Friends, As an abolitionist page, LiveVegan rejects single issue campaigns, and here are a few reasons why. Focusing on single issue campaigns is like trying to stamp out small burning embers while the raging forest fire of speciesism burns. For those of us who are still promoting single issue campaigns like banning dolphin slaughter, banning live export, badger culls, fox hunting, wolf hunting, fur seals, KFC, McDonalds and so forth, I urge you to please cease promoting single issue campaigns and start promoting veganism ONLY. (please check out this list of books veganismisnonviolence/books for further reading on this issue) There are very good reasons why we should only promote veganism only and why we should ditch single issue campaigns. The most obvious reason is because ALL forms of animal use are equally morally wrong and unjustifiable and no species is more important than another. All species are equally morally important. Another reason is bans and boycotts will come and go while animals are legally property. And the bans do come and go as we see over and over again. Free trade will take up the demand for certain forms of animal use even if bans remain in place in a certain country. While there are demand for animal products, there will be industry which will meet that demand. We are responsible for demand if we are not vegan. Only when there are enough vegans in society, will there be real lasting change for nonhuman animals. As I mentioned yesterday, there are advocates on social media becoming outraged and upset over the current annual dolphin slaughter which is happening in Japan. Do dolphins suffer more than chickens, pigs, cows and sheep? No, they do not. Do dolphins value their life more than chickens, pigs, cows and sheep? No they do not. Is dolphin murder worse than the murder of a chicken? No it is not. Both are equally morally wrong. Dolphins are being hunted and murdered in Japan, not because the Japanese are evil or cruel. No. The hunters are there because we are not vegan. They are there because there is a demand for dolphin products by society. Is eating a dolphin or a whale worse than eating a chicken? No. All are equally morally wrong. If society were vegan, there would be no demand for dolphin products or any other form of animal use. We promote speciesism when we highlight some species as if they are more important. Every second we spend on single issue campaigns is time not spent on promoting veganism. Its fine to on occasion explain to people what is wrong with dairy, or eggs, but the most important thing we can do is to state to the public that using animals as property (including free range and organic) is morally unjustifiable. Its not HOW we use animals that is the issue, its that we use them at all that is the problem. Remember that 99% of animals used today are used for food. Thats around 58 billion land animals and 1 to 3 trillion sea animals, so when we focus on dolphins or whales, we are focusing on a very small percentage, because the majority of animals used for food are chickens, pigs, cows, and sheep. If we get people to care about what is on their plate (remembering that veganism is more than a diet), then they will also care about these other animals we fetishise like dolphins, whales, elephants and so forth. Just as we wouldnt ask for the end of child slavery in the US only and neglect the rest of the worlds children as if they are unimportant, we should not focus on certain species as if they are the only ones that matter. Please stop supporting large animals organisations that use these single issue campaigns as fund-raisers. They do not have veganism as their moral baseline. They ask their non-vegan donor base for money with each of these never-ending single issue campaigns and never ask them to go vegan. They also partner with industry and are more about themselves and keeping their bloated organisations going than they are about other animals. So please stop promoting their speciesist campaigns because they are using them as fund-raisers and promoting speciesism. Start promoting veganism ONLY. Imagine if all large animal organisations promoted veganism *only*? We would have significant change almost overnight. I invite you to please read the following blog essay which explains why promoting single issue campaigns is not only speciesist but it counter-productive. Picking the low hanging fruit: What is wrong with single issue campaigns. uvearchives.wordpress/2008/10/27/picking-the-low-hanging-fruit-what-is-wrong-with-single-issue-campaigns/ If you are not vegan, please go vegan. Its easier than you think. Please start here VeganismIsNonviolence/becoming-vegan
Posted on: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 00:24:14 +0000
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