Q: Can you tell me all the kinds of vegans there are?
A: Hmm, let's see.... There are big, small, old, young, tall, short, gay, straight, thin, fat, single, married, wealthy, poor, Asian, Black, Hispanic, White, brown, "green," Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Muslim, agnostic, atheist, democrat, republican, socialist, capitalist, leftist, rightist, liberal, conservative.... Well, you get the picture. There is no one kind of vegan.
The term "vegan" was created in 1944 by a small group of people in England who broke away from the Leicester Vegetarian Society to establish the world's first Vegan Society. Donald Watson coined the actual term by combining the first and last parts of the word "vegetarian" because, as Watson stated, "veganism begins with vegetarianism and carries it through to its logical conclusion." The group championed a totally plant-based diet excluding flesh, fish, fowl, eggs, honey, animals' milk, butter, and cheese. In addition, they opposed the use of animal-based commodities and encouraged the manufacture and use of alternatives. Their mission statement asserted that the elimination of exploitation of any kind is necessary in order to bring about a more reasonable and humane society and emancipate both humans and animals.
In 1960, the American Vegan Society was founded in the United States by Jay Dinshah. It fully supported (and continues to support) the precepts of the British Vegan Society, advocating a totally plant based diet and lifestyle free of animal products.
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Contrary to vegetarianism, veganism was founded on deeply held ethical convictions that espouse a dynamic respect for all life. This philosophy unifies vegans everywhere, regardless of superficial differences. Hence, a vegan from one part of the world can relate to and empathize with a vegan from another part of the world despite their disparate culture and language.
There are no such entities as "part-time vegans," "partial vegans," or "dietary vegans." People who merely consume no animal products, including no eggs, animals' milk, or honey are not vegans; they are "total vegetarians." Until one's commitment extends beyond the scope of food, the word "vegan" does not apply, regardless of how the media or certain individuals wish to employ it. Unlike vegetarianism, being vegan does not entail simply what a person does or doesn't eat -- it comprises who a person is.
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