Veganism, Boycotts and Broad Based Political Acton

There are a wide range of views about how to best advance the cause of non-human animals. One of the most widely accepted views is that of veganism as a boycott. As Corey Wrenn points out in the video below, veganism is by definition a boycott. The idea is that if we reduce or end the demand for non-human animal products, we will end the exploitation and slaughter of non-human animals. 

Theoretically this seems correct, but in reality it is a much more complicated issue. In addition to all of the very good points that Ms. Wrenn makes; e.g. that supply side economics thwarts boycotts. Brian Luke succinctly points to this reality in his book, Brutal: Manhood and the Exploitation of Animals:

[T]he idea that animal defense requires controlling individual behavior, as if animal exploitation arises from an innate willingness to take advantage of other species, ignores the taming of compassion and outrage that proceeds every day as an integral part of the business of exploiting animals. In this society people are domesticated, trained through external rewards and punishments, through myths and lies, through instilled fear and ignorance, to disconnect from animals, especially those animals designated as "game," "livestock," or "guinea pigs." So animal liberation is not so much a taming of ourselves as it is a refusal to be tamed in support of anthropocentrism.   

David Nibert describes how carnism expanded exponentially with supply side economics, in Animal Oppression and Human Violence: Domesecration, Capitalism, and Global Conflict (Critical Perspectives on Animals):

The profit-minded push for increased consumption of domesecrated animal products by producers of feed grains was compounded by the growth of the retail “meat,”“dairy,” and “egg” industries and the rise of fast-food companies. Achieving large increases in the sale of their products required considerable ideological manipulation of the populace by armies of social-engineering experts who generated, with state support, ubiquitous advertisements and educational programs designed to increase human consumption of domesecrated animals—campaigns disproportionately directed at children. 

That said, it's important to emphasize the point that Ms. Wrenn makes that veganism is a powerful political statement in and of itself, and that going vegan (if at all possible) is a necessary foundation of building a strong political movement. 

A successful boycott demands a broad political movement and building a broad political movement demands veganism as its foundation. It is an historical fact that successful boycotts necessarily include broad political backing. Veganism does not have that backing... yet. Veganism is essential and necessary, but alone isn't sufficient. We must not become complacent, believing that going vegan, and convincing others to do so, will solve the problem. The profit motive and corporations that profit from animal products have a very powerful voice. Strategies to reduce corporate power and their campaigns to increase demand are critical in advancing the cause of non-human and human animals.

Objectification: Attempts to Deanimalize Sentient Beings: Campaign by the Kansas City Pork Association

To sell more pig corpses for profit, the Kansas City Pork Association has launched a campaign that pokes "fun" at those of us who are trying to build a more sustainable world, and squelches empathy by likening piglets to plant seeds. This horrific campaign is just one of the many campaigns of its kind. There is nothing humorous about these ads or the ideas they promote. The same kinds of tactics were used to promote racism, sexism and Nazism. Pigs are not food and they are not plants or things. They are sentient beings who value their lives. Degrading them is simply a way to objectify and deanimalize them much the same way that some humans are dehumanized. The end goal is the same; the exploitation and oppression of living beings in the name of profit, domination and power.

And this image was on their Facebook page.

Plants don't enjoy belly rubs!!!

OMG!! There's Horse Meat in My Cow Meat!!!!

....and this is worse than cow, pig, sheep, turkey, chicken, dog, deer, cat, rabbit, squirrel or fish meat etc, HOW???!!??? This meme is misleading, but the fact that people are disturbed enough by the idea for it to become one reveals how insane eating one species and "loving" another is....

“You end up at the back of the grocery store, near the meat counter. Displayed before you are all the wares of the butcher’s trade, all the prime cuts of meat. On the left are the T-bone steaks; to the right is all the ground beef. In front of you are some ribs; next to them are some chicken breasts. On the corner of the display is the lobster tank, where, out of the dozens in it, you can pick out your own lobster to take home. You look at this sight, with people picking their way through all these products, figuring out which will make the best dinner. And suddenly, the scene in front of you shifts. No longer are you seeing normal products of everyday existence. In front of you is the violent reality of animal flesh on display: the bones, fat, muscles, and tissue of beings who were once alive but who have been slaughtered for the parts of their body. This scene overtakes you, and suddenly you tear up. Grief, sadness, and shock overwhelm you, perhaps only for a second. And for a moment you mourn, you mourn for all the nameless animals in front of you." - 

 See more at: http://freefromharm.org/featured-articles/will-hold-you-in-my-arms-must-see-tribute-animal-victims/#sthash.0z2ixdFw.dpuf

An Extremely Powerful Vigil for the Victims of Speciesism.

Original Link Here

And You Thought Oil Spills Caused a Mess!

 Be sure and talk to your doctor about meat: Environmental devistation, health problems, suffering for animals and people. That's a meal that will stick to your ribs.

Huffington Post Article: Who You Callin' Vegangelical?

This 2009 article by Ari Solomon is one of the best and most succinct arguments for veganism I've ever read. I had repost it here.

Who You Callin' Vegangelical? 
by Ari Solomon, Huffington Post Green 2009

Recently I've heard some perplexing criticisms of veganism. They go something like this: vegans are extremists, vegans are so preachy, veganism is like some fanatical religion, veganism is a cult.. There obviously is some misunderstanding going on and I'd like to try and stamp out this issue once and for all. I realize I can't possibly speak for all vegans, but this is how I see it:

First of all, veganism is clearly not some religion or cult. There is no Church of Vegan. Veganism is a philosophy. Donald Watson first coined the term "vegan" in 1944. This was how he defined it:

The word "veganism" denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude as far as is possible and practical all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animalfree alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.

Sounds pretty simple right? Well, nowadays people become vegan for all different reasons. They might go vegan because of health reasons, or perhaps they've read that animal agriculture is the number one cause of global warming. But, if someone is an ethical vegan, that means they've chosen to open their mind and heart to the suffering of animals. They want to alleviate unnecessary suffering where they can. (There are actually some people who feel that unless you go vegan for ethical reasons that you're not really "vegan", but that's a whole other story.)

Here's where things get interesting. While many of us may feel a certain attachment to the food we eat (cheese, anyone?), there is actually no human dietary requirement for animal foods. It's true. You don't need to eat meat, dairy or eggs to live.

In fact, Dr. Colin Campbell, who conducted the foremost study on human nutrition for over 40 years, detailed in his book The China Study how a vegan diet is actually better suited for optimal human health. This means that people eat animals not because they have to, but because they want to. Now, of course I'm not talking about people who live in countries where food is scarce and they'll die unless they eat animal foods. I'm talking about you and me. People who shop at the supermarket where tofu, beans, rice, grains, fruits and vegetables are mere feet from meat, dairy and eggs. We have a choice.

In case you're not up to speed, over 98% of all meat, dairy, and eggs produced in the US comes from factory farms. The conditions in these places are truly horrendous. Animals are crammed in spaces so tight they can't turn around. They literally go insane, lying around all day and night in their own feces. They never see sunlight, have their beaks, horns and genitals cut off (without anesthetic) and are horribly abused by stressed and desensitized farm workers. We kill 10 billion animals for "food" a year in this country, that's over 27 million animals a day. Most of those animals are birds, and all poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, and rabbits... yes, rabbits are considered poultry under the law) are excluded from the barely enforced Humane Slaughter Act.

Now, before you start at me with some "humane meat" "happy meat" bullshit please take note that all animals, whether they are raised in the nastiest of factory farms or grass-fed, free-range, blah blah blah, are all sent to the same slaughterhouses. That's right, your organic steer is being sent to the same hell as a downer cow and will meet the same ghastly end. If you are a "humane meat" consumer, please take a moment and meditate on the whole concept of humane killing... bloody, fearful, struggling, screaming, despairing humane killing. It's never pretty and it certainly isn't "humane." 

There is a video making rounds on YouTube that shows a lone cow shaking in terror as she contemplates walking down the kill chute. She walks forward, then back. Animals can hear and smell the violence and death that awaits them. Their last moments are ones of abject horror and suffering. If you wouldn't condemn your dog or cat to such a fate, how can you pay for others do it to these poor animals?

So. When a vegan is talking to a meat-eater about these issues, he or she is not "preaching", "trying to convert", or any such thing. We're not telling you what to eat. We're telling you what you're eating.

Since animals can't speak a language humans can understand (though I think the screams and terrified moans that fill slaughterhouses should be pretty much universal -- all living beings want to live) it's up to us to tell their stories and inform people of the suffering that goes on conveniently out of the public eye.

If, as a meat-eater, being exposed to this reality bothers you, it is not the fault of the vegan. Lashing out or making up endless excuses doesn't change the stark scientific fact that animals are suffering because of our taste buds. Your neatly packaged chicken breast, all wrapped in pristine plastic, was once part of an animal that felt fear and pain. It's called responsibility and culpability, and we're all to blame.

Now, you may try to argue that eating animals is a matter of personal opinion or choice, but again I'd have to disagree -- this is not about your opinion versus my opinion, this is about animal suffering. You can't discuss your "personal choice" of eating animals while leaving animals completely out of the conversation.

Think of it this way, if you were walking down the street and saw someone beating their dog, would you try to do something to stop it? The same principle applies here. Since eating animal foods is a question of want and like versus need, killing a sentient being, when there is absolutely no need -- except for someone's pleasure -- becomes simply unnecessary and merciless.

And if we say we care about cruelty to animals then it's time we start caring about all animals. Yes, dogs and cats are companion animals but in terms of suffering our canine and feline friends feel the same as a pig, cow, chicken, lamb, or turkey. 

To pick and choose species in terms of whose pain we care about is incredibly hypocritical and inconsistent. Sorry, but if you're eating veal parmigiana or turkey sandwiches, you don't really care about animals. You may care about dogs and cats but you certainly don't care about birds and baby cows.

So, who's the real extremist? The person who tries to stop unnecessary suffering by cutting out animal products, or the person who says, "I like the way that tastes, so a sentient being needs suffer and die?"

Who's the real fundamentalist? The person who simply speaks the truth about where food comes from, or the person who knowingly chooses to ignore it, listening only to the falsehoods of the meat and dairy clergy? Isn't the latter more akin to choosing to believe the earth is 5,000 years old despite clear evidence to the contrary?

The reality is that veganism couldn't be more different from religion. While religion is based on faith, veganism is based on facts. Animal suffering is not some ethereal concept, it's very real. All animals deserve to be free from unnecessary pain, fear, and suffering at the hands of humans. How can anything less claim to be humane? Do I want more people to go vegan, is that why I talk and write about it? Of course, but it has nothing to do with me or some group that I belong to. It has to do with  he animals who suffer everyday so that we can eat them, wear them, and do whatever we want to them simply because we can.

Veganism is the practical response to a social injustice. Instead of vegangelical, the word should be veganlogical.

Intellegence Squared Debate: Don't Eat Anything With a Face

Don't Eat Anything With A Face from Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates on FORA.tv