People wrapped in plastic, covered in fake blood, shouting at customers and employees for their use of meat and other related animal products: this is how the vegans and vegetarians chose to protest a butcher’s shop in Berkeley, California. There are many different views on these lifestyles, both positive and negative. They are deviant lifestyles from the social norm that are met with controversy in today’s society, but why? The reasons for these lifestyle choices range from compassion to health. These words have positive connotations, so why would there be any controversy? There is a controversy connected to the titles “vegan” and “vegetarian” because regardless of whatever positive outcomes they attempt to achieve, they are seen in a negative light due to reporting from the media. There is a lot of great information including health benefits of these diets as there are many great alternatives to the nutrients meat provides, and these lifestyles lead to many healthier choices. Often the information of these lifestyles is just not presented in the correct way. The media reports what it sees and what draws the most attention. If all the media sees are protests and anti-meat signs, then that is what it will report. Media coverage will focus on the hatred wrongly associated with these groups instead of the healthy and compassionate aspects of them. Although the vegan and vegetarian lifestyles can often be put down through media, they allow for a mindful nature of eating and advocate for health benefits along with animal rights.

When I first started this project, I was an avid meat eater. I was cautious about the meat I ate, to a degree, and I would not eat meat at certain fast food chains, but for the most part I ate meat all the time. My favorite dish was steak. When I first started my research, I was looking for all the bad media that vegans and vegetarians received. I had a couple bad experiences with the vegan and vegetarian community, and often saw them being depicted as rude, condescending, and judgmental. I also have some family members and close friends that are some of the greatest people I have ever known that are vegetarian. I wanted to start at the beginning to fully understand these lifestyles and what they encompass. 

Being vegan or vegetarian is part of one’s identity. Even though it seems to be just a diet change, it affects the person who makes that change in a lot of different ways. For one thing, why would someone make the change in the first place? Why give up meat?

The concept of veganism is straight-forward, however there are major differences between vegans and vegetarians. To be a vegan requires giving up all animal product: fur, dairy, eggs, and especially no meat--including fish. There are also many different types of vegetarians. Some that allow fish into their diet, which are also known as pescatarians. There are also vegetarians that allow dairy and eggs, known as ovo-lactarians. There are many different vegetarians that share one big common factor, no meat. 

Not all vegans and vegetarians are the same. Many give up meat and other animal products for moral reasons, such as the fact that animals used for food or clothing are not included under the Animal Welfare Act, which is what regulates the treatment for animals for a variety of things such as research. This means that many animals around the world are living in horrendous conditions. There are also no standards for animal transport that are being raised for the sole purpose of food (Vegucated). Which is why many people will see chickens or other farm life cramped together in cages on trucks heading toward a factory where they will be ripped apart for food. In addition, many animals on meat farms are also treated with a lot of disrespect. To prevent this, many go in the direction of vegan or vegetarian.

Going vegan or vegetarian in the right way, meaning not eating potato chips every day, offers many health benefits, but it also should inspire precautions when it comes to one’s health. According to numerous studies, giving up red meat will lower the risk of heart disease, and plant based diets are better for one’s body (Vegucated). Plant based diets are also better for the environment (Cowspiracy). It is important to develop new and healthy habits when one first attempts to be vegan or vegetarian as there are many nutrients found in meat that must be actively replaced in one’s diet, such as Vitamin B-12. There are also other deficiencies that can occur such as a lack of Vitamin D, Calcium, and Omega-3 (Craig). This can be easily remedied through the use of supplements such as a daily multivitamin.

When I first started this new diet, my whole lifestyle started changing, and not in a good way. I had decided to do a fourteen-day trial period so that I could get in the shoes of someone who is vegetarian. As I have always been a bit cautious of the meat I consume for moral reasons; those reasons were what kept me going. I decided to go ovo-lactarian meaning I would no longer eat meat, including fish, but would still consume eggs and dairy. Those fourteen days ended up turning into thirty days, which ended up being a permanent change. However, the diet started affecting me negatively at first.

I recorded my food every day and wrote entries daily to record how I felt throughout the day. At first I felt absolutely miserable. I had an extreme lack of energy compared to my usual self; I was not eating well in the slightest bit. Luckily for me, I had a newly-made friend who is vegetarian point me in the right direction to new, healthy, and vegetarian foods for me to eat. I am also taking a multivitamin daily, just in case, and I drink the occasional protein shake. I feel so much more energetic, and have been exercising more often, getting proper sleep, and am getting much more done in the day.

 Many people think that the vegan or vegetarian decisions greatly restrict diets, and while that is true, there are many items people often do not think about. For example, black beans have become my new favorite meat replacement. From black bean burgers to extra black beans on my veggie quesadilla. I feel great, I have connected with more amazing people that share my new lifestyle, so where is the fault? Vegans and vegetarians are still depicted terribly in the media. How could this community I am growing to love have such a negative impact? 

The issue is how people are viewing the community, and how the minority of the community is depicting the majority. Thinking back on how I viewed this community as an outsider and why, I realized I always felt condemned. Rather than finding common ground with me, the vegans and vegetarians I spoke to just slammed me with statistics and facts. As someone who loved meat, it was a lot to grasp from some seemingly not-so-empathetic people. Of course, not every vegan and vegetarian is the same when speaking out about their beliefs, but the loudest of them are who is heard.

There are many animal rights activist organizations that are seen taking their beliefs to the extreme. In August of 2017, there was an article posted in the Washington Post about how Direct Action Everywhere, or DXE, was going about protesting at a butcher’s shop. In the article Maura Judkis went on about how “[t]he protests were intense: People dripping with fake blood, tightly bound in plastic wrap as if they were cuts of meat. Singing, shouting, lecturing customers” (Judkis). The protesters completely skipped over finding common ground with the customers and educating them, and instead shouted at them. They were acting judgmental and rather than bringing people to their own side, they lectured them instead. Examples such as these lead people to develop a negative attitude towards people of the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle. In the end, to lessen the amounts of protesting going on, the butcher’s shop agreed to post a sign that read “ATTENTION: ANIMALS’ LIVES ARE THEIR RIGHT. KILLING THEM IS VIOLENT AND UNJUST, NO MATTER HOW IT’S DONE” (Press). Notice that this only lessened the amount of protests, instead of ending them completely. The article is explains that Direct Action Everywhere said the protests will not stop.

I decided to personally explore why vegans and vegetarians are seen through media platforms advocating for animal rights and healthier lifestyles in the wrong way, regardless of the positive end goal they are trying to achieve. It is in fact a healthy diet if done wisely, like how one should with any diet. It is a beautiful, generally healthy, and compassionate community. Therefore, like with anything else, when speaking out about important matters such as animal rights, one should find common ground and explain their beliefs rather than just lecturing others about how they are wrong in an attempt to change their beliefs to match the people speaking out. Veganism and vegetarianism are both compassionate and great lifestyles to adopt, however, a minority of these groups and the media are destroying the public opinion with lectures and shouts. Organizations, such as Direct Action Everywhere, that are proud of their media exposure and actions for awareness are working in opposition to their cause. To convince the public, one must inform to tear down. A great society is built from bottom to top as a community, not a one-sided mass.
