The Vegan Thread

I certainly agree with tynan that the legislation seems like a bit of a sledgehammer to crack a nut, certainly in the case of veganism. I don't think that there are many instances of discrimination against vegans. I don't believe that a lack of catering for vegans counts as discrimination except where vegans have no choice, as in the prison example. It will, however, cover those instances of discrimination, and I must admit that I don't know how this sort of thing would best be treated other than by an Act of Parliament--I don't think that starting with lower-order directives would really cut it.

A friend of mine once said: 'If you have to talk about rights, something's already gone wrong.'

I think that's correct, and that, moreover, the proliferation and formalisation of rights does lead to a creeping conflict with personal ethics and personal responsibility.

However, having said that, anti-discrimination legislation has worked very well in some areas, such as disability, where there has traditionally been a lot of discrimination. It doesn't remove the need for hard work to reduce discrimination alongside it, but it's a useful cornerstone and I've experienced it as very highly beneficial in my work in the sector.

The key concept to understand about 'equality' legislation is not, I think, 'equality', but inclusion or inclusiveness. For instance, building regulations now specify measures to make access to buildings inclusive rather than specifically aimed at benefiting disabled people. This is because it benefits everyone. For instance, a wheelchair access ramp with a shallow and even gradient will benefit people making deliveries to a building. It is triggered by the discrimination inherent in having inaccessible buildings, but can be made to be something much more positive.

The key aim, I think, is to maximise agreement on what is universally beneficial. It's not going to lead to agreement in all areas, much as that might not even be desirable, but it's a decent objective.

(Quite apart from discrimination, I would certainly make the point that good vegan catering is more inclusive than parcelling out the catering between different dietary tribes. The vast majority of people can enjoy vegan food. Some people might say that that would be discriminating against omnivores, as they would have no choice but to accept the vegan catering. However, there are very few omnivores who have ethical objections to eating vegan, and there is certainly plenty of evidence about the health and other benefits of a (more) vegan diet. The proposed legislation, of course, would not cover this sort of case, not only owing to the absence of discrimination against vegans, but also because vegans would be adequately catered for by separate catering, as above.)

Bit of a drama queen as it looks like your injury is not that bad ;p