Vegans and occupation?.........

now if vegans watch what products they purchase and consume...what about there occupation?....can a person who works for the meat industry really call themselves vegan?....deli workers, waitresses, cooks, leather store workers, jello servers, store clerks , any individual that comes in contact with animal products to service the meat mouths or flesh breaths....

 

exactly why i hated working in a grocery store

 

I work at a grocery store and daily sell bloody meat to people. Honsetly, it's the grocery store or a cardboard box. True, I could get a job at the local head shop, but I wouldn't be making ends meat (so to speak). There for, I work because I have to, not because I want to. I'm still in college, so good jobs won't take me. In fact, I just graduated this year! There are very few "vegan" friendly restaurants here, and wal*man/ Kohls/ K*mart... they all sell "non-veg" items. Honestly, where could I get a job at? I mean, even if I were to work anywhere in this world, I would either be dealing with animal products, or animal testing. Both are just as bad.
Anyway, I'm rambleing I know.....
It's just not easy to find a job with out any animal cruelty in it. And, as has been said on this board multiple times, well all do what we can.

 

i heard somewhere that a large percentage of poultry workers become vegetarian and vegan. i doubt anyone can be perfect, so if thats what you have to do to survive then its better than letting a human life die or suffer starvation by giving up your job.

 

i am not saying anyone has to die or starve ......i am saying can you claim to be a vegan?

 

This exact situation is why I don't break down and get a waitressing job...I can't, in my right mind, serve people dead flesh...I just can't do it without wanting to lecture them everytime...

 

Is it okay for your money to support the meat industry? No.

Is it okay for the meat industry's money to support you? ...

...

...

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...

That is a tough one, isn't it?

 

This is a meat-eating world, and we have to live in it. I'm lucky enough to have a job in the IT industry, but not everyone has that luxury. Of course you can be Vegan and work at McDonalds. Being Vegan is about making personal choices to minimize cruelty, not about divorcing yourself from the rest of the world.

 

this is not about separation from the world ...as you said its about choices....if you make the choice to buy products that contain no animal material then having a occupation that relies on the meat industry is hypocritical and you can not label yourself a vegan ...a vegetarian yes ....vegan ..no

 

Agreed!

Ps. The last scentence was great!

 

Personally, I could not bring myself to work at McDonalds. Years ago before I was vegan, I worked in a betting shop and I ended up leaving after a couple of weeks because I just couldn't stand the thought of the animals being exploited by racing etc.

I would rather starve than go against my principles, truth be told.

Understand this is my personal opinion and is not a judgement on anyone else or their choices. We are all free to choose our path and I respect everyone elses choices, as they should respect mine.

 

if your right, then only the rich can be vegans?
to me, vegitarianism is the right thing to do, and being a vegan is a luxary, because it seems to be so expensive.
i HAVE to work at mcdonald's. there is no other jobs where i live (believe me when i tell you this: its a dutch community-and im not dutch ) i have to have a job, i have a car, a phone, school, food, and two root canals to pay for.
if i can find a non-meat job that can match my salary now, id jump on it, but it doesnt look to promising at the moment.

 

ps-i mean no offense if your dutch, thats just the way it goes in my town

 

Well... as someone who is very passionate about veganism AND who works in the restaurant industry, I find it to be a HUGE conflict of interests. My financial obligations require me to make a certain amount of $$$ and the only place I can make that money is doing what I do. It does kill me everyday I have to go into work and sling meat to people. I slowly die a little bit every time I walk into work. This is a hypocrisy I live with every day of my life and it SUCKS! My skills are limited to waiting tables and photography. I've got my own photog biz but it doesn't pay the bills consistently. I still stand by my claim to being vegan. In my personal life I'm as vegan as I can possibly be and work hard to maintain it. The money I make slingin' rotting corpses to people that don't care supports my vegan lifestyle... but the day I see the light at the end of the tunnel I'm gonna run to it as fast as I can & get the hell out of this job I freaking hate. Forgive me...

 

no ...any one can be a vegan , it is simply choices you make....

there is nothing wrong with being a vegetarian ......the point i am trying to make is people can not claim to be vegan if their occupation supports the meat industry.....

 

again choices.....and it is honorable of you not to buy or eat animal products however claiming to be vegan is false as you are supporting animal cruelity by slinging corpses to the meat mouths.....

forgive if i must burst your bubble ..so to speak

 

but veganism is a diet, not a lifestyle

 

this is very dangerous thinking. there is no hollier than thou in this world. if you want people to respect your rights to do and eat as you chose, you should respect thier right to eat and buy and sell meat, or the right to kill something and eat it. calling people meat mouths or vegans or any other label is a completely worthless endeavor that will draw you so far off the path to any type of enlightenment your trying to find.

 

LOL cheese wiz isn't a vegan! LOL

And to lucyinthesky...I think most vegans would disagree with you. Veganism IS a lifestyle, not just a diet...

Veganism includes not wearing leather, wool, coral, feathers, or fur. Many vegans, as well as vegetarians, choose not to buy products tested on animals, either.

You should check out wikipedia's article about veganism...it will give you a better idea of why veganism isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle.

 

no vegetarianism is a diet....veganism is a lifestyle, it is based on choices you make to lesson animal cruelity....