Blast from the past: the Alicia Silverstone debate continues
After discussing my last post, Vegan celebrity: do as I say, not as I eat, with a few people it became obvious that I may not have written it as clear as I thought. So, I’m glad I came across this piece that seems to say a few of the points I wanted to make a little better than I did.
Alicia Silverstone’s admission to cheating on vegan diet harmful to the cause (thisdishisvegetarian.com)
As this post says, Alicia’s actions are magnified because of her position in society. It is this position that I was trying to discuss in my post, but I guess I missed the mark.
Of course, the comments section on that post is mixed as well, and they also post another article with an alternate view:
Alicia Silverstone cheats on vegan diet with dairy as her downfall (thisdishisvegetarian.com)
So, it’s not that I’m shocked that Alicia is not perfect. The problem and concern I have is what such a senseless action as nibbling on cheese just to avoid being “icy” will have on the media who already prefer to play vegans as the preachy, staunch buzzkills. Sure, it may allow a few vegans and veg folk to relax when they slip as well, but what about all those people who will wonder if there is really any conviction to our actions if one of the more well-known vegans in the world admits to not being able to avoid eating a piece of cheese at a party?
Honestly, how hard is it to reach for the crackers instead? Sure, they may not be vegan, but claiming ignorance is a lot less dicey than simply choosing to ignore so much that you have educated people about in the past.
