Why Is Vegan Is a Trigger Word?

Veganism: a Trigger Word

My first encounter with the terminology trigger word was in high school English class. It is a literary device used in literature—go figure—to provoke intended emotions in the audience. Some examples of a trigger word include powerless, mournful, and despicable. The word's purposes are to lay down the framework and set the tone for the theme or message that the author aims to illustrate. In the scenario of creative literature, the tool is used to get a reaction that is mutually beneficial. People enjoy reading books that involve their emotions, and writers want people to enjoy their book. It’s a win-win. Now, for the word veganism and vegan, it is a different scenario that is, however, connected to this one the underlying concept of a trigger word.

Vegans are judgmental.

Being a vegan is not easy. I am not talking about the diet aspect of it. I am talking about dealing with people. When the word vegan is mentioned, people are triggered. I think it could be for a few reasons. They may feel like the vegan or vegans in general are judging them for their lifestyle. And this very well may be true because like any large group of people there are many different personalities that cannot possibly be described in one word. Therefore, some of them might be judging you. It’s not necessarily a vegan thing, though. They might just be a judgy person. A lot of meat eaters are also big judgers and it has nothing to do with their diet. For whatever reason, maybe it was an encounter with a vegan in the past, people seem to think they are judging and get defensive. Just remember, one or few out of a collective does not define one group.

Vegans are attacking my lifestyle.

Another emotion people get is anger. It sometimes mystifies me that people are so emotionally invested into what I eat. Why are you angry that I am trying to do something good for MY BODY and support a cause? It’s mind-boggling really. Then one day I realized that isn’t really about me at all. Okay, maybe a little—but really it isn’t! People occasionally get upset because a person’s diet is something that is a very sensitive topic. Being vegan is a statement that, for whatever reason—there are a lot of reasons people go vegan—this person thinks the eating principles you have grown up on are wrong. They are saying, I know your mama and your teacher told you it is a necessity to consume milk every day for strong bones; but they are wrong. That could feel like an attack, definitely a trigger. But really this is just my guess. I obviously have no idea what goes on in other people’s minds, but would love to learn about topics such as this.

And also, their food is bad.

The final emotion triggered by the word veganism is dismissiveness. Not the dismissiveness you may be thinking of, though. I don’t mean they throw the thought to the back of their mind because they could care less whether or not you are vegan. I mean they dismiss the food that you are serving them as bland, tasteless, or flat out weird. Not everybody does this, but most people develop a closed mind about a dish upon discovering it is vegan. If it is not good, that is because the food was vegan and all vegan food is bad. It cannot be simply because that person doesn’t know how to cook or has not mastered a recipe. Maybe it simply didn’t suit the person’s taste. If the same person were to try a non-vegan dish (also known as just a dish) they would not assume it is bad because all non-vegan food is bad. Why don’t they hold the same attitude toward vegan dishes? I don’t know, you tell me. If you eat a bad pizza, are all pizzas bland, tasteless, and flat out weird? My point is don’t knock it until you try it. One interesting thing I have noticed over the years is that if you tell someone you made a biscuit from scratch and to try it, they will do it without hesitation. Tell them you are trying some new vegan recipes and made it; many people will refuse to try it all together. They won’t even try it and proceed to complain about how bad it is and how they can never be vegan.

I know the statements I made do not apply to all meat and dairy eating people; however, it applies to a good amount. I just wanted to start a conversation about this and maybe learn from someone why people have the reactions they do because I do not know the answers.

@theveganchic