From Resistance Ecology, PLEASE SHARE: In light of the recent racism that was sparked by the Huffington Post article, The Overlooked Plight of Factory Farm Workers, we decided it was time repost this presentation from Food Empowerment Project and Pcasc Solidaridad on the necessity of the animal liberation movement to show solidarity with communities from so-called Latin America. The problem with the animal rights movements demonization of workers stems from misplacing the burden of responsibility on some of the most oppressed groups in society-- farm and factory workers, migrant and refugee communities, people of color, and indigenous nations. In reality, we need to be able to trace factory farming and intensive animal agriculture in general back to its colonial and capitalist roots. These systems are what have displaced entire communities and cultures and created the material conditions that necessitate taking dangerous work in factory and produce farms. Colonialism not only displaced indigenous populations but erected militarized borders on indigenous territory. Neoliberalism (especially post-NAFTA) is literally starving populations in Central and South America and forcing them to seek refuge or work in the places like the US or Canada. Capitalism requires cheap labor, and these conditions are ripe for the picking-- poor or undocumented workers are forced into extremely dangerous or violent working conditions out of fear and desperation. The cards are stacked not only against the workers, migrants, communities of color, or indigenous peoples, they are stacked against the animals. By vilifying the workers and enacting racism or violence against them, we not only reinforce the pillars of their oppression-- settler colonialism, capitalism, neoliberalism, structural racism-- we miss the opportunity to address the real roots of animal oppression and hold those in power accountable. We are doing them a disservice. No one wins but the corporations and the state.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 19:11:02 +0000
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