Just after midnight, eco- and animal-friendly lightning rod Grimes aka Claire Boucher excitedly posted to Tumblr about the existence of the new Ben & Jerry’s flavor Scotchy Scotch Scotch (which is affiliated with Anchorman 2) and quipped, “1 day hiatus from veganism is being had starting NOw.” Apparently some vegan Grimes follower took offense to that, posting this outraged comment:

Are you actually fucked? What the fuck is a ‘one day hiatus from veganism’ mate? A one day hiatus on compassion? Just one day where you’re like ‘whoops gonna consume something that was stolen from you and your young because HIATUS MAN’…… FUCK YOU.

So Boucher whipped up a response to her antagonist. Tumbl into it:

this is something i was anticipating and have been meaning to address for a long time:

Part of the reason I posted the ben and jerry’s thing is because I like to encourage people towards a type of veganism that is inviting and accepting. For the longest time I was vegan but I just wouldn’t say I was because of the bad reputation of veganism. most of the vegans i know are dogmatic assholes, and it completely turns people off.

I believe more people would be drawn to having more ethical diets if they didn’t feel bullied to do so, or if they felt they were entering a welcoming community.

My brand of veganism is one wherein if your grandparents have no idea what you are talking about then you eat their beef stew rather than upset or confuse them. or if you really want to have cake with an egg in it on the holidays then you have that rather than just not being a vegan because you don’t want to give up occasionally having something that you love.

Ben and Jerrys is the only brand of ice cream i ever eat. their cows are treated ethically and beyond that they put a ton of money into researching green hydrocarbon freezers that would use alternative refrigerants which (unlike current freezer gases) do not contribute to global warming. they’re also working on a bunch of other initiatives like using completely renewable materials in packaging.

this comment is why no one wants to be vegan. unlike this dude, i would like to fully encourage everyone to be vegan rather than scare them away. I love being vegan. my skin is better, i have more energy, i feel really healthy and i get sick way less than i used too and I’m not contributing to factory farming. that said, I also occasionally enjoy things i used to eat because it makes me feel good and i am less discouraged about not eating those things the rest of the time.

<3

What do you think? Is Grimes having her Ben & Jerry’s and eating it too? Or is her easygoing approach to veganism more likely to advance vegan causes?

UPDATE: DIIV weigh in…

grimes' version of veganism is called "NOT vegan", even if a dairy cow is "treated ethically" doesn't mean u aren't consuming/exploiting her

— DIIV (@DIIV) November 22, 2013

UPDATE 2: And Grimes responds…

hm, i see a controversy has arisen despite my best efforts to prevent one

all i want to say is all respect to Diiv. There is nothing I admire more than someone who stands behind their beliefs. Good for him.

what i don’t respect is people making a news story about nonexistent ‘beef’

the whole purpose of my original tumblr post was to suggest that we all stop beefing over veganism (hehe o i just realized the pun).

if u don’t want to call me a vegan thats totally cool. i have no interest in fighting over the meaning of a word. my goal from all this was to propose a more relatable and achievable diet that is good for animals and the environment since many people can’t easily sustain a fully vegan diet.

<3 again — no beef with Diiv. i truly admire his dedication