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Last Updated: 9/29/2009

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Wednesday, October 07, 2009 

Current mood:  calm

I thought I'd share this very interesting blog post by Gary L Francione. It's a couple of years old. To see his recent posts, just go to http://www.abolitionistapproach.com

“Oh my god, these vegans…”

http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/oh-my-god-these-vegans/
  by Gary L. Francione in Blog

In the ongoing debate between those who promote the abolitionist approach and those who promote the welfarist approach, some of the welfarists claim that they support veganism so there is, in reality, little difference between the two approaches on the matter of eating and using animal products.

To the extent that welfarists support veganism, it is important to understand that the abolitionist position on veganism is very different from the welfarist position on veganism.

The abolitionist sees veganism as a non-negotiable moral baseline of a movement that maintains that we should abolish all animal use, however “humane” our treatment of animals may be. The abolitionist position maintains that nonhumans have inherent value and that we should never kill and eat them even if they have been raised and killed “humanely.” Abolitionists regard veganism as an end in itself—as an expression of the principle of abolition in the life of the individual.

Abolitionist vegans do not campaign for welfare reforms that supposedly make animal exploitation more “humane.” It is, of course, “better” to inflict less harm than more harm, but we have no moral justification for inflicting any harm on nonhumans in the first place. It is “better” not to beat a rape victim but it does not make rape without beating morally acceptable, or making campaigning for “humane” rape something that we should do.

Abolitionists regard veganism as the most important form of incremental change and spend their time and resources on educating others about veganism and the need to stop using animals altogether, rather than on trying to persuade people to eat “cage-free” eggs or flesh produced from animals who have been confined in larger pens.
To the extent that welfarists endorse any form of veganism (and many do not), they see veganism not as an end in itself but merely as a means to reduce animal suffering. They do not regard animal use as the primary problem; they think that it may be acceptable for humans to kill and eat nonhumans and that the primary problem is how we treat animals. Welfarists who promote veganism argue that because it is difficult to obtain animal foods that have been produced in a morally acceptable manner, we ought to be vegans for the most part but that it is acceptable to be “flexible” vegans and to eat non-vegan as well. Because welfarists focus on treatment rather than use, they campaign for things like “cage-free” eggs or alternatives to the gestation crate.

Most of those who subscribe to this view agree with the position of utilitarian theorist Peter Singer, who provides an excellent example of welfarist “veganism.”

Singer does not think that it is necessarily a problem that we use nonhumans for human purposes because he does not regard the killing of animals as necessarily immoral. According to Singer, animals (with the exception of nonhuman great apes and perhaps a few other species) are not self-aware and do not really care that we use them but only about how we use them. This leads Singer to say that it may be morally acceptable to be “conscientious omnivores” if we are careful to eat only animals who have been raised and killed in a “humane” manner.

For example, in a 2006 interview in The Vegan, Singer states:
[T]o avoid inflicting suffering on animals—not to mention the environmental costs of intensive animal production—we need to cut down drastically on the animal products we consume. But does that mean a vegan world? That’s one solution, but not necessarily the only one. If it is the infliction of suffering that we are concerned about, rather than killing, then I can also imagine a world in which people mostly eat plant foods, but occasionally treat themselves to the luxury of free range eggs, or possibly even meat from animals who live good lives under conditions natural for their species, and are then humanely killed on the farm.
In Singer’s May 2006 interview in Mother Jones, he states:
[T]here’s a little bit of room for indulgence in all of our lives. I know some people who are vegan in their homes but if they’re going out to a fancy restaurant, they allow themselves the luxury of not being vegan that evening. I don’t see anything really wrong with that.
I don’t eat meat. I’ve been a vegetarian since 1971. I’ve gradually become increasingly vegan. I am largely vegan but I’m a flexible vegan. I don’t go to the supermarket and buy non-vegan stuff for myself. But when I’m traveling or going to other people’s places I will be quite happy to eat vegetarian rather than vegan.
In an October 2006 interview in the new welfarist magazine, Satya, Singer states:
When I’m shopping for myself, it will be vegan. But when I’m traveling and it’s hard to get vegan food in some places or whatever, I’ll be vegetarian. I won’t eat eggs if they’re not free-range, but if they’re free-range, I will. I won’t order a dish that is full of cheese, but I won’t worry about, say, whether an Indian vegetable curry was cooked with ghee.
Singer argues that there are times when we have a moral obligation not to be vegans:
I think it’s more important to try and produce a change in the right direction than to be personally pure yourself. So when you’re eating with someone at a restaurant, and you ordered something vegan but when it comes there’s a bit of grated cheese or something on it, sometimes vegans will make a big fuss and send it back and that might mean the food is wasted. And if you’re in company with people who are not vegan or not even vegetarian, I think that’s probably the wrong thing to do. It’d be better off just to eat it because people are going to think, ‘Oh my god, these vegans…’
There is, of course, no moral distinction that can be drawn between flesh and dairy products or eggs. Therefore, Singer would be committed to the position that if you were in a restaurant with non-vegetarians and ordered a vegetarian meal only to have it come with bits of bacon or other flesh products on it, or if your non-vegetarian host served you flesh at a dinner party, you may well be obligated to eat the flesh to stop people from thinking, “Oh my god, these vegetarians…”

I discuss Singer’s view on the issue of killing animals at length in my essay, The “Luxury” of Death.

Singer’s focus on the treatment rather than the killing of animals leads to the position that veganism is simply one of a number of ways to reduce suffering, but that there is nothing mandatory or required about veganism because there is nothing inherently wrong with killing animals. Indeed, Singer regards being a consistent vegan as “fanatical.”

And many welfarists talk about veganism in this way. For example, Paul Shapiro, Director of the HSUS Factory Farming Campaign, states
The reason I’m vegan is because I see it as a tool to help reduce animal suffering. Vegan Outreach has written about this extensively, and I agree with them. They write that vegan eating ‘is not an end in itself. It is not a dogma or religion, nor a list of forbidden ingredients or immutable laws—it is only a tool for opposing cruelty and reducing suffering.’
In other words, veganism is just another way, along with bigger cages and other welfarist reforms, to reduce suffering. This is how Shapiro apparently justifies promoting “cage-free” eggs as “socially responsible,” campaigning for other welfare reforms, and working as part of the coalition that supports the Certified Humane Raised and Handled label.
For the welfarists, the basic issue is animal treatment, not animal use. As Singer states:
It’s pretty difficult to be a conscientious omnivore and avoid all the ethical problems, but if you really were thorough-going in eating only animals that had had good lives, that could be a defensible ethical position.
In February 2007, I had a podcast debate with Erik Marcus from Erik’s Diner. Marcus is an enthusiastic promoter of insignificant animal welfare reform, including “cage-free” eggs.

But, as the debate made painfully obvious, Marcus exaggerates the protection provided to animals by welfare regulation despite his not having knowledge of the relevant facts. Moreover, he is seemingly unaware as to how welfare reforms are making animal exploitation more socially acceptable and increasing consumption, as well as how these reforms are in the economic interests of institutional animal exploiters. An essay by British sociologist Dr. Roger Yates reveals the stunning ignorance of Marcus and his HSUS colleagues about the basics of institutional animal exploitation.

Marcus, like the other welfarist “vegans,” maintains that it is acceptable to eat foods that are not vegan as long as they are “essentially vegan” and he regularly promotes animal products that are supposedly more “humanely” produced. I do not question Erik’s sincerity, but I disagree strongly with him.

This casual attitude about veganism is characteristic of the welfarists. In a December 2006 article about Dan Mathews of PETA, Mathews and the writer went to McDonald’s to eat and the writer asked if it was okay to order a cheeseburger. Mathews is reported as saying “‘Order what you want,’. . . .’Half of our members are vegetarian and half think it’s a good idea.’” Putting aside that Mathews eats at McDonald’s and tells the reporter to order what he wanted, and proclaims without apparent consternation that only half of the PETA membership is “vegetarian” (let alone vegan), Mathews himself ate a product—the “veggie burger”—which not even McDonald’s claims is vegetarian given that it is cooked on the same grill with meat products and handled along with animal products.

The abolitionist rejects the welfarist position on veganism both because it explicitly endorses speciesism and exploitation, but also because it is counterproductive as a matter of strategy. If you explain to someone that there is no moral justification for eating any animal foods, she may not give up everything right away, but you have stated a clear and consistent position and you have provided a clear goal to which to aspire. If you tell her that it is morally acceptable to do less than become a vegan, you can be certain that she is unlikely to see any need to go further. When you have people like Singer, the so-called “father” of the movement, telling people that they can act morally by being “conscientious omnivores,” that is exactly what many people will do.

In conclusion, there is a world of difference between the veganism of the abolitionist and the “veganism” of the welfarist. The latter sees veganism as a means of reducing suffering but does not see it as a moral baseline.

There is a world of difference between a person who takes the position that sexism is always wrong and one who says that we should be “flexible” about sexism and allow ourselves the “indulgence” of a bit of sexism, or even that we have a moral obligation to engage in sexism in certain circumstances because we should avoid eliciting the reaction, “Oh my god, these feminists…”
Gary L. Francione
2007 Gary L. Francione
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009 
The World's Need
a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox


O many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind
Is all the sad world needs.


Voice of the Voiceless
Version 3

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, 1896 Poet Laureate of Humanity

I am the voice of the voiceless:
   Through me, the dumb shall speak;
Till the deaf world's ear be made to hear
   The cry of the wordless weak.
 From street, from cage, and from kennel,
   From jungle and stall, the wail
Of my tortured kin proclaims the sin
   Of the mighty against the frail.

For love is the true religion,
   And love is the law sublime;
And all that is wrought, where love is not,
   Will die at the touch of time.
And Science, the great Revealer,
   Must flame his torch at the Source;
And keep it bright, with that holy light
   Or his feet shall fail on the course.

For he who would trample kindness
   And mercy into the dust--
He has missed the trail, and his quest will fail:
   He is not the guide to trust.
Oh shame on the mothers of mortals
   Who have not stopped to teach
Of the sorrow that lies in dear, dumb eyes,
   The sorrow that has no speech.

Oh, never a brute in the forest,
   And never a snake in the fen,
Or ravening bird, starvation stirred,
   Has hunted his prey like men.
For hunger, and fear, and passion
   Alone drive beasts to slay,
But wonderful man, the crown of the Plan,
   Tortures, and kills, FOR PLAY.

He goes well fed from his table;
   He kisses his child and wife;
Then he haunts a wood, till he orphans a brood,
   Or robs a deer of its life.
He aims at a speck in the azure;
   Winged love, that has flown at a call;
It reels down to die, and he lets it lie;
   His pleasure was seeing it fall.

The same force formed the sparrow
   That fashioned Man, the King;
The God of the Whole gave a spark of soul
   To each furred and feathered thing.
And I am my brother's keeper,
   And I will fight his fight,
And speak the word for beast and bird,
   Till the world shall set things right.

Published by the American Humane Association, Albany, N.Y.
Submitted by Maynard S. Clark 25 Jan 2002


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Tuesday, September 29, 2009 
8:51 AM 
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009 

Current mood:  chill
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Sunday, August 16, 2009 

Want to see a "humane" slaughterhouse vid?

***WARNING*** NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS. All of this legal under US standards. More information (soon in English): http://www.mataderos.info
Video of Spanish slaughterhouses, part of the Animal Equality investigation about slaughterhouses, started in 2008. Visit their website: http://www.animalEquality.net


Go vegan for peace for all land and sea dwelling beings and for climate change




To find out more about how animals are enslaved on Earth
Watch  Earthlings http://www.earthlings.com

To subscribe to my Youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/livevegan

Join me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/livevegan
Join me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/LiveVegan/104975033629
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Sunday, August 16, 2009 
4:23 AM 
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Monday, May 11, 2009 
Forward this link to friends: http://www.livevegan.net

What is "Fasting to Abolish Animal Slavery"?

Fasting to Abolish Animal Slavery [FAAS] is a global event to highlight and call for the abolition of all forms of nonhuman slavery. 65+ billion nonhumans are enslaved, tortured, and murdered each year for their flesh and other products. Nonhumans have no real rights and they are viewed as property.

If we are truly committed to peace and nonviolence, then we cannot ignore the exploitation and killing of our nonhuman brother and sisters. By adopting a plant based (vegan) diet and life, we can help end animal slavery and the torture and murder of billions.

There was a time when human slavery was legal and condoned by the majority of society. That did not make it right and the same applies to nonhuman slavery. It was never acceptable to enslave and murder nonhumans for any purposes or for "the greater good", and it is not acceptable to do so now.

Through promotional vegan literature the event will also highlight the great contribution animal-use industries play in global warming and highlight the many associated problems.

We are asking for volunteers in in a 3, 5, or even possibly 7 day water fast in a public setting, eg busy Sydney mall on Earth Day 2010. The water fast would be with the approval of local authorities and hopefully well-publicized with a lot of media attention.

When?

The "Fasting to Abolish Animal Slavery" event will take place Earth Day April 22, 2010. We hope FAAS will be, at the very least, an annual event. If it is not possible to hold the event on Earth Day due to problems getting permission from local authorities, or due to incompatible working commitments etc, then volunteers are encouraged to arrange for the event to be held another suitable time, but it would be preferable that the first event be held on Earth day. We chose Earth Day to bring attention to the great contribution animal-use industries play in global warming and all associated problems that accompany global warming.

Where?

This is a global event. FAAS will be held in a public setting, eg: a busy city mall, busy public park,wherever the greatest percentage of the general public are likely to passing by.

Are any groups or organisations represented at FAAS?

This event is intended to be a group of individual volunteers who may or may not be from an organisation. There will be no focus on any organisation. There may be information at tables beside the group of fasters, but it will be not for the purpose of promoting any particular group. We wish this to be a generic group of individual fasters which we feel will be neutral and have a greater impact on the public.

In other words, no group or organisation or individual owns this event, even if a particular organisation or group may actually organise it in any given location or at any given time.

Facebook group

We invite you to join us on Facebook for discussions about this event. If you do not wish to join Facebook, then let us know by email: INFO(at)LOBSA(dot)org and we may need to start a yahoo group or place interested volunteers on a private mail list for future announcements. We would encourage people who are interested, to join Facebook as it will be easier for people to discuss the event and issues arising.

Join our Yahoo group Fasting to Abolish Animal Slavery - to join, send a blank email to FastingAbolishAnimalSlavery-subscri

be@yahoogroups.com and follow the prompts

Who can participate?

Anyone who is at the very least vegetarian, but preferably vegan, is welcome to participate. If possible we would like volunteers who have already some experience with water fasting. If you have no experience, then we encourage you to work up to the event a few months prior, by starting with short fasts at home and researching the subject. We recommend first starting with juice fasts and moving to a water fasts and we have placed a recommended schedule as a message in group's discussion posts. Also, "Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease (Paperback)
by Joel Fuhrman (Author), Neal D. Barnard (Foreword)" is another suggestion of a text to buy for info.

There are a number of sites online which have information about water fasting. We will shortly also be providing some information on fasting on this site

This group on Facebook specifically calls for volunteers either to fast or to support those fasting or just to support the event and spread the message. We will be promoting this event on different sites and some animal news groups calling for volunteers. We also wish those in various cities to document their event and then we will post these photos (with permission) on Facebook and on our site.

*Please note if you join the group you are not expected to participate in the fast event. It is just great to have your support*


What information will be at the event?

At the "Fasting to Abolish Animal Slavery" event there will be vegan information and animal equality education literature

At this event, highlighted foremost is the abolition of animal slavery and the benefits of a plant-based (vegan) diet and life, also, education about the meat and dairy contribution to climate change, and all other issues related to flesh and animal product consumption. All forms of nonhuman exploitation will be highlighted, eg: nonhumans used in medicine, in entertainment, nonhumans killed for their fur and other products etc.

Information at stalls *must* be animal *rights* and vegan information only. It is yet to be decided if we should have information specifically for the FAAS event. However, if stall information belongs to a certain group, that group must be promoting veganism on their site and as a main part of their activities. If there is to be a banner overhead of the fasters, the only banner presented at the site will be "Fasting to Abolish Animal Slavery". There will be no advertisements of any particular group.

A person needs to be appointed to approve the information at the stall on the day that it is animal *rights* and vegan only information.

Why the name?

We wanted the name of the event to include "animal slavery" because for most of the public, the idea of not exploiting animals for some product or for their flesh, is almost unimaginable.

For more information

If you have any queries, contact : INFO(at)LOBSA(dot)ORG

Additional Vids and Info

FAAS - http://www.livevegan.net
Vegan video http://www.veganvideo.org
Watch "Earthlings" http://www.earthlings.com


12:04 PM 
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Saturday, April 25, 2009 
12:38 PM 
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Saturday, April 25, 2009 
Forward this link to friends: http://www.livevegan.net

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70732160889&ref=mf


What is "Fasting to Abolish Animal Slavery"?

Fasting to Abolish Animal Slavery [FAAS] is an event to highlight and call for the abolition of all forms of nonhuman slavery. 65+ billion nonhumans are enslaved, tortured, and murdered each year for their flesh and other products. Nonhumans have no real rights and they are viewed as property.

If we are truly committed to peace and nonviolence, then we cannot ignore the exploitation and killing of our nonhuman brother and sisters. By adopting a plant based (vegan) diet and life, we can help end animal slavery and the torture and murder of billions.

There was a time when human slavery was legal and condoned by the majority of society. That did not make it right and the same applies to nonhuman slavery. It was never acceptable to enslave and murder nonhumans for any purposes or for "the greater good", and it is not acceptable to do so now.

Through promotional vegan literature the event will also highlight the great contribution animal-use industries play in global warming and highlight the many associated problems.

We are asking for volunteers in in a 3, 5, or even possibly 7 day water fast in a public setting, eg busy Sydney mall on Earth Day 2010. The water fast would be with the approval of local authorities and hopefully well-publicized with a lot of media attention.

When?

The "Fasting to Abolish Animal Slavery" event will take place Earth Day April 22, 2010. We hope FAAS will be, at the very least, an annual event. If it is not possible to hold the event on Earth Day due to problems getting permission from local authorities, or due to incompatible working commitments etc, then volunteers are encouraged to arrange for the event to be held another suitable time, but it would be preferable that the first event be held on Earth day. We chose Earth Day to bring attention to the great contribution animal-use industries play in global warming and all associated problems that accompany global warming.

Where?

This is a global event. FAAS will be held in a public setting, eg: a busy city mall, busy public park,wherever the greatest percentage of the general public are likely to passing by.

Are any groups or organisations represented at FAAS?

This event is intended to be a group of individual volunteers who may or may not be from an organisation. There will be no focus on any organisation. There may be information at tables beside the group of fasters, but it will be not for the purpose of promoting any particular group. We wish this to be a generic group of individual fasters which we feel will be neutral and have a greater impact on the public.

In other words, no group or organisation or individual owns this event, even if a particular organisation or group may actually organise it in any given location or at any given time.

Facebook group

We invite you to join us on Facebook for discussions about this event. If you do not wish to join Facebook, then let us know by email: INFO(at)LOBSA(dot)org and we may need to start a yahoo group or place interested volunteers on a private mail list for future announcements. We would encourage people who are interested, to join Facebook as it will be easier for people to discuss the event and issues arising.

Who can participate?

Anyone who is at the very least vegetarian, but preferably vegan, is welcome to participate. If possible we would like volunteers who have already some experience with water fasting. If you have no experience, then we encourage you to work up to the event a few months prior, by starting with short fasts at home and researching the subject. We recommend first starting with juice fasts and moving to a water fasts. There are a number of sites online which have information about water fasting. We will shortly also be providing some information on fasting on this site .

This group on Facebook specifically calls for volunteers either to fast or to support those fasting or just to support the event and spread the message. We will be promoting this event on different sites and some animal news groups calling for volunteers. We also wish those in various cities to document their event and then we will post these photos (with permission) on Facebook and on our site.

What will be at the event?

At the "Fasting to Abolish Animal Slavery" event there will be vegan information and animal equality education literature, eg: "Why Vegan" booklets by Vegan Outreach.

At this event, highlighted foremost is the abolition of animal slavery and the benefits of a plant-based (vegan) diet and life, education about the meat and dairy contribution to climate change, and all other issues related to flesh and animal product consumption. All forms of nonhuman exploitation will be highlighted, eg: nonhumans used in medicine, in entertainment, nonhumans killed for their fur and other products etc.

Why the name?

We wanted the name of the event to include "animal slavery" because for most of the public, the idea of not exploiting animals for some product or for their flesh, is almost unimaginable.

For more information

If you have any queries, contact : INFO(at)LOBSA(dot)ORG

Additional Vids and Info

FAAS - http://www.livevegan.net
Vegan video http://www.veganvideo.org
Watch "Earthlings" http://www.earthlings.com
12:24 PM 
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Wednesday, December 03, 2008 
9:47 PM 
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