Do you call yourself "vegan" or "a vegan?"
Posted by lotus42 on Mar 09, 2009 · Member since Mar 2007 · 3081 posts
Ok, so this is just a silly question I've been thinking about. When referring to your lifestyle, do you say "I'm vegan" or "I'm A vegan?" I think I usually say "I'm vegan." No article.
This girl at work (the hfs, no less) always gives me shit about being "a vegan." It kinda grates on me when she says it. I don't know...maybe because I'm not sure if she's joking or if she's really trying to get to me. Whatevs.
So. How do you define yourself?
I catch myself using both terms--but I can see how it could be irritating being reffered to as A vegan--instead of like...you know...A person...blerg. I hate how sometimes positive things can be used in such a negatice connotation...**sigh**
I usually say "i'm vegan", but i know i've said "a vegan" plenty of times.
Its more of other people saying "shes a vegan" rather than "she's vegan."
No article.
Yeah, I just say I'm vegan. If someone says, "she's a vegan" it kind of sounds like, "she's one of those...." I hear ya.
Eric Prescott's project "I'm Vegan" is obviously right, too. lol. http://www.vegandocumentary.com/
I am veggan, hear me roar. :waassup:
I think the difference is how you're using it. It can be plural if you talking about people (counting noun), but vegan can also be a single, non-plural, concept (non-counting noun).
a vegan: counting noun people
vegan: non-counting noun philosophy
No article.
+1
No article.
+1
+ 2
I guess "a vegan" sounds more like a label than "vegan", even though they both are. One's descriptive; the other makes the subject an object, which I don't like. :)
I say I'm vegan, but I've heard some other people say "a vegan". It has a sort of "us and them" quality to it. E.g.:
"She's Chinese."
vs.
"She's a Chinese."
I always associate saying "a Chinese," "a black," "a Muslim" with something that's a generalization, or better yet racist. I don't know why, but it's just got that categorization quality to it.
In taking classes about writing scientific papers, we're taught to say stuff like "addicted individuals" instead of "addicts" or "mentally retarded persons" instead of "retards." The noun denies the individual/s referred to any individuality/personhood. Yeah?
I just had a thought. Using the article with "vegetarian" sounds less strange. "She's a vegetarian..."
When I think of "a vegan" I think of that youtube video Steven the vegan where he goes "I'm Steven and I'm a veeeegan!" It sounds so silly!
I am veggan, hear me roar. :waassup:
You rock Cam!!!! <3
Well, on first mention, I say "I don't eat meat," because I don't want to give people an adjective to judge me by when I don't even know them.
When describing myself, I say "I'm vegetarian."
I do tend to get irked if people say "She's a vegetarian," for a lot of the same reasons faunablues talked about. I'm a mass communication major, and in my journalism class we are taught that a person is not "a handicap" or "handicapped," they "have a handicap."
Same goes for religious views. I'm careful not to call anyone "a Catholic" or "a Baptist," (especially here in the deep south!) because it sounds like I am identifying them as just "a ____" instead of as an individual who holds a certain faith along with other diverse views and characteristics.
"She's blonde" sounds a lot different from "She's a blonde."
It's complicated, but it's really interesting how one tiny little word can change the meaning so much.
Faunablues, you hit exactly what I couldn't put into words. Thanks ;)b
I say, I'm vegan. I think this also applies with sexuality. She's lesbian. Not she's a lesbian.
True, i cant picture someone saying "shes a straight" rather than "shes straight"
i have definitely used both. but i think it sounds better to say, "i'm vegan" i agree with all of the previous posts...
mdvegan, i am so glad you brought that up! i never would have thought of saying, "she is lesbian" instead of "she is a lesbian", etc. of course, i wouldn't say that someone is "a gay" either...gosh! i guess i really need to think before i speak! :o
Heh, sometimes I say "(and then I) went/became vegan." That works. Next time I'm talking about food with someone new, I'm gonna try "I only eat plant foods". 8)
I'm vegan!
I've never put a lot of thought into it but I normally say "I'm vegan" because I think of it as a lifestyle, not a defining characteristic.
I took a class afew semesters ago on exceptional education, and we were taught to use "person-first language" when referring to people with disabilities. For example, instead of saying "He is autistic" we should say "he has autism" or "he is a person with autism" because this, like being vegan, is not a defining characteristic, its not all the person is, it is just one thing that affects their life. It also emphasizes that are in fact a person.
I use them interchangeably. I'm a little less likely to say "a vegan" because I wasn't born this way!
Somebody else here compared it to "I'm lesbian" vs. "I'm a lesbian," but I think for me it's more accurate to compare it to "I'm Jewish" vs. "I'm a Jew." Or "I'm Buddhist" vs. "I'm a Buddhist."
Does that make sense? I think of veganism as a practice, not as the way you are.
When referring to your lifestyle, do you say "I'm vegan" or "I'm A vegan?"
proper English undoubtedly has rules covering use (or not) of the article but seems i'd say:
i'm (vegan, left-handed, sceptical) ...
whereas in other sentences
he follows a (vegan diet), is a (left-handed person), etc.
re: does the sentence have a direct object? indirect object? (compare similar usage in other languages)
How do you define yourself?
semantics, i know, but "vegan" simply says something about a choice i've made; doesn't define "me" ...
~ fr
I say, I'm vegan. I think this also applies with sexuality. She's lesbian. Not she's a lesbian.
True, i cant picture someone saying "shes a straight" rather than "shes straight"
On the other hand, I have heard "a heterosexual," though way less common than "a lesbian."
That's why I always thought "lesbian" was a weird word choice. It really does sound like it would be used like "she's a lesbian," but if we're talking about homosexual men I think one would say "he's gay." I have heard stuff like "Gays who want to get married..." etc, but to me using these terms like this is as though they're in opposition to the "normal" noun (person). Like "people marry" vs. "gays can't get married". We're implying the "other" group (be it homosexual, Chinese, vegans) does not fit in the default category (people) by giving them a new noun. Call me PC, but so is psychological and scientific literature then.
I think if I were gay, I'd say "I'm gay." That being said, I'm a white, I'm an American, and I'm a vegan. I think the first one sounds the most weird.
In French, stating your occupation also does not include an article (I'm student, not I'm a student).
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