Voiceless335-340: Saving + Eating Animals? In Brisbane, I noticed a guy around my age who was working for an organisation and trying to engage people in a conversation about endangered animals, leading to a please donate agenda. I was going to continue walking then thought, He obviously cares about animals, I wonder if hes vegan. Probably not, but maybe he is. Lets find out. He wasnt vegan, which didnt surprise me much because a lot of people working to help animals are still confused. But also, hed never even considered that not eating animals was a possibility for him. He said, The reason I can eat animals and still do this job with integrity is because the animals I am trying to save are on the brink of extinction. Theres no way the animals I eat are going extinct. True. As a species, cows, pigs and chickens arent going extinct any time soon. But what about the animal as an individual. What about the flesh you are cutting into that was cut from from the backside of an animal who wanted to live? What about the milk you are drinking that was taken from a mother, intended for her baby? Of course its important to try to save a species from extinction, but is it not speciesist and hypocritical to want to save some animals while actively participating in and supporting the enslavement and slaughter of others? On an individual level, the cow that wants to live and the lion that wants to live are the same. So why pursue a better existence for one while doing the complete opposite and creating more demand for the abuse, exploitation and slaughter of another? It reminded me of the famous RSPCA BBQ fundraisers. Raising money for cats and dogs by selling pieces of tortured pigs, chicken and cow. Veganism is the way to be consistent. It blows my mind that someone working for an organisation concerned with protecting animals has never even considered going vegan. Anyway, he was a good lip reader and we had a good chat. I gave him one of the DVDs with Gary Yourofskys speech on it, and went on my way. (Wake up to the truth, here: youtube/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4) I was generously offered a free ticket by the good people at Animals Australia to watch Lyn Whites speech at the Brisbane Convention Centre. Lyn is the campaign director for Animals Australia. Shes a very nice lady and I think a lot of people in the audience could relate to her because, as she stated, shes one of the most normal people out there. Her speech revolved around becoming the best that we can be which is what Albert Einstein described as our sacred human duty. I found her talk to be very positive and optimistic and she is obviously very sincere and passionate. But I did take issue with the fact that she spoke for 2 hours and she didnt even mention the word vegan once. I believe that by deliberately avoiding saying the word vegan, it reinforces that its something we should avoid talking about rather than a normal, natural, beautiful thing. A clear, vegan message would of been something the inspired crowd members could take home with them and be a goal for them to strive towards. After all, thats what she was really talking about, a vegan world, and she is a vegan, so why deliberately avoid the word that describes the peaceful, kind world she clearly wants for us all? All this talk about a kinder world. No talk about veganism. None. Not once. Why? A couple of months ago I stopped raising money for Animals Australia, and this is part of the reason why. That and they were advocating people to, Go vegetarian! which is a lifestyle that condones all animal exploitation except eating their flesh. I thought, How does this spread veganism when they dont even talk about veganism? Since listening to Lyns speech, Ive been thinking about this. And Ive come up with a theory. Maybe its like a Well set them up, you knock them down approach. So theyve made it their role to exclusively expose animal cruelty to the masses and start people thinking about the moral issue, but they leave it up to other groups or individuals to promote veganism and abolition. I still dont agree with the approach. I think it would do a lot more good to actively and clearly encourage veganism as the morally right thing to do and the first step in an individuals crusade to reducing harm to animals and the environment. To make it part of the mainstream conversation rather than something we deliberately avoid talking about. But, at least now I feel like I have a bit more insight into why they do things the way they do. Or maybe Im wrong, in which case, please educate me. I stayed at a backpackers and met a couple of legendary dudes from Isreal. They were blown away by my year long commitment to not speaking and also that I could still have muscles and be healthy and not eat any animal products. One of them had a tattoo with my newest life motto on it. The other guy was deaf and we spoke through hand movements and body language. Coincidence…? I rode to the Gold Coast, saw the first sign that said Sydney which got me stoked, and I stayed with my friend, Ksenia, who I met in Bali. Her roommate asked me, So, you dont eat meat? I said, I dont eat any animal products. She said, Wow. Youre crazy! I said, Nah. Whats crazy is that people say they love animals but then pay people to abuse and slaughter them. She said, Oh my God, thats so me! Her lack of defensiveness is not something I come across often. It surprised me and I laughed.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 01:11:38 +0000
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