‘The Take’ screening!
So the bankers and politicians made a lot of mess and people have to pay the bill. No jobs, cutbacks, more taxes, low salaries, lost houses, debts, IMF, corruption, crisis. Sounds familiar? It happened in Argentine in 2001 . Check out how they coped with that on September 9th at The Happy Pear in Greystones! We’ll be showing THE TAKE.
In suburban Buenos Aires, thirty unemployed auto-parts workers walk into their idle factory, roll out sleeping mats and refuse to leave. All they want is to re-start the silent machines. They reclaim control of a closed Forja auto plant where they once worked and turn it into a worker cooperative
But this simple act – the take – has the power to turn the globalization debate on its head. Armed only with slingshots and an abiding faith in shop-floor democracy, the workers face off against the bosses, bankers and a whole system that sees their beloved factories as nothing more than scrap metal for sale.
With “The Take”, director Avi Lewis, one of Canada’s most outspoken journalists, and writer Naomi Klein, author of the international bestseller No Logo, champion a radical economic manifesto for the 21st century.
9th September 2011 (FRIDAY)
The Happy Pear
Church Road,
Greystones
FREE ENTRY
‘The Cove’ screening!
Here we go again! This time we will be screening a fascinating movie The Cove! As someone said “The film itself is an act of heroism”.
The Cove begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. In the 1960s, it was O’Barry who captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation Flipper. But his close relationship with those dolphins – the very dolphins who sparked a global fascination with trained sea mammals that continues to this day – led O’Barry to a radical change of heart.
One fateful day, a heartbroken Barry came to realize that these deeply sensitive, highly intelligent and self-aware creatures so beautifully adapted to life in the open ocean must never be subjected to human captivity again. This mission has brought him to Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast.
But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and “Keep Out” signs, lies a dark reality. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in an unseen hunt. The nature of what they do is so chilling – and the consequences are so dangerous to human health – they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it.
The Cove is directed by Louie Psihoyos and produced by Paula DuPre Pesman and Fisher Stevens. The film is written by Mark Monroe. The executive producer is Jim Clark and the co-producer is Olivia Ahnemann.
29th July (FRIDAY)
8pm
The Happy Pear
Greystones
FREE ENTRY
Activism is not a party
It is worth to remember what is activism. Especially when we see increase of activists. The problem is they’re more interested in fun. Well, to be honest activism is not a fun. It is often hard work, risk and fatigue. Often a series of major failures and small victories. In many cases, activism means many sacrifices and inconveniences: makes you broke, you don’t have time for yourself or you’re living on the edge of repression. In other words it’s not a party!
I think everyone likes concerts, parties and meeting friends. But let’s straight it out here: we need actions. It’s nice if you come to Vegan Cafe and have a great evening. It’s nice if you go to solidarity gig and pay five quid to help antifascists in prisons. But let’s be honest, you don’t need to go to concert to support other folks. It’s fun for you but it’s not activism unless you organise it.
So we’ve got a number of people who attend gigs, parties and they reckon they do a great job. I mean, I’m far from criticizing anyone who likes fun. Fun is not bad. We should however realize that the struggle against capitalism or the exploitation of animals is another matter. This requires a particular attitude and the dedicated people instead of party people. Of course, conformity, or rather the consumption of alternative lifestyle visible among many activists is not surprising. The specificity of the current consumer system affects activists in all fields. We’re all indoctrinated by corporate propaganda.
But at the end of day someone has to do the job. There are hundreds of important things that should be done straight away. But they’re not really fun. They may be boring, tiring or even frustrating. However, when we see hundreds of smiling people at the parties, we only see a few of them during real actions. That’s not right.
So hey, you want to change the world? You want human and animal liberation? Get involved and work hard! But if you’re looking for something different, there are many ways to have fun or expressing yourself. Otherwise you just distract those who do the job and might count on you.
The Future for Animals in Ireland 2011
There will be a great conference on Animal Rights in Ireland soon! It’s all about sharing experience, reporting on progress, networking, and “recharging our batteries.” It brings our movement together under the banner of animal liberation from all forms of human oppression. We discuss and confront the terror perpetrated every day against billions of innocent, sentient nonhuman animals.
SPEAKERS:
DR. Jery Vlasak
The Abolitionist Struggle and Fight for the Freedom for Animals. Rebuilding the Abolitionist Revolution.
Dr. Roger Yates
Why People Protest and Take Direct Action – and Why They Must.
Greg Kelly
Why would a Rational Human Being Eat Meat?
Ed Long
The Campaign Against Fur in Ireland. What now?
Bernie Barrett
Problems faced by Irish Badgers.
A PANEL WILL ANSWER QUESTIONS WHEN TALKS CONCLUDE.
Jerry Vlasak USA (born circa 1958 in Austin, Texas) is an American trauma surgeon and animal rights activist. He is a press officer for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, a former director of the Animal Defense League of Los Angeles, and an advisor to SPEAK, the Voice for the Animals.
Roger Yates is a lecturer in sociology at University College Dublin and the University of Wales, specializing in animal rights and social movements. He is a former Animal Liberation Front (ALF) press officer, and a co-founder of a number of “Action Groups” opposing various industries that exploit nonhuman animals. He is currently involved in Vegan Ireland, the vegan society of Ireland.
Greg Kelly. USA – is a renowned grassroots animal rights activist and inspirational abolitionist speaker – has been to demos in almost a dozen countries as well as all over the United States. He was first known for his work in NYC, helping to bring Huntingdon Life Sciences (vivisection laboratories) to its knees when they were kicked off the New York Stock Exchange. Since then Greg has helped many activist groups and strives towards total liberation. He is now the President of the newly founded Band Of Mercy in North America.
Ed Long – grassroots activist in Ireland, organiser for ALiberation, a Dublin based animal rights group, and committee member of Vegan Ireland.
Bernie Barrett- co-ordinator of Badgerwatch Ireland and well-known Irish animal rights campaigner.
This event is organised by THE ALLIANCE FOR ANIMAL RIGHTS. PO Box 4734. Dublin1. For more information ring Bernie Wright at 0872651720 email: bigbrownrat@gmail.com
All monies raised will go to help the poor of Jalalpurjattan, Pakistan.
12th July 2011
7:30pm
Buswells Hotel,
Molesworth Street, Dublin 1
Entry: 5 euro per person.
Please come along folks!
“Planeat” screening in Greystones!
Have you ever wondered what’s wrong with meat and dairy? Or how what we eat affects you and the planet? Well, you’ll have a chance to find out! We’ll be screening Planeat movie at the Happy Pear on 24th of June!
Planeat is the story of three men’s life-long search for a diet, which is good for our health, animals, good for the environment and good for the future of the planet. With an additional cast of pioneering chefs and some of the best cooking you have ever seen, the scientists and doctors in the film present a convincing case for the West to re-examine its love affair with meat and dairy. The film features the ground-breaking work of Dr. T Colin Campbell in China exploring the link between diet and disease, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s use of diet to treat heart disease patients, and Professor Gidon Eshel’s investigations into how our food choices contribute to global warming, land use and oceanic deadzones.
24th June 2011 (Friday)
8pm
The Happy Pear
Church Road
Greystones
It’s a free screening!
Yes we can…be fooled again!
So, Barack Obama is on tour in Europe. Wow! Politicians go mad to gain in some publicity, people cheer at rallies and the governments close the streets and spend taxpayer’s millions on security. Then nobody cares about taxpayers who are unable to get to work, are searched like criminals or spend hours in traffic jams. But hey, it doesn’t matter, Obama is in town!
I must admit that I watched Obama’s visit in Ireland with some sadness. The guy came like a rock star, streets were closed and the society which faces massive cutbacks paid the bill for elites’ fun. There was no resistance. Then, tens of thousands of people took part in the sectarian rally, in which Mr. Obama praised Ireland and spoke of great hope. The saddest thing is that these thousands of people, oppressed by the state every day, were crying while shaking Obama’s hand (as if he was Jesus), when in fact his presidency comes down to the slogan “Yes, we can fool you again and again!”. I mean the guy did not keep any of his key promises. Famous Health care reform is a piece of private market-based approach, which is a contradiction of pre-election promises. Cruel Guantanamo prison not only still operates, but its activity has been extended by Obama. What’s next? Obama’s NAFTA promise: we will pull the US out of the NAFTA agreement. Guess what? It never happened. There’s much more broken promises. It’s not surprising if we look at the list of sponsors of his campaign!
Despite these overwhelming facts, people are still blinded, and believe in some fictional change that Obama can bring. I mean, if your sponsor are J & P Morgan, Google, Goldman Sachs what kind of change can you bring? Tax relief for the rich? Patriot Act extension? And it really doesn’t matter if it’s Obama or any other politician. It might be Cameron or Sarkozy. A system based on the belief that some rich men in armored limousines represent our interests is a bullshit. They don’t and they never will. We need to represent ourselves. Nobody will do it for us. How many broken promises people need to realize that? So the next time there is no one at Obama’s rally.
Reformist revolution?
Reformists clash with the revolutionaries for years on the methods of struggle against capitalism. The first group is criticized for its strategy of building a new society step by step. Revolutionaries say that it will never happen because real liberation requires radical action and confrontation with the enemy. But reformists say that revolutionary methods are based on short-term changes that lead to violence and it is never possible to predict the outcome of the revolution.
So the conflict about the strategies already takes many years and we see no improvement here. Last week I attended a lecture on these two issues at the Anarchist Bookfair and I spotted that the movement is still in the stagnation in this field. I mean we all know the history: conflicts between Marxists and anarchists, reformism promoted by Edward Bernstein, Spanish revolution or insurrectionary campaigns run by urban guerillas in Germany, Chile or Greece and other countries. There’s more stuff here. It gives a framework for the analysis, but we are at a point in which global capitalism is very strong and dreadful, and all sorts of leftists are considered to be commies and fans of Stalin. This means that there is no time for further doubts and disagreements. We can share our analysis on blogs and Indymedia sites, but it only gives us a little. Mr. Th0rin said to me recently that one of the biggest victories of the current system may be the fact that we are able to write and publish wise essays and books, but we are unable to operate.
Thus, back to our conflicted reformists and revolutionaries, I think we get to the point where both groups are correct.
What’s good in reformism?
Well, if we want to be honest we have to recognize that the movement is weak. Although we have hundreds of organizations, social centres, campaigns, websites and activists involved in every field of struggle, as a WHOLE we are weak. We do not have strong foundations, we do not have a close international cooperation, we do not exist in the mass media (unless there are some riots), we lack the people and money. Capitalism has it all and this is why it is so strong.
If we think about real change we must have SOMETHING. We must have a base to support the change, something that will act as financial and logistical support. We need a global and local solutions, which allow us to organize, gain experience and get involve other people. For example, local activists have some great ideas, they want to meet and start working, but what if they do not have access to any place where they can actually do it? What if they need money, but do not have access to funds which will help them? What if there’s a threat of repression, but there is no one who will protect them? What if they lack skills and do not know anyone who could provide training?
It’s happening now, that’s why so many brilliant projects die before they even get started. Often it happens also that the campaigns which last a long time are simply harmless for the elites. It’s convenient for them. So it’s easy to set up a gardening group but try to reduce dependence on oil for your region. Or try to change the law so that animals were not defined as property. You’ll see how quickly you become a terrorist and public enemy. Therefore, before making big challenges we have to be prepared and have adequate resources (funds, community properties, legal teams, food suppliers, plans, skills, etc.). I know it takes a lot of time and it sounds really reformist but let’s be honest : this has to be built first. Otherwise, how can we even think about the revolution? That would be disaster. A small group of people against the tanks of NATO and the mercenaries from Blackwater? We can actually see a part of it in Greece currently. There are several urban guerillas groups operating in Greece which try to confront the government and wake up the people. However, they do not have the necessary capacity and despite the many actions Greece remains in a big trouble. So after a few years of fight instead of mass support of the population they get lessons of a state terror in prisons.
Anyway at this point the reformist approach is useful. To think about the revolution you must have a social and logistic background to make this possible. But I think that here the role of reformist thinking ends as well. Faith in the parallel construction of an alternative society with no reaction of rulers is simply naive. As soon as they see the threat they will try to fix this. So the entire reformist path leads to a confrontation anyway. At least I don’t see any other way.
Revolution time
Politicians, capitalists, bankers, elites – or whatever you call them – will not go away just like that. Their wealth is based on power and control. I mean they have invested millions in corporations and they hold shares in businesses exploiting workers, destroying communities or causing the environment pollution. They own dozens of properties and banks, they support the wars, they kill millions of animals every year, they profit from unjust globalization in Third World. At same time they drive big SUVs, fly private jets, staying overnight in hotels $ 3000 per day. Does anyone really think that seeing a threat to their status, they will just give the power to the people in the name of freedom? No way!
Don’t get me wrong here, it doesn’t mean Let’s kill them all. I’m far from that and I’m far from saying that each of them is responsible for terrible crimes. But the fact is that these groups do control the economy and politics. And they do it wrong what affects everyone. Another fact is they do control police and military and in the face of threats to their power they will try to eliminate opposition. It means they will use the police and army if required. And alternative institutions, alternative economics, and finally an alternative society are such a threat. I mean we saw it in so many cases that it is hard to count (Argentine, Mexico, Peru, Greece, Italy, Libya) So if we have a base (tools) ready it will probably get tough now. Never mind whether you’re a hippie or black block member. As soon as the growth of independent projects (e.g. community financial institutions) reaches a certain level the authorities will feel threatened. Then they will react.
Anyway this is where revolutionary thought comes to place. I would like to believe that radical changes can be done peacefully, but it is difficult to imagine it when we are dealing with the violent opponent. The confrontation at some point is inevitable. The problem is, however, that the wrongly run revolution can bring more harm than good. Riots, violence on the streets are no fun, even if it is a part of the struggle for a better life. The revolutionary attitude demands great discipline too, because it is easy to cross the line of morality. I mean the revolution’s aim is to overthrow an unjust system and not to enjoy violence itself. However, we can be sure there would be people who just want to shoot other people. Also because of that the reformist part is important because building alternative places educates society at same time. You get educated earlier through doing things, not during insurection. Otherwise, instead of putting power into the hands of people we may have an explosion of mass killing, robbing, etc. I do not think that violence can be avoided. I mean if you look at history, large social movements always came through the fight to achieve what they wanted. So this is really bad news, but on the other hand is it so better to be oppressed by capitalism? And I know there are a lot of people that don’t feel oppressed. They usually split into two groups, the rich and the unconscious. The last ones need to switch off their TV first. Then they will see we don’t need to take 30 years mortgage to own a house if we don’t want to. And then many other things will get clear (Honey, how could we feed our kids with junk food for over 10 years???)
Redefine strategy
So finally reformists must realize that their method leads to a response of state anyway. It’s better to know that earlier than be surprised and then shocked by brutal response. And revolutionaries need to understand that the struggle is something more than just open and armed resistance. The revolution itself is the moment of climax but to defeat the system you need a broad perspective. Pre-revolution and post-revolution times are just as important. So these two views should be combined not separated.
At the end of day it’s all still theory. Nobody knows what will happen. It is certain that the movement must unite to join together different trends and work out an overall strategy. Resistance must be global as capitalism is global. Of course, these are just words like many others, but without the unification of the various groups we will continue to use corporate laptops to write anti-corporate notes. Without a new strategy, we will never progress. The evolution of the movement is very slow especially if you compare it with the flexibility of politicians and financiers.
And people still do not recognize the environmental pollution, surveillance, junk food, labor relations, economic system and many other issues as something that is destructive to themselves. And if even they do they do nothing about that . They simply lack faith, because no one can propose to them a credible plan for change. So they choose to believe in Obama instead of themselves.
Building Alternatives
As residents of the western world we often complain about working conditions and low salaries. However, in comparison with the residents of developing countries, and especially China, our situation is a whole lot better. Don’t get me wrong here, we are also slaves of global capitalism, the slaves of our employers, banks and we are fine as long as we play to their rules. Every day we meet with negative issues such as abuse of power, consumerism, or unemployment, crimes and corruption too. And obviously in the Western world, there are many things that should be changed as soon as possible.
But in many ways the face of globalization with whom we deal is milder than the one which face workers from other countries. Mass production is operating for us – the West. And they produce because we consume and we never have enough. So in many cases, we make use of other people’s murderous work for our conformity. A new iPad for example. Last (and next), corporate affair perfectly illustrates what mass production is based on, and in what way corporations earn their millions. That’s not all, we may blame those awful corporations once again, we can blame the Chinese politicians. Together we can admit, it’s terrible that the desperate workers are not allowed to commit suicide! Or that they are forced to massive overtime and are banned from talking and are made to stand up for their 12-Hour Shifts. The problem is that soon after we will express our indignation we log on to Facebook using our iPhone. Guess where your iPhone was produced? This does not mean that we are evil people though. We were taught we need more stuff that we really need. But look where it led us.
BOYCOTT
So people say, Ok, let’s boycott Apple products straight away! But I partly agree here with Noam Chomsky who said: “If only a few people do it, it isn’t going to have any effect – it just means that some guy picking bananas in East Costa Rica isn’t going to have money to feed his children tomorrow” and also “So there might be particular moment when a boycott of something would be helpful. But as general matter, I don’t think they really make a lot of sense frankly. I mean, suppose we got millions of people to stop buying: what would happen? The economic system barely functions as it is – I mean, the contemporary economic system is a complete catastrophe (…) So you know they maybe worthwhile as a tactic at some point, but what’s really required is just a complete of rethinking of the entire nature of economic interactions and structures – there really is no other way to overcome this massive failure of the economy”. Another thing is how many products we use every day were not made in China? Two? So yes, boycott sounds good, quick response to injustice. But the results do not meet expectations. We need to change the entire system, not one company. The problem is not just Apple and Foxconn. The problem is the whole globalization, based on exploitation and false premises. So we need to start to build new solutions, rather than focus all attention on the politics of protest. Protest is important, but it rarely brings a radical change.
BUILDING ALTERNATIVES
Fortunately after years of struggle with globalization, it seems, that many of the activists comes to the point where you realize, that the only way to end exploitation, poverty and abuse is to build a self-governing society, based on the local economy. But what does it really mean? Well, for example, that rather than to import apples from China, you better grow them in a village 10 km from your city. Why do you buy apples from China, since you can have it locally? Without pesticides and transport issue which pollutes the environment. I mean if we pollute the environment we also pollute ourselves. People must finally understand that. And I think that in this direction we must go. Want an iPhone? Produce it locally. Just follow the principles. Don’t destroy the environment and don’t hurt others for your own interests. You are not able to produce it locally? Ask if you really need it. And if so, then buy elsewhere and make sure that its manufacturers were well rewarded. Sure, I know it’s easy to say and I do realize this requires a redefinition of the whole system of thinking. But at the end of day what’s left? 12 hours shifts for €5.20 or 30 year mortgages to own a house?
Localization can result in reducing power of multinational capital while increasing the strength of local societies. Local communities very rarely want to hurt themselves. Therefore, the proposed solutions are based on ethics. Nobody wants to drink contaminated water, no one wants to be poor and exploited. So we have a whole package of ideas: community banks, local economy, green energy, self-organized businesses, support groups, etc. For big business it has no meaning. They just want profit. For the community it is the basis of sustainability. For the community it does matter are people happy.
Finally there’s an old saying: if you want to get something done, do it yourself. This works not only in the micro level but also in the macro scale. Do you want a better life? Start to build it with others. No one can do this for you. No government or company. And you won’t be able to do it on your own. But there’s a great group of others who look for change, who seek values in their lives and communities. Whether you’re in Canada or in Chile start building alternatives. This is the best way to oppose the policies of inequality and lack of ethics.
Vegan family – why are you doing it to your kids?
FOREWORD
Well, I received several messages from the poor revolutionaries, who complained that in recent weeks I focused primarily on the animal rights. Obviously they don’t have anything against animals, but they claimed they would like to read comments also about other subjects, especially with a lot happening in the Middle East, Madison (U.S.) and in Ireland itself. I mean I’m an anarchist too, so I must also care for criticism of capitalism and the politicians, at least once a month! Now the thing is I have already put together the note below before, so there is no choice. Once again I will tell you how great it is to be vegan. However I promise that the next texts will deal with something else.
VEGAN PARENTING
When people find out that my entire family (wife + child and a half:) is vegan reactions fall into two categories. I must honestly say both usually contain the word “Wow!” So we have two reactions, one is like Wow, seriously? It’s so unusual! and other is like Wow, why the hell you do it to your kids!?
Well, the answer to the second reaction is very simple. Because I love them and want to teach them to love! However, I must frankly admit that running a vegan family in the world based on meat, dairy and animal exploitation is not easy. All the time you have a feeling that Social Welfare worker is going to pop out from behind a bush to see if your child doesn’t eat only tablets, visiting relatives requires bringing food with you and going out becomes much harder. But hey, watching your own kids playing with the animals and seeing their faces full of happiness, empathy and health is worth every discomfort.
Wait, wait! Say what? Yeah, I know it can be surprising. Happy vegan children? Healthy vegan children? What? Hell yes! Try to ask the three years old boy would he kill a cow to eat her? I asked a few times, each time my son stared at me like I was an idiot. I mean, look at it from child’s point of view: first you go (just like other parents) with him on the field to show him how cute are cows and calves, and then immediately after this you propose: Hey, let ‘s go to the store to buy a dead cow and let’s eat her for a dinner? I think that if someone first showed me some lovely animals, and then suggested we should eat them, I would also have thought he/she is an idiot!
HEALTH
First, however, is the issue of health. They always begin from that, right? There are dozens of typical behaviors of people, frightened grandparents, not to mention doctors, who in a vegan diet … see the devil in person. Much of it goes to a characteristic way. They think: Okay, you’re a vegan, you want to do it yourself, your business. But the children! These are just kids, how dare you not give them milk? They surely need calcium! Oh Jesus Doesn’t Loves you, how can you not give them meat? Surely they need protein!
It is not important, that vegetable protein is better absorbed by the body and Calcium can be obtained from many other plant products. In fact, the vegan diet for the whole family is super healthy option! Studies conducted by nutritionist Malgorzata Desmond on vegan children in Warsaw have proven that they are healthy and they are doing great! But the most important thing is that the diet must be well balanced. Just being vegan does not make you eat healthily.
If you want to feed your family healthy, you need to learn what to eat, what to avoid, b12 thing etc. As with every diet it requires to pay attention to what you eat. Anyway in a scientific sense a well-balanced plant-based diet is absolutely healthy and recommended for adults, children and even pregnant women. So the argument that we all need animal products – or we will soon get sick and tragically die – is a myth.
SOCIETY
Besides the issue of health there are still a lot of stereotypes, which influence the estimation of vegan families. First of all, veganism is perceived as a form of extremism. In the end, you need to be a fanatic if you don’t to want to be part of mass atrocities. It’s quite logical, isn’t it? Eating dead bodies = you’re a nice fella vs Not eating dead bodies = there’s something wrong with you, did you try to talk to doctor? And vegan children need to be in that case, the victims of fanatical tendencies of their mad parents!
Sometimes I have a feeling that in the social sense, there has been some sort of transformation of values. I mean eating hamburgers is ok, but eating lentils is disgusting. Wearing fur is a status symbol, but not using drugs tested on animals is stupidity. Getting drunk is fun, and being straight edge is boring. Many people have to make a lot of money on such beliefs!
That’s why vegan family provides facilities not only for healthy nutrition, but also to develop real values. Especially for children, which personalities are shaped during the first few years. Through love and empathy present in home they will be able to become better people. This in turn means more happiness and more opportunities for good life.
FAMILY
The family is the basic herd for the human animals. This is where we learn social behavior, perception of the world, sensitivity, etc. What we learn in a family we bring to other people and the rest of the world. So teaching respect for nature and non-human animals is not an extreme, it is an incredible lesson that can make that people will get better. Vegan family is a great experience for every child raised in a spirit of compassion and joy.
For me as a dad (the best dad in the world of course) it is a wonderful opportunity to build ties with my children and participate in the development of their sensitivity. It is simply a state of unity, in which the family shares the same values and fully accepts cruelty-free choices of its members.
Healthy but not ethical?
Recently, I noticed the growing number of people switching to a vegan diet or interested in that diet. Though I’m unable to say whether it’s just my experience or if it’s a general trend. But surely we are dealing with the growing amounts of local green businesses, mainly focused on the sale of natural food. And these new stores enhance interest in organic food and healthy life style.
Apparently it would seem that everything is heading in the right direction. We see the growing awareness of people who are looking for new healthy options, we see some signs of a return to the support of local producers and local community values (localization instead of globalization). Thanks to the work of many activists mass production and the supermarkets lose customers who learned more about them. So where’s the problem? The thing lies in the fact that we need something more, we need a change of attitude, which is still highly conformist or consumer. In large part this is seen in the example of animals, which continue to be defined objectively.
Business comes first
On one hand, health food stores appeal to the values such as Fair Trade, while advocating for compassion, on the other hand it doesn’t bother them to sell products based on suffering. It is true that meat, dairy and eggs they sell are organic, but the researches revealed the word “organic” often means nothing. So it often happens that buying free range eggs or organic milk we buy organic feel, but for animals it doesn’t change the thing. It is difficult to expect that the people leading such shops don’t know about it, when at the same time they’re giving an animal-friendly impression through the range of vegan products which they offer.
Why is there such inconsistency? Well, in a capitalist system animals are defined as “property”. This leads to a situation in which many people conducting the so-called ethical and green businesses remain opposed to the interests of animals for their own interests. I suppose that, apart from economic factors, many of them simply don’t care about animal welfare and treat animals as inferior species, which we have the right to kill. Of course, only if we’re talking about killing a cow or a pig, not their beloved home pets.
So at the end of day there’s a moral problem. While we wishing to support local economy to make social change, at the same time we are forced to support the holocaust of animals.
Also aside from the issue of animal rights it is worth noting that frequently we can see Fair Trade products and those imported from China or other countries where workers rights are violated on the same shelves. Therefore, the question of ethics is extremely important here.
Wanna be healthy not ethical
On the other side we have the phenomenon which perfectly illustrates the conformist attitude among many people using vegan diet. It always surprises how many people are focused only on food, the nutrition, the flavors and their own well-being. Their experiments with plant-based diet are addressed primarily to let them feel happy and healthy. So they focus on nutrition benefits while animal rights are in addition. This way we can meet vegans (and loads of vegetarians) wearing leather shoes, or those who don’t know what vivisection is.
This attitude seems to be a derivative of the capitalist system (or, more broadly neo-liberal), which is based on selfish considerations. From an early age we are taught to care only about our own interests and conformity. The system creates an extreme individualism. So why vegan diet would not be a part of these processes? And why the hell should we care about animals?
Let’s be healthy and ethical!
Therefore, we need to build a cruelty-free projects and truly ethical businesses that care both about human animals and non-human animals. We need egalitarian solutions, cruelty-free jobs, we need to learn how to change our ego-based attitudes through experience of self-organization.
We can’t say that we promote the compassionate life style and at the same time selling e.g. dairy products, or that corporations’ corruption makes us sick, while we accepting unethical compromises. Obviously the world isn’t black and white, but let’s just follow the principle of “do not hurt, do not kill”and all decisions become much easier.
At the end of day there’s no such thing as unethical veganism. Veganism means caring for every human or non-human being.
