...still refers to themselves as "vegan" just because they are currently eating a plant-based diet?
I mean, honestly: veganism is not only a way of eating, it is a way of life. People who are clueless about the guiding principles behind veganism - and yet still refer to themselves as "vegans" simply because they are choosing not eating animal products for whatever reasons (e.g., health reasons, etc.) - really tick me off. It is this particular group of people who give veganism a bad name, since omnivores see them acting in ways that are contradictory to the vegan philosophy (e.g., as one particularly uninformed individual on Yahoo! Answers - who follows a plant-based diet, apparently - put it: "My skin seems to hate dairy...so a vegan diet works for me. But that doesn't mean I have to give up my leather purses"). As such, you have people thinking that all vegans are hypocrites, when instead it is just a select few ill-informed (and insensitive) people who mislabel themselves as "vegans" (and who should more appropriately be referring to themselves as people who follow a PLANT-BASED DIET) that are giving the rest of us a bad name.
Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?
Answer on Does it drive you batty when someone who is not concerned with animal welfare...?
People are free to do as they want, and any decrease in the consumption of animal products is helping the cause of animal welfare. Not everyone is going to be a perfect vegan, so let people do as much as they feel that they can commit to -- whether it be veganism, vegetarianism, or even just reducing the meat in their diet. My boyfriend for instance reduced his meat intake and is going to start buying free range meat. For this I am proud of him. Labels are petty, anyway.
