A Long but Still Incomplete and Evolving List of Disclaimers to Accompany My Food Photos and Links

As someone who likes getting the word out about new plant-based food options on social media, I have learned the hard way that it’s wise to preface your shares with a litany of disclaimers. A variety of disclaimers that will preemptively reply to every spoken and unspoken question and acknowledge every possible concern. A list of disclaimers to address issues that not even the most neurotic person should have to conjure up even if they had a personal customer service agent at their beck and call. I had no idea the human species was so hair-splitting, fussy and doggedly determined to find something to complain about until the advent of social media.

My reach is mainly to fellow vegans but that has not decreased the number of disclaimers I need to use in any given “Hey, you should check this out” post. As vegans are accustomed to looking at and thinking about food critically, maybe it’s even more likely that this audience will put on their fault-finding goggles with even the most innocuous of food posts. It’s super annoying, though. When did we become a nation of obsessive finger-waggers? Maybe we should save that for the truly messed up things in the world that really deserve our scrutiny and consternation.