Veganism is a consumer activity
Contributed by VeggieGirl
The fact of the matter is, capitalism treats animals horribly. While
many civilizations have normalized abusive behavior towards animals,
capitalism tops them all in the intensity, frequency, and invisibility
of apathetic exploitation mixed with repeated moments of sadistic
cruelty. And while many civilizations have also destroyed their local
environments, capitalism, as a global system with an unprecedented
level of technological power, is the first to carry ecocide to a
global scale. Sheerly in underspoken quantitative terms, the
biodiversity and biomass of Planet Earth today is the lowest it has
ever been in human history. There is obviously a connection between
capitalism's abuse of animals, its destruction of the environment, and
its oppression and abuse of humans.
Because a large portion of the abuse of animals is caused by the meat
industry, many concerned people automatically respond with a
prohibition on the consumption of meat. A lack of history, of
knowledge of the diversity of human societies, of understanding of
capitalism—even of what consumption is—and lingering Christian
morality, have fiercely conflated a concern for animals with veganism.
But a vegan diet is not the only logical response to ecocide and
animal abuse, while veganism as a political position is often blinding
and counterproductive.
The crux of the matter is, veganism is a consumer activity. It is
ultimately an attempt to change capitalism and human civilization
through the exercise of one's privileges as a consumer. This is an
impossible approach. To understand why, let's first define the
problem.
Meat production as it exists in industrial capitalist society is
inherently cruel. It cannot be made otherwise. Any time an animal must
be transformed into a product and processed according to market logic,
the most heartless and unfeeling kinds of exploitation will be
utilized as a matter of course, as a business necessity, while
simultaneously the workers in this industry will lash out in frequent
moments of sadism—this is the inevitable psychological response of
humans who must act as machines.
...
In conclusion...
On an individual level, many vegans have engaged in vital work raising
environmental consciousness, and they have experienced their diet as a
means of reaching ethical consistency and self-discipline. But their
diet has not been an asset in the struggle. For many of us it is
important to live in a way we consider ethically consistent, and to
attempt to prefigure the world we are struggling to create. However,
an absolutist veganism is not necessary to either of these tasks, and
instead impedes an accurate understanding of ecology and capitalism,
while discouraging a united, pluralistic movement against capitalism.
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read full article:
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20080604153638368
Approved by andyba on June 07,2008 | 00:00:00
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