Instead of advising people to consume less, vegan 'outreach' push people to buy more and, in doing so, send the message that veganism is a personal, consumer choice, instead of a moral imperative.
MANEKA GANDHI: ‘Vegan festivals are probably good, in that they create a climate for you to turn into a non meat/milk/egg person, but these are events meant to peddle goods, not to advocate for the rights and freedom of other animals, or inspire political and social activism. Instead of advising people to consume less, they push people to buy more and, in doing so, send the message that veganism is a personal, consumer choice, instead of a moral imperative.
“Vegan outreach” and “the power of the wallet” are unquestioningly upheld as the most powerful tools we have in the fight for animal liberation. But this is a damaging mix of dogmatic naivety, privilege and single issue reformism. This consumerism promotes capitalism by actively advocating for an increased demand of vegan products. It upholds the same structures that commodify and oppress all beings…
A vegan needs to truly see beyond the walls of his/her privileges. Why have we allowed the world to degenerate into a hellhole for all, why is speciesism, the superiority of humans and their right to kill and use all other species, the normal way to live… Rather than revolving around consumption, veganism should commit to combating the deeply embedded ideology of speciesism, as well as all other violent ideologies.
Rather than revolving around consumption, veganism should commit to combating the deeply embedded ideology of speciesism, as well as all other violent ideologies. Veganism needs to put its efforts to create a society with empathy; not to be the fifth wheel of the consumer train… For Prof. John Sanbonmatsu, author of critical animal studies, “what is at stake is not simply a set of eating guidelines, but a total critique of society – of a way of life that has become inimical to life”.’ SOURCE…
RELATED VIDEO: