By Barbara Ellen
For people such as sacked charity worker Jordi Casamitjana, veganism is a real belief, not a diet fad
Is it high time we gave a bit of credit to the truly old-school vegan?
An employment tribunal has ruled that ethical veganism is a philosophical belief to be protected by law against discrimination. Jordi Casamitjana claims he was unfairly sacked by animal charity the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) for complaining that its pension fund invested in companies involved in animal testing. The ruling is the first stage of the case, which will now determine the lawfulness of the dismissal. (LACS argues that Casamitjana was sacked for misconduct.)
But what, exactly, is “ethical veganism”? I thought this mindset (rejecting all animal products and animal exploitation, in all aspects of life) was just veganism 101. Is “unethical veganism” a thing now? Or, like myself (a dairy-dabbling vegetarian), are some vegans just not ethical enough?
No longer is a vegan steak bake perceived as dull and worthy. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
These days, ethical veganism could prove useful as a cultural clarifier, especially at this time of year when temporary vegans are out in force. Veganuary (people going vegan for January) is great, as is the movement’s growing popularity. However, increasingly, there appears to be a huge philosophical gulf between lifestyle vegans and what I’d term True Vegans. Lifelong vegetarians like myself may even feel that we have more in common with True Vegans, in that, for us, it was never about looks, health, dietary fashions or even laudable environmental concerns, however interlinked – it was always just about the animals.
For its part, veganism could be getting a bit too slack and undiscerning about who it lets into the fold. I mean, who isn’t vegan in some way these days? There are people who are vegan for a month. People who go vegan to lose weight or to improve fitness. Last week, there were probably people feeling “extremely vegan” in the time it took them to eat the new Greggs' vegan steak bake. That’s the essence of mainstream vegan success – it took “dull and worthy” out of the ethical equation for people who weren’t terribly interested, which is fantastic. Mostly. Just sometimes, it feels gratingly lightweight.
Maybe that’s why I got a kick out of seeing someone take their veganism all the way to court. Go, ethical vegan! Mock these people all you like, roll your eyes at them for being cranks and bores. But there’s no denying that they’re the real vegan deal – a breed apart in terms of commitment, application and integrity.
True Vegans are where it all started. It was their ethical purity (if you like) that made the vegan revolution happen – their persistence that eventually led to jackfruit dals in supermarkets. And they’ll still be there, grimly soaking their lentils, when all the faddists and part-timers have gone and the steak bakes are left going cold on Greggs’ counter. If vegans are finally getting legal recognition and protection, then they’ve earned it. Sometimes, it should be about the ethics.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/04/were-nearly-all-vegan-now-but-lets-still-honour-the-original-radicals
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