Ⓥ Love Vs. Want (Video)

I did my animal rightsy post in the form of a video, this time.

Ⓥ Gets Me Every Time

I am probably the most jaded, desensitized, pessimistic person I know. Nothing really surprises me anymore; nothing really gets to me. Other people hear news stories about death, cruelty, injustice and become very upset about them, but not me. I know how the world is and, though I do want to help stop these things in any way I can, I am not remotely surprised when they happen.

Naturally, the things that always bothered me the most were instances of cruelty toward animals, but even those have ceased to be as powerful as they once were. I have seen so many images and videos, and read so many stories of the horrible things that happen to animals in our world that they no longer impact me the way they did before. They still provoke a sense of sadness for the animals and anger toward the humans responsible, but the feeling is sort of superficial now.

In a way, this is probably a good thing. If I felt the full extent of every terrible thing that humans do to animals, I doubt that I would be able to function at all. However, I still feel a pang of guilt every time I hear about these things and am able to just brush them off. I feel like I should feel these things more deeply; I mean, nothing I could feel seeing pictures of torture could ever compare to what the animals feel having to live through it. I just don't anymore though. I still care. I still desperately want to make things better for them. But I don't feel their pain the way I used to.

There is one thing that still gets to me though; one thing that still brings out a strong emotional response. That thing is children reacting to cruelty toward animals. Many of you have probably seen various videos going around the internet of very young kids learning that the food they are eating came from an animal (or similar situations), and being absolutely heartbroken about it. In some of these videos, the parents respond with compassion, but in others they seem to think of the whole thing as a joke. Either way, I can't help but be deeply moved by these videos.

I think there are two reason why they affect me so much, when nothing else does. First, this is the only situation in which I see anyone respond to the horrors of animal abuse with an appropriate level of revulsion. Children have not yet been desensitized the way the rest of us have, so they are able to react in the way that we all should, when faced with such awful truth. Seeing them feel the pain of this realization so deeply gives me some hope that someday things may actually change. Second, as glad as I am that these children have seen the truth, and as hopeful as I am that, because of that, they may truly be able to make a difference in the world, I can't help but feel sad for them. There is something inherently awful about watching someone's illusions about the world being shattered. They will never be able to recapture the innocence they once had; they will never again truly believe that the world is a good and kind place. I only hope that other people are as deeply affected by these videos as I am, and that they will be inspired to change the way they treat animals. Then, at least, these kids can grow up to know that they have made a difference and the pain they felt was not for nothing.  

I honestly think this is one of the most powerful videos I have ever seen. There is nothing gruesome, just pure, honest emotion and the love and compassion of a child for his friend.

Ⓥ Abusive Relationship

Someone in one of the vegan groups I follow on Facebook posted a video, a while back, that really got me thinking about body image in our culture. I know I've talked about this before ( a few times, I think) but, hopefully, this is a slightly different perspective on it. I shared the video at the bottom of the page; you should definitely check it out, if you have a chance. 

The basic idea of the video was that there are all of these video bloggers who are promoting unhealthy ideas about body image, and telling girls how to lose weight in unhealthy ways. They condone everything from extreme calorie restriction to diet pills, and pretend that these things are totally acceptable. The video also points out that many of the followers of these blogs are very young and these women are helping them to develop destructive habits very early in life that are likely to cause serious health problems later on. 

I have heard this argument many times before, that our culture puts too much pressure on women, and especially young girls, to be skinny and that it creates a whole society of women who hate their bodies. This video had a slightly different take on it though. Instead of just telling us to love our bodies as they are, he recommends a different set of bloggers who offered advice on healthy ways to take care of your body. These people tell us to eat better food, not less food, and advise their followers to keep their bodies healthy, not skinny. 

I think this is something that needs to be discussed more often. It seems like our culture has two setting, when it comes to body image. There is the group that tells you that you need to be skinny, and there is the side that tells you to "love your body". Well, I agree wholeheartedly that we should love our bodies, but I feel like that means something else to me than it does to most people. It seems like a lot of people who claim to "love" their bodies, don't really do a whole lot to take care of them. 

To me, claiming to love your body while depriving it of the things it needs, like healthy food and exercise, sounds an awful lot like an abusive relationship. Saying "I love you" while abusing or neglecting the one you claim to love is not really love. If we truly want to love our bodies, we should absolutely stop starving them and hating them for not looking the way we want them to, but we should also do what is necessary to keep them healthy, like giving them proper nutrients and exercise and not filling them up with foods full of chemicals, grease, sugars, cholesterol, and other nasty things. 

Another thing to consider when talking about loving your body is the fact that our bodies aren't these separate things that we can observe from a distance. Our bodies are us. Whether you believe there is more to us than our physical bodies or not, I think we can all agree that, at least for the duration of our lifetime, we are inextricably tied to our bodies. So loving your body, also involves loving yourself as a whole. To me, this means being the kind of person who I can love; doing what I know is right. 

As far as I'm concerned, giving my body what it needs to be healthy and giving myself what I need to feel good about the person I am (mostly) come down to the same thing, veganism. Animal based foods are bad for our bodies, our minds, and our souls. They contribute to (if not outright cause) a multitude of illnesses, force us to ignore the basic facts about these products to justify continuing to eat them, and cause a sense of guilt and shame that we may not acknowledge but is there just the same. 

So, please check out the video and think about your own feelings about your body. You can decide for yourself what it truly means to "love your body" but try to remember how you express love in any other situation. Then ask yourself if the relationship you have with your body is really one of love or of abuse. 

Ⓥ The Price of Success

Most people probably don't pay much attention to this, because it just doesn't seem particularly relevant to them, but vegans tend to keep a pretty close eye on the companies they support. We like to buy from companies we can believe in. When you do start to pay attention, you notice that formerly animal-friendly companies are constantly making decision that go against everything that they supposedly stood for.

Recently, there was a slew of non-animal testing cosmetic companies that decided to begin testing on animals so that they could sell their products in China, where animal testing is still required by law. You would think that selling in every other country in the world would be good enough, but these companies decided that missing out on the profits from that one country was so unacceptable that they would rather sell out not only the animals but also all of their loyal customers who care about animals.

Then, of course, there are all the vegan food companies that get bought out by larger companies that also sell animal products. I suppose this isn't quite as bad, because those particular products are still vegan, but it just feels so much more ethical to buy from a company that is completely committed to protecting animals than to a vegan sub-section of an abusive conglomerate. Not to mention the fact that if these people were to hold onto their businesses and slowly expand them, they might eventually be able to put the corporations built on animal products out of business.

The problem is that, for the most part, the second a company starts to make money they inevitably decide that they need to make more. And most of them are willing to toss their morals out the window to do so. It's just so strange to me that it's so easy for people with very little money to put their beliefs and values first, but those who experience some level of success forget what was once so important to them.

Why is it easier for people to stick to their beliefs when they have fewer resources than it is when they have more? You would think that it would be easier to commit to a cause, knowing that you have more to offer and less to worry about. If you knew that you had plenty of money to get by, wouldn't you think that would make you more inclined to use the excess to do some good? This doesn't seem to be the case though.

I would understand if we were talking about different sets of people here, people with more money vs. people with less money. Maybe people who have successful companies have a certain level of selfishness that prevents them from committing to a cause? But that's not the case. These are the same people who started out trying to do the right thing and then later decided that the right thing wasn't so important anymore. My question is, how, and why, does this happen? Why is it that success make people forget everything they once cared about?

I ordered this online and was really excited when I got it, and saw the packaging. This ^ is on the front, and on the back it says "Teach peace. Be nice to mice!" I thought "Any company that prints that on their products has to be completely ethical, right?" Well, I looked them up, and it turns out they also make glue traps (for bugs, not mice, but still.).

Ⓥ Compromises

I try my best never to compromise when it comes to my beliefs. I make a point never to do things that I will have to feel guilty for later. I am especially strict when it comes to matters of animal rights; I am probably one of the pickiest vegans in the world. I do everything in my power to avoid harming any living being, even the ones that many other vegans don't take into consideration (like various "pests").

Unfortunately for me, I live in a place where compromise on these issues is often necessary just to get by in society. I think one of the necessities of the animal rights cause is to attempt to spread the message that animals deserve better than the way our society treats them, to as many people as possible. However, it is simply not feasible for me to be open about my feelings about the treatment of nonhuman animals here. I have to deal with people on a daily basis who are involved in animal exploitation, in one way or another. At work, I end up talking to hunters, farmers, breeders, and even people involved in rodeos. I can't exactly tell these people what I think about the things they do. I'm pretty sure I would get fired, and it really doesn't seem like a good idea to get on the bad side of everyone who lives in my area.

As much as I hate the activities encouraged by this culture, I do still live here and therefore am required to deal with the locals, whether I like it or not. I feel like, in the long run, it's probably better to be "the vegan girl who gets along okay with everyone" than to be "the angry animal rights activist who antagonizes her neighbors". I still don't like it though. It's not that I actually believe I could change their minds if I did tell them how I feel, but it still feels like a betrayal of my beliefs to stay silent.

As if dealing with this in normal social situations isn't enough, I have to face it even more because of Riley and Tuni. There aren't exactly separate stores for people who want to buy feed for rescued farm animals, and if there were they certainly wouldn't be in West Virginia. This means that every time I have to buy pig food, I have to interact with other people who are buying food for farmed animals, and not one of them is doing it for the same reason I am.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, sometimes no matter how hard you try not to, you do have to make compromises, even when it comes to the things that matter most to you. I can only hope that someday this will not be the case, but for now I can see no way around it. I tell myself that, as long as I stay true to my beliefs, it doesn't matter whether I express those beliefs to the rest of the world or not. I'm not certain that I really believe that though.

Ⓥ Moral Absolutes

I have found that I seem to have a very different view of morality than most people. Many things that others find to be completely unethical, I don't really think are all that important. I seem to be much slower to judge people for "bad" things that they have done than other people are.

The truth is, I think that the world exists almost entirely in shades of gray. Everything we do, we do for our own reasons which other people will never truly be able to understand. So to judge the actions of another person objectively is nearly impossible; we can never know what led a person to make a particular decision, or what goal they had in mind when they did it. For that matter, judging our own actions objectively is nearly impossible; we never know what implications our actions might have on those around us, or whether we even made a certain decision for the reason we thought we did.

That being said, I do believe that there are a few (though only one that I am absolutely certain of) moral absolutes in this world. I do believe that a few things are truly wrong, no matter the circumstances. I have some ideas about what these things are but, as I said, there is only one that I know for sure. The one moral absolute that I believe in wholeheartedly is this- To cause the unnecessary death or suffering of an innocent being is always wrong. I do not feel that this is something that can be debated. I do not believe that there is any argument that can be made against that statement.

Are there times when killing can be justified? Yes. Are there times when torture can be justified? Perhaps. Are there times when killing the innocent can be justified? In rare situations, when it is crucial for the greater good, probably. Are there times when harming the innocent, when there is no need for it, can be justified. No. It's that simple.

So this is why I'm so deeply dedicated to veganism even though, in many cases, I may seem to have less concern for what is or is not ethical than the average person. I feel like our society, as a whole, spends far too much time judging, and punishing, and berating people for doing things that really aren't that bad. All the while, we completely overlook the truly unforgivable things that are happening everyday.  

I still don't actually believe in good and evil though.

In Conclusion

Seriously, just this one last thing and then I'll move on, at least for a while. There is this idea that seems to be fairly common, that things like wearing makeup and shaving your legs are inherently somewhat oppressive to women. I disagree. To be honest, I can't really decide who got the short end of the stick on the whole makeup thing. I mean, yeah it kind of sucks that women are expected to look all perfect all the time. When I think about it though, I'm pretty glad that I get to wear makeup. I feel so much better about myself with it and, if I were a guy, I wouldn't be able to get away with wearing it. As girls, we get to basically paint ourselves to look however we want. Guys are pretty much stuck with what they've got. Unless, of course, they're actors.  

Okay, so Supernatural is not exactly the most feminist show on TV. Holy fuck do I love it though!  

Also, I think instead of women not shaving their legs, guys should have to start shaving theirs. I mean come one guys, body hair is pretty gross; and I, for one, don't want to touch anybody who is all furry anymore than you do. Just saying. 

Furthermore

This is actually sort of old news, but it pissed me off at the time and I was just thinking about it and thought, since I'm on this whole feminism kick the last few days, I might as well write about it. A while back I found this article about how magazines are now starting to Photo Shop models to look "healthier." Well, I don't if that's a good thing or a bad thing really. It seems to me that if a model is so thin that magazine editors think she looks unhealthy they should just encourage her to actually get healthy, but whatever that's not what this post is actually about.

The thing about the article that pissed me off was the picture of Cameron Diaz. Now, don't get me wrong, she is very thin. However, I don't think that she is unhealthily thin and it looks to me like what they really did was not to make her look "healthier" but to make her look more traditionally feminine. They smoothed out all of her muscle tone and made her look more soft and curved everywhere. One of the things they say they did to the photo was to smooth out the "bony definition" on her hip. I would think that people who make their living taking pictures of people's bodies would have some understanding of the human body. That isn't her fucking hipbone they smoothed out! It's the muscle that runs over the hipbone (the obliques, maybe?), and it will only show up like it does on her if you do a shit-ton of sit-ups! In the original photo, she did not have the type of body you get from starving yourself, which is what the article makes it sound like, she had the type of body you get from working your fucking ass off. I don't know how she felt about it, but if some magazine shooped out all the work I had put into my body and then claimed that they did it to make me look healthier, I would be kicking someone's ass and, in the original photo, she looks like she is more than capable of doing it.

And Another Thing....

To continuing the discussion from last night, another thing that I don't really agree with about our society's current idea about feminism is this whole "body acceptance" movement. I mean, the idea behind it is great and all, but I think we're going about it in entirely the wrong way.

It seems to me that telling women to accept their bodies just as they are is sort of the opposite of empowering. Let me explain. The problem with our ideas about our bodies (at least in my humble opinion) is not that we want to change them; changing our bodies requires will-power, hard work, dedication, commitment, all of these are good things. The problem is that we want to change our bodies into what society tells us they should be. I see absolutely no problem with people wanting to be the best they can in every way. We should not be telling women to accept their bodies as they are, we should be telling them to make their bodies what they want them to be. I think there is a great sense of empowerment that comes from watching your body change and become better due to your hard work. That is something that we should be cultivating, not discouraging.

I, personally, don't believe that I will ever stop trying to improve my body; I'm just not the type of person who is ever really completely satisfied with anything. That in no way means that I don't appreciate the progress I have made though. I feel good about all the work that I have done, and all the benefits I have gained from it. This is not because I look the way society tells me I should (because I don't look the way society tells me I should) but because I look more and more the way I want to everyday. I feel that, instead of telling each other to accept our bodies the way they are, we should be telling each other to decide who we want to be, and do whatever it takes to be that. Myself, I'm sort of going for the "warrior woman" look.

"Have you ever been with a warrior woman?" 

Helpless or Bitchy?

So, my dad and I have been watching Angel lately. Tonight we watched the episode "Billy". This was the episode with the guy who had the (really lovely) power to make any guy he touched become a woman-hating psychopath. Anyway, it was a very feminist episode and, whenever I think about that sort of thing, I always find myself analyzing the different perspectives on feminism and what it means to different people. I know I have talked a little about this in the past, but I think I have a slightly different idea about this stuff than most people do. For example, overall I thought this episode was great, but there where a few things that really bugged me. One was this scene with Cordelia and Lilah where Cordelia convinces Lilah that she should help them because she is a "vicious bitch" and that no vicious bitch would ever put up with someone making her feel helpless. That bugs the shit out of me! I feel like that tends to happen in A LOT of shows. The girl is either, at least somewhat, helpless or, at least somewhat of, a bitch. No one seems to know how to write female characters who are both strong and pleasant to be around. I feel like we need to try a little harder to let women know that you don't have to be an asshole to be strong and take care of yourself.

One of the things I did really like about the episode though was Cordelia's sword fighting, because something that frequently irritates me about "strong female characters" is when you watch them fight and you can tell that, yeah the character is strong but the actress playing her isn't. I thought Charisma Carpenter looked like she could do some serious damage.

The Middle-ground

You know what I think really fucks us over the most in our lives? The middle-ground. We are, or at least I am, always searching for that safe, comfortable space between one extreme and the other. The problem is, sometimes we just are extreme. We think that trying to have the best of both worlds will make things better, but really it just makes us crazy and frustrated.Trying to negotiate between the different aspects of ourselves, our lives, our wants and needs is nearly impossible. The most aggravating thing though is trying to negotiate our true selves with society. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am constantly trying to tone down certain parts of my self, exaggerate other parts, and completely fabricate more parts than I would like to admit. I'm starting to think that maybe, instead of always trying to make things work together, I should just pick a side and commit to it wholeheartedly. Basically what I'm getting at here is that I'm thinking of moving into a cave. Fuck society!

I did an image search for "middle-ground" and found this^. It just seems appropriate somehow. 

I Totally Forgot!

I just realized that I completely forgot to write my annual, angry, vengeful, Thanksgiving post. Many of you may not know this, but I have had multiple different blogs over the years; all of which have ultimately been left by the wayside. Wherever I happen to be writing though, I have always managed to write a post condemning Thanksgiving, every year. Somehow, this year, I just forgot to do it. I didn't do anything for Thanksgiving this year and neither did either of my parents. So it really just seemed like any other day. I also didn't spend much time online yesterday to see all of the Thanksgiving Facebook posts. Then today I woke up and thought "Shit! Yesterday was Thanksgiving and I didn't even take the time to bitch about it!" So basically, you guys got off easy this year. Don't expect it to happen again.

Fuck Thanksgiving and everything that it pretends to stand for, but doesn't really! 

Dissatisfaction

I know I have spoken to people about this multiple times, but I don't think I have actually written a blog about it. I can't remember for sure though so, if I have, sorry.

Anyway, this may sound stupid but I truly believe that the source of 99% of the dissatisfaction our society has, with life in general, is too many choices. We have all been told, from the time we were children, that we can do whatever we want with our lives. This sounds great, in theory. However, when you feel like you can do anything it creates this pressure to do the right thing, the best thing, to make the right choice. We feel like, anytime we're not completely happy with our lives, it must be because we made the wrong decision somewhere. Furthermore, some of us (like myself) become completely paralyzed by the pressure to make the right life choices and end up stuck doing something we know we don't want to do because we're afraid to commit to a decision. "But what if I do this, and it turns out that I should have done that?" I truly believe that human beings were better off when we didn't have so many options. Back when every decision we made was life or death, it was easy to know which decision to make. Plus, it gave our lives purpose. If we make the right decisions, we survive. That was the definition of success. Now we have to define success in these strange, obscure ways that we don't even understand half the time. "If I have a nice car, I'm successful." "If I get promoted, I'm successful." "If I can afford a house, I'm successful." "If I make more money than that other guy, I'm successful." or, in my case, "If I feel fulfillment, I'm successful." I think we should all just go back to growing our own food and forget about all this "You can be anything you want" bullshit.

The people in Dollhouse had the right idea. The world, as we know it, came to an end. So they just started their own little self-sufficient community where they grew their own food and took care of each other. I think they all seemed happier that way too. 

Epitaph

For the sake of the planet and all of the beings who inhabit her, I really hope that humans get their shit together soon. I feel like there is a good chance that we're on a direct path for our own destruction and if we don't make some changes soon, we are going to ruin everything for everyone. For my own sake though, I sometimes hope that they just go ahead and burn it all down. The things is I just don't feel, and never really have felt, that I was built for this world. I sometimes think that I might thrive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. I sometimes think that a good struggle for survival might be just what I need.

Mayhap there is a weird depressing poem in here somewhere? 

Also, the title/image are Dollhouse reference, just so you know. 

20 Thing I've Learned from Working at Goodwill

1- People are assholes.
2- It is possible for people to be very nice and also be assholes at the same time.
3- There is apparently nothing in the world more desirable that second-hand jewelry.
4- People read "We accept donations" as "Bring us ALL your trash"
5- It is possible to develop a seething hatred for clothes hangers.
6- The most annoying people have no idea how annoying they are.
7- You can always spot the people who are buying things to resell.
8- You can also spot the people who have never worked in retail.
9- Cashiers are VERY near the bottom of the social ladder.
10- Dressing rooms are not just for trying on clothes they are also for building massive structures comprised of clothes, hangers, knickknacks, and various other paraphernalia.
11- Everyone wants to be the first one to get a look at the new clothes being put on the racks, even if the "new clothes" are actually old clothes that you are trying to take off the racks.
12- No matter how much something costs there will be people who will be thrilled about it and people who will bitch about it.
13- Some people always need to have something to bitch about.
14- "Not-for-profit" companies don't give a shit about their employees any more than big, evil corporations do.
15- There need to be plus-sized hangers for the plus-sized clothes.
16- If someone is willing to work for almost no money, there is probably a reason for it.
17- Some people will donate anything.
18- Some people will buy anything.
19- If you give people no money, and no respect, they will give no fucks about just walking out and never coming back.
20- There are some seriously strange people in this world, and the people with the shittiest jobs are the ones who have to deal with them.

Just Embrace It

Today, my dad, my sister and I were talking about people having to choose between doing what they want to with their lives and living up to society's standards. I think a lot of people feel that they can't be who they are, or have the kind of life they want, because other people would look down on them. My thought on the whole thing is this; be who you are, and embrace it. If you don't want to sell your soul to some evil corporation just so you can make a lot of money, then don't. Please don't, but also don't be ashamed that you don't have as much money as your friends who did sell their souls. If you feel like you are less than them because you don't make as much money, they will also think of you as less than them. However, if you are proud of your choice and you accept the fact that you may have to live a more modest life because of it, they can't look down on you. I'm fairly certain this system works in almost any situation. For the most part, people are assholes. They can tell when you're ashamed of something, and they will take advantage of that. As long as you are unashamed, you can do damn near anything you want and they can't say anything to you. I know this from personal experience. Mayhap I will go into greater detail about how I know at a later date.

.......is basically what I'm saying

Slut-Shame

I have noticed a lot of talk lately, within my social (media) circle, of "slut-shaming". There seems to be a pretty large movement, as of late, to put an end to this practice in an attempt to free our society of it's double-standard when it comes to sexual activity. I agree with this movement to some extent. However, I happen to believe that there is more to it than most people seem to acknowledge. Personally, I feel that which, and how many, people a person chooses to have sex with is entirely that person's business and in no way reflects on any other aspects of his or her character. For example, let's say I met this really cool, interesting, kind-hearted, intelligent woman with lots of interest and causes that she cared about. I truly wouldn't care the tiniest bit if I found out that she likes to fuck five different guy a night, because that's not who she is. On the other hand, someone who has no interests, no real personality, and nothing else to identify her by, who sleeps with a lot of guys ends up being defined by that one trait. So yeah, I believe that is something to be ashamed of, especially if you go along willingly. Basically my idea about slut-shaming is this; there is nothing shameful about being a "slut" the shameful thing is being a slut and nothing more.

Regardless of her job, I think she would have been a cool person to hang out with. Now Kiki, on the other hand.......

P.S. I think my Dollhouse references make even less sense to the average person than my other TV references.

Too Close

We all look at ourselves too closely. We lean toward mirrors and meticulously inspect every wrinkle, every pore, until the flaws are all we can see, until our faces and our bodies no longer make sense to us. We pick ourselves apart one piece at a time hoping desperately to exchange each part for one of another size, another shape, another color. We walk through our day bartering with those around us, silently begging them to trade us their lips, their eyes, their flat stomachs, never knowing that at the very same time they are frantically searching for someone to give them bigger breasts, thicker hair, or longer legs. Because you see, it's easy to look perfect from a distance. We view others from across streets, across rooms, or across tables and wonder how it is that they mange to be so beautiful. But we seldom get the chance to see ourselves from far away. We are so focused on every little detail that we barely even know what we look like as a whole person. Every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror that I didn't know was there and for just a moment I think "Who is that? She's pretty." Then I look closer and realize that it's the same girl with the big nose, and the bad skin, and the stomach that always sticks out just a little, no matter how many sit-ups she does. We look at ourselves too damn closely. If we could just take a few steps back, maybe we could all see how beautiful we are. But we can't, because we are all flawed structures built for the specific purpose of slowly tearing ourselves down. It's what we do. It's all we've ever known.

^This picture means it's a poem, just in case you forgot. 

Zombie Love Story? Yes Please!

Tonight I finally got to watch Warm Bodies. I have been wanting to see it since the first time I saw the trailer. I don't know, I just loved the whole concept of it and, I must say, it lived up to my hopes. It was a highly original story, that was both funny and touching, with great social commentary. Plus, I just can't get into romantic movies unless they're really twisted in some way; one of the people being a zombie did quite nicely for me. It also gave me a bit of hope for my future romantic prospects. I mean hey, I can't be as socially awkward as a zombie right? Right!? Shit...........

If I Ever Have Kids

First of all, let me just clarify that this is highly unlikely to happen, but if it does I will;
1- Adopt them, mostly because I don't feel that it is ethical to bring any more children into the world when there are already so many who don't have families. Also because the entire pregnancy/childbirth process is rather horrifying to me.
2- Tell them that they are adopted and explain to them that it is a good thing and nothing to be ashamed of. I think it's ridiculous for people to treat adoption like some horrible secret.
3- Raise them vegan, obviously.
4- Tell them why they are vegan from a very early age.
5- Teach them to appreciate nature instead of spending all of their time indoors like most kids do today.
6- Talk to them like they are adults. I hate it when people treat their children like they're stupid.
7- Let them wear whatever the fuck they want. Kids don't care about appearances and people should let it stay that way as long as possible.
8- Give them crazy, unique names. I am partial to Darien for a boy (which I got from Darien Fawkes of The Invisible Man, my first fictional love) and Serenity for a girl (which I actually thought of before I ever watched Firefly, but I do kind of like the idea of naming a girl after a ship).
9- Encourage them to do whatever it is that they love doing no matter how weird, impractical, unconventional, etc. it may be.
10- Teach them to fight from the time they are old enough to go to school, just in case any of the above leads to them getting picked on. I would so much rather have kids who get in trouble for standing up for themselves than kids who are miserable because they don't know how.