Lets get this "where you work" topic out in the open, shall we?
can you be considered a vegan and work at a fast food restaurant?
how about a factory farm as a receptionist?
how about as a slaughterhouse worker?
does it depend on your reason for veganism?
thoughts people
also, I like to beleive, being a vegan doesnt just show I am compassionate about animals, but compassionate about people as well (as they are animals themselves)
I like to think veganism is an expression of care for the earth and everything on it.
Now granted, I have a problem with this beleif sometimes, because I believe that people have more options and chances to change their situations, as opposed to some pigs that were born to the farm that sells to Mc Donalds...and are doomed to horrible lives. They can stand up and say "umm, I didnt sign up for this, I quit" and then fly away....like Spider Pig (for meggs)
I should probably respond to this since this is at least partially directed towards me. Yes, I work in an environmen that makes most vegans (and me) cringe. Will I be doing ths forever? NO. I acquired this position years before becoming vegan and in the next two years, my boss and I are moving on and doing something else together, something not in the food industry. I think some great points have been made in this thread, so I'm not going to rehash them all but we do live in a non-vegan world and most jobs we have will profit companies whose ethics may not be the same as ours. Does being a district manager for a non-corporate fast food joint make me not vegan? I wouldn't say so, but others would disagree and that's okay with me. What the fuck kind of place would this world be if we all agreed all the time? Boring, that's what.
I hardly work these days. I substitute teach, go to school, and raise two very smart children. ;)
I agree with Laurabs, we do live in a very veg. unfriendly world. It's hard not to have some sort of connection to the cruelty of business.
My current job is as an administrative assistant at a financial information company. I commute to work via public transportation (train) at least 90% of the time and I can work from home should the need arise (due to weather / appointments).
My husband though, works for a a large pharmaceutical company in the IT department. The company does test on animals but is also one of the leading AIDS researcher. Does it upset me that our income comes from them? Yes, but it is not my choice to decide where anyone else, not even my own spouse, works. That is their own choice.
I don't want to comment on veg*nism in occupation, I just want to brag that I get to be an AV kid for my job.
I connect laptops to data projectors and whole classrooms get to learn from this. I'm a genius.
ooh and my job shirt says "AV is for Astro Van" and it has a huge astro van on it. I win.
Although my training is as an anthropologist, I am now working as an insurance CSR. Our agency is in the top 1% of the relevant very large insurance company's producers worldwide, with a modest staff of 11. I do all the maintenance and service of our commercial insurance policies currently.
We do insure lots of omni restaurants... but look, unless you're totally off the grid, and withdrawn from the circulation of money, you do support a lot of stuff that might not excite you (pleasantly). Heck, the gubment taxes you to subsidize a lot of evil. A lot, a lot, a lot of evil.
Do what makes you happy and satisfied, IMO. It doesn't matter if it's highbrow or lowbrow or what color your collar is or if you are allowed to quote Marx on the factory floor or whether you have to handle animal-derived products -- it's all a continuum, I think that few of us are perfect Jainists, and generally speaking, we're nice people here.
I should probably respond to this since this is at least partially directed towards me. Yes, I work in an environmen that makes most vegans (and me) cringe. Will I be doing ths forever? NO. I acquired this position years before becoming vegan and in the next two years, my boss and I are moving on and doing something else together, something not in the food industry. I think some great points have been made in this thread, so I'm not going to rehash them all but we do live in a non-vegan world and most jobs we have will profit companies whose ethics may not be the same as ours. Does being a district manager for a non-corporate fast food joint make me not vegan? I wouldn't say so, but others would disagree and that's okay with me. What the fuck kind of place would this world be if we all agreed all the time? Boring, that's what.
excellent, Im glad you posted secondbase, because you made me want to talk about this, but it wasnt me trying to throw you under the bus, but more of wanting to hear you explain what you did...because either I missed it the first time or it was always just hinted at. as well as just seeing what others do and how they view their jobs in relation to their beliefs
I don't want to comment on veg*nism in occupation, I just want to brag that I get to be an AV kid for my job.
I connect laptops to data projectors and whole classrooms get to learn from this. I'm a genius.
ooh and my job shirt says "AV is for Astro Van" and it has a huge astro van on it. I win.
wow, you do..thats a rad shirt
not sure it it beats the purple polo shirt I had to wear when I delivered balloons....oh, and the nameof the company waas printed on the shirt...."Helium Happies"
I should probably respond to this since this is at least partially directed towards me. Yes, I work in an environmen that makes most vegans (and me) cringe. Will I be doing ths forever? NO. I acquired this position years before becoming vegan and in the next two years, my boss and I are moving on and doing something else together, something not in the food industry. I think some great points have been made in this thread, so I'm not going to rehash them all but we do live in a non-vegan world and most jobs we have will profit companies whose ethics may not be the same as ours. Does being a district manager for a non-corporate fast food joint make me not vegan? I wouldn't say so, but others would disagree and that's okay with me. What the fuck kind of place would this world be if we all agreed all the time? Boring, that's what.
excellent, Im glad you posted secondbase, because you made me want to talk about this, but it wasnt me trying to throw you under the bus, but more of wanting to hear you explain what you did...because either I missed it the first time or it was always just hinted at. as well as just seeing what others do and how they view their jobs in relation to their beliefs
Yeah, I have no issues talking about it. Thanks for creating the thread, Adam. It's surprisingly civil in here though
maybe everyone is all argued out
I don't actually get paid for what I do (in money, that is...). I'm a stay at home Mom of two vegan kids (my boy is in kindergarten, my girl is one). I also am preparing an interactive meth prevention workshop. We will be going into high schools and spreading info and resources. When we have done it for a while, Vancouver Coastal Health will be bringing in more people for us to train so that they can go and facilitate workshops in their own communities.
That's fabulous healthymomma! Meth is SOOO bad down here in SC. :'(
Wow, healthymomma, that IS a fabulous job!
first, I congratulate you on wanting to facilitate meth prevention programs...I mean, the whole drug/criminal justice system is so wonky these days, in Canada AND the U.S....harm prevention, not repeated incarceration, really does seem like the best solution. and damn, meth is SUCH a tricky one...it's relatively easy to produce, and VERY easy to get addicted. Iowa is also in need of people like you...we're pretty much famous for being one of the top states in the U.S. when it comes to number of meth lab busts and meth junkie prosecutions (last I checked). :-\
and second, well...how do I say this in any fewer than 1,000 words? ....
being a mother (or father/guardian/care-taker, essentially) is one of the most important jobs ever, and that's a universally-recognized fact! You're raising your children vegan, and from what I can tell, you're going about it in a very intelligent and caring manner. YOU are one of those mothers that can prove all the anti-vegan naysayers wrong: it IS possible to live a vegan lifestyle and ensure a healthy life for your family, too.
...and all of this without pay...but hopefully, plenty of thanks, right? well, in any case, I think I speak for several members of the VW community when I say, THANK YOU for making such a positive impact on the world.
basically....you rock! :-*
That's fabulous healthymomma! Meth is SOOO bad down here in SC. :'(
Unfortunalely, meth is very bad a in lot of places in the U.S.
healthymomma, i commend you on your efforts!
one of my coworkers recently started using meth. :o i told her I was soooooo worried about her and she said.
"zeal, meth really isn't that dangerous. It just has a bad rap..."
:'( I wish she understood what you guys seem to.
Okay, round two of my oh-so-pleasant, NON-vegan job ranting...
I've gotten to the point where I just can't stand going to work most days....and it's weird, because pretty much everyone there is really nice to me, everyone's totally laid-back, I have the supervisors' and the managers' respect, AND they're really flexible when you need time off (hey, it's an on-campus job, they've gotta accommodate the students), so it's not like I have any problems with the people I work with.
...and in fact, the dishroom manager, Scott, is a really fun guy--I mean, he likes to blast the classic rock on the radio (to drown out the noise of the dishmashine and all that), air-guitar to Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, make jokes with the whole dishroom staff, and toss paper towel wads and grapes across the room when no one's looking...all to lighten the mood in what would otherwise be the most disgusting, soul-suckingarea of the entire dining center. And really, it works, most of the time--I can always count on Scott to make me smile when I'm working back there. :)
it's just that....ugh...I've been doing this kind of work for the past ~6 years of my young adult life. I've always been that girl with the strongest stomach, the one you can count on to do the grossest, puke-inducing jobs that not many people are willing to do...Seriously, the utter CRAP that I willingly handle, with chapped, rubber-clad hands...it's just nasty. BUT, it never really bothered me until now....
.....Now, whenever I have to wash pans of bloody, discarded raw meat bits, or the grease traps at the grill, or rotisserie racks (aka, "chicken graveyards") that come back from the kitchen, I feel like I'm going to cry...or puke...or both.
Of course, that's not ALL I do there....sometimes I bag sandwiches, baby carrots, or lettuce at our "grab-n-go" area, inevitably handling cold lunchmeatflesh at some point...
...And sometimes, I get to prep desserts, which is actually quite fun :smileside: ...of course, almost NONE are vegan...but I have been able to contribute positively to that venue: Up until, like, 2 years ago, they used to serve these cream pies that were made with gelatin (strawberry chiffon, to be exact), but they listed them as vegetarian on the main menu. It has since been corrected, thanks to my--and a few others'--constant nagging (yes, we had to NAG them just to go into the computer system and change the color classification of that particular item...wow, change it from blue to black, that's SO difficult ::) )
I've also worked back in the kitchen, prepping other food items for the next meal....and I've been able to correct more silly classification mistakes at least twice since then.....okay, A) baked beans with bacon bits are NOT to be labeled "vegetarian baked beans," duh... and B) that Worcestershire sauce just added fish bits to that "vegan" dressing, idiots. >:(
***
so yeah, despite some of these great qualities of the job, I don't know how much more I can take. I have LONG wanted to find a new job, always falling back on the dining center because of certain limitations (NEED for hours/pay, lack of car, public transport, other job skills, etc)...but I think this time around, I'm more determined than ever to find something new....hopefully, something related to my future career!
Aww, shucks! I'm just doin' what needs to get done. Someone has to do it!
Meth is really harsh and it's spreading like crazy. It is cheap and super addictive. THe crappy thing is that, with all addictions, people often don't realize that it is a problem for them. I'm gonna go and hopefully get some people to see it for what it really is before they get mixed up in the badness. If they have encountered it already (inevitably, some of them will have), well then, I'll have to do what I can to give them the resources they need to get the help they want. When they want help, that is. Also, giving a list of common ingredients has got to make anyone wonder... Like: paint thinner, drain cleaner, battery acid, ether, freon, benzene, acetone... Okay, so there are more things, it really is quite gross. I shall digress for now.
If anyone has any questions (or comments) about meth, wave and I can message you.
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