Photo by federico stevanin
A subculture is a group that differentiates—in actions, values and/or beliefs—from the larger culture to which they belong. It can be argued that veganism is a vegetarian subculture, but I believe veganism is a subculture to society as a whole. By abstaining from the consumption of animal products or refusing to support factory farms on which animals are misused, we are going against the grain of the rest of our society, a society that has been taught from a young age that eating and mistreating animals is “normal.”
The typical American eats an abundance of meat and dairy, despite the fact that animal-based foods - and dairy especially - are high in cholesterol and can cause a slew of problems including food allergies, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, lactose intolerance and osteoporosis. Yes, osteoporosis—dairy can weaken our bones. The majority of Americans would balk at that statement. Why? Because it has been ingrained in us that animal-products are essential to a healthy diet. And who have been our teachers? When you peel back the layers the answer is clear…the meat and dairy industries.
These powerful industries have spent billions of dollars on marketing campaigns, “studies” and “educational” material that sell us the same message and confuse us about basic nutrition. In tirelessly promoting the idea that meat and dairy make us strong and healthy, these industries have been simultaneously sending an unspoken message; that avoiding meat and dairy will make us unhealthy. That vegans can’t possibly get enough protein – or iron – or calcium – without these products. That following a plant-based diet is difficult, dangerous and expensive.
The meat industry has, for years, cranked out slogans promoting meat as the essential source of protein and/or nutrition. Some of these ads feature sports stars—strong, healthy public figures claiming that meat makes them strong. Slogans include “Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner,” “Real Men Eat Meat,” or the odd “Pork: Be Inspired.” The most ridiculous of these is the Beef Landscape campaign featuring beef-shaped terrain with the message “Discover the Power of Protein in the Land of Lean Beef.” These slogans show that meat is what is socially acceptable, and following that line of thinking, that avoiding meat is not.
Of course, the dairy industry is also known for their misleading slogans. Remember those mustache-filled Got Milk campaigns? How about the weight-loss campaigns featuring milk as a slimming superhero, and the most recent—and perhaps most ridiculous—“Everything I do is Wrong” campaign, claiming that milk relieves PMS and so not only should women drink it, but men should support it as it means they won’t have to deal with a moody wife. This last campaign is not only unfounded but also completely offensive—I will save that rant for another time.
We are a media-saturated society, and growing up surrounded by these pro-meat, pro-dairy campaigns has had a direct effect on what we choose to eat, and how we view nutrition. The support of government through outrageous subsidies only makes this message more powerful – and that’s a big topic for another article. Suffice it to say, you can bet that if we had been raised with campaigns screaming, “Beans; Chock Full of Iron” or “Soy; The Protein Machine” we would be whistling a different tune about what equates to a balanced diet.
So what can the vegan subculture do to reverse this assumption that meat and dairy are nutritional superstars, and that a diet that avoids animal products is an unhealthy, or unaccepted, one? Educate, educate, educate. We know that a balanced plant-based diet is better for our bodies, the earth and fellow beings than an animal-based one. By reaching out to those around us and working to dispel these meat-ridden myths, we can pave the way for the next generation to be one that is not confused by veganism, one that understands how to implement a plant-based diet while not only maintaining but improving their health.
