSTIN SIDER: Some breads aren’t vegan though!!!
WENDY WACKO: I’m gluten intolerant! Can’t have these. (thank you for sharing)
BROWNIE SHYTLES: Is Brand X okay for vegans?
DICK POUND: I never buy Brand X!
PETER BONERZ: SO expensive *sad face*
HEATH COCKBURN: Guys! This is a personal choice! (for Sally who has left the group long ago)
B. J. COBBLEDICK: Still a vegeterian? That’s like giving up smoking but still being an occasional smoker! If you’re an occasional smoker you’re still a smoker! I’ll stick to just vegan thanks.
MIKE WEINER: Is ALL palm oil unethically sourced?
THEA BEAVER: @Sally – make sure you take a B12 supplement!
WOODY HELD: Everyone (vegan or not) should be taking a B12.
(That evening we all go to bed wishing that EVERYONE in the world would become vegan because the world would be a far better place. We decide that tomorrow – we’re going to do something to convince the world to become vegan and feel great about it.)
___________
I could go on forever. You get my point. You want to know the scary part. These comments are all REAL comments from REAL people (whose names have been changed). YES – EVERYONE is entitled to his or her own opinion, but since when was it appropriate to stop saying “please” or “thank you” or just to generally treat people with COMPASSION.
Next time you start typing a response on a Facebook post, make sure that you know what effect you are going to have on another person. We try to teach empathy towards the animal kingdom, but can hardly treat our own kind with patience and respect. God help us all.
Xx
I thought it might be nice to add this…
RESPONSES to this Blog Post:
14/10 13:48PM: “Veganism is about the animals, there is no obligation to be nice to groups of humans just because one is vegan. In fact, sometimes being “nice” to groups of humans just for the sake of it can be detrimental to the animal cause. This just smells like intersectional apologist bullshit to me.”
14/10 15:05PM: “lmfao i started reading this steaming pile of shit and my first thought was legit to post it in this group for everyone to laugh at the apologist 
🙃“
14/10 15:20PM: “What the fuck does this mean??”
14/10 15:21PM: “If you don’t like it here then gtfo.”
See what I mean? xx
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You hit the nail on the head, very well said!!!!!!!!
This is spot on! 🙂
I really couldn’t agree more. Being rude will just push people further away from the cause.
Brilliant. Seen this thread so many times
Excellent post. This is exactly why I’ve started to feel recently that I really don’t identify with ‘vegans’ anymore. I’m really close to stopping referring to myself as vegan altogther, and just be someone who “doesn’t use, abuse and exploit animals”. Me, without the label. (A word and a movement I used to be so proud of). :/
Thank you very much for checking it out. I like the idea of “me, without a label”. Awesome xx
Thank you for making this post. I hope people learn from it.
For what it’s worth I agree with you. what a saddening read for a fellow vegan like me to read. Nice one for creating and sharing
brilliant 🙂 I can’t agree more with you
I know it was not the point of the post but everyone that was rolling their eyes at such a ‘silly’ question.. not all bread is vegan. Many are but some use milk, butter and even egg. And even if there are no animal products in the bread, they sometimes use egg wash ontop to get a nice brown color on it. In this day and age you can’t assume anything, always read the ingredient list.
WHO FUCKING CARES?!?!?!?!?
Vegan’s who assume all bread is vegan would care.
Some vegans are just out there to be radical and better than others. I hope they change their mind. I certainly strongly dislike most if not all facebook vegan groups.
I hope this present article gets shared in every single vegan group! It’s important. Thank you for writing it.
It reminded me a little of this one: https://medium.com/@TheAnimalist/facebook-vegans-847c21d7c29e
Lol, I just left all of the vegan pages in my home town due to this crap (& I was an Admin. All I seemed to do was try to reason with the other Admins to be more inclusive).
I’m also going down the road of “Me – without a label”.
Oh my goodness! This is so true..and those comments?! Yeah. That. No wonder folks think vegans are nuts as we tear eachother down… a whole lot of thoughtless/rude level fivers out there. Thanks for the laugh… shame it’s all true though.
OH MY GAAAWDS.
You smashed this out the park.
10/10 will share.
😊🌈💚💚💚
Fabulous article – spot on.
I now do not identify as vegan unless asked when I refuse nonvegan foods. I advocate where I can & am involved in animal rescue.
I feel quite sad now….
I’m sorry you feel sad. Thank you so much for sharing though: I totally get where you are coming from. You really aren’t alone x
Why did Sally’s name change to Susan when she left the group? 😂
Frustratingly accurate, but very funny
I need to change that!!! Thank you!!!
You’re welcome 🙂
This is so true, I left all the vegan groups I was on except one because of this nonsense. The posts that tipped me over the edge were the ones about having children. According to a large majority of vegans on these groups no-one should have children as the earth is full and its selfish to have more people.
I’m so sorry Brenda. That really is awful. It’s important to know that there are still good people out there.
This is spot on. One would think there would be more compassion for someon that is trying or transitioning to a vegan lifestyle.
This is dire, I’ve seen similar happen far more often than I’d like, I find it terribly disheartening. I was flexitarian for over a year before going vegan, it was my excuse, “I’m cutting back,” but I wasn’t, past a certain point, and I had no idea about the harm caused by the dairy and milk industry. I didn’t until this year when I actually made the connection courtesy of a super cute goat being fussed by children in the same line of sight as a grill selling goat burgers, that it cemented by intention to go vegan. Thankfully I did overnight once I realised. Others find that overwhelming. My mother went pescatarian, she says give her time to get used to that and learn more about alternative ingredients etc and she’ll go vegan in the new year. I think that’s great. A vegetarian wanting to take a little time but intending to go vegan when they feel better educated is how you make lasting change. I tried last year to go vegan but had no idea what to look for, I got frustrated and gave up. If I’d had some vegan say to me “hey you’re doing well, if you want you can also replace this with this,” give me some information, I’d have gone vegan a year sooner.
I’m so sorry you’ve found the process disheartening and that you didn’t have more support. I think the resources are thankfully getting better on a daily basis and there are some good people out there. I genuinely appreciate you sharing this.
Well said, I see this not only in vegan groups but in intersectional feminist groups, and LGBTQ groups as well. Thank you for writing this. It is a good reminder too that too much information for someone at once, regardless of the movement can be overwhelming. It is something for me to keep in mind in other areas as well. I also appreciate the reminder about EMPATHY. We all asked questions in the beginning that seem silly at first, but it is better to ask than not know.
Yep SO SO true! I love the vegan Facebook groups for the ideas, the compassion and the meal plans but these kind of comments and interactions are why I am actually currently deactivated on Facebook so my soul can heal. But then I am a new vegan and I know PEOPLE are like this regardless of what they eat. Gosh I am getting more and more depressed with the state of the world and the people, it just hurts so much.
I’m sorry Charissa. Please feel free to shout if there is anything you need to know. Not all people are shitty
Yes, I agree wholeheartedly! I cannot understand the gap between compassion for animals and compassion for people. Perhaps the “radicals” have not forgiven the parts of themselves that were once non-vegan. I try my best to always be gentle and open towards non-vegans. Everyone deserves to be loved, regardless. Thank you for a well-written piece.
Thank you Jasmari
Thank you for the article – you have made visible and said what I’ve been thinking for a long time!
Most of us were non vegan at some time and coming to that decision to change is harder for some than others.
Kudos to those trying to make the shift!
What I’ve realized is that judging others creates an us and them, whereas encouragement and information (when asked for) creates a big support circle.
In the latter space you would feel encouraged to ask the ‘silly’ questions that are so important because it shows you care and are trying hard to do the ‘right thing’ and don’t want to be ignorant.
It’s a journey that as fellow vegans we can help or hinder.
“It’s about compassion to animals, not humans”… Oh yeah, I forgot that humans are mushrooms : ))
But it sadly goes the same in any situation. Tried to help someone once, needed info, made the mistake of asking on a group. People turned against me because I couldn’t help faster or the way they demed fit. Plus the whole posting the same answer 20 times or beeing completely off topic. I lost any motivation I had to try and help in the first place…. It’s either human caracter or bad education, people trying to show that they are superiour and better than the others.
I’ve literally just deleted a question and left a group because of comments like these.
It sadly seems to be a daily occurrence Clinton. Best to just focus on doing our individual best and let others revel in their own misery. Onwards and upwards!