For most of those supportive of animal liberation, veganism is the norm. The idea that animals are not ours to eat, torture or abuse, but rather should be able to live their own lives, fits well with the vegan philosophy of not eating, wearing or using animals or animal products.
How we see our veganism, however, differs from person to person. For many, perhaps most vegans, it is the idea that by being vegan, one is not responsible for the death of millions of broiler hens, factory farmed pigs or skinned minks each year, or the torture of millions of dairy cows & battery hens in fields & sheds all over the world. This idea rests on a similar basis to that of other individualised “consumer” boycotts, such as not buying sweatshop made clothes, or not eating/drinking Nestle products.
The supporter of individualised consumer boycotts believes that, if only enough people “saw the light” and joined them, these industries would collapse upon themselves. While perhaps true in a limited fashion, this analysis sorely misses the basis of the capitalist society we live in today.
Individualised boycott is intimately linked in with that concept that liberals seem so adept at gifting themselves, guilt. Those who boycott so-called “bad capitalists” feel that by not directly supporting these corporates, they are removing any blame from themselves and can thus live a guilt free life, the only thing that is seemingly important to them. Likewise, by engaging in the occasional ritualistic A-B march and/or writing a letter to the local newspaper or MP, they are “showing their opposition” to the latest war/trade agreement/other bad thing. To the liberal, showing your opposition often seems more important than actually opposing anything in any meaningful way.
The liberal concept of showing opposition is remarkably similar to the (“radical”) Christian practice of “bearing witness”. In both, it is the display which takes importance over the action, with the ultimate goal of leaving the liberal/Christian able to live their own lives with the self-important knowledge that they spoke out, and if the powers-that-be didn’t listen, well, it can hardly be the liberal/Christian’s fault, can it?
Supporters of boycott often point to apartheid South Africa as an example of how boycotts can work. They fail, however, to note the massive difference between that example and whatever they are engaging in on any given day. The boycott of South Africa was just one part of a huge campaign, it was a mass collective boycott (not a small-scale individualised one), and, of course, within South Africa there was also a huge movement pushing for societal change. Today’s boycott campaigns, without exception, are nothing like this.
My veganism does not hurt the meat, dairy, egg, leather or fur industries. Their level of production did not change one iota when, around 18 months ago, I decided to go vegan, and nor did I ever expect it to. My veganism is simply a personal choice, albeit one with a political logic, similar to my choice not to vote, which most certainly will not hurt the state in and of itself in any way.
To be continued…
June 19, 2007 at 12:59 am
Great post! What really helped me to understand that capitalism is driven by production & investment and not consumption is the book Economics Explained by Robert L. Heilbroner and Lester Thurow. I highly recommend it as it is very accessible. I think that would provide some very complementary information to your continued piece.
Best,
matt
June 19, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Aye, please continue. And while you’re at it, why don’t you vote?
As much as being vegan is a boycott of one industry, being vegan is supporting another industry. It is that “supporting the alternative” which I believe in.
It seems you’re writing from an economic perspective so I’ll continue with my thoughts on that line of thinking. Vegans are consumers. Investors want to make money. Therefore, it behooves investors and producers to provide good products for vegans to purchase. So buy products from companies you want to succeed and encourage others to do likewise. Here in Los Angeles, there is a bakery called Uncle Eddies which makes delicious vegan cookies. Many non-vegans I know buy them because they’re the best damn cookie you can buy.
I think the same idea holds true for voting. Where I live there is always someone on the ballot (usually at the local level but sometimes state level) who deserves my vote. They rarely win the election but there is more to elections than just winning. Like keeping 3rd parties on the ballot for the time when the right candidate (in California, parties must receive something like 1.5% of the vote to remain on the ballot, otherwise next time the party will have to go door to door collecting signatures).
Not voting isn’t an action. The politician who wins will count your inaction as tacit support. The least you can do is register your dissent by voting for a candidate likely to loose.
June 19, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Being a vegan is a good way to curb animal killing for fur,bags,leather..but not for food i think.
our whole eco system is made of a Food chain..if u remember..(i learned in my 4th class).We are also like animal..As u will see..in the food chain…one animal becomes the food for the other and like wise…
If u too religious and u think that…the first human where Adam and Eve and if you totally scrap evolution..then u will not understand that humans can eat meat like any other animals…its so natural and there is nothing wrong abt it.
Humans as they evolve were bound to eat flesh like any other animals arnd him…also for survival he cud not stick to veganism.at that time….
So i conclude by saying that ,If u are a non vegetarian then … its natural,but i severly critize the use of animals for fur trade,teeth,bones etc.
The thing is that u dont eat a tiger…but u like the fur…so we shud clearly define a term which categories wat is acceptable and wat is not as far as animal rights are concerned.
June 20, 2007 at 4:47 am
One more post that confirms how perceptive you are. I’ve been feeling this way for a long time, but haven’t found the words to express it.
“The supporter of individualised consumer boycotts believes that, if only enough people “saw the light” and joined them, these industries would collapse upon themselves. While perhaps true in a limited fashion, this analysis sorely misses the basis of the capitalist society we live in today.”
Aye. But how to initiate a collective response that both (1)responds to this “basis of capitalism” and (2)goes beyond changing individual choices without appealing to individuals and (in some way) their choices?
“Looking at the man in the mirror,” as M. Jackson would say, is pretty easy. Much harder organizing real social change. As you so neatly make evident. Any ideas?
June 20, 2007 at 5:28 am
Perhaps the problem with modern veganism is its elitist and often unnecessary tenants. Vegans tell people to abstain from all animal product, including milk, cheese, and even honey. Is that completely necessary though?
Most of us who have socialist leaning tenancies would view the acquisition of food as a co-operative effort. That is to say, that human creatures ban together to acquire a larger and more varied food selection. If I am not hurting an animal it is reasonable to assume that when I take milk from a goat to make cheese (which I have done) it is in the spirit of cooperation. Granted, the goat did not give expressed permission, but she was unhurt, and it took ten minutes of her time. I feed her, and take care of her when she is sick and she in turn gives me milk when it is needed, its just another kind of cooperation.
A similar cooperation argument could be made for free-range organic chicken eggs. The chickens lead a good life free from suffering and in turn give eggs to the human farmers.
If vegetarianism was approached from this natural “animalistic” model, more people would understand and I think employee the eco-friendly practices of a vegan lifestyle.
June 20, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Gavin, we wouldn’t have to be the benevolent caregiver if we didn’t breed domesticated animals. Domesticated animals were created (through selective breeding) by humans from wild animals. We bred for improved temperament (make them dumb) and food producing abilities. Domesticated hens will produce an egg every day. Dairy producing animals are bred to produce more milk for longer periods. Pigs are bred to loose their tusks. In the process of domestication, each animal looses its ability to fend for themselves.
You might want to read a bit more on how free those free range chickens are. To qualify as free range, you only have to provide the chickens with access to the outside. This usually takes the form of an enormous over crowded coop (warehouse) with a single exit. Most of the chickens stay inside where the food and water are served.
Anyway, if you’re looking for an environmental argument for being vegan, check this. It’s by far the least carbon emitting diet (much better than vegetarian).
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2097257,00.html
Anyway, I don’t preach veganism to anyone. I just show people how delicious the alternative is. No one wants to stop doing something but we’d all like to try something new.
nitinrohidas, Humans did evolve as omnivores (tho probably eating more fish and insects than land animals). But the current western diet now has FAR more meat in it than ever before. 100 years ago a westerner would eat meat about once a week. Now it’s most every meal.
June 24, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Speaking of veganism… er, anarchism (sorry Asher), I done it:
http://slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=728
June 29, 2007 at 6:16 am
Monkey – “It is that “supporting the alternative” which I believe in.”
And thats where we differ. I’m not just a vegan, I’m an anarchist (and thus anti-capitalist). To me, there’s no such thing as “good capitalists” that are worth supporting. I like vegan cookies as much as the next person (probably more than some
) but that doesn’t mean I want vegan cookie companies to succeed, thereby enabling them to exploit yet more workers and force them into the drudgery of wage-slavery. Rather, I want (and work towards, in my own little way) a world without wage-slavery, a world where vegan cookies (and everything else) are produced collectively to fulfill need for all, not profit for a few.
As for your voting question, I’ve got an upcoming post which’ll hopefully clarify for you why I don’t vote.
deashibarai – “But how to initiate a collective response that both (1)responds to this “basis of capitalism” and (2)goes beyond changing individual choices without appealing to individuals and (in some way) their choices?”
Excellent questions – thats where I’m planning on heading in the 2nd part of this post, whenever I manage to finish it, so sorry for not replying to them now
July 9, 2007 at 7:35 pm
I have a view of animal rights that is very unpopular among my vegan/vegetarian friends, and causes them to be pissed at me from time to time.
I see myself as part of nature, as another element in nature, no more nor less important than a bee or rain. I believe that as the more you get in the wild and uncivilized societies, the more it is natural to kill and animal and eat it, no moral issues involved. I also believed that every creature, every element in earth is somehow sacred and relevant to keep nature going. So about being a vegetarian/vegan, I deeply respect people’s choices, but this is my own personal take on the issue:
1.I believe to be able to analyze what we eat like that is a product of alienation and detachment from nature. The fact that we have made links between ethic and the basic human need to eat is a sign that we have lost touch with the cycle of life and our place in it. I also live in a third world country where people die of hunger everyday, so I have learned to be very very grateful for food, whatever it is, if it kills hunger, I’m thankful.
2.. Because animals can have emotions i feel are closer to mine, I don’t think they feel more than a tomato or a lettuce. Because I can relate to them more easily, that doesn’t make them, to me, more valuable or more worthy of conservation than plants and trees. I respect them and love them all equally. I feel that if we put animals in a higher level than plants, then the logic next step is that humans are above animals. And I don’t agree with that, I believe we are all in the same level, and as toads eat flies, humans eat chicken.
3. Factory/industrial production of animals for food is gross, disgusting and cruel. I get my food from the organic farmer’s market. I heard one of the farmers last Saturday saying: I give my chickens the best life thy can have until its time for them to turn into food, then I feel grateful for them and nature for this gift. Yeah, vegetarians think thats so gross, but I have never heard such a natural thing before.
4. I think we should eat humans as well.
5. Please keep the hate mail to 5 per day
July 9, 2007 at 10:31 pm
@Augstina
I have almost similar opinion as yours.The only point is lets have animals for food but not for trade purpose especially animals which are feared extinction.
Veganism is a new concept. I strongly agree to your comment “I believe that as the more you get in the wild and uncivilized societies, the more it is natural to kill and animal and eat it, no moral issues involved”.
This can be proved by taking the examples from history ,of brutal ways of punishments like cutting limbs,football kicks from elephant,scorpio bites and wat not ..So as we are getting civilised we are not behaving like true animals.
i had seen a documentary where animals were killed brutally just for their skin and bones and not for food.
lets try to stop that…….
July 11, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Very interesting stuff.
If you do write the “to be continued” part, can you please shoot me an e-mail to let me know?
July 11, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Will do Michael. I’ll probably write it in the next week or two – it’s all in my head, just need to find the energy to type it up.