First, a disclaimer: I think it’s important to remember that effectiveness is only one part of what makes a form of activism viable.  We could, for example, analyze whether or not it’s “effective” to bomb the homes of vivisectionists to create change.  If we did, I would argue it’s probably not effective; others may argue that it is.  However, there’s a bigger reason aside from “effectiveness” why I’d never bomb the home of a vivisectionist: It is an act of violence, and I’m against violence.  So yes, I could say that “it’s not effective to use bombs,” but I give caution about focusing on effectiveness in that case, because I think there’s a bigger issue to consider.

Defining “effectiveness”

Arguments based on “effectiveness” arise frequently in discussions about activism and social change efforts.  Countless decisions are based on what we judge to be the most effective or efficient plan of action.  Many people shun their own intuition or ethical ideals because another path is assured to be more effective.  Because this term is central to so many discussions about activism, I think it’s important to reflect on what it really means to us.

At this point, I see “effectiveness” as a measure of how far, how quickly, and how assuredly an action brings us toward our final goal.  That is, if we want to accomplish something, I think our “effectiveness” means how quickly, directly, and assuredly we accomplish it.  This can be difficult to estimate, to be sure, but this is what makes the most sense to me right now.

I’ve written that my “final goal” is a vegan world.  I want to clarify that a vegan world, to me, is not just “the practical application of animal rights” or a something used “to reduce suffering” but instead the actual goal in itself.  My goal is for the vegan ideal of non-exploitation—the philosophy and practice of anti-oppression—to be adopted on the large scale.

I intend to write several posts exploring ways to maximize effectiveness by this definition, but I want to propose one guiding principle right now.

Striking at the root

I care deeply about every instance of suffering, but I refuse to see that suffering as faceless and random—as if it’s by chance that human animals routinely enslave and kill nonhuman animals.  I think when we notice suffering, we can ask, “What is the cause of this suffering?” and “What allows this suffering to continue happening?”  Then we are looking for the root of the problem.

I think this strategy makes sense.  We identify and work directly on the problem itself instead of working on the symptoms of the problem.  This is where some amount of my criticism for anti-cruelty activism comes from.  Anti-cruelty, anti-suffering activism seems so caught up in the “what” of nonhuman suffering that the “how” and “why” are ignored.  But I think the “how” and “why”—the system of oppression that breeds the suffering—are the keys to understanding how we can effectively stop it from persisting.  As L.O.V.E. member Victor pointed out: Making this criticism does not mean we are pro-suffering.  We just see suffering as rooted in oppression.  Without the oppression, the suffering doesn’t occur.  If we get at the root (oppression), then the tree (suffering) falls.

We can get more specific yet, seeking the root causes of oppressive systems and asking how oppression is sustained and reproduced.  Many of us at L.O.V.E. have been convinced by David Nibert’s model for a theory of oppression in Chapter 1 of Animal Rights/Human Rights: Entanglements of Oppression and Liberation.  Dani at The Vegan Ideal has summarized this theory of oppression and paired it with an analysis of veganism’s role as a theory of anti-oppression.

Acknowledging deeper roots

A deeper root arises when we acknowledge that speciesism is only one form of oppression among many.  It can be enlightening to see speciesism in this context, especially for vegans who have already been involved in activism as a single-issue effort.  For many, there’s a “click” and everything makes a lot more sense—veganism has so much more context than before.

Acknowledging the interconnection, we can seek out and support other liberation struggles, building bridges and forming coalitions, knowing that this only strengthens our ability to see, understand, and oppose oppression of all kinds—human and nonhuman.  We can learn from other anti-oppression efforts about what works and what doesn’t.  We can all strive to eliminate any of our beliefs that may be tinted with ableist, ageist, classist, heterosexist, racist, sexist, or transphobic attitudes.  (And again, this is a situation where my disclaimer applies: We don’t just oppose sexism to make us more “effective” as vegans—although I think it does make us more effective as vegans.  Sexism is worth opposing for its own reasons, before and after “effectiveness”!)

I’ll here note that I don’t think of true liberation as “expanding the circle” but abolishing the circle.  I see the circle itself, the doctrine of respecting some and oppressing others, as a problem.  This leads me to the deepest root I know to discuss: respect for all life and existence.

I see respect as the reason for my vegan stance and my anti-oppression stance.  For example, Why am I opposed to exploitation?  Because exploitation disrespects the individual, and I want to respect all life.  So we can acknowledge this root by working to respect everyone of all species, races, genders, and classes—all struggles.  And we can practice respectful activism and nonviolence, so as to respect the audience of our outreach (even those who mock us and work against us!).

Real, long-term change

“Striking at the root” is important to me because I think it’s the best (only?) way to achieve real, long-term change. I think it’s great to save any number of individuals from immediate threats of violence and exploitation, but what I really want is to solve the problems that create and sustain violence and exploitation in the world.  What I really want is a world without violence and exploitation—a vegan world.  So I judge my activism by how much closer it brings us to that world.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Add to favorites
  • email
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter