Mike Tyson: Vegan Role Model ?!

[billboard: Sunset Boulevard and Doheny Drive, West Hollywood, California]

Mike Tyson snacked on Evander Holyfield’s ear. He threatened to make a meal of Lennox Lewis’ children. He is perhaps the planet’s most notorious flesh-eater.

But these days there’s nothing meatier than a seitan cutlet in his George Foreman Grill.

Mike Tyson: holier than thou?

Vegans have a reputation for self-righteous arrogance. They are in the trenches combating environmental degradation and world hunger through personal deprivation and self-sacrifice. They can claim moral superiority over meat-eaters for the greater compassion they show to animals.

Does this mean we want to be like Mike?
He’s a man known for brutality in and out of the ring, he has been dogged by a string of charges for assault and spousal abuse, and has served time in prison for a rape conviction, drug possession, and DUI. Currently embroiled in a PETA controversy for pigeon racing(?), he is hardly the poster boy for a compassionate diet.

Iron Mike, not iron deficient.

But then again, he can be a heck of a role model for the healthfulness of the vegan diet. Vegans have labored under a wimpy, neo-hippie label for far too long. The robust, bulked-up physique of an elite athlete can invalidate lingering misconceptions about meatless diets.

Real men do eat plants.

Bill Clinton’s a vegan; even Glenn Beck gave it a shot this spring.
Has your manly man gone green too? Learn to spot the tell-tale signs: Brace Yourself: Your Man Might be a Vegan.

Politicians, movie stars, scientists, pop stars, and athletes; vegans come from all walks of life: check out The VeganWolf’s list of herbivores.