“Do your homework (even though I don’t).” “Don’t party (even though I do).” “Go to sleep early (even though that’s not even close to what I do).” Each of the aforesaid are what I like to call hypocritical statements. One of my biggest pet peeves in the world is when people tell others to do something that they themselves do not do. Clearly because this blog is about vegetarianism, it somehow has to relate, right? Exactly! It bothers me to no end when people try to attack me for my stance on animal rights.
Though I’m sure there are many out there who do not consume meat but will still wear leather, I am not one of those people. My personal belief is that innocent animals should not be killed for human benefit – be it a fast food craving or a fancy for fur coats. I recognize that there are certain circumstances where the difficulty of obtaining products not made from animals outweighs the simplicity of just buying those products, so it is slightly more understandable why a person with my beliefs would prefer not to have to exert so much effort on what should be a minor task and would wind up taking the easy route. On the whole, however, people such as myself aim to find purses, shoes, wallets, etc. made from cloth or plastic rather than leather. I research various brands and designers who support the animal rights cause and opt for faux fur and pleather as opposed to real animal coats and skin.
To some, I may sound crazy – a nineteen-year-old girl attempting to better the world and what she believes in by boycotting animal products – and I’m okay with that. Nonetheless, to me, it is not that silly of a fight. It doesn’t matter to me if in my lifetime, it’s only one rabbit that I manage to save; it’s still one less bunny being brutally beaten, tortured, injected, skinned…you get the gist of it.
So once and for all, I’d like to put an end to these absurd rumors that try to make vegetarians out to be ignorant hypocrites. They could not be further from the truth. In fact, from my own personal observations, it is the vegetarian population that seem to be more informed on where their food comes from, how the animals are treated, and the like. My question to you is what do you find to be the most irritating hypocritical statement/belief/expression?
Once again, I completely agree. One of my friends in high school went vegetarian for a few months. In this time period, she talked everyone's ear off about how great of a person she was for not eating poor little animals. However, she also had several leather purses. I share the same views as you, though. If I don't eat meat for the sake of saving animals, why would I kill them for the sake of fashion? I thought your blog was well argued and the organization was very easy to follow.
ReplyDeleteAllie, I think it's awesome that your vegetarianism stems from your belief in animal rights, and this belief in animal rights extends to boycotting leather. This makes me question how much I truly believe in animal rights because I do not place a restriction against the clothes and shoes that I buy. However, I do notice that I tend to buy fewer leather-made items anyway. Rock on!
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