Welfare vs. Rights, SuperVegan Style

Yesterday, for all those not in possession of a calendar, was April 1, a.k.a. April Fool’s Day. This is the one day of the year you are permitted–if not expected–to play a joke on those near and dear to you. I did not partake in the tradition of the day, as I’m not a fan of doing things when everyone else does them (it nullifies the surprise quotient).

Perhaps the best April Fool’s joke I’ve seen was by Jason Das at SuperVegan.com regarding Olivia Lane (also of SuperVegan) deciding she would no longer be a vegan. Ditto for Post Punk Kitchen‘s Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  You’ve got to read the post for yourself, and don’t forget the comments, where some real debate leaks from between the sarcasm and the uncertainty about the truth(iness) of the post.

Even though the post is a joke, it contains kernels of wisdom about the oftentimes-tiresome, yet necessary, welfare vs. rights discussion. Let’s deconstruct:

• I like that Jason has Post Punk Kitchen’s Isa "unwrap a slice of Kraft cheese and add it to her own (vegan) burrito," rather than having her eat meat. That would have been too easy and way too vegetarian.
• And I LOVE that Peter Singer gets airtime as someone other than a hero, and Kathy Freston, who came from nowhere and is now mainstream America’s voice of veganism, gets indirectly mocked, as well (hey, it is national joke day. I’m allowed to enjoy mockery.).
• Isa takes the welfarist position that it’s possible to "responsibly produce" animal products, yet she claims she’ll maintain her branding as a vegan and "won’t be turning her back" on the vegan community. Does any of that sound familiar?
• Perhaps the funniest part was Olivia’s quote: "I’m tired of all the infighting in the vegan community. There’s no judgments at Popeyes!" Truth hurts.
• The comments contain an interesting discussion on whether it’s okay to eat Kraft cheese if you find it on the street (kind of like the dumpster diving debate).
• The disappointment of "fans" who are angry that their role model is hypocritical smacks of how rights people feel about Singer, John Mackey, and others.

Sometimes it’s easier to hear a message when it’s presented as a joke. Yes, there will be people who will be shocked and offended. But the best kind of comedy is the kind that touches a real nerve in a real way, and makes you think.