Is Vegetarianism a Gateway to Veganism?

Post written by VegBlogger. Follow me on Twitter.

Is vegetarianism a gateway or stepping stone to veganism? There is debate that brews
in the vegetarian movement as to whether or not vegetarianism is a gateway to veganism, or if veganism should be the only acceptable way to go, with not steps in vegetarianville allowed.

While I respect some of those that speak out against vegetarianism being a gateway to veganism, such as Gary Francione, I have to respectfully disagree. And I disagree for many reasons, some of which I will outline here, because I do believe that vegetarianism is a gateway to veganism.

Here are some of the reasons why I believe this:

1. Because it's a step in the right direction. A big step. And like the old saying goes, a journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step. The goal, when it comes to ethical vegetarian or vegan living, is to reduce the amount of harm to animals. And going vegetarian absolutely does. It may not eliminate it, but neither does veganism.

2. Because vegans seem to over-estimate the amount of dairy and egg products that a vegetarian consumes. For some reason, they have it in their mind that the vegetarian must have replaced all their meat with a hunk of cheese and a few eggs. Wrong! Most vegetarians I know consume very little of these products and usually only outside the house. For me, I stopped bying these products when I became a vegetarian. So while I didn't have them in the home, they may have been something that was a trace ingredient in a bun, on an occassional pizza, or a small ingredient in something else I ordered in a restaurant.

3. Because the average meat eater consumes 22,000 animals in their lifetime. A vegetarian, even one who does purchase eggs and cheese to bring into the home, brings that number down to a tiny one. So they have greatly minimized their contribution to cruelty. Even an omnivore adopting a Meatless Monday lifestyle change will be reducing the number of animals they are harming.

4. Because for most people, change does not happen overnight. There needs to be a "better" neutral ground for people to go to.

5. Because when you say it's veganism or nothing else, you have immediately shut the door and turned off about 98 percent of the population. We want to get people to stop eating animals. Not tell them it's veganism or nothing.

6. Because vegans attacking vegetarians is ridiculous. It is not up to vegans to decide where the line in the sand is drawn, which just so happens to be where they are at that particular moment of their life, and then tell everyone else that if they don't measure up they are not doing any good at all. That's nonsense.

7. Because veganism is not easy. I know that is not popular to say, we are told over and over to tell the world veganism is easy. Truth be told, it's only easy if you cook all your meals at home. If you ever want to dine out, it's difficult, unless you live near vegan restaurants. It's also difficult if you want to attend company parties, social parties, etc.

8. Because the vast majority of vegans started out as vegetarians. That right there is the biggest testimony one needs in proving that vegetarianism is indeed a stepping stone to veganism for many people. Think about it. If you are a vegan who was at one point a vegetarian then you know the answer to the question of whether or not it is a gateway to veganism. You can stop repeating over and over what you are being told to dish out to the masses. You are living proof that it is a stepping stone to veganism.

9. Because Donald Watson himself, the man who coined the term vegan, was a vegetarian for some 16 years before making the change to veganism. Vegetarianism was indeed a gateway to veganism for him. So it should be considered one for others.

Comments

[Mary Ann]

Love this whole post. :)

[Jacqueline]

Thank you, Mary Ann!

[Cody]

I agree 99% with this post. The only thing I don't agree with is that veganism isn't easy. I became a vegan my senior year at a residential (dorm) high school in a small town in Mississippi. Admittedly, we had a halfway decent cafeteria because it was shared with university students, but the point is that it wasn't necessarily ideal, yet I managed just fine. And this was with no means by which to cook or prepare any of my own food save for a microwave and a sink (no stove, toaster, blender, food processor, etc.). I went home occasionally and did some cooking and ate occasionally at restaurants, but these weren't really my "saving grace" or anything. Veganism is only hard because people don't know. They always ask what vegans eat... and I eat a hell of a lot! I alone am enough to bash the "scrawny vegan" stereotype ;)

While I 100%, whole-heartedly agree we shouldn't bash vegetarians or allow people to become vegans in steps (I was a vegetarian for 2 years before I became a vegan), veganism is not half as hard as most people that aren't vegans make it out to be. Some people really play up the idea that you have to read all the labels of every single thing you buy (which if that's true, that means you aren't buying any fresh produce or grains or legumes, etc) or that being vegan means you can't eat good food or that you have to do calculus to determine if you are getting enough nutrients. While I won't say that being vegan is AS easy as eating whatever appears in front of you, a little knowledge and research makes it 100x easier. There are far too many foods to choose from for it to be difficult-- plus when you really feel good about what you're doing, it only makes it that much easier. My only qualm was with #7, though I will agree with you on social gatherings that it can be awkward at first, but once you're used to discussing it, it becomes interesting (and sometimes fun) to see how people react and it's a good opportunity to bring some delicious vegan food so they see we don't eat just salads :)

Thanks for the intelligent write-up.

[Jacqueline]

Cody, thank you for your feedback. I'm glad you agree with most of the article. When it comes to the difficulty of being vegan, I am speaking from experience. If you eat at home (which would include doing your shopping to do so), I don't think it's difficult. It becomes difficult if you ever want to go out to eat or attend social gatherings. It's also difficult if you are traveling. Have you ever been driving cross country and it is dinner time?! Talk about difficult! If you don't live near completely vegan restaurants it can be quite difficult to get a decent vegan meal dining out. Notice I say decent, because what some people drum up as what's vegan on a restaurant menu doesn't necessarily meet my qualification of a decent meal. I appreciate your feedback, thanks for taking the time to leave it. Hopefully the more restaurants continue to hear from vegetarians and vegans they will begin to add more options.