'Once You Know Something, You Can't Not Know It': An Empirical Look at Becoming Vegan

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"'Once You Know Something, You Can't Not Know It': An Empirical Look at Becoming Vegan"

Author of original article: Barbara McDonald Originally published in Society and Animals Volume 8, Number 1, 2000*

 

 

The author analyzed how people become vegan, defined as objecting to the use of nonhuman animal products for food, cosmetics, clothing, and vivisection. She interviewed 12 people whom she determined to be committed vegans inasmuch as they had been vegan for at least one year. She subsequently examined the content of their accounts of becoming vegan and found common elements of their experience. The article describes how they learned about cruelty to animals in industries that exploit them; decided whether and how to act on what they learned; and adopted new practices that reject speciesism and do not support industries that harm animals.

A broad finding was that learning to become vegan was rooted in the interviewees' understanding of who they are and their place in the world. Most were but some were not longtime "animal people" before their transformations began. Key elements of the process of learning to become vegan were as follows: an experience that introduced the participant to animal cruelty and resulted in repression of the experience or becoming inclined to learn more and possibly to make a life-altering decision; acquiring new knowledge of animal abuse or how to live as a vegan; making the choice to become vegan; and establishing a new world view according to which being vegan is morally right and the human connection with other-than-human animals is paramount.

Most interviewees spent a long time-some took years-learning about animal cruelty or how to live as a vegan after the experiences that set them on their way. Two reacted by repressing their initial experience, putting the information at the back of their minds until a later event recalled it. Typically, reading played a large part in the learning process after a sudden recognition while, for example, viewing a video on cruelty to animals or exchanging a long gaze with a deer. Several participants described how they learned not to think of companion animals as the only animals deserving of consideration. Most said recognizing that all other animals share with human beings the capacity to feel pain played an important part in their change to a vegan lifestyle.

Emotion and cognition were crucial. Emotion alone, such as horror at learning of the clubbing of harp seals, did not teach connections among one's customs, animal suffering, the kind of person one wishes to be, and the kind of world one wishes to inhabit. Nor did cognition, such as understanding that animals are eaten and to be eaten they must first be killed, suffice to set the interviewees on a new course-strong feelings for animals were necessary. Once they committed themselves to veganism, the world views participants adopted were informed by a felt connection with animals and nature, the moral rightness of veganism, and spirituality related to the oneness of all beings. Advocating for the rights of animals became a dominant purpose in their lives.

Many interviewees recounted experiences in which family members and others rebuffed their efforts to explain the need for a vegan lifestyle. Most gave up trying to push their new practices and world views on others but typically would provide information in the hope that a seed would be planted that would eventually lead to others' moving toward a vegan lifestyle. People's degree of openness to new information appears to be an important element in whether people repress or accept the kinds of knowledge that lead to a vegan lifestyle. Understanding that and other findings of this research may be valuable for all who work to bring about an end to animal exploitation. ____________________ *Available from Psychologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, P.O. Box 1297, Washington Grove, MD 20880-1297; 301-963-4751.

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