Tuesday, October 20, 2009

(Former) Celebrity (Non) Vegans

OK, so the title of this post is on its way to looking like a math equation. I had to pipe in for a second to go off on a tangent from my recent post on the cons of attaching any significance to celebrities self-identifying as vegan. Back in June, I'd written a blurb about former Blossom star Mayim Bialik and of how in an interview with Celebrity Baby Blog, she'd stated:

I’m technically a vegan, but I do eat egg if it’s in things. And that’s how we raise Miles, too. I cook meat for my husband, which is Kosher, but we don’t have a vegan house, just Kosher house that has vegan options for everyone.
This morning, I read on the Vegetarian Star website("Mayim Bialik: Politically Incorrect Vegan") that Bailik is once again describing herself as vegan, although she admits not doing so around real vegans (or rather, what she seems to imply are merely "politically correct" vegans):
I don’t call myself vegan in political vegan circles, because I do eat eggs if it is in something, or dairy if it is in something and I taste it, it is okay with me. Our son is raised pretty much the same. As I said, in political circles, vegans don’t consider me vegan, but I don’t eat dairy or eggs, or fish or anything with a face or a nervous system. If I am around vegans, I say I am a vegetarian who doesn’t eat dairy or eggs. I also don’t wear leather
Blossom, sweetie, actually adhering to a definition isn't about being political or politically "correct" -- it's about being consistent. Adhering to it and stating that you are doing so isn't about being political, either -- it's about being honest. If vegans don't "consider" you vegan, it's because by knowingly consuming animal products you are not a vegan. It's not a question of politics; it's a question of understanding very basic statements of fact. I also hate to break it to you that calling yourself a "vegetarian who doesn't eat diary or eggs" in the same breath as just having stated "I do eat eggs if it is in something, or diary if it is in something" and saying that you're OK with it... Well, I'm a little worried about you're ability to disassociate your descriptions of your actions with your actual actions. I'm sure that there's a technical term for it that some therapist or other could provide for you. It would somewhere between your being a "liar" and your being "delusional".

Furthermore, shame on the
Vegetarian Star for taking off running with this with and trying to undermine basic honesty and consistency with its passive-aggressive endorsement of Bialik's feeble attempt at excusing her BS by falling back on the old political correctness cliché and then trying to goad its readers by asking: "What are some of your politically incorrect vegan habits?"

4 comments:

Lucas said...

"WHOA!"

Niki said...

Ugh. What does that even mean? Vegan who doesn't eat eggs and dairy unless it's in something?? Insane. Does that mean eggs are ok if they are in eggs benedict? Or in an omelette?

Elizabeth Collins said...

Alright this is getting out of hand. This is worse than I thought. Good on you for finding this stuff out and letting us know! If it wasn't bad enough we have to deal with "vegearianism" being promoted by supposed representatives of animal "rights" now we are having this terrible misinformation being put out there too. Veganism is now being perverted. This is unacceptable, as unacceptable as someone who rapes once a week calling themself a "politically incorrect non-rapist". I think it is becuase people are "going semi-vegan" (i.e not being vegan but SAYING THEY ARE ANYWAY) not because they take nonhuman animal rights seriously but because of extremely vague sentiments of "reducing suffering". Hmmm. I wonder who is responsible for that?

Vanilla Rose said...

Has anyone told her that she is NOT a vegan? Or how insulting and unhelpful it is that she keeps insisting she is, yet admitting she is not?