Decolonizing Veganism

Vegan Q&A: Among the more intellectual conversations that I've been having recently, the issues of Veganism, consumerism and impact, colonialism, and neoliberal racism have been popping up. This is great news, it means we are taking the conversation into better territories that will help the movement sort out any kinks, insensitivities, and issues...a large issue being the white and green-washing of products by industry leaders who claim to be 'for vegans.'

Veganism is something that I intend to talk about now and in the future, and discussion around all of the issues are important foundations of understanding. This is part one of what I imagine will be a long and ongoing topic about veganism, privilege, and culture.

I highly admire and look up to the work of Sistah Vegan, and this commentary goes along with her 2013 essay titled "Vegan Consciousness and the Commodity Chain: On the Neoliberal, Afrocentric, and Decolonial Politics of “Cruelty-Free”." You can read it in full here: Sistah Vegan

Veganism isn’t the zeitgeist at play here, colonialism and patriarchy are. The very nature of industry, colonialism, and capitalism (call it whiteness that is fine, I accept imperialism as a historical fact of European culture; and acknowledge that I have had privilege in this nation simply because I appear white.) The very nature of industry and capitalism seeks to commodify myth/story/identity in order to sell product.

In a world where capitalism is the dominant theme of culture (however we got here), you can only expect that all movements within that culture will be commandeered in some respect to serve a capitalistic end. Because this capitalistic culture was imposed upon North America by invading white Europeans, it also serves as a mechanism of neoliberal racism.

A vast variety of “products” are commandeered and exploited to serve a capitalistic and racist end, and whether intentional or not the systemic ‘green washing,’ exploitation, and racism are perpetuated by organizations and companies who peddle products. Vegan and non-vegan alike. While a product like Earth Balance which contains palm oil and is potentially as exploitive as a butter product, has a ‘vegan’ and ‘ethical’ tag on it, a product like yogurt could easily claim labels like ‘sustainable,’ ‘ethically sourced’, and ‘heart healthy,’ while causing the exploitation of animals as well as dairy employees forced to work in horrific conditions, carry out unethical tasks, while severely underpaid.

At the end of the day, can we pull the ‘vegan’ movement out of the pit of capitalism and point the finger at the philosophy? What purpose does diminishing the message of compassion serve if not to further perpetuate violence, speciesism, and by default racism?

“His observations lead him to believe that despite colonialism having been formally abolished, most white people will continue to function in the world through the logic/grammar of post-empire whiteness, which could be revealed through an analysis of their relationship with/to “every day” objects (Sandoval 2000). I renew and extend this research, by showing how PETA inscribes “cruelty-free” meanings onto vegan food objects, while obscuring the role that neoliberal whiteness plays to make these commodities possible. Neoliberal whiteness is a form of post-empire whiteness.” – Sistah Vegan

Commodity Fetishism is a symptom of colonialism and capitalism…it is a symptom of a broken and unequal world system. All consumers should be held responsible for being critical of ‘messages’ fed to them via corporations. White middle class vegans surely are guilty of being oblivious to their consumerism, but can we say they are more unconscious than the majority of consumers in the global north?

Many people assume the vegan message is for the privileged consumer. By default it often is, simply because being able to choose what you eat is a privilege. Any message regarding dietary choices is for those privileged enough to choose what they eat, and there are many even in the global north and this country who are not privileged enough to make a choice. In those scenarios, it seems we need to be looking at avenues of food access.

However veganism as a philosophy is older than colonialism, and addresses a much more basic human condition (the ability to feel love and empathy). Birthed from the deep meditations of Hindu Yogi’s and then passed onto the Buddha, Jains, and into Greek Philosophy, veganism is the simplest of all messages: compassion as practice. Compassion extended as far as you can extend it.

To those who feel called to follow compassion as practice: It’s an ongoing effort to extend that compassion and kindness to living beings as habitually as one can, and a commitment to avoid violence within practical boundaries. That is where it ends.

So a vegan who consumes products without being critical of the claims written on the packages (or the impact of the packages themselves) isn’t practicing very well. Likewise, a vegan who pushes a plant-based lifestyle onto someone who isn’t in a position of ‘privilege’ enough to adopt it isn’t in good practice…because that’s not compassionate.

In all honesty, though, I find that vegans tend be more aware of their impact when compared to most consumers in the global north. So, I have to challenge the notion that veganism itself perpetuates neoliberal racism, which I do not think Sistah Vegan was saying in her essay. Rather she draws attention to this basic truth of capitalistic companies seeking to market veganism without regard to actual compassion.

Companies associated with the vegan message “PETA among others” may do things that are not in good vegan practice. I take on the responsibility in this society as a responsible and socially conscious consumer (and a vegan) to do some research and be critical of the claims of corporations and organizations who operate within a capitalistic system.

Speciesism, racism, colonialism, eco-terrorism, patriarchy, ---> these things are feedback loops for each other in creating more inequality and hate. The remedy for that destructive cycle is Compassion, Social Justice, Decolonization, and Eco-Feminism ---> these things are what veganism teaches me every day.