Vegan Outreach Misses The Most Important Fact

Hey everyone - i'm still alive! Hard to keep the hate alive sometimes tho. ;)

Decided to revive the blog for this, the latest e-newsletter from Vegan[sic] Outreach, located here:

http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/20091223.html

The title is: The Facts Speak for Themselves: You Are Changing the World!

While i agree there are changes occurring, i don't think any of the ones they refer to relate to veganism.

For example, one sentence from this celebration:

"And everywhere, people are talking about factory farming, the downsides of meat, and the benefits of vegetarianism."

None of this is about veganism.

Factory farming has nothing to do with veganism. To a vegan, a 'family farm' is still a death camp (as vegan founder Donald Watson describe it). Being vegan isn't a step to avoid the 'downsides of meat', but to celebrate life, peace and respect. And the benefits of vegetarianism are lost to a vegan.

According to this, there was a 4 point increase (from 24% to 30%) in a college food provider's poll providing vegetarian food over two years. Oh wait - Vegan Outreach can't do math - the HSUS piece they reference says the first poll comes from 2004. Five years ago, not two.

This is a success? Vegans don't want vegetarian food!!! We want VEGAN food.  Good grief.

And millions of Vegan Outreach leaflets means a four point increase over five years? That's 'awareness'? The poll was of 100,000 students, and 4% (4,000) more from 2004 have apparently decided that vegetarian options are necessary..

How many million leaflets have been handed out at US campuses in the last five years? Nearly 4 million, according to this. 4 million leaflets over 5yrs result in a 4 point more sympathetic votes in a poll THEY (VO) reference as favourable. (And marginally better were it over two years..)

I'm too depressed to come up with a witty retort to that dismal accomplishment.

They conclude that paragraph with: "The more people know, the more people choose veg!"

Once again, conflating veganism with vegetarianism, like the two are interchangeable. (I can't stand the term 'veg'. Utterly meaningless, and erodes the significance of veganism.)

This is success, and 'change' according to Vegan[sic] Outreach. And yes, the facts speak for themselves.

Changing the world means changing our minds, from one that accepts exploiting other animals to a mindset that rejects these practices. That's what veganism is about, and that's the change we need. Get with the program, Veg Outreach.

PS - find me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vegancyclist