animal rights
Your Ultimate Guide To : A Life of Cruelty Free
Your Ultimate Guide to : A Life Of Cruelty Free
So you’ve recently discovered or more likely taken seriously the cruel treatment of the creatures on our planet today . You want to make a change so, where do you start ?
Step 1: Thought Process
Start thinking about where you want to take this ,you now have the ability and knowledge to make a difference so how are you going to achieve this? Go big or small?
- You can start by sharing your recent found knowledge with others ,one of the key factors that actually greatly impact the implementation of a cruelty free world is your knowledge!
- By sharing what you know,people can see animal cruelty is not just some RSPCA advert before a run of Eastenders or a label to miss when buying for products.
- Having a normal everyday person understand the depth of it allows other everyday people to understand the depth of it.Now some of my friends around me are a lot more aware and actually make a habitat of defending me ,not that I need it,when someone jumps down my throat about the benefits of chicken…bitch please SCOFFS*.
Step 2: Action
You’ve shared some of your knowledge that’s great ! Seriously it helps loads ,now if you can put some of that knowledge into practice.
- People assume a cruelty free life is costly.Prove them wrong.You don’t need to go on a full 2 point 0 and turn vegan but at least try to attempt to eradicate little bits of injustice at a time.
- Skip the chicken caesar and grab an avocado and chickpea wrap once in a while.Instead of buying your usual products do some research first on the origins of those products and find out if you’re genuinely comfortable with what you discover.
- A common misconception for people is that once you’re aware of animal cruelty you have to rid of EVERYTHING not cruelty free.That’s not the case ,for some of us we’ve been living our whole lives in the dark and in order to make that change; it’s going to take time.
- So now you understand where the profits of that MAC foundation goes , what are you going to do about it? Throw it away ? No.You can’t afford this,however now you are aware of that product and you can slowly but surely start to make changes for it!
- You’ve discovered an alternative to that MAC ,it took you some time but ,you made that change. That’s already more money going towards cruelty free products now that you’ve made that purchase.
- You discover a bunch of your stuff is actually not cruelty free.Don’t panic and remember it takes time and slowly you’re making a difference.
Step 3: Target Time
It’s been a while now and you feel like you should expand the horizon a little..You want to make a bigger impact!
- Your family,they are the prime targets .They already love you ,have to put up with you,why don’t you try to inform them?
- Your attempt fails nonetheless ,you tried and you’ll try again .Now your mother is looking at that burger a little differently though ..or not. She just ordered the wrong sauce.
- So your family were a bust ,what else can you do ? Expand your knowledge ! Now is the time to actually consolidate your knowledge with hard proven facts about the health benefits of a cruelty free world.If you can’t get people to empathise for others then surely you can them to empathise with themselves,and nobody wants to soil their bodies with trash.
- Suggest going out to a new veggie restaurant ? Who wants to give up an offer of food anyway ?
- Introduce your friends to vegan alternatives ,show them they should join the cruelty free life. Entice them and show them the benefits. No one likes to believe they don’t make their own decisions but they’ll allow themselves to be influnced.Who gives a fuck ! It’s change nonetheless.
- Head back to your former targets and hit them with the hard facts .Don’t force it on them simply introduce to them to new possibilities .
- Show the people around you; this is important, and you’d appreciate them respecting that importance by at least trying to listen to you.The pity card always works…
Step 4: Influence at a higher level
You’re in a position where at work you could potentially influence a wide range of people. Or it’s the complete opposite and you have no standing whatsoever! But you know what we all have . Social Media!!
- Ok, you may not want to dedicate your whole media life to this battle but you may wish to incorporate a little dashes here and there.
- Your newest instagram post features a home-made (vegan) smoothie.Share it with the world! If you can’t impact those around you ,there are millions who purposefully want to seek out alternatives.
- Follow people with a similar message to yours and combine your powers! You’d be surprised at the incredibly friendly community online if you look for it.
- Build a following ,no matter how small the message is still reaching someone right?
- Have fun with it.Don’t make this a chore .Ultimately and foremost, a cruelty free life is simply just that. A lifestyle not some to do list.By genuinely enjoying what you do I guarantee you will receive positive results!
- You have a lot of spare time ; like mentioned before do something collaborative with another person and keep at it.It’s actually quiet inspiring for some people like myself to see teamwork in action,and for a beautiful cause it’s bound to make some noise.
Step 4: Consistency
It’s been a long while since your journey began but you’ve kept at it for this long …
- It may look like you’re moving at a snail’s pace right now ,but I guarantee that if you’re consistent .The difference made will start to grow.Now my entire household doesn’t consume dairy on a large-scale and I haven’t unleashed my full power yet.
- Now, almost all of the products you use today are cruelty free ,you’ve actually managed to make a large impact on the others around you although you may not realise it yet.
Hope you enjoyed this guys! I certainly did .Also a big thank you to natalieslovelyblog for following me and M MALMCRONA for liking my post ! It’s much appreciated .
Also ,word of advice .You need to watch Peaky Blinders .End of.
Love ,bettypancakes xx
A little guide to Cruelty Free and Vegan Makeup!
Vegan Makeup
One of the best things about having a vegan lifestyle is that you can advocate animal rights anywhere anyhow and as I’m reaching the point where I want to in-cooperate more cruelty free products in my life ? Make up is the key!
So I don’t actually wear makeup now ; nor have I ever purchased it,owned it or worn it on a daily basis so I’m definitely excited! However what has struck me is the little bit of a pickle I’ve gotten myself in.
Cruelty free makeup is pretty much available everywhere online and maybe not at your local drugstore unlike B.Makeup at Super drugs *Winks* you most definitely have a wide range of companies to choose from .However, a lot of these cruelty free makeup brands are expensive as fuck to put it lightly .For instance AfterGlow cosmetics have an Organic infused Hydra Gloss – which looks to die for .But it would be my purse making that sacrifice for £ 21.50!
Additionally the issue with providing products for all skin types remains forever incessant in the world of vegan makeup, and you’d think at least the vegan community would cater to everyone right? So obviously I was a bit dissuaded from even trying to find my appropriate shade and the task become more daunting as the image of me wearing a face of cruelty free make up slipped away.
But PETA came to the rescue with this fabulous post!
15 Vegan, Cruelty-Free Foundations for Every Skin Tone – Peta
100 % Pure immediately grabbed my attention although I was already aware of the brand, the need to buy their Fruit pigmented Black Mascara which does apparent wonders for your lashes grew ever more . However ,the issue of money still remained so I decided to search for affordable vegan makeup for black women in particular and again a miraculous post came up !
Black Up Cosmetics is Cruelty Free – Phyrra
As a result I had discovered a brand which catered to a wide variety of skin tones and was cruelty free ; if you read the post to your delight you’ll also learn that they are aware of the need to be cruelty free and will soon actively try to gain official recognition for that. So with my new-found knowledge I rushed to call my makeup partner in crime and made plans to visit my local Debenhams store which has Black Up cosmetics in abundance. I should also mention that I discovered Bare Minerals which is cruelty free however their parent company is not,where you stand on that issue is your choice but thinking about this now …it would be a great post idea for a controversial debate right?
I must admit I entered Debenhams with slight caution as it was hard to believe a cruelty free brand was right under my nose for little over a year ! And obviously because every time you enter the Beauty section in a store you ‘re faced with exceptionally stunning women so there was that as well…
However I was graced with a smile and first taken to the Bare Minerals counter to decide which shade would be best .The friendly beautician concluded that Bare Mocha Shade 20 was my perfect match and from there I was taken to the Black Ups section where I was matched in the same manner. Success ,right?
Not completely. All in all I’m not blown away at the prospect of caking myself in vegan but not completely natural products such as Black up . So I’m still searching for products with a little under 15 ingredients .
But the PETA post has a bunch of different brands you should try ! I was particularly impressed by Too Faced which is purchaseable at many Debenhams stores .Their Better Than Sex soy mascara genuinely made me laugh and the prices are extremely decent for the effect promised. It’s important to remember that the only reason a product wouldn’t be vegan is because it contains ingredients that have been derived from animals like beeswax or lanolin ,which is sheep oil made from sheep’s wool which is obtained from shearing the sheep involving cutting some of its skin-You get the gist ,don’t you?
But cruelty free is makeup that has not been tested on animals in the manufacturing process or with the finished product…Now back to the Better Than Sex mascara
Moving on to the bushy fellows on our faces ! E.l.f Eyebrow kit is your go to guys ! Honestly it’s cheap,affordable and quite accessible despite there not being any E.l.f stores around London.
You need this pronto ,the results look amazing and this kit is available through Amazon as a add-on-item no less but the price is amazingly decent ! They offer this kit in 3 shades as far as I know . So whether you’re a blonde or a brunette maybe not ginger though, yeah definitely not ginger.You should be able to find your match.
Next its lips people !
So a bunch of brands like Beauty Without Cruelty, Inika and Vegocentric offer incredible varieties of shades and textures in lipsticks and glosses .However I’m trying to show you the vegan options within large brands because for some of you who may have been using non vegan and not cruelty free makeup for years ; it may be nice to recognise which of your products from mainstream cosmetics lines are suitable for your new lifestyle !
Heard of LA Splash? Well , all of their lip couture products are vegan so they do not contain any shitty stuff taken from animals .But they are not officially cruelty free and I actually plan on emailing a bunch of mainstream cosmetic lines about their products so it’ll be easier for you guys to know whose shearing sheep and whose disturbing bees!
Right so what else do we have ? You should know that Urban Decay is completely cruelty free and they do have a bunch of vegan products you should check out!
Basic supermarket brands will most likely be vegan as they often cannot afford to have animal products in their cosmetics .
Key ingredients to watch out for in makeup ! This will be your makeup bible guys
- Albumen.
So this is a chemical taken from protein guys, so it’s taken from egg whites most of the time and used in cosmetics as a coagulant. Which is basically a sophisticated way of saying it keeps shit sticking together*The shit being anything* But you’ll find it as Albumin. - Beeswax. Duh.
This is almost everywhere ; in lipsticks, face creams, lotions, mascara, eye creams and eye shadows . You may find this as Cera Flava
- Carmine.
This is a red pigment made from the crushed female cochineal insect, disgusting right? Remember it’s a red pigment so it’s used in a lot of red/pink lipstick lipglosses and even bloody lollipops!
- Cetyl Alcohol
I’ve seen this often and to put it in simpler times ; it’s wax found in the spermaceti from sperm whales or even dolphins.
- Lanolin
I mentioned this a little earlier , it’s an oil excreted from the glands of sheep which you get from the wool. It can be found as Aliphatia Alcohols, Cholesterin, Isopropyl Lanolate, Laneth, Lanogene, Lanolin Alcohols, Lanosterols, Sterols, Triterpene Alcohols , amerchol L101, isopropyl lanolate, laneth, lanogene, lanolina Acids, wool fat, or even wool wax.
- Ambergris
Ugh. This is found in the intestines of whale and its used as fixative in perfumes so it will keep the perfume sticking to your skin.
- Collagen
You hear about this all the time, and it’s a protein taken from animal tissue that’s most often used for anti ageing products such as lotions .
- Keratin
Finally , another protein from the ground-up horns, hooves, feathers, quills, and hair of animals. And as you’ll most likely already know it’s found in shampoos and hair care products.
So I hope you gained a lot of information guys ! I definitely did ,and try to watch out for those ingredients .
Like, comment or follow only if you genuinely enjoyed .
Love,bettypancakes xx
What Should Vegans Wear?
What Should Vegans Wear?
A vegan by definition does not consume or wear any animal products,that’s a very straight forward concept to understand, right? Yet it is still a challenge today for some ,and me whether or not it can ever be justified to wear animal clothing whilst being vegan.But before you start judging , bare in mind that doesn’t mean I’ve secretly been wearing leather and scoffing my face with non vegan goodies.Have a little faith guys…
Like I mentioned before,it should be easy to just completely eradicate animal products from your wardrobe ,however, a question still remains as to what you should do with the former items you valued so dearly ,and which you might still do. Like those cute leather boots you spent ages saving for , or that old woolly jumper your grandma got you that still holds quite a lot of sentimental value-what do you do? Dump them in a bin and forget about it? Keep it to yourself and secretly feel guilty?
Quite recently ,I read a blog post by this vegan blogger who explained how she still wore leather and fur today,even after an enlightening 3 years of being vegan and she’s still going strong! Surely someone who has adapted to this lifestyle should know better than to perform such hypocrisy? It’s quite ridiculous when you think about it in earnest. A vegan who wears animal skin? My foremost reaction was confusion, and to be honest ,a slight burst of rage that someone would call themselves a vegan whilst parading around in products of exploitation and pure cruelty.I found myself frowning at my laptop screen , mouth agape in actual horror to hear how she so lovingly described a pair of leather boots she owned.And as Catherine Tate would put it ”What a fackin load of old shit!”
However upon further reading, I realised I could actually understand her viewpoint to a certain extent. In terms of animal products such as clothes etc. it needs a slightly different approach than food.Surely you can catch my drift when I say that it’s a lot easier to throw away non vegan foods than non vegan clothes,and it’s quite simply because food is temporarily there.The next week you’ll do your grocery shop again because whether you consume that food or not ,it’s going to end up being removed from your home,whether because it’s expired or because you’ve eaten it.
With clothes,it’s still going to be there and you cannot simply dispose of them in the same manner.Some of you may probably be thinking of solutions such as charity shops, and that’s fair enough but can you really afford to do that with all your non vegan items?
In my honest opinion I can understand wearing animal products whilst first transitioning because you have no choice,you can’t afford to just buy yourself a new wardrobe.I can understand not being able to throw away some items or giving away items because you still have some use for them.However I do not condone buying more animal products after you have made the change .To be honest if you still actively purchase non vegan products you should consider re-evaluating your choice of being a vegan.
See? You can understand now ..even a little bit .But what about shopping for vegan clothes?
Personally , I still buy clothes from stores that sometimes condone animal testing -simply because I don’t have a choice. I can’t afford to buy clothes from the now limitless options such as Freedom Of Animals, Della and so much more ! But that doesn’t mean you can’t get clothes suitable for vegans -it just means going into massive brands like H&M ,Debenhams,Zara ..(NO PRIMARK) .
A few tips to get you started…
Check the labels of all the items you buy,it will give you a clear layout of what your item is made from.
Slowly start to replace your clothes if you can and take your time ,when changing to veganism it’s imperative to remember it’s about reducing animal suffering not preaching purity.
- Do your research on Big Name brands in other sectors such as make up! Take Avon for instance, they were the first major beauty product manufacturing company in the UK to officially stop vivisection (animal testing) .
- Look at the companies policies and statements on the origin of their products,although almost all will manufacture animal products.Some offer vegan alternatives like Vans who’ve made completely cruelty free and eco-friendly converse.
So hope you found this the slightest bit interesting ! Follow , comment and like guys !
Love,bettypancakes
How far should your veganism go?
So lets assume all people become vegan as a result of their compassion for animals and want to make the world a better place and not for a rapid method of losing weight to get a thigh gap,even though not all vegans have thigh gaps…
But to what extent should your compassion for animals reach? Would you let a 6 figure paying salary that managed the production of meat go due to your beliefs? Would you refuse to make non vegan food for your partner? And speaking of partners would refrain from dating non vegans!?
As a recent trans-vegan ,funny way of saying it right?,all these questions are just starting to form in my head and as I meet new people and see more opportunities extended towards me,I’m starting to realise that the world ,veganism and me are separate things.It’s the world,then veganism and then me.
Lemme explain this in more detail..If I go outside in the hopes of getting a job ,its not like the criteria for said job would include being a vegan…in fact unless I pursue a profession in a animal cruelty free industry,me being vegan is not a plus ,if anything its everything but a plus.Most employers would probably categorize me as a sensitive and emotional person who refuses to sit in the same seat as someone who has a history of eating sausage rolls from Greggs…I revolve around the world not vice versa ,and this ideology I’ve created for myself in particular justifies my reason for not being a strict and extreme vegan.
I’ll admit it was difficult for me to adjust to being vegan in a animals are just seen as commodities world..For a while I refused to sit on the new leather sofa my mum had bought,and refrained from wearing my leather shoes,using my leather bag and being in the same room as meat in general.This was extreme.And it’s not like I wasn’t a rational person-I am a rational person however ,at that point in my life ,I was finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the realities of our world today.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to accept what goes on around me and move on.So how far do I go with my veganism? I don’t stop myself from sitting on leather furniture -in particular if I’m tired,and some of you might gasp in horror at this revelation but hey ,what can you do? Whether you sit on it or not,it’s still there …and some might even say that, this spectrum should be used to describe veganism but whether I eat animal products or not,I do make a difference.I don’t buy animal products in terms of clothes,beauty and personal hygiene however I haven’t disposed of my leather shoes simply because I’m not in a position where I can be effortlessly throwing out these shoes with the guarantee that I can find money on my own to buy some replacements.This on the other hand doesn’t mean I wear them,they’re just there.
I don’t plan on preventing myself from romantically being involved with someone non vegan.Sounds so sophisticated doesn’t it…? If I find a guy attractive I’ll pursue him,go out with him,get married and all that jazz. I can’t expect to find someone vegan to be with just because they’re vegan +I find them attractive.Love chooses you right? You know that wouldn’t be a half bad idea.. creating a romance novel on the struggles of a teen girl in love with the owner of a pig farm subsidising multiple slaughter houses across the country,whilst trying to stop her temptation to her meat obsessed lover…The point is ,everyone is their own person and although I can’t respect that I can neither prohibit potential relationships with that person.
I think the most difficult thing to accept for people in general who go against the status quo,despite the fact they feel absolutely justified is that they are the ones outside the box.We are the ones outside of the box and we can’t expect everyone to be outside the box,sometimes we just have to bring people from the box…
Your veganism should go as far as both you and the world allow it, as your not just vegan for yourself ,but your vegan for the world.I believe its very important for compromise to be made regardless of how ”un-pure” it may seem.A lot of people have this broad consensus that vegans are pure and almost holy in a weird clearly misunderstood way..People sometimes see us as almost afraid of being tainted by the non vegan world,when this is not the case.Veganism for most is about reducing animal suffering not purity and purifying others.
So…I hope you learnt a little something from this article and liked and followed and commented if you enjoyed it even slightly! Thanks so much for the response from the last post I really appreciate it x
Love,bettypancakes
Oh! And as always,be vegan,stay healthy….
Why the hell is honey not vegan? I mean ,it’s not like bees are exploited or anything ,right?
So what’s the dealio with honey? Why is it not consumed by vegans if it’s not the body part and food for another animal,well before we look into why let me show you this great definition of ”vegan” that I discovered from Vegetus which has , amongst other sources ”fueled” my knowledge on the treatment of bees.
First off let me introduce you to Donald Watson ,an English animal rights advocate and the guy who bloody funded The Vegan Society!!,props to you man…
So in the words of dear Watson (no Sherlock reference intended) ” Veganism is a way of living which excludes all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, the animal kingdom, and includes a reverence for life. It applies to the practice of living on the products of the plant kingdom to the exclusion of flesh, fish, fowl, eggs, honey, animal milk and its derivatives, and encourages the use of alternatives for all commodities derived wholly or in part from animals”
Which excludes honey from our diets…but how are bees actually treated? Bees create honey by taking a substance called nectar from the pollen of flowers and converting into said honey and storing it to eat during the winter,smart right ? It’s kinda like how we stock up on loads of quick easy meals that go on sale before winter ,because we become to lazy to cook when its cold and are butts are numb-anyway! Honey is food made by the bees for the bees in winter ,because there are no flowers to take nectar from .So if people eat honey which is food for the bees then tell me what do they eat ? or better yet ,what are they fed to substitute the food that humans take for their so-called benefit? And I say ”so-called” benefit because the vitamins,minerals and protein in honey are in such small amounts that it barely benefits us ,they are in such small amounts that they are the perfect amount for the bees small body mass.Perfect right? Everything works well,a beautiful cycle in nature that was inevitably corrupted by us domineering humans.
But here’s the thing,it’s only been 10,000 years that humans have been eating honey and adding it as an actual part of their diet,and even then it was a great cycle ,bees make an overload of honey from time to time ,and humans would go and takes the excess honey and both parties would be happy.It was only until the 16th century that man started to create practical cages to capture and trap the bees ,ones with moving lids to efficiently contain them for a long period time.
Some people might argue that ,in some cases not all bear in mind,the bee keepers leave enough honey for the bees.Regardless this isn’t the case because A) The honey belongs to the bee and B)The bees are killed when the keepers smoke them to remove the bees from the hive,from either stinging the keeper , or being stepped on and squashed.
Another thing to know just because you probably don’t know, is what the smoke actually does to the bees,when bees see smoke they instantly assume it’s a fire and much like a desperate human consuming its favourite meals before running ,bees do the same and consume an excess amount of honey,which makes them calm.This allows the keeper to work in a safe,controlled environment.
Second thing is bees use pheromones,these are chemicals produced by animals to provoke a specific response in others of the same species.They are used as a communication tool in the hive and the smoke masks these chemical signals and the bees become confused enough for the keeper to work.Although this does not physically harm the bees ,this is unnecessary, the idea that you have to trick the bees into taking something that doesn’t belong to you anyway!
But for most people they won’t consider the treatment of bees just because they are bees ,small insignificant beings that actually scare the crap out of them within breathing distance(this includes me also),for them the real questions depends on a beings capability to feel pain to determine if the being can have rights justifying or not justifying the exploitation of said being….
And in answer to that yes ,bees can feel pain ,a great deal apparently as they do have a central nervous system like humans.As well as pain ,some people also feel your right to live freely depends on your intelligence …. I’m not going to get into the technicalities of how capable and beautiful the work of a bee can extend to ,I mean they are their own food manufacturers ….Bees are intelligent,they do feel pain ,and they make honey to feed themselves through the winter so why should vegans eat honey let alone non vegans ?
When it comes down to it most people will turn a blind eye and ignore the ideology that beings as small and ”simple” bees are being exploited.I don’t blame them ,its something you’re not really aware about when devouring pancakes.But that’s why honey is not eaten by most vegans as some don’t see this as an issue ,its different for each person.
Tell me what you think and do follow,like and comment ! I hope you learnt a little something and share your new-found revelation about the lives of bees with your peers ,cuz I know I will …
Thanks so much guys!
Love,bettypancakes
Why don’t people eat eggs? What’s the matter with taking them?
What’s the problem with eggs?
So….eggs ,what’s the big deal? Why on earth do people still eat them if the action of taking them is so bad?
A good thing to cover before I begin is the natural process of how eggs are actually produced.Its common fact that supermarket eggs are from chickens ,and a point people should know is that chickens lay eggs regardless whether they’re artificially in-seminated or not.In the wild chickens will lay eggs even without a mate as they can’t know if the egg will be fertilized ,they lay an egg anyway ,much like human females chickens have a ”menstruation” cycle however in their case the cycle is dependent on specific breeds.For example the Plymouth Rock chicken may lay an egg at least once a day whereas a Orpington chicken could lay every other day.
The egg contains all the nutrients needed for a fertilized egg to grow ,and like humans if that egg isn’t fertilized its released.So yes, egg is basically chicken menstruation but the problem is not just that eggs are being taken,it’s that within the egg industry male chicks are seen as ”useless” and are humanely gassed or put through a grinder. Alive(Like you could kill anything humanely anyway..)They are killed because farmers do not need an extra supply of roosters to in-seminate the hens ,they already have their set,which is why millions of them are killed every year.Male chicks born without intention are seen as expendable ,in fact useless as they would be extra baggage as well as costly to look after.The point is that at the expense of having eggs ,male chicks are destroyed and it also promotes the incentive to chickens to lay an egg again after its natural cycle has ended.But first lemme explain…
It’s a common assumption to some that chickens lay eggs all year round ,and I don’t blame people who think that,I mean you do see eggs in supermarkets all year round …The thing is, farmers trick hens into thinking that it’s still spring ,as the temperature starts to drop and days are shorter ,chickens start to prepare for longs nights of sleep (on average 14-16 hours),As the winter arrives the reproduction cycle for chickens start to become irregular and inconsistent with the farmers schedule, which is obviously very problematic for the millions of people waiting for their eggy bread the following day-basically.This is bad news.By producing artificial lighting through the advanced technological development of a light bulb.Yes ,I said light bulb ,and prolonging the usual 8-9 hours of natural daylight .The Hens will continue laying throughout the winter season! Thus creating an endless supply of eggs used to create sugary goods for the upcoming holidays like Christmas ,and the tough gruelling longs days us Brit kids call Mondays (well for me former brit kid,cuz I’m vegan now….awkward) The idea is smart right ? But is it okay ? No,not really.
As well as this farmers have been known to take the eggs away from the chicken , driving the idea that the chicken has to lay more.Its an endless cycle all year round and reduces the fertile life of a chicken a lot faster than it would have in the wild ,and as soon as its reproductive life is no longer as active , they’re off to the slaughterhouse to be killed for meat.The fact is ,the demand for eggs is a lot higher than the maintainable supply ,speaking in natural terms anyway,but now a lot of you may be thinking what is the point of feeling bad if the chicken is going to be killed anyway?
The point is that people don’t agree with eating meat anyway so of course the exploitation of chickens in the egg industry is not gonna go down well.Buyers should be aware that free range doesn’t mean humane ,not only is that naive but exactly what those producers want them to think.In my opinion I’ve always asked ”Do you think it really matters whether the chicken is able to walk around a few more cm in a cage when you condone eating them anyway?” The point is the idea of free range is futile.If I am doing something wrong to a living being and I know it ,there is no way I’m going to try to make conditions ”nicer” while the being is still alive ,and all in order to show know I’m making a difference as well as showing others I care about animal welfare .It doesn’t make sense,it honestly makes no sense ,and I feel that if there is even a small part of you wanting to help then you should follow that through with as much passion as you can muster,because at the end of the day ,there’s lives at stake here and you can make a difference.
Soooo,I hope you learned a little something and actively try to learn more! Please tell me what you think and follow ,like and comment ,don’t be shy !
Thanks so much guys ,I will post soon !
Love,bettypancakes
Blackfish :The story behind the Killer Whale
Blackfish :The story behind the Killer Whale
So I very recently (less than an hour ago) watched a documentary called Blackfish that informed me of the harsh realities of how Orcas are kept in captivity, and in particular the Orcas at America’s Orlando Sea World resort.This may sound quite dramatic,but they were just that.Harsh realities ,and to say that I was shocked would be an understatement ,I honestly did not think twice of the potential critical damage that captivity had on the whales.Like most people I had this naive idea that the most damage the Orcas would experience would be collapsed dorsal fins ,and a few wounds here and there.
I never expected to find out that Orcas were incredibly intelligent beings who lived very emotional lives,in fact the documentary showed that when the Orcas were being pursued in the wild, they split up in order to protect the calf and although it failed .It was amazing and somehow unnerving seeing animals ,whom I had previously thought of incapable of displaying such emotion ,show human characteristics.
But then you wonder are they actually human characteristics? For so long I’ve been raised to be distant from animals and to accept them as animals ,a wonder to look at in zoos ,a nice topic for a documentary on a Friday afternoon in science class,a great inspiration for art class-the point is I never saw them as more and the worst part is ,that was okay.It is okay for you to see animals as a means to an end ,and when you learn about how they feel pain and suffer much like humans it completely shattered your understanding,my understanding of what animals are.So it is now why I can see why people are so reluctant to join my cause ,our cause because they’ve never had to think out of that box ,everyone is in it ,so why go out? Like most people fighting for animal rights and fighting for stopping the consumption of animals.We always wonder how you can hear about the pain and suffering without doing anything about it,and this is why .It’s because we’ve been conditioned to think it’s acceptable to condemn this,and I really hope that will change .
So aside that serious moment there Blackfish was bloody brilliant! I do hope you watch it as its available on Netflix….and I hope you enjoyed this post! This was a late one as I had graduations to attend at the sea side ,when I’m from London etc..But I hope you continue following me and sharing !
Love,bettypancakes
Why do people still eat meat ? Even when they know of animal cruelty
An important thing to realise before I begin is that the majority of people who don’t eat meat ,do this based on a religion which they have been born into.Therefore their options are already limited as within their religion it is acceptable to eat meat and use animals as their own.I will not argue with that,I cannot argue with that.Within a religion no questions need to be asked because the answer is already there.It would be worthless trying to convince a Christian or Muslim to stop eating animals because within their religion they have no reason to.Which is why they are out of the question for this debate.
Now ,moving on to the other types of people I’ve categorised as able to stop eating animals because nothing else apart from quite simply their minds is prohibiting them.
Lets separate them into different types of eaters..We have the cultural eaters these are people whose diets are confined within their culture and therefore their family. This is a family I grew up in and still live in today.Within this family the food is defined by the heritage ,where they come from,who they are ,and there’s nothing wrong with that .In fact its great to still see people celebrating their cultures while away from their home.As an African child I still eat the cultural dishes however just ”veganized” .
The next type of eaters are the people I call the free eaters these are people whose diets aren’t confined by any culture or influenced specifically by one culture.In fact their diets are made of everyone’s culture and the eat what they want.
Out of the two eaters the people must likely to change would be the free eaters,as their diet is simply free and therefore converting to a more restricted diet isn’t seen as scary simply because it is the norm for these people to eat what they want.The cultural eaters ,that’s a little bit of a different story,these are people who normally wouldn’t stray from what they’re used to ,and I don’t mean to imply that this is their character but just that it’s also more difficult for these people to change their diets because their food is defined by their family.I say this based from what I’ve seen in other families ,for example I was best friends with this girl called Eliana ,who was Colombian.I often went over to her home for meals as she would come to mine,and we always had Colombian dishes ! It was awesome to see all those different flavours which varied so much to the foods I had at home.And at every meal you can almost feel the cultural presence in the way they celebrated their heritage.
You have to understand that what one person eats everybody eats ,its like a network ,forever interlinked.Which it’s why it so hard for people like this to adopt mentalities foreign to the rest of the family,and why it’s even harder to put those mentalities into practice .For a lot of people ,they wouldn’t think of animal rights as it is the norm to eating them.There is no question about it.And the most important factor of all is that they are comfortable within that so why should they change? Even if we vegans and vegetarians or animal lovers promote animal rights.This might be why for some people they still choose to eat meat.
With free eaters ,it is a lot easier in some cases because there is not sort of category to which they eat in ,although it’s not the case in all families as everyone is different,it is a lot easier to change,and that’s why I think these people are more prone to change and would easily accept new mentalities as they choose what they want .Now ,that was just how I distinguish the dominant amount of people who , I’m saying all this in the regard that could be potentially interested ,with a person who can say ”I don’t care” after learning about the treatment of animals ,again is a completely different story.A couple of days ago I had to finally accept that people simply do not care ,and that was when I had to shed this naive mentality that once people heard the truth they would listen or even change just a little.But this is not the case
The truth has always been there ,never even hidden in plain sight as there’s too much to hide.The fact is that a lot of people who eat meat honestly don’t care about who that meat was .Its simply questions of where can I get it? Or how much ? And quite simply because that’s the society we live in today ,people don’t care to move out the box because everybody is already in the box.It’s in my eyes ,a matter of choice and comfort.They have the choice to eat meat ,and they are pretty damn comfortable eating it ,which is something that will never change if people like us choose to give up, even when the majority gives us grief for trying to change how they eat ,we are the only ones fighting for the animals rights.
I remember asking myself why should I change if everybody else doesn’t it? Then surely it’s acceptable ? I realised the answer was no.No,just because it is the norm and seen as conformed behaviour, it does not mean it’s right.By looking at events in history ,people as a society have done wrong for years and it only takes one person to see the truth or rather reduce the suffering.Which is why it doesn’t matter for now on why people still eat it but on how we can stop it and prevent and reduce it as much as possible.
I’ve learned how to deal with people who don’t care .Although it’s very hard for me to comprehend how they don’t care ,I need to learn to accept that this is how it is and it is their choice, which I cannot force .I’ve learned how to accept not respect but accept that there will be people like this for the rest of my life.I just need to never give up.Because at the end of the day .I’m still making a difference .
So I hope you enjoyed and understood where I was coming from in this post ,hopefully I didn’t anyone ,but I’m making my opinion clear,Please check me out on twitter if you have time ! And follow, comment and like if you would like to read more ! Thank you again so much to the people following me now,I really appreciate it!
Love,bettypancakes
Should Vegans Prioritise? Eating Animals VS Animal Rights
How It All Went Down
The other day me and my older brother by 9 years got into a heated debate discussing priorities within vegan-ism or specifically the treatment of animals.He was trying to convey the idea that the treatment of animals ,disregarding how they’re treated in the meat industry ,is far more important than actually not eating the animals.He gave the example of how some pit bulls will have their ears cropped off to make them look ”more attractive” he repeatedly stressed the point that this is a far more pressing matter than not eating the animals.His point highlighted the smaller issues of how animals are treated ,outside of the conventional perspective of animals being seen as food,and he thinks that focusing on the diets of people isn’t a priority,the treatment of animals are.Which may sound confusing ,but you’ll get it in a sec…
???
Whereas,my point was that there was no higher prioritising aspects in my vegan-ism ,in my opinion I believe that not supporting the meat industry and by not participating in it, is as important as focusing on the inhumane ways that animals are treated.And then if not on the same scale of importance ,then not contributing to the meat industry is more important because when I prioritize between what I stand for.I judge it based on the benefits which outweigh my decision not on how hard it is to achieve that goal.He went on to say… ”If you compare animals being forced to kill each other for entertainment to somebody having a burger for lunch ,and can’t see that it’s blatantly wrong ,I don’t know what else to say.He explained that changing a persons diet is much harder than outlawing animal hunting for instance.
For me it isn’t based on how difficult it will be to achieve that goal,as I mentioned before.The benefits for not eating meat include other many that I’ll touch on in a second.In the last year the total amount of waste produced by livestock in the US was 2.7 million tonnes ,almost triple that of the American population.All of this waste has to go somewhere right ? The waste is either sprayed on to growing crops as fertilizers ,which may seem a smart way to dispose of but is actually a health risk .A lot of diseases get carried through to the plants and the people eating those plants are then exposed.Or the waste is filled in sites called lagoons that are very prone to spilling which can cause disastrous results,for example a lagoon spilled into a lake in America last year which not only contaminated the water but also killed 10 million organisms living there.aside from that, 2,500 gallons of water is needed to raise a lb of beef whereas only 25 gallons of water is needed to grow a lb of wheat.I reckon that fact in itself is pretty much self explanatory,
All of this animal waste goes somewhere..
As I mentioned before ,for me it has never been about how hard it is to achieve that goal.The way I prioritize between what I stand for(at that moment in time) is based on the biggest reward. By not eating meat the benefits include other things aside from not contributing to the meat industry such as helping the environment ,reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released into our atmosphere,decreasing the destruction of rainforests used to grow crops for the livestock,and as well as this, saving the habitats of which countless rare species of animals reside in.If the west adopted a plant-based diet ,water deprived countries across the globe would be a thing of the past.The amount of excess water would also be more than enough to sustain the ever-growing human population.Its ridiculous to think that eating meat contributes to the rising sea levels ,which causes hundreds of people to leave their small vulnerable island homes,to which they may have resided on since man could travel.Maybe that’s too dramatic right ? Think about it.The amount of fossil fuels, which already require a lot of fuel to be dug up,are burnt and used as fuel for the transportation of animals to and from slaughterhouses.The implications from that alone over a solid period of time contribute massively to global dimming .The phrase given to describe the state in which the atmosphere has dozens of small particles that are trapping the heat produced on earth in earth.This means climate change which leads to the ice caps melting and sea levels rising ,let alone destroying the homes of animals in the far colder regions of the world .Those rising sea levels ? Cause hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their island homes.There are so many things interlinked within this issue yet only a small amount of people are truly dedicated their lives to fighting this problem.And in my opinion if its even a small amount of people doing this ,at least we’re making a difference.
Now before some of you realise this debate has been predominately bias ,in my favour .Lets move on to the opposition.My brothers point is valid ,that I will agree with ,and I am completely against mutilating living beings ,against their will, to look more ”attractive”.His point highlights that changing the worlds diet is a lot harder than focusing on the smaller scale problems.He said that by outlawing animal hunting ,poaching and bull fights (that was recently referred to as ”cultural heritage” in an article written by the PETA which you should read) should be the main focus.”You have to learn how to walk before you run”.His idea is that by getting people to see animals outside the perspective of just food ,and doing this by giving them rights will make the main movement easier.”People still see cock fights as entertainment ! That alone is crazy ! so if I were you I’d focus on that first”
His words make sense ,they make a lot of sense but at the end of the day not eating meat is personal as well as it is wise which is why I still disagree.Now, before you make a decision do bare in mind that my brother is meat eater,in fact egg is his best friend however he can still see the problems and clearly agrees with them which leads me to the focus for my next post on why people still eat meat ,even when they know and are faced with the truth?
I would honestly love to hear from you guys ! I’ll be creating a poll below so you can vote,and please follow,like and comment , I honestly appreciate it ! Oh and don’t forget to check me out on twitter if you have time ,it’s the first I’ve joined the site since my Jaden Smith obsession(which is long gone thank God) ..I promise you its a lot better.
Love, betty pancakes
Be healthy! Stay vegan!
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