The Third Leader: Green giants
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Vegans, we report, are on the increase. They also deserve the respect that is owed to those who pursue a belief, in this case the right of other creatures not to be bothered by us, whatever the hardships and sacrifices, such as being denied a hamburger, or tripe. Why, then, do they not always receive it?
If it's because such vigorous, rigorous conduct makes us feel uncomfortably inferior - a good test here is your reaction to either of the Ladies McCartney - then it's time we grew up. The envy of the weaker disguised by scorn or sneer is never attractive.
I suspect that it's principally one of those outdated image things, a matter of lentils and sandals and such. I can see, too, that attempts to improve the PR would be inconsistent with a philosophy based on a brave refusal to compromise, even though, on a lamentably trivial note, I, for one, would feel much happier if health-food shop assistants could manage a smile, occasionally.
No, we will have to work on ourselves. Some positive role models, therefore, who, at the very least, denied or deny themselves meat: Plato, Voltaire, Milton, Tolstoy, Doris Day and Bryan Adams. If you feel a bit more edge would help, there is always Pythagoras, Da Vinci, Shelley, Van Gogh, Uri Geller, Mick Jagger (imagine how much worse he could look!), Carl Lewis, and a couple of clinchers, I feel, in this area, Scars, the Sydney anarcho-punk bassist, and Masta Killa, the Wu-Tang Clan rapper.
So, a salute from the weaker to the stronger, together with a resolution to be braver in the health-food shop, perhaps next week.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments