The other day I received an email from a non-vegan acquaintance telling me about the delicious vegan food served at a local festival. The food was advertised as “vegetarian,” however, and she found that well, confusing.
“If they were serving vegan food,” she asked, “why not just say vegan?”
Many of us have noticed this trend lately: advocates deliberately using the term “vegetarian” in place of “vegan.” For some, like Bruce Friedrich, it’s a strategic tactic. He finds he’s able to reach a broader spectrum of people and have more fruitful conversations that way. “Vegetarian” is more inviting, less scary-sounding, he argues, while still being technically correct.
For others, the use of the term “vegetarian” has to do with reclaiming the word, since early vegetarians were in fact vegan. Over time, the word became co-opted by people who described themselves as vegetarian even though they still ate eggs and dairy.
While I can understand the arguments for using the word “vegetarian” instead of “vegan,” I find that it confuses people and makes the spread of veganism even more unlikely. As British activist Louise Wallis notes, how can we “expect others to embrace veganism when we won’t even embrace the word?”
When the public sees vegan organizations advocating “vegetarian” in their materials (even if the content is, in fact, vegan), they think vegetarianism is “enough.” Which, of course, it isn’t. The egg and dairy industries are among the absolute worst in terms of animal cruelty. (If you have not looked into these industries, please do. It’s beyond shocking. Just google “male chicks,” “battery cages” or “dairy veal connection” for starters.) Telling people about the horrors of dairy and egg production and then handing them a brochure that urges them to “go vegetarian” is both confusing and misleading.
And if it’s true that the term “vegan” is unfamiliar and off-putting to people, the only way to remedy that is to normalize it through continued use in our everyday conversations and outreach. Shying away from the term only guarantees that it will retain any stigmas that may currently be associated with it.
I understand that some people transition towards veganism slowly and that vegetarianism can be a stage in that transition. I support and applaud any efforts people make to stop eating animal products. (And certainly it’s preferable to go vegetarian than to do nothing at all.)
But I think it’s important to be clear. If we’re going to use words to communicate effectively, let’s use the correct ones. If we mean vegan, let’s say vegan. I, like Will Tuttle, “Love That Word“! If we want a vegan world, let’s say so. After all, if we can’t even say it, how can we expect to achieve it?
Image by Rachael Herbert
This is such a great overview of this issue. I think it is important to use the word vegan and have it become more commonplace and less “scary”. Vegan also represents so much more than a diet. It is a compassionate lifestyle choice and goes well beyond food. I love this short video: http://vegvids.com/video/3788/why-vegan-by-evolve-campaigns
Thanks Rae. And thanks for sharing that great video. It’s outstanding!!
I think it is more clear to say vegan. Most people think vegetarian does include fish, eggs and dairy. Vegan is clearer – no animal products including honey. I would much rather have people understand my food preferances than just assuming what I eat. Vegan is very clear verses vegetarian.
Vegetarian has never meant vegan, because vegan means a lot more than diet. It is amazing to me that people in a movement do not support their own ideology and terminology. To make vegan normative, we need to use the word. When celebrities try to adopt the word, even if they miss the ethical piece, it means the word is part of pop culture. Time to embrace the five letter “V” word!
Have to admit I don’t really love the word per se (it’s kinda clumsy and not aesthetically pleasing to me), although I certainly love what it means and what it stands for. But maybe the phrase “cruelty-free eating and living” would be easier for non-vegans to understand?
There is also use of the word “plant based” but that is typically used when discussing health issues exclusively. I dunno… I think it’s good to use vegan… I think it’s OK to use vegetarian. I think most people need to lean in to being vegan and maybe the term vegetarian does make it more approachable… however let’s not fool around here. Egg and dairy consumption are cruel and gruesome… even on small local farms. The animals always are objectified and suffer at some point or another. I say… sure consider being vegetarian if that helps you along the way towards being vegan. But vegan is the goal. Let’s make vegan cool, hip, exciting and friendly. Let’s make vegan the “in” thing… the way to roll….Let’s do it!
Guilty here… I’ve used “vegetarian” many times in place of vegan… I’ve done so because I really didn’t think my audience was familiar with the difference. On many instances I’ve been pleasantly surprised when called on it… Being asked – Are you vegetarian or vegan? Nice to know that even among carnists – They are familiar with the issues. That’s given me a new perspective… And I now assume people are familiar with vegan choices – Seems that calling it by a vegetarian handle almost “talks down” to others. I and they deserve better… As usual – A work in progress!
Me too, Bea. I’ve caught myself saying “vegetarian” at times when I (falsely) assumed people weren’t familiar with the term “vegan.” I agree: people don’t like to feel like they’re being manipulated or “talked down” to. If it turns out that the person we’re speaking with isn’t familiar with the term, then we can just explain what it means. I think it’s better to be upfront and honest with people. And we need to give them some credit — they likely know more about veganism than we might assume!
Thanks, as always, Nina, for your passionate enthusiasm! LOVE it!
Very few people care what vegans or animal rights activists want. People aren’t going to go vegan because we tell them to “go vegan” rather than “go vegetarian”. The way to get people to go vegan is by talking to them about how dairy and eggs are produced, not by using any particular word.
Right Jack — but to tell them how dairy and eggs are produced and then hand them literature that says “go vegetarian” is very confusing. That’s my whole point.Words are necessary in order to communicate effectively, and I see no reason to avoid using the proper word when speaking to people about this issue. “Vegetarian” is every much a “label” as “vegan” is, by the way. So if we’re going to use words, let’s use the correct ones. To avoid doing so is confusing, in my opinion.
Until we have some actual real-world data about which approach is most effective at reducing animal exploitation, we cannot know whether “vegan” or “vegetarian” is more effective, or whether such labels are counterproductive. We need to understand the psychology of persuasion. Human beings have varying responses to messages requiring behavioral changes. Probably there is no one approach that works for all. My own path was a long, slow road through gradually increasing vegetarian strictness, eliminating first flesh, then eggs, then leather, and finally dairy. For most of my life I have rejected all or nothing message and like so many other people I had readily available rationalization processes. I needed the step by step path.
Thanks Monique — I think you may have misunderstood my post, though. Yes, people will change at their own pace. Some may go vegetarian first, some may start by reducing meat consumption, others may go vegan right away. This post isn’t about demanding “all or nothing” — it’s about using the proper terminology. The idea is to not confuse (or try to manipulate) people by saying “vegetarian” when we really mean vegan. I think clarity and honesty are important when we’re communicating with others, that’s all.
Jo I appreciate your reply – especially since I came late to this discussion. A bad habit of mine.As I see it, the very word “vegan” inherently implies a demand for an all-or-nothing change. That is what people understand the word to mean. A huge lifestyle change. A scary change that requires them to be “different” from their friends and neighbors. A change that requires them to not be “normal” any more. To start being the “freak” in the family. That’s a heckuva big demand for the majority of people and most often will receive a knee-jerk rejection, because who wants to be an extremist weirdo?.That’s why I think that there are some circumstances when using the”vegan” label (and it is just a label after all) will tend to reduce our effectiveness as advocates for animals. It guarantees automatic rejection most of the time.
Well, as I wrote above, the only way to normalize the word and make it less “scary,” is for normal, nice people to start using it!
I think the word is becoming more mainstream everyday (Ellen uses it, Oprah uses it, heck even President Clinton uses it). So why shy away from it now? It’s a beautiful term that means compassion and justice for all living beings. I think it’s important to embrace it. After all, if we don’t embrace it, how can we expect others to? I disagree that it’s “just a label.” Words have meaning. If they didn’t, we wouldn’t bother to use them, we’d just gesture with our hands or scribble stick drawings to try to get our point across. It’s important to be clear and honest when we speak with others. Saying vegetarian when we mean vegan is confusing in my opinion. But you are entitled to yours, of course!
“I would prefer to live forever in a magic house woven of rainbows, drinking goblets of wine with my unicorn friends” I love it ! :^)
I always use the word vegan. I tend to believe that the more people hear it and can identify real people they know with the word, the more they might realize that going vegan isn’t all that hard or extreme. Anyone looking at me could rightfully say “if SHE can do it, anyone can”