Just Another Preachy Vegan
What does 'preachy' actually mean?
As I've said before the last thing I wanted to do when I took up veganism was become 'preachy'. We tend to throw around the term preachy with a negative conotation without a real understanding of what it actually means to preach. Of the 5 definitions of the word preach provided by the Oxford English dictionary two are explicitly linked with religion, two describe action or advocation based on an individuals beliefs and only one principally relates to the way someone acts or imposes their beliefs from a judgemental or self-righteous way. Why is it that on the whole we believe someone who advocates or campaigns for a vegan way of life to be 'preachy' from a negative standpoint. When I first took up veganism and made the
unconditional statement I was not to become preachy what was I really suggesting? That I'd made my decision based on my own judgement and to explain, argue or teach my beliefs in any way was prohibited on the grounds I may offend someone else or affect someones opinion of me? Right now given my experience and my own research I feel i have an obligation to help spread the truth about veganism and I'm compelled to help others I love and respect to make up their own minds when given the objective evidence.
If we look at the definition of preach as ''earnest advocation of a belief or course of action'' why is it that the word preachy is brought up so much more in relation to vegan activism and discourse as opposed to mental health awareness, feminism, human rights, sexual orientation, addiction support, education etc etc etc. We rarely describe a human rights campaigner or a gender equality campaigner as being preachy. Why is this? I have a theory I'd like to discuss at more detail at a later date so please stay tuned : )
But in short i'd like to sum up by just saying I no longer believe preaching to necessarily be a bad thing. If you are preaching or can we now say ''earnestly advocating a belief or course of action'' that you believe has the potential to positively effect the life of the planet, the lives of millions of living beings on the planet and the individuals themselves then why not take pride in the word and pride in your convictions. I am proud to be 'just another preachy vegan'.
