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On Lenses and Filters

March 7, 2008

Hmmm… I found this comment via Vegans of Color via SuperWeed via Black Looks regarding Vegans of Color (like the full circle thingy there? Me too.):

“You set up your own little website, only for black vegans. IS IT NECESSARY TO BRING RACE INTO EVERYTHING?

“A vegan is a vegan is a vegan, the skin color doesn’t matter. when you read the articles about veganism on the other sites, what did you think? ‘Oh, i can’t read these articles because they were written by a white person! I’ll start my own site since race is a primary concern of most vegans. If only black people had a way to be vegans like white people…’”

Yes, it is necessary to bring race into everything. And sex, too. And sexuality. And ability, age, education, class…

First off, Vegans of Color is for vegans of color, not just black vegans. Race is not just black and white. There are a whole lot of shades of gray, brown, yellow, and red in between.

Second, we all come to our veganism (or feminism or anti-racism or __) from various perspectives and experiences. Race does matter. So does sex/gender. So does education. So does wealth. So do lots of other things…

Let me admit my own priviledge: I’m white, I grew up in California (where veganism is only slightly abnormal, not highly unusual), I’ve received a pretty good education (from both private and public schools), my current household income puts me in a high tax bracket (though that wasn’t always the case and for most of my life I was poor), I’m almost completely healthy (other than depression, asthma, allergies, and far sightedness), I have support for my veganism from friends and family, my mom taught me how to cook, and I’m pretty smart (if I do say so myself).

My perspective and experience makes certain things easier for me. They also make certain things harder for me.

When someone looks at me funny in the grocery store I know it’s probably because I’m tall, I’m buying something they think is strange, they recognize me, or something else along those lines (like maybe they think it’s funny that I have cat hair all over my clothes or that I can’t be bothered to brush my hair). But they are never, ever fearful of me. They never look at me and wonder if I’m going to rob them. They rarely look at me and worry that they won’t be able to understand me. They never look at me and wonder if I’m related to all those other white people they’ve seen recently. They never look at me and think my weird foods are cultural. (In fact, people go out of their way to deny me a culture, claiming my veganism can’t possibly be part of my identity because it’s ‘just a diet’.)

It’s easier for me to prepare my own foods. I have the time, money, and resources. It’s easier for me to eat out at all kinds of restaurants. I have the money to do that. It’s easier for me to read up about veganism. I have the time, money, and the skills to surf the web and browse the bookstore. It’s easier for me to know veganism can be fulfilling and healthy. I have the education and experiences to prove it.

It’s harder for me to understand the challenges men experience when they go vegan. No one warns me that soy will make me gay (though they do warn me soy will make my babies gay - ha!). No one ever says I’m a ‘wimp’ for choosing a veg lifestyle. No one claims I’m denying my masculinity. No one says it’s my duty to kill things. In fact, my veganism somewhat tempers my abrasive personality and makes me seem more gentle, more feminine, and more caring in some people’s eyes.

It’s harder for me to understand the challenges people of color experience when they go vegan. No one ever tells me I’m denying my heritage by adopting a vegan lifestyle. No one ever asks if I stopped eating dogs, too. No one ever assumes I can’t afford to care for my five companion animals (pets). No one assumes my tofu-eating habit comes from not being able to afford meat. (In fact, many people assume my preference for tofu is a sign that I’ve got lots of money.)

The challenges I face as a vegan white woman are somewhat unique to my perspective and experience. For example, people often assume I’m vegan to lose weight. As a result, they’ll give me unsolicited diet and exercise tips. They’ll hold the salad dressing or assume I want a side of fruit instead of fries. They’ll remark on how “hypocritical” I am if I choose to eat dessert or drink a beer (omnis especially love making fun of veg smokers). They have no problem asking me all sorts of stupid questions about my veganism or asserting their unsolicited opinions on the subject. Whenever I express my love for my cats or dog, people make a baby analogy and they tell me how I won’t love my animals as much when I have a baby. They say all this devotion to animals is maternal instinct gone awry. Or that I’m just really sensitive, emotional, or empathetic. (They go out of their way to deny veganism’s rationality.)

All of that said, lack of privilege is no excuse for refusal to go vegan. Anyone can go veg.

If you read this, know what veganism is, know what privilege is, and understand my intention in writing this article, then chances are you can go vegan relatively easily. If you use the non-privileged card to justify your meat-eating habit, you’re probably lying to yourself and others. Get real and just dump the bad habit. You’re addicted, plain and simple. You need to recognize that and do whatever it takes to get clean and sober from meat and diary.

My point is that race, gender, class, ability, religion, and all kinds of other perspectives intersect and effect our experiences. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about veganism or house-hunting or driving or feminism or blogging or whatever… our particular lenses determine how we see things. And we all have different lenses. There is no one truth, no one experience, no one reality. We each have our own versions, our own stories, our own insights. (And that’s part of what makes blogging so great. We can each tell our own stories.)

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