I'd like to refer you all to a statement issued by Leslie Cross, VP of The Vegan Society, in 1951. The statement titled, "Veganism Defined" was issued to "clarify the goal towards which the (vegan) movement aspires."

http://www.ivu.org/history/world-forum/1951vegan….

A couple excerpts –

"The object of the Society shall be to end the exploitation of animals by man"

"'The word veganism shall mean the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals."

"The effect of this development is to make veganism unique among movements concerned with animal welfare. For it has crystallised as a whole and not, as are all other such movements, as an abstraction. Where every other movement deals with a segment – and therefore deals directly with practices rather than with principles – veganism is itself a principle, from which certain practices logically flow.

If, for example, the vegan principle is applied to diet, it can at once be seen why it must be vegetarian in the strictest sense and why it cannot contain any foods derived from animals. One may become a vegetarian for a variety of reasons – humanitarian, health, or mere preference for such a diet; The principle is a smatter of personal feeling, and varies accordingly. Veganism, however, is a principle – that man has no right to exploit the creatures for his own ends – and no variation occurs."

I think this statement is important because A) it makes crystal clear the distinction between vegetarianism and veganism and B) many people today who identify as vegans (like, say, certain leaders of "the animal movement") promote welfare reforms that assume that it's acceptable for humans to use other animals as long as they're treated "humanely". This is clearly not consistent with the vegan ideal, as expressed by it's originators. I think it's crucial that, if we identify as vegans, we should understand the original aims of the movement and advance them without compromising or undermining them.

Happy weekends, everyone.

Peace