I think that line is important to explain that its impossible to completely wash our hands of any animal suffering, even as vegans, but I agree with your points that animals should given better rights (the first page or so of "animal liberation" by peter singer explains why the term "equal rights" is kind of unnecessary, but I know what you mean)
Respectfully, I'm new to lemmy so I dont know how strict the mods are here, but I think that you want to continue this discussion. We should move this conversation to direct messaging or to another community of your choice, due to the rules of this sub. Happy to continue talking though
So the issue that vegans like myself would have with that is that we don't agree that convenience is more important than an animals life. Veganism is very binary due to the definition. If you're a star wars fan, think yoda: "do or do not, there is no try". The fact that its an ethical framework means that as strong men, women, and nonbinary adults we hold ourselves to what we think is moral and right. A vegan, at a work dinner where there are no vegan options, just doesn't eat that meal and is hungry. Super inconvenienced and annoyed, but hungry. I personally believe that a lot of the things that seem hard about veganism go away with 2 things: understanding the why, and experience. As far as understanding the why, I would recommend this: https://www.dominionmovement.com/watch
Edit: this movie is graphic. If you aren't in a good mental place, wait till later. It is important for people to see what they pay for that's not a block of cheese that they buy from the store
I dont see it here, so figured someone's gotta post it. Here is the definition of veganism as made by the vegan society circa 1944:
"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—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 animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."
Veganism, as it is defined, is an ethical framework that seeks to, where practicable and possible, eliminate all forms of exploitation and harm to animals, directly or indirectly, that we can control. We tend to be specific on terms so that our movement doesn't get bogged down, so forgive me for sounding rude or dismissive as that is not my intention.
That being said, what is available to you? Perhaps I could help you out if you'd like advice. I currently use some products that would be harder to find outside of the United States, but when I first decided to be vegan I didn't have the same access and relied on much more simple ingredients
Edit: idk how to dm mods, but let me know if that breaks rule 2
I mean, the issue is that most people are ok with that, not just users, but hey. If lemmy is about to grow it would benefit the animals to create a strong vegan culture here from the start
Just joined yesterday and it seems like these communities are pretty empty. Is there a bigger one somewhere?