Philosophical Vegan Forum

Context: I was someone who took a whiiiile to get of the fence and finally become vegan. When I started being vegan, I was uncomfortable with using the label on myself. I was afraid of peoples' perceptions of me, that they would assume I am "militant" and "crazy" and "irrational". Now I use it just fine.
I was thinking about activism lately and wondering why am I uncomfortable with being a vegan activist myself. For example, I'm nervous/uncomfortable to buy a vegan t-shirt, let alone get a vegan tattoo. Even if the t-shirt is one of Monami Frost's/ Anrjis Straume's designs with a cool looking V (which is really the only one I've liked). It's literally just a V. Why am I uncomfortable with that?
A friend who was vegan once before, who has gotten quite defensive with me in the past, asked me if it was because I might stop being vegan. I have wondered that before, but I paused and said "No, because I know too much about how animals are treated, how the environment suffers, and how slaughterhouse workers are treated".
What made me go vegan was my ecology class, learning about trophic levels and land requirements for animal agriculture. It all felt so stupid to me to keep participating in the consumption of animal products.
In all honesty, my being uncomfortable with being an activist is probably because of what I'm afraid people will respond with and assume of me (due to how defensive that friend of mine got -- we're very close). I don't want my personhood to reduced to a label.
I'm starting to feel like my friends aren't supportive and that's taking a toll on me. I don't have any vegan friends.

If anyone has had similar thoughts or experiences or just general good insight, please share it with me. <3

Wouldn't participating in some kind of organized activism lead to finding friends with veganism in common with you? Not that you necessarily should, but you'd think, right... or it could be a cult (be careful). Well I don't know, since you mentioned something as obscure as who designed a vegan shirt, maybe that was a rhetorical question.

Welcome Purpleflower!

purpleflowers65 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 21, 2018 11:35 pm In all honesty, my being uncomfortable with being an activist is probably because of what I'm afraid people will respond with and assume of me (due to how defensive that friend of mine got -- we're very close). I don't want my personhood to reduced to a label.
I'm starting to feel like my friends aren't supportive and that's taking a toll on me. I don't have any vegan friends.

I'm sorry to hear that, I know a lot of people feel the same. Social isolation is one of the main reasons people quit being vegan.

I don't think most vegans wear vegan shirts or try to convince their friends (at least don't make a hard sell), however you may learn something from street evangelism.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCocP40 ... APLD5ezLIQ

He uses it to challenge supernatural beliefs, but it can also be used to challenge carnism, it's all about asking questions and it doesn't create the same tension and hard feeling that more aggressive activism does.

In terms of friends, you came to the right place. Participating in discussion online is a great way to start, and forums can help. There are also some good facebook groups.
Beyond that, try to find a local meetup if you can, or try a social networking site which matches up platonic friends too.

I'm glad you joined!

Thank you Brimstone Salad, it means a lot to hear. and thank you for the video too.

And I get what you mean Cornivore. I was really upset last night (so I might not have made total sense) and it's really just that I'm nervous to speak about veganism in fear of people's reaction to me. And with the cult thing, that's also why I'm a bit nervous to talk to other vegans because I'm trying to figure out if they're rational people. Which is why I joined this forum lol. The t-shirt thing is just from seeing people wearing it and it being popular online, so I was starting to wonder if I should do that myself. But obviously I should only do it if I WANT to. So if I get there, then I'll get there, and if I don't, I don't.

I was also able to have a conversation about feeling kinda alone with that friend who got defensive with me, and it went really well. I have some other conversations to have with other friends about it too, but I feel more confident about it now.

Looks like there's about 65 purple flowers in this picture (was trying to picture it).

hahaha thank you <3