Posts tagged veganism
On Suffering and “Unnecessary Harm”
Jan 12th
As long as vegans base activism on suffering, I don’t think other animals will see liberation. The suffering of other animals, as I understand it, is only the effect of a bigger problem—humans wielding power over other animals—and is not the problem itself. Focusing on suffering takes activists with good intentions away from the issues that can really effect change, the issues upon which nonhuman animal oppression is really based.
Here is an example I recently came across online: Gene Baur of Farm Sanctuary appeared on Larry King Live in 1991 to discuss factory farming. Many vegans currently focus on factory farming in their advocacy materials. However, if the specific “cruelties” of these facilities—instead of general human supremacy and dominance—is the focus, then endless reforms are a natural result, delaying and challenging deeper change. Here is a transcription of one exchange between Baur and King (video interview here):
Larry King: “Are you opposed to the eating of animals?”
Gene Baur: “Personally, I’m a vegetarian. But that’s a decision each of us has to make for ourselves.”
Larry King: “So those who want to be able to eat it [meat] should be able to eat it. You’re just saying there’s a more humane way of treating them and killing them.”
Gene Baur: “Absolutely.”
This is from the president and co-founder of a so-called “vegan” organization—one that “has never and will never support so-called ‘humane’ meat”—one that “maintain[s] that the words ‘humane’ and ‘slaughter’ are mutually exclusive” (from their website).
My point is not to criticize a single organization or individual. My point is to direct vegans away from the idea that “humane” is what we want—that “suffering” is what we’re against. These are popular views in animal activism today, even among “vegan” groups.
Another “vegan” group, Vegan Outreach, claims the following: “[I]t is naïve, at best, to believe that any system will really take good care of the animals we pay them to slaughter. If you say an individual is just meat, they will be treated as such” (from their website). I think this rhetoric lures in many vegans because it seems to staunchly oppose all meat, and it seems to suggest a consideration of other animals as individuals, not just the products taken from their bodies.
But notice that the complaints VO makes are only about how other animals are “treated” on farms—not the fact that they are forced to stay on those farms in the first place. VO does not complain about human supremacy; they only complain about particularly cruel instances of human supremacy. They are O.K. with the master-slave relationship—just against specific, “cruel” manifestations of it.
I haven’t read as much from Francione, and I would be unfounded in any sweeping claims about his work. But from what I have read, I’ve seen a similar trend in focusing on “harm,” specifically “unnecessary harm.” I realize that some L.O.V.E. members currently espouse Francione’s beliefs. In critiquing these ideas I want to emphasize that I am not personally attacking anyone or their work. I only want to start a discussion about these issues because I consider them vital to our achieving liberation in the long run.
I recently wrote the following about an abolitionist definition of “vegan” on our mailing list:
E mentioned something that has been on my mind lately:
“[W]e ought to unequivocally draw the issue back to veganism (as the expression of one’s belief that it’s wrong to unnecessarily harm any animal, not just this one or that).”
I noticed this definition a couple of days ago at veganpamphlet.com, too, but I don’t feel like that’s what veganism means to me. (This is, of course, no offense to E or anyone else who currently understands veganism this way–only an observation and something to discuss.) I feel like avoiding harm is only one aspect (or result) of vegan living, but veganism as a whole suggests a larger respect, beyond “‘harm’ versus ‘no harm.’” I think veganism is more like one’s belief that it’s wrong to impose on the life of any animal–that it’s wrong to force, control, or otherwise disrespect any animal. This is, I think, largely why and how L.O.V.E. distinguishes ourselves from other animal rights groups (in our website’s F.A.Q.); our understanding of veganism includes an understanding of power. We consider control over another’s life/body problematic in itself, regardless of pain.
I think “harm” is often a result of imposing on other animals’ lives, but not always. For example, I would be opposed to sterilizing free-living bears (Dani has discussed this, too–I probably first understood this concept from Dani’s writings), because sterilizing them means we are in control of their bodies and their lives. Because we choose for them whether they can have children; we impose on their natural life. But sterilization doesn’t necessarily cause “harm” (at least not pain, suffering). Many claim such sterilization even prevents harm in the long run, because fewer bears will be hurt and killed for “getting in the way” of humans. I would be concerned about vegans supporting this sterilization based on ‘avoiding unnecessary harm.’
[Dani at The Vegan Ideal also wrote that this sterilization couldn’t be seen as a manifestation of “animals as property” (another Francione concept). So far in my own understanding, I feel like “animals as property” seems to hint at a bigger problem with power and control, but again I just don’t see it getting at the root. That is, power abuse also exists between people who are not each other’s “property,” so I don’t think “property” status itself is the problem.]
Notice that when we focus on suffering (or “harm”), we are not focusing on the underlying issue of power (control, force, oppression). I don’t think the massive animal suffering in our world is faceless and random; it exists in such quantities because we humans assume control over other animals’ lives. We assume a position of power over other animals, instead of living side-by-side with them respectfully. A vegan world is not just a world with less pain; it is a world in which we live side-by-side with other animals respectfully.
Dropping the activist label
Jan 4th
Over the past few years, I have noticed how many vegans divide ourselves into two categories: the activists and everybody else. Most of the time, the activist category consists of employees of animal welfare non-profits and a handful of “superstar” volunteers. I know some people who are very active in promoting veganism who don’t consider themselves activists. Ironically, some of these “non-activists” do more for veganism than the leaders of some of these non-profits!
LOVE’s FAQ defines veganism as “an active ethical stand against the oppression of any sentient being, human or non-human.” This means, when using this definition, we can drop the “activist” label and simply say “vegan.” Without the burden of the artificial delineation between “real” activists and the rest of us, we can concentrate on working to end oppression. It also means no longer ceding responsibility to “real” activists for change in our communities and instead taking personal responsibility for doing so.
This also means no longer confining activism to the narrow realm of what “real” activists do. So all the conversations we have with friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors about speciesist and other forms of oppression; our efforts to build a community with local vegans; our efforts to support new vegans so they thrive as vegans; the many ways small and large we each work to end oppressive systems – all of this is activism, all of this is the vital, necessary work veganism asks of us.
Last year, Miranda and I met fellow LOVE member S. when they were visiting from Spain. They told us how all the vegans they know in Spain are activists and how there is a culture of activism in that vegan community. When I think about what that would look like here, I feel very inspired. This is the kind of atmosphere I hope we can all help create in our communities. When we stop outsourcing activism, we reclaim the power and possibility of change.
the permeation of privilege
Dec 27th
The appeal of western holidays has long since worn off for me; I make it a point to avoid anything resembling a traditional celebration of Thanksgiving and Christmas because, in recent years, the consumeristic, privileged, exploitative aspects of the holidays have far outweighed the joy of being around a table with friends and family. I usually visit vegan friends during the holidays or use the time off from work to make art, take walks, or do other things that get neglected during the daily grind.
I thought that by spending this year-end with a posse of vegan friends, I would avoid the discomfort that often accompanies a gathering of my family members, whose unchecked privilege tends to permeate the discussions and the activities of a holiday weekend; as many of you can attest, it can be exhausting to face the continuous onslaught of questions and accusations that characterizes our time with non-vegans. However, I found myself feeling very alone in a room full of people whom I would have considered allies. It’s shocking, once you start peeling away the layers of privilege and committing to a fight against all forms of oppression, how much privilege actually affects our lives.
We were being shown a slideshow of a vegetarian couple’s recent trip to a Latin American country. In it were photos of “exotic” locals doing such “photo-worthy” things as removing the chaff of some beans by pouring them from bowl to bowl; selling artisan handcrafts in an open-air market; mixing cement by pouring it into a hole in the ground (“they don’t even have cement mixers!”). I appeared to be the only one in the room who was horrified by the notion of people from North America and Europe moving to these Latin countries and building mansions in the countryside for pennies. It shocked no one else to see locals hired for dollars a day to build these “eco-friendly, sustainable” mansions while the town in which the mansions were located didn’t have enough money in them to make a level bridge that had railings. None of the vegans in the room seemed concerned that materials were being carried up the hill to the building site by donkeys and burros — and some of these homes were being built for “animal rights activists.”
While I do grow tired of being the buzzkill in the room, I couldn’t help but wonder aloud how ethical it was for wealthy, white, supposedly compassionate people to move to an impoverished village in Latin America to gawk and marvel at the folks who have lived there for hundreds of years. Maybe I lack understanding of the global economy, and maybe it can be argued that these American dollars will do wonders for the development of these nations — but it just seemed to me like privilege was being paraded around unnecessarily. By vegans, nonetheless.
Until we change the rhetoric of the ”animal rights” message and begin to challenge all types of exploitation — and all systems of power and privilege — we will never create lasting change. Until we embrace a definition of veganism that goes beyond a label on a box of veggie burgers, there will never be liberation. And until we acknowledge the permeation of privilege into all of the work we do, we will never be able to create a just world.
Why animal commodities still sell
Dec 13th
I try my best to operate outside of the structures of oppression that are currently provided by our society, the economy being one of them. So much of our “American way of life” is built on foundations of — and perpetuated by — oppression. From the class of people who are kept in poverty so that the wealthy have someone to clean their houses and do their nails, to the sex trade that ensures women (and their bodies) a commodity status, to the slaughter of animals so their flesh and fur can be sold on the market, it all seems so heinous that I don’t feel good about participating in any of it — not to mention how preposterous it is to me that we have to pay for basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. In that spirit, I am a vegan who grows and forages as much food as possible and is not often found in the faux-meat section of the grocery store. I encourage the growth of small barter economies (see also: the really, really free market; freecycle.org; and freegan.info) and any self-sustainability offered by your local climate (guerrilla gardening, anyone?).
My friend Drew recently passed along the following article about the oppressive qualities of our economic system, the trade in animal bodies as a thriving economy, and what the perpetuation of these systems means for oppressed animals and human animals. It’s a great read, and really got me thinking about how I can further step back from a consumeristic lifestyle. First step: not buying anyone a damn thing for the “holiday season,” because no one should be trampled and left for dead so that others can get a “good bargain” on things they don’t need.
Other suggested reading (get ‘em at your local library!):
- Global Woman by Barbara Ehrenreich
- Grassroots Warriors: Activist Mothering, Community Work, and the War on Poverty by Nancy Naples
- Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A Do It Ourselves Guide by Stacy Pettigrew and Scott Kellogg
- Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden And Your Neighborhood into a Community by H.C. Flores
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From Bull Market to Bear Market: Why Animal Commodities Still Sell
by John Sanbonmatsu
On Wall Street, the “Bull” market has turned into a “Bear” market—capitalist argot for a market in which sellers crowd out buyers and in which the value of publicly traded corporate stocks falls. Whether rising or falling, however, the capitalist market always treats other living animals the same way, which is to say as symbols of exchange and as living commodities to be bought, sold, traded, killed, and consumed.
In September, at the very moment when world markets were falling sharply throughout the world (the Dow Jones suffered its biggest one day point decline since the 9-11 attacks), at least one investment sector remained profitable to über-wealthy investors: speculation in dead animal bodies, gussied up as High Art. In an article entitled, “Bull Market for Hirst in Sotheby’s 2-Day Sale,” a New York Times reporter wrote:
It was as if Sotheby’s here was a little oasis far removed from the grim news of the financial world. In less than 24 hours, giant tanks of dead sharks, zebras and piglet submerged in formaldehyde; glass cabinets filled with medical supplies, cigarette butts or diamonds; paintings of everything from dots to skulls—233 works by the British artist Damien Hirst—were snapped up at a brisk clip by collectors from all around the world.
One of Hirst’s works, “Pigs Might Fly,” described by the Times as “a piglet with dove’s wings in a gold-plated case filled with formaldehyde,” brought in $872,139. Another , “The Broken Dream,” of “a foal’s head floating in formaldehyde with a knife beside it” brought in $907,480. In the end, the two-day sale of Hirst’s art netted $200 million—about half the Gross National Product of the country of East Timor (population: 1.1 million). Maybe a foal’s head floating in formaldehyde isn’t really good art—aestheticians will quarrel–but no one can say it isn’t good business.
Nonhuman animals in fact remain one of the few universal symbols of exchange under modern capitalism. Human beings buy and sell other animals like slaves, display them alive in zoos and aquariums for their pleasure, kill and stuff them for the local Natural History Museum, buy and sell them as “livestock,” or turn their corpses into art (Hirst’s ersatz animal sculptures are merely the latest iteration of nature morte, the “still [dead] life” tradition handed down to us by medieval and early modern European artists). Even today, as we enter the most profound crisis in world capitalism since the 1930s, Wall Street continues to do a brisk business in Pork Belly Futures. First offered on the Chicago Merchantile Exchange in 1961 (as a way for hog producers to hedge against price volatility in the market), Pork Belly Futures allows capitalists to place bets on the number of living beings who will be commodified and slaughtered in the future. That is not exactly right, however. So vast is the market that the minimum unit of exchange is in fact counted not in individual beings (who, after all, do not count), but as a quantity of flesh–“40,000 pounds of frozen pork bellies cut and trimmed.” Shylock may not get Bassanio’s pound of flesh, but today’s wealthy investors (Gentiles, Jews, Muslims, Atheists) get their’s by the ton.
What about those who lack the resources to gamble on the future options market, or who can’t cough up a cool mill for one of Hirst’s formaldehyde-drenched piglets ? Try starting up your own pig business. Global Swine Exchange thrives to “assist swine producers as well as other livestock producers throughout the world in finding breeding stock…with superior genetic potential for existing, expanding, or beginning operations.” Or start even smaller: many companies sell live baby pigs online for individuals to feed, nurture, and murder on their own, for $110 each. However, raising a pig can be daunting. So the growing vogue among young urban professionals and suburban soccer moms these days is to raise chickens rather than pigs at home. Baby chickens are even cheaper–$2.12 each per head. You can also accessorize. The Omlet Company sells an “eglu” for your backyard– “a truly innovative, practical and fun way of keeping chickens.” (“Collecting fresh eggs from hens in your backyard not only ensures you get fantastic tasting eggs but you also get a good feeling inside from knowing exactly where your food comes from.”) And when the chicken no longer produces good eggs, or if you’re just tired of being an urban farmhand, why, just kill your animal–by decapitating her. You can buy a DVD to learn how to do that too (www.chickenvideo.com).
Few animal rights activists appreciate how much capitalism continues to be one of the main driving force behind the extermination and enslavement of other sentient beings. While humans have been enslaving other animals at least since the Neolithic Era, some 12,000 years ago, only in the twentieth century did nonhuman beings get reduced to pure commodities—to abstract quantities to be viewed and treated as mere things. Capitalism reduces all value to the value of exchange—to what can be bought and sold for profit. The barbaric practices we see today throughout the animal slaughter industry –unwanted baby chicks being suffocated alive in large garbage bags, or fed alive into crushing machines; pigs and cows being skinned or boiled alive, the extermination of the great fishes of the free oceans (through the euphemistically named, “over-fishing”), minks and foxes being electrocuted and gassed by the millions for their fur, factory “fish farms,” where salmon, talapia, and other captive species live out their short lives in tiny watery hells filled with thousands of other fish, eating and breathing their own feces, and on and on—are the necessary complement to the capitalist mode of production. Just as capitalism forces a “race to the bottom” in human workers’ wages, it places irresistible pressures at every point of the animal production system to maximize the unfeeling exploitation of animal bodies. For the only way to meet demand for flesh in a mass consumer society is to cut corners, speed up production, hire unskilled labor, and lower production costs. As for the animals trapped in such a system, they become objects to be manipulated at will, even on the genetic level, as though they were not living, breathing, feeling, thinking beings. The atrocities we hear about in animal agriculture reveal the essence of capitalism as such, which is fascism.
As the world capitalist economy now convulses and enters its greatest crisis since the Great Depression, the stakes for the other animals with whom we share the planet could not be higher. In the short-term, a global economic depression will indirectly reduce some animal exploitation. Depression will hurt some markets for animal flesh, as government subsidies for agribusiness face new pressures, and as people cut back on expensive “meats.” Investment in genetic engineering of nonhuman animals, especially for pharmaceuticals, will persist, but there will be less and less money available for R&D. However, global depression will also hurt animals in a variety of ways. As the ranks of the unemployed swell, so too will the animal shelters, as families find that they must choose between eating and keeping their nonhuman companions. Meanwhile, in the Third World, increasingly desperate farmers, displaced urban workers, and landless peasants will turn more and more to “scorched earth” consumption practices simply to survive in the face of regional and local wars, mass starvation, and social dislocation. (Pity the poor Mountain Gorillas of the Congo, whose lives, like those of millions of black human Congolese, count for nothing these days.)
In the long-term, however, the greater danger facing the other animals on our earth is not the economic downturn, but eventual stabilization and recovery of the world capitalist order itself. If the Obama Administration and other governing corporate and political elites succeed in stabilizing capitalism, enabling it to live to see another day, then we can look forward to another hundred years of ecological ruin and mass enslavement and killing of billions of other sentient beings. So long as other animals are seen and treated as commodities for the ceaseless production of more and more profit for the few, their fates will be sealed. The rate of animal and plant species extinction will continue to accelerate, as global warming and habitat destruction deprive them of the basic means of life. Meanwhile, the living Hell that is the American system of animal agriculture—what can only be called the “concentration camp” model of flesh production—will continue to be exported to all four corners of the globe.
Spreading L.O.V.E. and compassion
Dec 2nd
Welcome to the brand new web home for Living Opposed to Violence and Exploitation [L.O.V.E.]. We are a rapidly-growing collective of anti-oppression activists around the United States whose frustration with the state of animal activism in this and other countries around the world finally exploded into the novel idea of starting our own group and seeing what happens. L.O.V.E. is primarily concerned with building networks of activists who speak out and act up against the oppression of animals that occurs on a mind-blowing scale each and every day. We hope this website will become a useful tool in developing your own activism and a resource for folks who are tired of feeling that nagging discomfort with some of the motivations and tactics that other animal advocacy organizations currently employ.
If this is your first time to the site, we would encourage you to browse the various resources we’ve compiled to help all of us understand why L.O.V.E. came to be, what L.O.V.E. and its members hope to accomplish, and why veganism and animal advocacy are so important. In the coming weeks, we expect to launch a number of components to this website that will help unite social justice activists around the world — including an activism mailing list, a vegan buddies project, various how-to guides for different types of activism, and more. In the meantime, please contact us if you have any questions and feel free to peruse the site while we get on our feet.
We are delighted to have you on board.
- L.O.V.E.