Posts Tagged ‘abolitionist’

Speciesism by Joan Dunayer

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

I knew Joan Dunayer had many fans, as I often heard her works recommended on websites, Facebook and Twitter. My “Books to Read” list is very long and, while her books were on the list, they did not make it to the top until I finally received a review copy of the subject book. As soon as I began reading her excellent work, I understood why her fans wanted everyone to read her books. Speciesism is so easy to absorb, filled with fascinating information about other animals, and so accessible to most all readers that it should be one every activist as well as every non-vegan would read at some point.

Old Speciesists, New Speciesists, and Anti-Speciesist Philosophies

Ms. Dunayer first defines the term speciesism and looks at its various manifestations. At the root is the attitude of human supremacy and the denial of the individual rights or respect for the individual beings that are not human. Old Speciesism, those who advocate for human supremacy, is separated from New Speciesism, wherein some advocates are proposing rights for only select animals, usually those more similar to humans. What Dunayer advocates, however, is much more. She is asking for moral consideration for all sentient individuals. She advocates for the invertebrates, the crustaceans, the birds, the mammals, without prejudice, and suggests that if we err, it should be on the side of inclusion rather than exclusion.

Joan Dunayer Asks for a New Paradigm for Animals

Dunayer asks for abolitionist bans, boycotts, vegan advocacy, rights advocacy and campaigns against speciesism. Speciesists often consider other animals only as categories (gorillas, birds, fish) while seeing only humans as individuals. ”To varying degrees, all animal species overlap physically and mentally. At the same time, each animal is unique.” * Anyone familiar with her other book, Animal Equality: Language and Liberation, is aware of the signifcant contribution Ms. Dunayer has made towards heightening awareness of speciesism in language.  Her background in literature, education, and psychology has made her well-suited for writing this sensitive and respectful book. Strongly recommended.

*page 12

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Posted in Books, Speciesism | No Comments »

Oh Yes We Can! Just Watch Us.

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

To reach a goal, you have to believe — believe you can achieve the goal, envision reaching the goal, then take a step towards the goal. Imagine if you did not believe you could make it through school — you would not attend the first class. All those classes between entering school and graduation may seem overwhelming at times, but it is only by taking them one class at a time that you finally reach your goal. You have to step out in faith and believe before you can make it happen.

I just read a commentary on a vegan forum that said no, we cannot, no we will not. That person believed that human beings were incapable of making significant change, that we were so mired in our traditional approaches that we would mess it all up and miss all cosmic deadlines. We would not fix global warming; we would not find cleaner energy. We would not go vegan. We would not make significant change.  In short, we are doomed.

Maybe, but maybe not. Lately I have been mired in lassitude, but even while mired, I knew it was transitory. So will we as a movement overcome; our collective lassitude is just our denial, not wanting to change, not wanting to deal with reality. War, recession, budget deficits, unemployment, oil spills, energy crisis, solar tsunamis, deforestation, overpopulation — it all seems too much to handle.  So some days, we pull the covers over our heads. It may take a crisis for some of us to get out of bed and make a change, but other people are continuing changing every day. Someone on Twitter just tweeted me that they had gone vegan – one more vegan!  Lassitude leaves, energy returns, and the movement gains momentum.

To all the nay sayers, Oh, Yes We Can and Yes We Will. The vegan movement is having an impact and it is growing every day.  How many teenagers were vegan a generation ago? Look at what is happening among  young people, those with the biggest stake in our future – they are still flexible, open, and inquisitive and many are learning about veganism and supporting the movement forward. And there are others of every agen, including elders, too, who prove daily that it is never too late to become educated about what is happening to animals.  We will abolish the commodification of animals. We must. There are a hundred billion reasons every year to do so.

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Posted in Veganism | 8 Comments »

How to Bash a Vegan

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Lately there have been quite a few snarky articles denouncing the horror that is veganism and the people that promote it.  We are an insensitive lot, they relate, that try to force our will on unsuspecting omnivores, who want nothing but to be left alone with their personal choices.  One article denounced masked vegans who threw a cayenne-laced pie — evidently that reader did not understand that true vegans do not resort to violence, it is antithetical to a belief in non-exploitation, respect and non-violence; I would denounce them too.  Yes, some very well-know groups call themselves animal rights groups and they do use unsavory tactics like sexism and assaultive techniques, but most self-respecting vegans I know distance themselves from such organizations.

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Posted in Veganism | 6 Comments »

Fierce at Fourteen: Sam Tucker

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhile listening to one of my favorite podcasts, NZ Vegan Podcast, I was amazed at the solid, logical sound of a very young man, 13 years old at the time, who was on fire for animal rights and veganism.  Not only was he intelligent and well-spoken, he was doing something about the injustice he was witnessing.  Sam Tucker is that young man, now 14, and he is already an enterpreneur (having owned a tee-shirt business), a radio host (Food for Thought), a public speaker (at Animal Rights assemblies and on podcasts), and a successful animal rights advocate.  He is also a snowboarder and a musician.  Sam, as you can tell, does not let any moss grow under his feet.  He is part of a growing number of young people who are making enormous contributions to changing the way people think about animals, about food, and about the earth.  Below is a recent interview done with Sam:

When did you start to realize what was wrong with the way animals are being treated? When did you go vegan and why?
It all started when I read a book called Man vs. Beast by Robert Muchamore.  It was a fictional book about vegan terrorists and one activist described the inside of a battery farm; I was horrified. I thought to myself, surely it can’t be that bad in real life.  So I did some research and found out that it was that bad.  I immediately stopped eating battery eggs and started eating less factory farmed products.  Eventually I decided that, regardless of how well treated, it is wrong to kill an animal simply because you like how they taste.  So I went vegetarian.  As soon as I learned about the horrors of all the other animal industries, I decided to go vegan.  It is only in the last few months that I’ve learned about the abolitionist approach to animal rights.
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Posted in Vegan People | 5 Comments »

Pitfalls in Imperfect Abolitionist Animal Advocacy

Monday, December 21st, 2009

pigtails

I describe myself as an imperfect vegan because I have not yet reached the level of theoretical knowledge where I feel assured  my every move is the right one. I support the abolitionist movement and believe that animals deserve personhood, that a major paradigm shift needs to happen to move people away from the exploitation of animals and earth towards justice, and because non-violence is an important component of doing so. I hope to see a day where humans can respect the natural world and see themselves as part of it, not in charge of it.

As a therapist, there was a tale about a man who was walking on the beach that was told to us as interns.  The man found millions of starfish, dying, having washed up on shore. A man stood there, throwing one after another in the water.  Another man walked up and told him, “What are you doing? You cannot save them all!”  to which our man replied, “No, but I can save this one,” as he saved another life. The story was to help us avoid being overwhelmed by the need and suffering we were soon to encounter. It was also to remind us that, although we could not “save” every single client, each one was worth the effort. We would do the best we could.

I make mistakes and hopefully learn from them. I do not invest time in urging for larger cages for chickens but rather to free chickens from being commodified. I used to support some of the animal protection groups, but now think that vegan education is the single best thing anyone can do to help the most animals in the quickest fashion. No two advocates offer the same combination of perspective, energy, experience or education; that is what makes us a community. We need all of us to pull together to get this done.

Here are some of the ideas I have been learning about activism as well as the activists that keep me sane.

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Posted in Abolition, Advocacy, PETA | 5 Comments »

Missing the Party

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

spongebobWhat is it about missing the party that is so unpleasant? I was recently invited to my grandson’s birthday party, which would include a boat ride on the lake near my home; I was looking forward to seeing him enjoy being out on the lake. The day before the party, it was suggested that I come by afterwards to watch him open his gifts, because there would be fishing.  It is true, I am not someone you want on a fishing trip–I tend to plead for the fish; I do not think using animals for fun is a good way to spend the day.  But the boys don’t fish, nor does my son.  If there is only one holiday I could attend, my choice would have been the birthday of my grandson. But I realize it is only one small price to pay, compared to the suffering of all the fish and other earthlings, so I missed the party.

I later learned it was a conjoint birthday party, including the birthday of the fishing grandpa.  The boat ride lasted an exceptionally long time, and the returning mariners ended up needing to have dinner about 7 pm.  There was nothing for me, so it was suggested I come over when they were done, about 8:30 pm.  By then, having been up since about 4:30 am, and not feeling terribly welcome, I decided to wait until the next day to give my grandson his gifts. It had been a long day and I did not yet know that it was a conjoint gathering. Had I known, I would have come by to pay my respects to the adults who were celebrating, but I did not yet know. And fourth birthdays have special significance in our family, so at the time, it was a disappointment.

The next day the little one came over with his brother and his father and opened up his gifts.  I had a treasure map to find the pirate ship I purchased for him; he had to search through clues in a half dozen different places to find his gifts.  He and his older brother had a great time.  He said something to me about fishing; I didn’t realize his grandfather would be bringing a little fishing pole for him.  He mentioned that the fish had something red in his mouth.  I asked if it was blood; he said it was a tongue or something, he wasn’t sure, but he made a face.  He didn’t like fishing; he asked me if I liked fishies. I said yes, I like them alive and swimming around and being free. End of conversation and on to playing with his new gifts.

My grandson will have to decide for himself how he feels about bugs and fish and other creatures.  He shows great empathy around me but is adaptable to his circumstances.  I asked my son to please have a birthday for him that did not include harming any animals, but I did not sense much support; at times I think my beliefs about compassion offend the entire world.  I know that missing family gatherings because of vegan values is a common occurrence, but it is painful nonetheless. I think it is indicative of how frequently animals pay the price for human desires, because I know how frequently I am not included in things in life. I try to find ways to participate, to not leave my son in an awkward position because of my beliefs, without compromising my own values. I can only hope there will be more vegans by the time my little grandson grows up – he loves anything vegan, even me. I hope there will be a world left for him to grow into, a kinder world, where other people, other animals are respected and treated with kindness.  Meanwhile, I will miss the party if it includes harming other individuals, be they finned, feathered, or furred. It is a small price to pay to respect my fellow inhabitants.

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Posted in Veganism | 4 Comments »