Why are Vegans so serious?

Vegans are sometimes accused of not having a sense of humor. Far from being a "general truth", what this really refers to is that many vegans don’t find jokes involving cruelty to animals and eating meat funny. I myself can think back to certain times when I would laugh at such jokes, ones that these days I wouldn’t find the least bit amusing. So what changed?

To understand why people like me don’t laugh at those types of jokes, even though we completely understand that they’re just jokes and don’t necessarily mean that the person actually harbors these feelings, one has to understand our beliefs. Namely, one has to understand the depth, intensity, and personal connection to how we view our relationship with animals. When one reaches a higher level of understanding about how unfair our treatment of animals is, one begins to empathize with their suffering, and becomes very sensitive to the injustices around him/her. It’s important to remember that for someone who has connected to this higher level of consciousness, the empathy one feels is of a deeper variety, and a personal chord is struck every time one witnesses an act of cruelty, sees animals confined in cages waiting to be slaughtered, or sees an abandoned dog roaming the street. Someone who has not attained this level of empathy may also feel "sorry" for these animals, but this feeling will not be as deep. Someone who has not attained this level of empathy may simply not understand some of our reactions, as is the case here.

Once we get to that level, where the injustices of how we treat other animals begin to strike a personal chord within us, we no longer find jokes about this funny. If you can’t understand this based on the human-animal relationship example, try thinking about other analogies. Many people who have a personal connection to injustices and violence do not find jokes about these topics funny. Most rape victims do not find rape jokes funny, nor do the family members of these victims. Most victims of torture do not find jokes about torture funny, nor do the family members of these victims. Family members of someone who was killed by a drunk driver will most likely not laugh at jokes about drinking and driving. Many people who truly love animals are as aware and as sensitive to the injustices that animals face as the above-mentioned people are about their issues. Hopefully, after reading this, people will start to question the jokes themselves, and not our reaction to them. fully, having shed some light on this, people will start to question the jokes themselves, and not our reaction to them.