I'm not the picture perfect vegan. I still run into things that I had no idea had animal byproducts. Like when I quit smoking and used nicorette... apparently it had some hooves floating around in it.
Some vegans are vegan for health. It does have some amazing benefits. Veganism isn't just "Meat is murder". Its one little person doing one little thing to help save the pigs, the planet, and our own bodies.
About the old cow... Just the other night we were watching the bizarre foods guy. He was in some little village where they still wear leaves as clothing and they slaughtered a pig. They used every piece of the animal for something. Who am I to judge that? So if the cow died of old age, I'm not going to look down on someone for using it. Hell, if I was stranded on an island with other survivors, and I died first, I'd expect them to eat me, too.
Its not about being an anal-retentive vegan, but if you choose this lifestyle, doing the best you can to avoid using animals and their bits for our own pleasure.
at the end of the day any oil is better than no oil, however in the long run it is not a good idea to put petrol oil in a diesel, especially in large quantities, a top up should be fine though. Diesel oil has more chemicals in it to stop gunk building up in the engine. Petrol cars do not need this as much as there is much less soot in the combustion process.
Yes, it is impossible to live without killing things or using animal products in one way or another, even for a vegan. Whenever I wash my hands, I kill millions of bacteria. I kill insects when I walk in my lawn. As for the "ethics of oil", there is a large difference between preserved remains of prehistoric zooplankton and algae, and mammals raised and bred for slaughter.
"So if it's impossible to live without killing animals or using animal products, why is it different or immoral if you eat one? Or wear one?"
I never claimed that it was. Everyone has different reasons for being vegan or vegetarian, for me personally it doesnt have much to do with morals. I simply do not want to eat or wear one. As for people who don't eat animals due to ethics- it has everything to do with how the animal was treated during it's life, not what happens after death.
What if the cow died of old age? Would it be considered ethical to eat it by someone with firm "vegan morals?"
That simply doesnt happen in this day and age, unless you own a cow and let it die of old age. Most cows (both meat and milk cows) are killed by age 5, the average lifespan of a cow otherwise would be around 20. Not to mention, not everyone is vegan due to morals!! I wouldn't eat a cow due to health reasons. I wouldn't eat a cow because I think it tastes terrible. I wouldnt eat a cow because I like to know exactly where my food comes from.
I think that's worrying a little too much. It's not like the animals were tortured when they died millions of years ago in order to make that oil. Well, they might have been if they were getting ripped apart and eaten alive by another animal when they died.