Level 5 Vegan? From Silent Vegan to Activist
Animal Rights/Vegan Activist Strategies Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM Valerie Shepard, VeganHacktivists.org
November 2021

"I am a Level 5 Vegan - I don't eat anything that casts a shadow!"
- The Simpsons, season 12, episode 4.

This is a prevailing joke and well known meme around the internet. As if there were levels to veganism, and someone could be "more vegan" than someone else. But it got me thinking about what is it that keeps most vegans in silence and apologetical, instead of taking concrete action to bring an end to the cruel system they are well aware of.

I think this goes through the heads of a lot of people once they go vegan: I won't be "that vegan". It certainly went through mine. I was dead set in my head that going vegan was enough, that I didn't need to do anything more. That everyone was entitled to their choices, and I was doing my part in removing my demand from the animal exploitation market. I was not going to go about everyone's faces demanding they change too. I felt good about aligning my actions with my morals, and positively scared of bringing up this topic with anyone.

But, of course, I joined social media groups focused on vegans, and I started being exposed to the typical discourse that goes on in these pages. More often then not, the membership in these groups are not only vegans. There are several "mostly plant-based" people, vegetarians, pescetarians, full carnists who are thinking about the issue, and the eventual troll. And, when it comes to vegans, the vast majority are usually apologists. Vegans who will not speak up about animal rights even in these groups, and that will enable carnists (and in here I include every group save for vegans) for any little reduction they take, as if these baby steps were all that was needed.

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Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE (PDF).

 

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