I don’t think that veganism can ever go mainstream, and it’s because of vegan culture. Here’s why.
To clarify, my argument (see full here) doesn’t address the philosophical side of veganism (which I totally agree with) rather, and this might seem strange, but I want to address the politics of veganism in the 3rd world (especially in the middle east)...
I came up with this criticism/argument to create some discourse to try and find possible solutions (if any).
Now, plant-based foods are actually cheap and constitute most of the staple foods consumed by the Middle Eastern population, a la fava beans, falafel, and Koshary in Egypt, sabaayad in Somalia, dolma, and taboola in Syria and Iraq
Yet when pitted against meat, vegan foods mean nothing in the face of a good meaty meal, this sentiment propagates the idea that meat means status, if you’re financially stable, it means you’ve got meat in your fridge, meat became something people aspire for.
Promoting veganism on the premise that it's cheaper doesn't work either, because it fails to address the reason as to why financially poor people should stop aspiring for meat, because to them, meat isn't merely a flavor on their tastebuds, but rather, it gives flavor to life.
To clarify, my argument (see full here) doesn’t address the philosophical side of veganism (which I totally agree with) rather, and this might seem strange, but I want to address the politics of veganism in the 3rd world (especially in the middle east)...
Why?
While they don’t consume the most amount of meat per capita (They still kill an unholy number of animals), this area is of significant interest because -given their perception of veganism (which is a perception largely influenced by vegan activism)- THEY ARE THE LEAST LIKELY TO EVER STOP.I came up with this criticism/argument to create some discourse to try and find possible solutions (if any).
So here’s why veganism will never break into the middle east...
- Eid Al Adha: A “festive” holiday where +300 million sheep, cows, goats, and camels are sacrificed as per what the Islamic Religion mandates. (see full history here).
- There is a complete lack of insight when it comes to understanding what meat means to people in the middle east…
Now, plant-based foods are actually cheap and constitute most of the staple foods consumed by the Middle Eastern population, a la fava beans, falafel, and Koshary in Egypt, sabaayad in Somalia, dolma, and taboola in Syria and Iraq
Yet when pitted against meat, vegan foods mean nothing in the face of a good meaty meal, this sentiment propagates the idea that meat means status, if you’re financially stable, it means you’ve got meat in your fridge, meat became something people aspire for.
Promoting veganism on the premise that it's cheaper doesn't work either, because it fails to address the reason as to why financially poor people should stop aspiring for meat, because to them, meat isn't merely a flavor on their tastebuds, but rather, it gives flavor to life.
I know this sounds dim but until someone from the vegan community finds an answer, veganism is limited to 2 outcomes:
- Either vegan activists will have to adopt an anti-Eid narrative, which means that you’re basically attacking the Islamic religion
- Just stick to converting western omnivores to veganism (which is great) while completely staying out of the Middle East area, which is not great.