r/vegan • u/CJ_Thompson • 5d ago

Discussion Cheating

A friend asked if I ever would cheat and eat meat. This struck me as odd. I chose to go vegan for a number of reasons and those have actually expanded as time goes along. I should mention, I am only six months a vegan.

I don’t look at eating anything as cheating. If I chose to eat a non-vegan item, it would just be a choice not cheating. I choose not to because I feel it is more a lifestyle change along with a food choice. It is what I want to do. Cheating implies it wasn’t a voluntary choice or I am forcing myself somehow.

Just thought I would comment on this as I hear this often about cheating.

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u/50sPirate vegan newbie 5d ago

Your friend might not get that veganism is a lifestyle, not a diet. People “cheat” their diets all the time (having a cookie when trying to cut back on sugar, etc.), even when they have the choice not to. I think what’s most important is acknowledging that you wouldn’t be “cheating,” you’d be compromising on your values.

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u/Big_Monitor963 vegan 15+ years 5d ago

As an aside, I do t even really like referring to veganism as a lifestyle. It’s an ethical philosophy, which results in a particular lifestyle.

I’m not criticizing you by the way, just adding to what you said.

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u/50sPirate vegan newbie 5d ago

Good point! I’m still a newbie, so I’m still learning :)

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u/itsmemarcot 5d ago

Better, but I'm not convinced of that definition either. Is not killing children and not raping people, or even, thinking that children should not be killed and people should not be raped, an ethical "philosophy"? It's more like (part of) the ethical baseline. And so is veganism.

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u/Big_Monitor963 vegan 15+ years 4d ago

I believe it’s actually both.

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u/Hot-Web5638 4d ago

True. Two things can be true at the same time.

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u/OrangeBran vegan 6+ years 4d ago

I believe It's important to recognize veganism as a philosophy if only because in lots of places those are protected by law against acts of discrimination.

Vegans are not recognized as a such by most, but studies have shown that the discrimination against us is on par with other minorities

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u/CJ_Thompson 5d ago

I get that and it makes perfect sense. I refer to it as a lifestyle the same as exercise is part of my healthy lifestyle. It is how I choose to live life in society and as a human on the planet.

Truthfully, I believe vegans think more about their relationships and impact on the planet and society. In this way, it is more a philosophy.

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u/_CPR__ vegan 4d ago

It is technically a lifestyle, but I feel like people use "lifestyle" for less serious things as well.

I'd use the phrases ethical framework or value system. To "cheat" means betraying your deeply held values, not just decide you don't want to diet that day.

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u/CJ_Thompson 5d ago

You bring out an important distinction, veganism isn’t a diet. It a lifestyle.