MAR 19, 2010: Vegetarians who wear leather

Why is it that some people think that vegetarianism should be an "all or nothing" phenomenon? Why is it that some people (especially carnivores, but some vegans as well) see vegetarians who wear leather as hypocrites not to be taken seriously? Just because someone hasn't gone all the way in one's belief system doesn't make them a hypocrite. The realization of the suffering of animals is a step-by-step process for many people out there. Every step we take in the right direction is a good step, a positive step. Every step in the right direction should be applauded. Although not ideal, it's still better to be a vegetarian who wears leather than a carnivore who wears leather.

We don't subscribe to the "all or nothing" idea. When someone tells us that they've cut down on their meat consumption by 50% because of what they read on EFFA, we think it's great! Of course we realize that the ideal thing would be to stop eating meat completely. But we'll gladly take 50% over 100%. Vegans don't wear leather, and many vegetarians don't either. There are more and more options out there for people who don't want to wear leather. However, we don't think that just because someone hasn't stopped wearing leather means that the rest of what they stand for has lost it's validity. Every vegetarian has made a very important commitment, taken a very important step in the right direction, a step that most people out there have not taken, and will likely never take. Think about that before passing judgement.

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