#but you are actively serving to benefit capitalist industries by discrediting veganism

[veganagenda]

an alternative definition I found quite fitting was "an economic and social system that encourages the consumption of goods as a means of attaining wellbeing."

veganism does none of these things. there are no products that you need to buy in order to be vegan. vegan people do not buy "vegan products," we buy products that are vegan. there is no such thing as "a vegan food," there is only food that is vegan. veganism as a practice is fundamentally based on the exclusion of certain products from our lifestyles, and choosing not to buy things if we recognize that they are produced cruelly and unethically, specifically with the intention of refusing to support and ultimately defunding the capitalist industry that enacts these practices on a massive scale, as much as is practicable to each of us.

veganism has nothing to do with "personality" or "identity." broadly speaking, we use the vegan label for ourselves simply so we can share our beliefs with each other and promote our philosophy with an associated recognizable term. in general, we don't inherently think that we're fundamentally "better" or even "different" as human beings from people who do purchase animal products. any "pride" you might be interpreting from vegan people will very likely be moreso the pride of having been able to decondition ourselves from capitalist propaganda and live a life that is truer to ourselves and our values.

we do not call veganism a "moral imperative" simply to say that we are "more moral" than non-vegans. it isn't a binary or a hierarchy. we talk about the moral imperative to ask you if you are living by your truest morals - because the animal agriculture industry has designed a system and a (consumerist) society in which we are rarely prompted ask these questions to ourselves. all because they profit directly from us remaining under their propaganda.

and - finally - veganism is not about vegans. it is about the animals. it can also be about the workers and the environment, but primarily and historically, we are vegan for the animals. not ourselves. we don't go vegan to get a shiny "vegan!!" badge that we can flaunt around. we do it because we ethically oppose the abuse and exploitation of animals - and we refuse to support it. that includes supporting it financially. our personal "identities" have absolutely nothing to do with it.

so just to recap, things consumerism might be:

marketing strategies that manipulate you into thinking your self worth, status or reputation are dependent on what products you do or do not own

the selling of things like food and medicine as "products" rather than basic necessities

advertisements for products that aren't necessities (especially products that are produced harmfully) that are designed to make you feel like they are

any amount of other things

things consumerism is, definitively not:

an ethical boycott

It is ok to be “that annoying vegan.” Veganism isn’t just a lifestyle choice, it is a moral imperative. When you make an ethical decision you aren’t just deciding that this is wrong for you; it isn’t like saying apples are nicer than oranges. People don’t believe prejudice is wrong just for them, or adultery, or abusive behavior. Ethical statements are truth claims; you are professing the belief that this thing is wrong. For everyone. It is every bit of ok to be “that annoying vegan” because that stereotype only exists to silence us.