Do you agree w/ this essay about veganism?

Question

Why Honey Is Vegan

http://satyamag.com/sept05/greger.html

This essay has had a big impact on the way that that I talk to others about veganism. Do you agree or disagree with the author's ideas and why or why not?

Answer 1

I don't see how it makes the farm animals like chickens and pigs get in those crates. Explain it to me by clicking on my picture, and going to my profile. When you get there, you will see a thing that says "E-mail Agent Brett", click on it and e-mail me.

Answer 2

"We may be hurting animals by making veganism seem more like petty dogmatic self-flagellation." -Greger

[rant]

I agree that some people take veganism to an extreme, and as a byproduct of that they indirectly hurt animals.  In my own (and probably not very well received) opinion, vegans should avoid meats, dairy, and eggs in their diet... that's it.  Becoming fanatical about the content of natural and artificial flavors, dyes, etc. that make up less than 1% of what you're consuming seems counterproductive to me.  Veganism should be about doing the most good for animals.  The biggest way to help animals is not to just stop eating them yourself, but to teach others so that they may decide to become vegetarians/vegans.  Alone, a person can do next to nothing.  Together, we can achieve greatness.  Being fanatical about Red 40 does not make people want to give veganism any credit, it only allows them to write you off so they can continue their habits.  Until we've solved the bigger problem of meat production, it's stupid to focus on whether or not our naturally flavored bagel might have a gram of whey in it.  It's also important to remember that we can't achieve perfection with veganism in our society.  It's not going to happen.  If you're fanatical enough to keep a big list of ingredients you can't have, then it would make you a hypocrite to shop at any store since the delivery trucks' tires were processed with animal byproducts.

[/rant]

To quote a friend, "I'm a vegetarian, not neurotic."

Answer 3

Just to be on the safe side, I use Agave Nectar instead of honey.  It's awesome!  Try it :-)

Answer 4

I eat honey...I have never felt it explained well enough why as a Vegan I could't/should't.  I use it instead of sugar which is run through charred animal bones.  I figured it is the lesser evil.  I have not found brown rice syrup and other "sugars" are very expensive.  I also use turbinado....but honey is very yummy especially in some recipes...like chocolate chip cookies...it just adds a depth.

Answer 5

Wow that article was very interesting. In all honesty I don't feel the same about insects as I do about other animals. True bees are technically classified as animals, but I can't help but feel a lesser connection to them.

I don't use honey any more, but if something has trace amounts of honey in the ingredients I don't usually shed too many tears. It's fine if we choose not to eat honey, but I don't know if we should be enforcing this so strictly in the "unwritten vegan handbook". My theory is, avoid the honey topic at all costs when discussing veganism with others. If it does come up, and you don't eat honey just don't dwell on the honey issue. Mention it and move on.

I don't know if I completely agree with the Author, though he does raise some interesting points. Honey is such a grey area. I still enjoy my agave nectar, but I can't help but wonder.... how many insects were killed in the production of the nectar?? Would there be less or more killed in honey production?? In the end I think it's up to personal preference whether or not we should eat honey. But I don't know if I would go as far as saying by opposing honey we are damaging the vegan cause.

Very interesting point of view though.