OH EM EFFING GEE

WWWWWWWhhhhooooooooa I haven't been on here in a long ass time.

Life has been crazy busy and I only really use this blog to vent occasionally, I apologize for anyone who might have thought my rants and raves were interesting enough to read ;)


So we'll get right into it then. The headlines this week have been demonstrating Philadelphia's varied opinions on the Eagles hiring Michael Vick. Le sigh. I'm not going to write too much about it. Gray Francione wrote a very good article about Michael Vick back in 2007, We're All Michael Vick. As for myself, I don't think I'll be watching the Eagles games this season... not to make a statement... just because.

Aside from the news, there's been a lot of talk on the Welfarist vs Abolitionist standpoints in the animal rights movement that I'd like to share my two cents on as well.

I will start out by stating that though I've been vegan since May 2000, I've not always taken the abolitionist view and I haven't always been a strict vegan. Being the only ethical vegan I'd known for close to eight years, I found it hard at time to remain strong in my convictions with lack of support. It's very easy for someone who isn't strongly educated in veganism to waiver when the world around them points to veganism as being a "personal choice" and it's "okay" if they eat products with eggs or dairy in them *occasionally*.

You get into that mentality that your being vegan really isn't a big deal and since you're vegan *most of the time* the occasional "indulgence" in ice cream and cake or something of that nature is "okay."

Really? I don't think like that any longer and I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out. Veganism isn't just a "diet". When you look at it like a "diet" it gives more of an impression that you're "sacrificing" something that you'd rather enjoy in order to do something for the animals. I don't and have never felt like I was making a sacrifice by being vegan, so why did I act that way? Social acceptance? I'd never thought of myself as someone who would do such a thing for social acceptance but as much as I'd hate to say it, that is the reason I believe I did so. I don't wish for anyone to read my blog and think that I'm "elitist" or get the impression in any way that I think I'm a better than anyone else because I most certainly am not and do not think that way.

That being said, back to the topic.

For more information on the abolitionist approach to animal rights I suggest visiting Gary Francione's site, "Abolitionist Approach". It was Gary Francione's interview with Bob & Jenna on Veganfreak Radio that introduced me to the term sometime last year. Before then I would say that I was probably a welfarist vegan.

In a word, I had felt that any "victory" in the animal rights sense was a good one and worth celebrating... now... not so much. When the "victories" we celebrate are helping the oppressors make more money, get positive press as being "animal-friendly" and neutralizes the bigger picture.

While I think it's wonderful that in some ways the animals will be treated better, I have to say... That's just not enough.

In the Welfarist vs Abolitionist argument it seems that the most I've heard argued against abolitionism is that welfarists believe that abolitionists are too elitist. Too focused on veganism and that it's not a realistic approach. In the argument against welfarism it seems the abolitionists believe that welfarists have no backbone, settle for the bare minimum and pat companies on the back even when they're continuing to torture and slaughter animals.

My personal opinion is that both of those views are right and wrong but abolitionism should be the approach taken by animal rights activists. Is it really too much to ask people to go vegan if they're going to stand for animal rights??? I think not.

I've read some blogs and articles from welfarists stating that by suggesting veganism instead of vegetarianism we are alienating people and turning them away from veganism and animal rights altogether when if they make the easier choice and go vegetarian or even just buy "happy meat" they might do more for the cause.

I highly disagree! Most of the people out there that have a distaste for animal rights (AR) in general already see AR activists as hypocrites and uneducated softies. Why would we want to encourage that? Not to say that vegetarians are uneducated softies! But that's what a lot of people think of them! Hypocrites? Well... and no offense to any vegetarian readers out there... but consider this... if you state you don't consume the flesh of an animal for animal rights reasons yet you still purchase and use animal byproducts that are coming from that same animal that's being butchered for meat, are you not being hypocritical?

I believe that by supporting the notion that suggesting veganism is "too elitist" we are in fact supporting the notion that veganism is too elite. It's that whole.. "othering"... scenario.

Bottom line is, if you are an animal rights activist -- you should be vegan. It's truly the LEAST you can do for the cause.

Living a healthy vegan lifestyle not only supports animal rights, but it also demonstrates to the nay-sayers that living a happy, healthy vegan life is POSSIBLE. It shows that we CAN survive without using animals! And we enjoy it! :D It's more effective than picketing, it's more effective than paying PETA or HSUS. Think of it this way... if we spent more time talking openly about veganism, promoting veganism, supporting vegan businesses and pushing for more vegan restaurants (as opposed to campaigning for extremely non-vegan companies to offer a few vegan crumbs) we would accomplish SO MUCH MORE for animal rights! Not only that, but the word VEGAN would no longer be this foreign word that causes people to immediately think of AR activists as terrorists. The word "vegan" would become a more accepted, more acknowledged and more common word -- which in turn would make veganism MORE accepted, more acknowledged and MORE COMMON. Results? More people living animal-free. More demand for vegan businesses. Less productivity for the animal industry.

It's the basic boycotting theory. Boycott animal products. Promote veganism.

Another point I'd like to make is that by suggesting that veganism is "too much" to ask of the average person, we're suggesting that one would have to special in order to go vegan. Like veganism is particularly difficult... It's really not! People are not as afraid of change as we assume they are. It's possible that when we go vegan we put up with so much friction from others that we assume the choice to go vegan isn't for everyone and that it takes a certain "type" of person to go vegan. This is definitely not the case. Just look at the internet, see how many people you can find from different walks of life that choose to go vegan.

People are not as afraid of change as you may think...

Well, that's enough of my ranting for now. Perhaps I'll write again sooner than seven months?

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EEETHAAAN! He turns seven today :)