Three Wise Men: Seb Alex—Architect to Activist

The November/December 2019 issue of The Animals Voice Magazine featured the cover story “Three Wise Men,” profiling three animals activists making tremendous contributions toward the improvement of animals’ lives. The interviews were conducted by Animals Voice Associate Editor Susan Barzallo. This is the second of the three. Jim Mason’s profile can be found here.

Seb Alex gave up a promising career as an architect, leaving the corporate world behind to dedicate his life to animal rights advocacy.

You might have seen Seb on YouTube. In his popular videos, he has face-to-face interviews with people on the street, engaging the public in discussions about veganism, sustainability, and their daily habits regarding consumption of animal products. He has a calm, concise, compelling answer for any argument in favor of eating animals or against going vegan, planting the seeds of animal rights ideology throughout his conversations.

In 2019, Seb gave 33 talks on Animal Rights & Sustainability, reaching over two thousand students at schools and universities in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, and Portugal. He has 50 talks planned for 2020. He also teaches activist workshops around the world covering Animal Rights, Effective Advocacy, The Importance of Activism, and Learning From Previous Struggles.

Seb participates in street activism events, such as Cube of Truth with Anonymous for the Voiceless, in which people passing by are invited to watch animal rights videos and can engage in conversations about veganism and animal rights topics. Seb also joins The Animal Save Movement vigils, bearing witness and giving comfort to animals outside slaughterhouses.

Seb goes inside slaughterhouses and factory farms, investigating the conditions and showing the suffering and abuse the animal agriculture industry does not want the public to see.

And he is involved with Challenge22, an interactive program that offers a unique combination of group support and personal mentoring to help individuals transition to veganism.

The Animals Voice recently reached out to Seb to find out how it all began for him, how he feels the animal rights movement is gaining, and his experiences in activism.

You are originally from Lebanon. Were you vegan there? What was it like? Where are you living now? Is it easier or harder?
I became vegetarian when I was still living in Lebanon, at 16 years old, but did not go vegan until I was 24 and living in Europe. Being vegetarian in Lebanon was not very challenging, as most Lebanese food is already vegan or vegetarian (and if not, can easily be made vegan/vegetarian). I still visit once or twice a year and have never felt any difficulty being Vegan. Currently I am based in Indonesia where vegan food (mostly local, seasonal food) is in abundance!

Can you tell us about your background, upbringing, experiences with animals growing up?
I was born and raised in Lebanon. I went to school and started my studies in architecture in Beirut when I was 18. We had five dogs at one time, a mother and four puppies that we found near our house in the mountains, but they were taken away by the municipality one day for “barking a lot.” A few years later, my brother brought home a kitten from the street, who later became the reason I became vegetarian, as my friend pointed out my double standard of “loving some animals but eating others” (at the time, we both didn’t know anything about veganism).

Is your family vegan? If not, how does it affect family celebrations, etc.?
My mother and brother are vegan. Since before they became vegan, I had taken a decision to no longer sit at a table if there were any dead animals or animal products in general. In the beginning they were not happy with this, but I told them that if I dedicate my life to help other animals, the last thing I want is to see my loved ones pay for their suffering.

Have you done any activism in the United States?
Not really, as I hold a Lebanese passport, my visa applications to the United States were denied twice in a row, as a result of which, I never had the chance to travel there.

Do you see the younger generation more receptive? If so, does it give you hope?
Definitely, they’re simply not as conditioned as we are. They are also more open to learning, They absorb all new information and reflect in a less judgmental way. This is definitely something that gives me a lot of hope for the future.

How long have you been vegan? What was your progression to veganism? Was there a catalyst?
I’ve been vegan for almost 6 years. In the 8 years I was vegetarian I never met a vegan and didn’t know anything about speciesism, the possibility of living without consuming any animal products, and the impact the dairy and egg industry have on animals. Therefore, there was no progression. I became vegan one day when I was wondering why as an adult human being I was drinking the breast milk of a cow. I googled “why don’t vegans drink milk” and after watching three videos, I became vegan: Gary Yourofsky’s Speech, 101 reasons to go vegan, and Earthlings.

You gave up your job to become a full-time activist. How did this come about?
It was honestly a very fast decision. I had started doing a lot of street activism and after seeing the impact it had on people who didn’t know about veganism, I felt very uncomfortable being in an office five days a week up to 10–11 hours a day when I could be spending my time working on raising awareness about speciesism. Within one month of doing a lot of activism I decided to quit my job and after two weeks, I started dedicating all my time for this cause. I was a bit afraid as I had a good career in architecture with a good stable income and a “promising” future in the company, but I was just not feeling it was the right thing to do.

Your YouTube videos are very enlightening and interesting. What kind of responses are you receiving?
YouTube is actually a very interesting platform. Unlike instagram, they literally show your videos as suggested to people who might have no interest in what you do. As a result, you can either get very positive feedback or very negative comments. This is also why I’m trying to grow my reach with YouTube as it reaches more non-vegans than instagram.

How do you remain so calm with the same tired arguments being thrown at you constantly by people trying to find an excuse to justify eating meat?
Simply by reminding myself that not staying calm does not in any way help the animals. We have to keep in mind that we do this for them, and for that, we have to remember that the most important thing is to be effective, because when we’re not being effective, we’re harming the animals. Needless to say, I can get very upset and frustrated.

Do you think a meat-free world, or a slaughter-free world, is possible in your lifetime?
To be completely honest, I don’t think so. But I don’t want this to be taken as a negative or a pessimistic approach. Veganism is growing, and that is absolutely amazing. But so is the global consumption of animal products, mainly because [people in] developing countries, such as China and India, [are starting to] consume a diet similar to [that of] western countries, which includes a lot of animal products. The reason I share this is because I believe that in order to fight for a vegan world, we have to be realistic. We have to see the impact we are making and we have to share the bad news, so we know how to organize better and fight harder for animal liberation.

What other activists do you connect with?
Most of my close friends are actually activists. Those that I talk to on a daily/weekly basis are James Hoot, David Ramsden, Leah Doellinger, Joanne Lee, and Cara Jade. These are both my friends and my inspirations.

Can you describe what it is like in a slaughterhouse?
It is probably one of the most disturbing experiences I have ever had. Just being in one is weird, not only for what you witness inside, but also because you are aware of how massive this industry is and that everything that happens inside is legal and paid by people who would call themselves animal lovers. I can assure you that no sane person can walk into those places and think that anything good or humane happens inside. The blood, the smell, the fear in their eyes and the horrors the animals live will forever motivate me to never stop fighting for them.

How do you decompress after a bad experience? Is there a person or place that helps?
I try to not do anything the day after. Ideally some time spent with dogs or walking in nature if possible. Our mental health is important as the last thing we want is a movement made of burnt-out activists who haven’t dealt with the trauma they have witnessed.

Can you explain how Challenge 22 works? Are you meeting with a lot of success?
Challenge22 is basically a website where one can sign up and receive free nutritional and motivational support to go vegan. This support will go on for 22 days and includes online guidance by mentors and registered dietitians.

Find out more about Seb Alex and the activist organizations he is involved in: