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I’m Vegan, But Not Because I Love Animals
Animals deserve to live free from human harm, whether I love them or not
“You’re vegan? Oh, so you must reeeeally love animals, huh?”
I hear this all the time when someone learns I’m vegan.
(Other first responses include
“People need protein though.”
“I could never give up cheese.”
“So you don’t have any leather shoes?”
“You eat fish though, right?”
“So, like, you don’t eat wheat?”
“I had a veggie burger once; it was actually pretty good.”)
So, do I love animals?
First off, animals is a really broad category.
Some animals — bunnies, I’m lookin’ at you — never fail to make me squeal with joy. I also reliably get heart-eyes for rats, pigs, and elephants. But I wouldn’t be thrilled to meet a shark while I was out for a swim. I don’t eat bunnies, rats, pigs, or elephants. But I don’t eat sharks either.
My opinions on individual species aside, there are countless types of animals I’ve never even heard of. If I ever come upon an animal I don’t recognize, my reaction won’t be to find out how they taste. Not because I love them. I…
