Headscratchers / Vegan Artbook

You Tube Lie

• Why did one comic claim that you had to verify your age when looking at videos of animal slaughter? It's easy to look up and see that that statement isn't true, so did she claim it.
  • A disturbingly large percentage of vegan absolutist rhetoric seems to fall back on making a pro-vegan statement (such as slaughterhouse footage requiring age verification, or humans not actually being omnivores), expecting it to be taken at face value, and constructing conspiracy theories around any evidence to the contrary.  (Ironically, this may be what allows the idea that veganism is "enlightenment" and "carnism" is a product of "ignorance" to thrive:  An ignorant—and very credulous—omnivore is less likely to fact-check, and thus more likely to be converted to veganism via disinformation...not to mention, to uncritically believe that all omnivores must therefore be just like they were.)  And, well...this comic is a stunning example of all of the above.
  • She's lying, duh. You expect honesty from this comic?

Improbable Social Circle

• Why do the vegans hang out with the omnivores anyways? The vegans consider the omnivores to be morally reprehensible, while the omnivores are humiliated and/or injured whenever they attempt to talk about diets with the vegans, so both groups should naturally try to avoid each other. Even if some omnivores have vegan relatives, they should have friends to hang out with that won't judge them like their vegan relatives do.
  • While I'm sure it's accidental on Yerdian's part: it seems like Shawn and Diva—all trolling aside—probably still actually love their sisters. As for Brie/Plausibell and Dolly: it's difficult to say if they actually reciprocate it, but they probably feel particularly obligated to proselytize at family.

Peace and Riot

• Why is Raziel labeled non-peaceful in comparison with her fellow vegans, when they have no problems with committing violence against anyone they disagree with?
  • Looking at her character description, she seems to prefer karmic retribution against "carnists", while the other vegans prefer attempting to educate the meat eaters, though their education is sometimes coupled with violence. The vegans are violent jerks, but Raziel seems to be even worse, technically making her more non-peaceful compared to the other vegans.

Well, I'm *In*consistent, Hippie!

• I know Shawn has always been portrayed as being willing to kill livestock, but the fact he was shown willing to kill pets and a mentally disabled person in order to be seen as "consistent" is something that is way too out of character for him to do. It would have made more sense if he tried to fail to defend his statement, and Azusa like many other of the vegan characters came out winning the argument without actually being right.
  • Looking at the more recent comments, his actions, and for that matter, everyone else's actions in the comic, are considered non-canon in the context of her non-vegan centric works, where they all come from. Murdering all those animals and that girl was only done to point out the supposed absurdity of his argument. Basically, everyone's actions are based not on previously established characterization, but on making eating animal products look bad.
    • Besides (as explained on the WMG page): that almost certainly wasn't actually Shawn, but Sterk impersonating him.

Lost Cat

• Isn't the cat in this comic Rohit's cat? What's it doing with Mike's omnivore relatives?
  • It is a CAT, cats are obligate carnivores so it would make sense for it to crave meat.
  • Cats often roam around and so it's not that unlikely for a cat to roam into someone else's house.

From Activism to Ageism

• What's the point of this strip? All it seems to be doing is insulting teenagers, and it has nothing to do with veganism.
  • Insulting teenagers by comparing them unfavorably to younger kids (seriously: you restrict an eight-year-old to one cookie; and that's if they're not that active), seemingly on the grounds that they eat more, no less.  It's called a growth spurt, Priya.

Implausibell Friendship

• So Plausibell has been vegan since she was a young child, according to the old character biographies. In those same old biographies, it is said that Plausibell and Dolly are Childhood Friends. Okay. But then in the new character biographies, it is said that Dolly used to bully vegans with Shawn! How do those three facts add up? Did Shawn and Dolly avoid bullying Plausibell due to personal principle? Did Plausibell notice their bullying of other vegans? Did she not care?
  • Probably because Plausibell's age has now been retconned from 18 to 27 years old, which means she's not Childhood Friends with Dolly anymore. Although she is still considered her best friend, despite the huge age gap.

When Did Dolly Switch?

• When precisely did Dolly make the switch from omnivore to vegan? She spends much of the original Vegan Artbook flipping between trolling Shawn and getting trolled herself by other vegans.

Pointless Strip

• What is the point of this strip? No one is making any argument or clear point, so why take the time to draw it?
  • It might just be a “relatable” (to vegans) joke.
  • It might also be saying, "Non-vegans say that the soy drink is gross, but it's actually delicious!".

Omnivory =/= Fast Food

• Why do the vegans believe that all there is to non-vegan diets are fast food and that omnivores would starve without them?
  • That might be just to make non-vegan food look less healthy than it actually is. Pretty hypocritical since the comic also points out that vegans can eat a varied diet as well.

Sterk's Diet

• If Sterk is not vegan, then what is he? He can't be a meat eater, since he threatens people who are non-vegan.
  • Quite possibly a cannibal; it would be consistent with the violence against non-vegans in the comic.
  • Maybe he's a vegetarian, but still eats dairy and eggs?

Bad Boy Bongo?

• Why are we supposed to see Younger Bongo as being the bad guy, when Yerdian's Fictional Counterpart makes a passive aggressive statement that espouses how morally inferior non-vegans are to vegans? It doesn't help that fictional Yerdian says this with a deceptively nice smile and gesture that really make her come off as self-righteously smug.
  • Because, quite simply, in the eyes of the vegans in this comic, non-vegans are morally inferior to vegans. Since the vegans can't see any reason anyone couldn't go vegan, even though such reasons do exist, they don't see themselves as intolerant, smug jerks, but as a righteous group just trying to save the animals. Bongo, as an omnivore, is therefore portrayed as the intolerant, smug jerk in this scenario, and nothing will change that for the vegans, for if any of them so much as brought up the idea that the omnivores aren't pure evil, they would be seen as excusing speciesism, and therefore shunned by the other vegans.

Manipulative Behaviour

• Why do the vegans keep twisting anti-vegan sentiment as fighting anti-animal abuse efforts? It comes off as very manipulative to say the least, when it's really about how vegans act when getting their cause across and the problematic elements of veganism.

Sinful Selective Breeding?

• What is wrong with breeding an animal to be a certain way? The series always takes issue about domesticated animals(chickens,cows,pigs,etc) being bred to produce animal products, but never a peep about how some dog species were made to fulfill a certain task.

Defending Hitler?!

• Why does this strip treat Hitler's stance on not eating meat as Even Evil Has Standards? It actually just shows that just because you don't eat meat and are pro-animal rights doesn't mean you can't be reprehensible to your fellow man.

A Drab Fashionista

• If Chanel is supposed to be obsessed with her appearance (according to Yerdian), then why is her clothing so drab and unassuming? Surely, fashionable clothing shouldn't be that expensive.

Why is it Called a Book?

• Why is it called the Vegan Artbook when it's not a book (not even an e-book)?

Why Do the Vegans Like Sterk?

• Sterk is not a vegan, so why do the vegans hang out with him if they (with the exception of Bunny) hate everyone but other vegans?