Jordi Casamitjana, the author of the book “Ethical Vegan”, explores the power of the word “NO” in the veganism philosophy, the lifestyle it generated, and the transformative socio-political movement that sprung from it
It was my favourite thing to do.
When in early 2002 I became an ethical vegan, my life became very exciting. I felt so good having got rid of my most obvious cognitive dissonances (you know, those that made me work in animal protection while, at the same time, consuming products derived from animals) and finally aligning my behaviour with my principles. It felt so healthy to remove animal foods from my diet and realise that my body was not craving them, but was happy to get plants and fungi instead. It felt so good to be part of the veganism movement that could significantly help solve all the global problems that worried me so much.
However, the best part of it was that I felt empowered. I felt, in my bones, a whole new energy to fight for those in need and deflect the “dark forces” of carnism that were trying to derail me, silence me, and control me. This is why one of my favourite things to do during the first months of being a vegan was to reject the products that society was trying to make me buy and consume.
Those first months I used to go to shops and supermarkets, and I would pick up products I already knew were not suitable for vegans, just so I could reject them there and then. I would go to the length of reading the ingredient’s label, patiently waiting to find the bits with the “eggs”, “milk”, “honey”, “whey”, or “gelatine” I already knew were there, and then, as if I just discovered them at that moment, I would say out loud “NO”, and I would put the product back on the shelf where I took it from, rejecting it with all my heart.
Doing this again and again through the supermarket alleys gave me a strange sense of having regained the power society had denied me when I was indoctrinated into carnism from childhood. I finally was free of that indoctrination, and the proof was in how easy it was for me to reject all these animal-based products, despite all the millions the brands selling them had spent on designers, marketers, and advertisers. Such was the power of the word NO.
I want to dwell a bit more on this word because I realise that some vegans and pre-vegans out there are a bit scared of it and they don’t want to use it that much — buying into the marketing and communications overplayed narrative that we should always be “positive”. If you are one of them, perhaps this article will interest you.
Social Movements Saying NO to the Status Quo
I never felt its power more than on the 15th of February 2003. That day, I joined one million people in London in the Stop the War Coalition march, which claimed to be the largest political demonstration in the city’s history. This was part of a coordinated day of protests held across the world in which people in more than 600 cities expressed opposition to the Iraq War. On my way there, I saw many people carrying placards with one simple word: NO! At one point, I arrived at the Thames and joined the many protestors there — already density-packed chanting slogans and waving banners. After a few minutes of slow advancement through the march, a wave of shouting coming from the back reached our location. Hundreds of thousands of people were just shouting NO, NO, NO!! I joined in, and the world shook.
I could not contain my tears. The power of such a word was so palpable, that it overwhelmed me. How such a simple yet strong word could move people to shake the world was something I could vividly experience in my flesh as much as in my mind. The short but profound vibrations of such vocal negation went through my body as if I were just a blade of grass in a windy meadow.
The power of saying “NO” has been a driving force in many of the world’s most significant revolutions, where people have collectively rejected oppressive systems, unjust practices, or foreign domination. For instance, the American Revolution (1775–1783) was a social and military mobilisation to say NO to British colonial rule and taxation without representation. The French Revolution (1789–1799) was saying NO to the monarchy, feudal privileges, and economic inequality. The Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) was saying NO to Slavery and French colonial rule. The Women’s Suffrage Movement (late 19th–early 20th century) was saying NO to the denial of women’s right to vote and exclusion from political participation. The Indian Independence Movement (1857–1947) was saying NO to British colonial rule. The Russian Revolution (1917-1923) was saying NO to the Tsarist autocracy and capitalist exploitation. The Irish War of Independence (1919–1921) was saying NO to British rule in Ireland. The Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949) was saying NO to Dutch colonial rule and Japanese occupation. The Cuban Revolution (1953–1959) was saying NO to US-backed dictatorship and economic inequality. The Iranian Revolution (1979) was saying NO to the Shah’s autocratic rule and Western influence. The Civil Rights Movement in the United States (1950s–1960s) was saying NO to racial segregation, Jim Crow laws, and institutional racism. The Velvet Revolution (1989) was saying NO to Communist one-party rule in Czechoslovakia. The Arab Spring (2010–2012) was saying NO to authoritarian regimes and corruption in the Middle East and North Africa. The #MeToo Movement (2017–present) is saying NO to sexual harassment and assault (No means NO).
There have been socio-political movements that may not have led to successful revolutions yet, but which were also based on uncompromisingly saying NO to something. The Green Revolution in Germany (1970s–1980s) was saying NO to nuclear energy, pollution, and environmental degradation. The Chipko Movement (1973) was saying NO to deforestation and the exploitation of natural resources in India. The Standing Rock Protests (2016) were saying NO to the Dakota Access Pipeline and environmental degradation of sacred Native American lands. The Anti-Whaling Movement (1970s–present) has been saying NO to commercial whaling and the killing of cetaceans. The British anti-hunting movement (1970-present) has been saying NO to the hunting of wild animals with dogs for sport. The anti-bullfighting movement (1910-present) has been saying NO to bullfighting and the abuse of bulls in spectacles and cultural fiestas.
Every time that people fought to try to improve the world, they used the word NO as the glue that joined them together to change what was wrong. A word that unifies like no other.
Veganism as a Transformative Socio-Political Movement
Throughout history, the effects of the word NO have been noticeable. For better or worse, this word has changed so much in many parts of the world because perhaps it is very ancient and primal. It could be that “no” was the first word humans thought before having learnt to speak when moving their heads to the side after their mothers offered them unwanted food when they were still babies.
Being able to reject something we don’t want is a very primal skill, which very much started with the appearance of the first sentient beings who had a nervous system, allowing them to choose. Probably, the first sentient thoughts were “NO” and “YES” — and I would venture to say that the former preceded the latter. So, verbalising the NO is a very ancient way to communicate, so when we are all synchronised in expressing it on the same issues, this can create an exponential effect that can fuel revolutionary political and social change.
Veganism is now a transformative socio-political movement, so it must use this word to change the world. Since the Vegan Society was created in 1944, this is what we have been doing. We have been saying NO to harming other sentient beings for any reason. We have been saying NO to the exploitation of any sentient life. We have been saying NO to speciesism and the oppression of animals of any Class, Family, species, race, population, or group. We have been saying NO to the indoctrination of Carnism and its devastating effects. We have been saying NO to the abusive patriarchal societies oppressing marginalised victims of any community, race, or species. We have been saying NO to the violation of nonhuman animals’ rights and the tolerance of cruelty. We have been saying NO to the destruction of the habitats and homes of creatures all around the world. We have been saying NO to the presence of animal products in any food, clothing, fashion accessories, furniture, medicine, cosmetics, household products and activities. We have been saying NO to meat, milk, eggs, and honey when offered food.
The word NO can move masses and change the world, so it’s a word we must use with pride and determination. The veganism movement must say NO to the current social and political status quo, which is a world designed by carnists to oppress and exploit others. If we all say NO together, we could save the world.
A Positive Lifestyle Saying NO
Veganism is one of those “isms” which has the privilege of having an official definition, as the word “vegan” was created in England in 1944 by the Vegan Society, which spent several decades perfecting the definition of veganism. Now, since 1988, we have the finalised official version:
“Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practicable — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms, it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”
The concept NO is engraved into this definition, although in a fanciful form: “seeks to exclude.” This is another way to say “reject”, “be against”, or, essentially, “saying NO to” something. This is the most important verb in the definition, covering most of it. From the two remaining verbs, “promotes” and “dispensing”, the latter could also be seen as an expression of saying NO, in the form of “using without” or “getting rid of”. Additionally, although the definition says veganism “promotes” the development and use of animal-free alternatives (a positive verb closer to “YES”) the elements to promote have in themselves another NO embedded in them, as animal-free is another term to mean “without animals” or “NO animal ingredients”. So, as we can see, veganism does not take the form of a “positive” philosophy suggesting to people what they should do to follow it, but of a “negative” philosophy suggesting what they should NOT do: participate in any way in any form of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals (human or otherwise).
That’s OK. There is nothing wrong in being “negative”. There is nothing wrong with basing a philosophy on NOT doing something. There is nothing wrong with basing an ethical system on showing what is not acceptable or is not moral. This is, in fact, a much more effective system than one based on a “positive” YES, because by focusing on the NO you allow people to have the freedom to behave in any way they want to, as long as they do not break very simple basic rules. The use of negative principles is a much more egalitarian, democratic, and libertarian way to guide people’s behaviour in a respectful but tolerant way, so we should not be put off by seeing more “negativity” than “positivity” in any ideology, philosophy, or moral framework. On the contrary, this is a sign of not being too draconian, idealistic, unrealistic, or restrictive.
Imagine the opposite. Imagine a philosophy that dictates what you should precisely do at all times and in all situations. One that lists every behaviour that you must do. Imagine an ideology that tells you that you must eat meat every day, that you must consume eggs to be healthy, and that you must drink milk to have Calcium. Or that you must only use medicines that have been tested on animals, that you must wear clothes made of wool or leather, that you must kill wildlife to enjoy a day in the countryside. That ideology does exist, and it’s called carnism, which could be defined as “The prevailing ideology which, based on the notion of supremacy and dominion, conditions people to exploit other sentient beings for any purpose, and to participate in any cruel treatment of non-human animals. In dietary terms, it denotes the practice of consuming products derived wholly or partly from culturally selected non-human animals.”
Veganism is saying NO to Carnism
Veganism is the opposite of Carnism, and therefore its definition reflects the negation of the axioms of Carnism. Axioms are statements of conviction that define a philosophy, the kind of principles followers of such philosophy believe to be true regardless of evidence. In the case of carnism, the main axioms are, “ 1) violence against other sentient beings is inevitable to survive; 2) we are the superior beings, and all other beings are in a hierarchy under us; 3) the exploitation of other sentient beings and our dominion over them is necessary to prosper; 4) we must treat others differently depending on which types of beings they are and how we want to use them; and 5) everyone should be free to do what they want”.
The axioms of veganism reflect the word NO in the sense that they reject every axiom of carnism. Veganism’s main axioms are
- VEGANISM’S FIRST AXIOM: THE AXIOM OF AHIMSA: “Trying not to harm anyone is the moral baseline”
- VEGANISM’S SECOND AXIOM: THE AXIOM OF ANIMAL SENTIENCE: “All members of the Animal Kingdom should be considered sentient beings”
- VEGANISM’S THIRD AXIOM: THE AXIOM OF ANTI-EXPLOITATION: “All exploitation of sentient beings harms them”
- VEGANISM’S FOURTH AXIOM: THE AXIOM OF ANTI-SPECIESISM: “Not discriminating against anyone is the right ethical way”
- VEGANISM’S FIFTH AXIOM: THE AXIOM OF VICARIOUSNESS: “Indirect harm to a sentient being caused by another person is still harm we must try to avoid”
As you can see, the presence of the word NO is noticeable: “not to harm”, “not discriminating”, “avoid”, and “anti”. The most important axiom of the philosophy comes from the ancient Sanskrit word Ahimsa which means “Do NO harm” or “NON violence”, and this is also an important tenet of many religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism (in this latter ancient religion, this concept is often represented with an extended hand with the palm up as if saying “stop”). Therefore, ahimsa is very much an elevated and scholarly way of saying NO.
The power of veganism as a philosophy comes from the power of the word NO, which allows those who follow it to reject animal products and exclude all forms of exploitation of animals. The word that allows vegans not to harm themselves, other humans, other sentient beings, and the environment. The word that gives them the power to challenge the system that is constantly telling them to do bad things.
The day you become vegan is the day you start using the word NO to do good. Don’t be ashamed to use it, because a vegan in a carnist world must be using it every day. This does not make you a negative or pessimistic person. This makes you an ethical and moral person. A person who does not stand impassive at the sight of injustice. A person who rebels against complacency and indifference. A person with integrity and decency. Saying NO to bad things is a positive thing.
NO to exploitation and oppression.
NO.
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