Veganism as a fundamental principle
28 December 2006

The latest entry over at Gary Francione’s blog provides a clear and thoughtful argument about why veganism matters in the context of abolitionism and the animal rights movement. In making his argument, he discusses why vegetarianism isn’t enough, why we need to promote veganism as a fundamental aspect of abolitionism, and why welfarism isn’t progress.

In closing his piece, he writes:

In sum, just as someone who says that human slavery is wrong but who continues to own slaves is not really an abolitionist with respect to human slavery, someone who says that animal slavery is wrong but who does not embrace veganism as a way of life is not really an abolitionist with respect to animal slavery. Let those of us who accept the abolitionist approach be clear and unequivocal and promote veganism in our words and our actions.

All we can say is fuck yeah.

Update, 29 December: Francione responds here to some issues raised by readers around questions of animals as property and using rape as an analogy.

  Posted by Bob Torres    Permalink    Filed under:
Thank Gog
19 December 2006

Sometimes, we get some entertaining email here at Vegan Freak HQ. Here’s one we got today, with details intact and the text completely unedited. Why spare the guilty?

I think it speaks for itself, though perhaps Matt would like to hear from some more pathetic, liberal vegans. Feel free to drop him a line.

Name: matt stojkovic
Email:
Your message:: My brother-in-law is a freak. I mean, I vegan. He makes me laugh with his sanctimonious holier-than-thou approach to food. Thank Gog for you freaks, more steak for me. Whenever I need a good laugh, I think of you pathetic, liberal vegans.

  Posted by Bob Torres    Permalink    Filed under:
What love means…
11 December 2006

I’ve been doing some background research on la Nueva canción movement in Latin America for one of my classes, and I came across a quote that I really liked from Chilean poet, musician, and activist Victor Jara, thanks to wikipedia. He was asked what the word Love meant to him, and he responded:

Love of my home, my wife and my children.
Love for the earth that helps me live
Love for the education and of work.
Love of others who work for the common good.
Love of justice as the instrument that provides equilibrium for human dignity.
Love of peace in order to enjoy one’s life.
Love of freedom, but not the freedom acquired at the expense of other’s freedom, but rather the freedom of all.
Love of freedom to live and exist, for the existence of my children, in my home, in my town, my city, among neighboring people.
Love for freedom in the environment in which we are required to forge our destiny.
Love of freedom without yokes: neither ours nor foreign.

He said these lines four days before the September 11 (1973) coup in Chile, and eight days before he was tortured and murdered by Pinochet’s goons. I wanted to share these lines for two reasons. First, I thought it was fitting on the day of Pinochet’s death to celebrate the life of one of his victims. Second, these lines remind us what liberation really means – for everyone.

  Posted by Jenna Torres    Permalink    Filed under: Opinion | 
Extreme
05 December 2006

Ryan’s recent (and excellent) entry over at vegblog about how veganism is viewed as extreme nicely turns the tables on carnism by showing that our cultural fascination with foods and products of death is literally the most extreme — and that veganism is, instead, an affirmation of compassion and of a thoughtful life well-lived.

I like what Ryan does in this essay. By turning the tables so eloquently, he’ll get people to think, and perhaps introduce some of that valuable cognitive dissonance that gets people to consider going vegan in the first place. For that reason alone, you should bookmark this one and send it to those folks who don’t “get” your veganism.

But also, Ryan’s essay comes at an interesting time for me. As those of you who subscribe to our podcast know, I recently had to defend a student whose veganism was deeply misunderstood by a study-abroad program director as an extreme choice that should be abandoned when entering another culture. The director’s assumption that veganism was “extreme” was clearly driven by his not understanding why people go vegan. To him, it was just a simple personal choice (and probably not even a valid one in his book). To many of us who are ethical vegans — and to this student — it is a deeply personal characteristic that partly defines who we are. I’m not a religious person, but my dedication not to live animal exploitation in my daily life is probably at least as much a part of my moral makeup as is the religious outlook of the convert. This isn’t to say that I’m brainwashed, just that my perception has shifted, and now that it’s shifted, I’m not sure it’ll go back. Some things you just can’t “un-know.”

In the end with some advice from Gary Francione and a quick email from me on her behalf explaining what veganism is about, the situation with the student resolved itself gracefully. But I can’t help but imagine that had people understood the “extremism” of our predatory culture, they might have better understood the “extremism” of this student’s veganism. Ryan’s essay paves the way for this kind of understanding, and that’s a valuable thing.

p.s. the comments are worth reading too.

  Posted by Bob Torres    Permalink    Filed under:

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