Is it fair to impose views about veganism on meat eaters or vegetarians? Is it fair to shame people for their choice of food and lifestyle? Is it fair to degrade a country’s culture because they rely on primarily meat and animal products?
“White veganism” is a term used to describe vegans who neglect to understand their privilege, particularly with the freedom they have to eat different types of foods. They’re known to eat foods which have been appropriated from other cultures and made “trendy” in the developed west, while the food’s native land is disadvantaged and people there are unable to afford these foods.
A similar attitude to that of “white vegans” has become prevalent given the recent coronavirus pandemic, especially with it starting in a Chinese seafood market. Prejudices, as well as a disrespect for other countries’ cultures and histories, have led many people to make comments and jokes about the food that people in many areas of China eat, due to centuries of colonisation and poverty. This mindset has come from the normalisation of certain animal products being eaten and others being stigmatised purely because we don’t tend to eat them in the developed west. It has been linked to the fact that so many countries with poor economic climates are unable to produce a vegan diet for their people, often due to loss of crops or viable land.
In many countries, it is not possible to produce a vegan diet, similar to how many families are unable to supply a more vegan or vegetarian, or even healthy, diet for their children. This leads to a lot of judgement from privileged people in society. People cannot always eat in a sustainable, ethical and environmentally friendly way, and that’s okay-forcing a way of life on others isn’t ethical either.
Written by Kate Hopwood
Artwork by Aurora Brooks
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