Monday, April 6, 2009

Since when does being a vegan make you liberal?

You would be amazed how many people think, because I’m a vegan, I’m automatically a raging liberal. I’ve never understood this. For some reason, when I first tell someone, “Hey, I’m a vegan”, they think they know all of my political and lifestyle choices. One person, the first time I met him, even invited me to the largest drug selling event in all of the North East! He must have confused me with a weed smoking, free loving, dreadlock having, hacky sack playing, vegan hippie. Pretty close description of me minus the fact that I’ve never used drugs in my life, I think having promiscuous sex is gross, I wash my short hair twice a day, and the only time I’ve played hacky sack, I kicked it on top of a vending machine. But it’s not just people who I meet that have this idea that all vegans are liberal; my roommate even calls me a vegan hippie! Since when does being a vegan make you liberal?

Matthew Scully is a vegan. He is also pro-life, pro-war, and pro-just about every single issue liberals can’t stand(except the NRA). He helped the former president of the US, George Bush get re-elected and was Sarah Palin’s speech writer. Liberals hate him as much as they hate Pat Buchanan—which reminds me, Pat Buchanan won an award from PETA for his sympathy for animal rights. Now don’t tell these two animal rights is a liberal cause!


Conservatives can, and should be pro-animal rights as animal rights is by no means a patrician issue (though the reasons for animal rights may be patrician). Any serious conservative-right Christian should be able to answer this question pretty easily: Why would God put animals on this earth, who feel pain, squeal, and squirm in agony when we try to slit their throats, if he intended them to be killed every day? What kind of sadistic fuck do you think God is? There is no way He would prefer us to torture and kill his creations that feel pain when we can eat non-sentient plants. I suppose that’s why there are so many Christians who are now vegetarian—they already asked themselves this question, if Jesus was around today, would he slaughter animals who feel pain?

Another stance of conservatives is pro-life. It would be only logical to extend a conservative viewpoint to respect all life—after all, most people who are pro-life believe life starts at a few cells, so logically one of God’s creations, which is by far more developed, deserves some consideration. If not, the pro-life stance would be quite contradictory (like a pro-lifer who believes in the death penalty).Pro-life means all life, not just what is most convenient.

On the other side, I know there are motives why liberals should be vegans too. Going vegan is one of the best things you can do to the environment and your health, but I’m not a vegan for the environment or my health. In fact, if it was worse for the environment or health, I could care less, I would still be a vegan. Boy I would be a fake liberal! I’m a vegan because the way we treat animals is horrifically unacceptable, not because of my political ideology.

This idea that vegans and Animal Rights advocates are all liberal is ludicrous. People try and alienate themselves from animal rights by dismissing Animal Rights as an extremist issue. They will come up with excuse after excuse as to why killing animals is such a wonderful and necessary thing. Some would rather come up with excuses to kill animals rather than look at the reasons not to kill animals! I know, it’s sick! Animal rights is not a Partisan issue, so don’t make it one. If you are a conservative you should believe in animal rights and if you are a liberal you should believe in animal rights. Liberals and Conservatives, every time you go shopping in a capitalistic society, you are voting with your money. Do the right thing and vote to saves lives. Your God, your environment, your body, and the animals will thank you.


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