Beegans, Freegans, and Peskytarians

I’m going to just come out and say this.

If you eat honey, then you are not vegan.

If you eat cheese that was thrown in a dumpster, then you are not vegan.

If you eat fish, chicken, or “seafood,” then you are not vegetarian.

A vegan is someone who, by definition, strives to abstain from using all animal and animal-derived products. Honey is a product of bees. Bees are insects. Insects are arthropods. Arthropods are animals. Ergo, honey is an animal product. Likewise, cheese comes from the milk of cows or goats. Whether or not it was thrown away is irrelevant.

Likewise, chickens are animals. Fish are animals. Other sea creatures are animals. There are no “partial vegetarians.” If you eat some animals or all animals, or only on certain days of the week, or only on holidays, then you are not a vegetarian.

I am a vegan for ethical reasons. I do not wish to participate in the unnecessary and cruel use of animals. It is not simply a matter of not paying money for animal products. Animals are not here for us to use. Whether or not cheese is bought in a store or found in a dumpster, it is not food.

If you call yourself vegan or vegetarian, but still eat animals or animal products, please stop confusing omnivores. Stop rendering the words vegan and vegetarian meaningless with hypocrisy and logical inconsistency.

Stop using animals.