hypocrite? or no ?

Do u think its hypocritical if someone says they are a vegan but still wears leather and all that shit? Isnt being vegan mean ... no animals products basicly anything do with consuming or wearing animals is hipocritical
I dont understand why someone would go vegan and still wear leather and other animal skin fur etc
can anyone explain why someone would be against the cruelty of animals in factory farms but not against wearing there dead bodies? Its quite bizzar to me
I would appreicate your oppinons
Peace<3 katy

 

Personally I think someone who wears leather or other animal flesh is definitely NOT vegan. The type of person who says they're vegan & still wears animals probably doesn't pay as much attention to labels as a true vegan, probably doesn't think there's any harm in eating honey or shellac etc.
Those people irritate me just as much as the fish-eating-'vegetarians'!

 

i agree with you except if their vegan for health reasons and not for animal equality

 

Shockingly not every vegan thinks like you do. Certainly dietary vegans [those who abstain from animal products simply for health reasons] are under no particular obligation to cut animal products from other aspects of their lives.

Of course it would seem a bit hypocritical for those who are ethical vegans to use animal products, for the reasons you mentioned. Even so I'm sure they have their reasons, and those aren't really my affair.

Much of the time yes I wear leather shoes, and don't feel bad about it. My theory is the cow's been dead over four years, there's sod all I can do about that, so might as well ensure they didn't die in vain. That and frankly they are fine shoes, yes they're dead animals but I'm just not that squeamish about it (my objection is purely to the industry, not the product, yeah there's a diffrence).
Of course once they wear out I shall replace them with non leather versions; unless of course the leather proves vital to my wellbeing and is ethical as possible, but that's not likely.

Interestingly so far whenever this issue has come up I've been barefoot. Outside of my home, with shod feet of course, people don't seem to notice much less pass judgement.

 

This is the difference between "a vegan diet" and "being vegan."

People who are vegan are people who lead a vegan lifestyle, which does not include using ANY animal products.

People who lead a vegan diet are people who only eat the same way that a vegan does.

So to answer your question, no, they are not vegan. It may be appropriate to call them a "dietary vegan" but not a true vegan.

This is according to Wikipedia and you should show this to your friend!

"Veganism (also known as strict vegetarianism or pure vegetarianism) is a philosophy and lifestyle that avoids using animals and animal products for food, clothing and other purposes. In practice, a vegan (an adherent of veganism) commits to the abstention from consumption or use of all animal products, including meat, fish, poultry, honey, eggs and dairy products, as well as articles made of fur, wool, bone, leather, feathers, pearls, nacre, coral, sponges and other materials of animal origin. Many vegans also avoid products that have been tested on animals." - Wikipedia.org::Veganism

In agreement, this is the definition of veganism according to the Vegan Society:

"A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. [In dietary terms the society defines Veganism as] The practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals." - the Vegan Society

 

may be it's just me, but i think a vegetarian who wears any animal skin is a hypocrite too because you have to kill the animal for it's skin. injesting milk products is one thing, but taking an animal's skin requires death and torture. i'd rather not wear a death coating around my body. yuck!

 

The word vegetarian originally had the exact same connotation as vegan, however, hypocrites began watering the meaning down and we had to make a new word.

 

Hypocracy is a character fault that involves preaching that others should do what the preacher is unwilling to do. It sounds like "uninformed" or "lexographicaly challanged" would be more accurate descriptions of this someone.

 

A vegan lifestyle can be a drastic change that is more of a process. It is not really something you can do in one day. A lot of research is required so that you don't buy anything that might contain an animal product. It could also be very expensive if one had to replace a lot of jackets, sweaters, sockets, gloves, belts, suits, shirts ... well a lot of their closet. It would be more practical, especially if the person does not have a lot of money, to replace these things over time. What is important, whether the person wears things they already have or whether they stop buying animal products from now on?

 

i don't know if anybody mentioned this yet, but i think there's a difference between buying new animal products and wearing stuff you already have... i don't think ppl should replace all animal products when they turn vegan unless they have the resources and feel the obligation to do so, so somebody in that situation would not be a hypocrite in my mind.

 

So, what is the "vegan responce" to a leather jacket in the free box?

(Yes, I AM stirring the shit.)

 

Wearing out what one already has, even if it contains animal products, isn't necessarily a contradiction with veganism, which is a good observation you've made.

Most vegans continue to wear out things like their old shoes, studded belts, coats, etc., then when they need new items they buy vegan items.

This practice is, at least to me, considered acceptable, because of the intensity of the transition. It would also be irresponsible to let things you have purchased go to waste, and would be an insult to the animal killed if the reason why it was killed was to produce that product, and that product isn't even used.

It's still a leather jacket. That's the vegan response.

Keep in mind that veganism is not freeganism, nor is the vice versa true.

Many vegans make the effort not to condone using animal products *at all* -- which to do effectively, requires that the vegan be free of using animal products themselves, even if they were provided for free, otherwise it is still making the statement "I support using free animal products." A freegan would make such a statement -- which is why a freegan is not a vegan, because vegans do not condone using animal products no matter what the economical status.

That being said, many new vegans do continue to use their old items despite their non-vegan status, because going vegan is a large lifestyle change and if one were to give up all of their non-vegan items at once, it might leave one's closet half-empty. Personally, when I went vegan, I continued using my shoes until they were no more, and I gave my studded leather belt to a friend and bought a studded PVC belt. Which is surprisingly durable, I've had it for 2 years now and there are only a few scuffs and one very minor crack. Much more durable than leather.

Using up one's own items and then never using non-vegan items again is an acceptable phase transition, but continuing to use the free non-vegan items of others is a moral loophole that freegans use to declare themselves vegan, when they haven't considered the implications of endorsing using non-vegan items.

 

Ive been a vegetarian for 3 years ( 4 years this november ) and I still dont wear anything made from animals .. I do use burts bees lipbalm but thats it. I cant imagin wearing leather or wool or fur (ewww) it grosses me out and it goes against my morals. I belive if your going to stop eating meat because of the cruelty of animals then you should also stop wearing animal hyde and fur aswell. The vegans that just do it for there health .. well I am still alittle uneasy about them still wearing that shit but if thats there way of life then fine . If your going against factory farming and animal abuse etc then why the hell do people still wear leather,fur ,etc its gross and hypocritical. I cant wait intill I become a REAL vegan the only thing thats going to be hard is not eating cheese but its definitly worth it! Thanks to you all for commenting I didnt know I was going to get all these responses LOL ITS GREAT!! I definitly learned somthing new!! If you got anything to say( please keep it positive)
Feel free to just drop a line* we are all here to help educate eatchother!!*
Thanks all
Peace<3
Katy

 

I'm not exactly a prophet by any means, but I live in my Birks. Are you saying that because most Birks are leather? My Birk sandals are not, by the way. But I'm curious if your point about the Birks is because they are leather, or is it because the company produces leather goods?

And that leads to another question--would a true vegan not only avoid animal products, but also avoid purchasing from companies who use/sell animal produts??

 

Sadly, the consumption of milk products requires death and suffering as well. For example, bull calves are slaughtered to free up the milk that would have gone to them.

 

Some do, and some don't.

For example, I have a vegan friend who doesn't buy prefabricated cigarettes because the companies test on animals, and I don't buy them for the same reasons.

However, take a company like Kraft, which also animal tests for some of their non-vegan products, or a company like White Wave, which makes delicious vegan products like Silk, but their facilities still produce other products that require milk and eggs, etc.

It's my opinion that buying a product which requires no animal testing is acceptable. I like to think that, even though a company may produce products that aren't vegan, it's alright to buy the products that are vegan. In doing so, you are effectively saying "as long as you make vegan products I support you doing so." And by not purchasing the non-vegan products, you're also saying "I don't support your company doing this."

There are many companies that, in order to remain companies, they MUST appeal to non-vegan audiences, or else they can't even offer any products, let alone vegan ones. Companies like White Wave may be an example of this -- they make serious efforts to appeal to the vegan/vegetarian groups, but they still may need to make other products to turn in a profit.

Anyhow -- I wouldn't buy from a company that animal tests for their products. IMHO, you have to think of the products as cruelty-free or not, you can't think of the company as cruelty-free, for the same reason that you can't stereotype people. Otherwise you're punishing based on the principle of "guilt by association," and in this world, it is NOT possible to be free from association of immoral things, no matter how dedicated you are to your morals. No vegan is sin-free and that's the truth. But we try.

 

I agree

 

yes, i would not go out and buy leather, but i do own only two articles of leather- a coat and a pair of moccacines (sp?)-the coat was given to my by my mother for christmas, i would never get rid of it because we were very short on money that year, but she still bought me this very expensice (and ill admit beutiful) coat, and im not just going to throw it out now that i have a vegitarian diet. the moccacines i did buy before i became a vegitarian, but they were made by actual native americans-which i am one of-and they kill animals for spiritual reasons, and do not mutilate or torture them, and do not kill them for the heck of it. we have deep spiritual ties with the animals and earth around us.