Spoiler Alert
Just before we get started on our analysis of the Bad Vegan Netflix docuseries, we have a few things that we need to tell you. First and the most important is that this entire article is filled with spoilers about the documentary. Secondly, we think it’s best if you actually watch Bad Vegan first. So you can come to your own conclusions about this documentary before you actually continue reading this article. Once you’ve got all that out of the way, you might want to circle back and read this article. It would certainly be interesting for you and us to see if our opinions a line. Wouldn’t you agree?
Netflix
Whether you’re on Netflix fan or not, you would probably agree that they do churn out a hell of a lot of content. Over the years, Netflix has created a multitude of documentaries. Each one being more gripping than the last. That’s why when we heard that there was going to be a vegan documentary dropping on Netflix, of course we were extremely excited. There was a buzz around the Caavakushi head office. The anticipation was building. There were definitely high expectations as in the past Netflix has not failed to deliver excellent quality documentaries. Not to mention the fact that the Bad Vegan Netflix Docuseries was trending around the world. It had managed to make it to Netflix’s top 10 list. But does that mean it was any good? We think it’s safe to say that every Netflix viewer has probably at some point picked a movie, documentary or TV show from Netflix’s very own top 10 list and been disappointed with the outcome. Do think Bad Vegan was a let down?
Shane/Anthony
Spoiler alert Shane, Anthony or whatever you would like to call him was definitely the villain in this documentary. A lifelong con artist and career criminal, Anthony definitely fits the build of a Netflix baddie. But in our opinion, we don’t feel as though Netflix really went in on him. We actually feel like they went very easy on him. Unfortunately that is the way of the world. Straight white males can get away with anything in society. Which was proven by his miniscule punishment. It would be very interesting to here what Anthony’s victims feel about his sentencing. After causing so much damage in so many peoples lives Anthony is a free man. Do you feel as though Anthony has fully paid for his crimes? Or do you think he needs to do more time in prison?
Sarma
In our opinion, Sarma was portrayed as a weak dumb blonde. They also made her come across as a hippie single vegan woman. The narrative was giving the Caavakushi team modern day damsel in distress vibes. They were essentially trying to saying that Sarma was a victim in some ways and yet still blaming her in other ways. We also noticed that Sarma was being extensively shamed through out this Bed Vegan Netflix documentary. In same parts Netflix seemed to be implying that Sarma had brought this all upon herself. Do you feel like that’s what Netflix was trying to do? Do you think they have some sort of prejudice against Sarma because she’s a vegan?
Sarma’s Crime
We found Netflix’s portrayal of Sarma to be extremely one-dimensional. They turned her compassion for animals and humans into some sort of weakness. They created a narrative where it was essentially a crime to be compassionate, caring and show empathy towards others. A crime to be loving. Maybe even a crime to be vegan. In our opinion, it takes a lot of strength to care and go the extra mile for someone. The world could currently do with a few more compassionate people like Sarma. That’s because compassion makes people think about their actions towards others.
Sarma’s Opinions About Bad Vegan
Because we had such strong opinions about Bad Vegan Netflix documentary, we thought it only right to go the extra mile. So we contacted the star Sarma to see if she had any comments she would like to add. Unfortunately Sarma did not get back to us. So we couldn’t really gauge her thoughts on the documentary. It really would have also been nice to get her perspective on the events that led up to her incarceration. It would have been a great opportunity for her to express herself on a non-judgmental vegan platform.
Our Relationship Status
We just wanted to make sure that it is very clear to Sarma that our door is open. If she ever wants to express herself about this or any other vegan related matter in the future we will always be here to welcome her with open arms.
The portrayal of vegans
Unfortunately the tone of this particular documentary was not very vegan friendly. Although it did showcase the popularity of vegan food over the years. It also showed that vegan food can be an expensive and exclusive commodity. And despite this, we still believe that the main subject of this documentary, a vegan woman was portrayed in a less than desirable light. Although she was a victim of a crime, they still managed to give her a semi villainous edit. That’s probably because they believed she was either too naive, she was in on it or that she was happy to play along and just turn a blind eye on to the situation.
Netflix & Vegans
After watching the bad vegan Netflix docuseries the Caavakushi team sat down and contemplated. It really made us wonder, is this what Netflix thinks of vegans? Do they think vegans are just hippies? Or do they feel that all vegans are just dumb? It doesn’t seem as though this popular streaming platform has much respect for the vegan community at all.
The Netflix Vegan Challenge
We believe it’s important to spread the word about making the world a more cruelty-free space for animals. We also feel it is the responsibility of a large corporations such as Netflix to do the same. That’s why we think it’s important to shine a light on the fact that they do not have much vegan content available on their platform. From the plant-based and cruelty-free content that they have hardly any of it is actually made by Netflix themselves. What a shame. That is the reason we want to set a challenge for Netflix. We want to challenge Netflix to creating more cruelty-free and plant-based content and help to expose animal cruelty around the world. Whether it be in the form of vegan cooking shows, documentaries, series or movies we can guarantee one thing, that vegans will consume it. What do you think of this idea we came up with Netflix? Are you up for the challenge?
Is It Worth The Watch?
In our opinion, we don’t believe that the Bad Vegan Netflix documentary is worth the watch. That’s if you’re looking for vegan specific content on the streaming service. But if you’re looking for a slow burning story about a con artist and his victim, it might just be right up your alley. Don’t get us wrong. It definitely is a very captivating story. A very gripping take that really draws you in and leaves you hooked. But we were left feeling a little disappointed as there were no actual Bad Vegans in the entire documentary. Are we the only ones that thought the title was a bit misleading? Vegan and vegan haters click bait perhaps?
Does Bad Vegan Have Anything To Do With Veganism?
After watching this documentary the Caavakushi team have come to the conclusion that Bad Vegan doesn’t really have much to do with veganism at all. The only points that link this Netflix docuseries to the plant-based world are that Sarma (who is the main subject of the the series) is a vegan and she owned and managed a plant-based restaurant. But interestingly enough neither of these are actually what the meat of this documentary is about. In fact it’s actually a true crime docuseries. But you won’t have thought it by the misleading title, would you?
Our verdict
Ultimately the entire team at Caavakushi came to the same conclusion. We had two major qualms with the Bad Vegan Netflix documentary. The first of which is that we didn’t feel as though the title of the documentary did it any justice. Was it even that relevant to the content? We were pretty disappointed to say the least. Were you? Secondly, we strongly felt that the editors took the opportunity to portray vegans as less than smart hippies who would pretty much fall for anything. Clearly they weren’t fans of the plant-based movement.
Thoughts
We want to know your thoughts. Did you find that the Bad Vegan Netflix documentary mocked vegans? Did you feel as though it made vegans look stupid? Or do you believe it highlighted veganism in a positive light? You can also let us know what you think on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram & TikTok. Get involved in the conversation about this documentary and others about veganism on the Caavakushi vegan forum. You can find out more about the Bad Vegan, Sarma and other vegan documentaries on the Caavakushi vegan search engine.