Hi my name is Vegan

A jumble of questions seemed to pop into the minds of those we bombarded with our questions. Included in this daunting daze, the dominating talking points were: in what ways do people apply veganism and its principles in their lives? Why do we choose to be vegan? What are the cultural implications of excluding animal products from our lives? What role does predetermined privilege play? Is it possible to live fully vegan or is it sufficient to adopt the trend? Who is able to live vegan, and is anyone obligated to be?

Common questions addressing these issues are often sprinkled with catchy hashtags: morality, trends, industry influence, etc. This frantic fire is only fueled further by partisan and incomplete information supplied to the public. Distortion and cognitive dissonance redirect thinking and polarize this topic further; who doesn’t have an opinion on veganism?

Bring on the really controversial questions, even the most adamant of vegans meander around being militant when it comes to certain hot topics. What does veganism really entail and how far does it go?

Politicization of veganism has created complexes, boxes, within which we place ourselves like chess pieces. Personality archetypes: the hippie vegan, the militant vegan, the woke vegan, the guy that just follows the trends vegan. Infighting is unfortunately common; although discussions are healthy, the vegan community is painfully divided. On topics such as militantism, how woke one should be? What is the true role of veganism in society? To what extent is it possible to convert to veganism and when is the right time to begin?

Some of the most insightful intellectual vegans choose to highlight the fact that many products more than those we are aware of contain animal produce- or otherwise use animals in their production chain. Honey, certain spirits, candles and even figs, can trace their production methods and supply chains back to animal products along the way. But more obscure items include most glue, plastic bags, LCD screens and hygiene products such as soap. Many of these products are necessities and alternatives are not readily available, this brings up thoughts of where to draw the line, what is the ultimate definition of “correctly” being vegan? What is “good enough”?

Given the complexity of the topic, we, Osqledaren, are left with the unprovocative conclusion that each individual will, most certainly, choose whichever option suits them best. There are an infinitesimal number of reasons to be selected and implemented in order to justify any decision. Therefore, we advise precise contemplation and a pursuit of personal peace.