OK, here goes. I was once an animal rights activist and vegan. I was vegan for 2 years until I finally realized that I was just looking for a place to belong and I really didn't care about being "cruelty free". I grew up in rural MI and moved to the city when i was 11. My dad took me small game hunting a few times but it was never a regular thing. He had back problems so I never went bowhunting. When I was 18-19, I discovered straightedge. Straightedge is a lifestyle based on the ideals of no alcohol,no tobacco and no drugs. There are many offshoot beliefs in this movement and vegatarianism and veganism are very prevelent. The straightedge scene is also based on hardcore/punk music and there are many bands that preach veganism violently. I subscribed to the required beliefs and put them out there for everyone to see. I ran around and blathered about not eating meat to anyone and everyone. The whole time I knew I was just running my mouth and that I really didn't care about the crap that I was spewing. One Christmas day I had enough and I went to a Chinese place for some orange chicken. Loved it. I realized that my identity was based on falsehoods and that I was brainwashed if you will. The next fall I got invited to a deer camp for gun hunting. I had a blast even though I didn't get a deer.The next year I started bowhunting and I harvested my first deer with a shotgun while still hunting. I've never felt more alive. That was 6 years ago and I've been hunting ever since. I can now argue and debate with antis and use their ownbeliefs against them. To wrap up, I was wondering if there are any other former knuckleheads like myself out there.