If cruelty is the basic building block of injustice, then veganism just might be the universal solvent. The act of consuming tortured flesh may well be the most fundamental ritual of societal complicity. Very few of us have never indulged in this violent act. We are all adjuncts to capitalism, to exploitation, to mass surrender, to the abandonment of moral principles via the blood ritual that compels us to sign a de-facto vow of silence. The manner in which industrially farmed animals are mistreated, mutilated, beaten, and destroyed eclipses all other human crimes. In fact, many have argued that animal slaughter inspires colonialism. We construct hierarchies as a foundation for conquest, and the prototype for all hierarchies is human superiority over animals.
COUNTER PUNCH: Veganism opens up a can of worms, but vegan silence sustains evil systems. How many carnivores need only a tiny nudge? Compassionate people tremble with guilt and uncertainty as denial thins and frays. I speak as a late convert with my own mountains of remorse. How many among us have never “hired” a proxy killer to place that Norman Rockwell turkey on grandma’s plate? How many left leaning carnivores vacillate between recalcitrance and guilt? How many shy, lefty vegans tread warily around the ambivalence of their meat devouring comrades?
There is a huge hole in the collective center of the left, and I am proposing that veganism should be at the epicenter of leftist thinking. If speciesism and animal slaughter are just, than maybe racism and war can also be rationalized. Meat consumption speaks to the fragility of humanitarian commitment. On leftist platforms I can write about the horrors of carpet-bombing civilians with a rather reassuring assumption that readers do not pilot war planes or manufacture explosives. But if I write about the obscene murder of 125 million pigs annually in the industrial machine of animal-genocide-for-profit I will summon the discomfort of otherwise thoughtful people casually living lives with bacon in their guts. Meat consumption is a secret topic tucked in a closet, hidden from our collective scrutiny.
Veganism quietly attaches to a complex web of tangential issues – militarism, climate, socialism, capitalism, media, consumerism, community and religion all interface with veganism. Veganism should not be seen as a mere diet (although it might be nothing more for a few individuals), but rather functions as a gauge of ones consciously chosen place on a moral continuum. People who call themselves leftists often shy away from the issue of veganism, but, as fascism swallows up culture and strives to turn us into either monsters or zombies, we ought to be aware of our personal (universal) propensity for mindless cruelty.
Both fascism and meat eating are founded on mass oblivion. The act of consuming tortured flesh may well be the most fundamental ritual of societal complicity. Very few of us have never indulged in this violent act. We are all adjuncts to capitalism, to exploitation, to mass surrender, to the abandonment of moral principles via the blood ritual that compels us to sign a de-facto vow of silence…
If cruelty is the basic building block of injustice, than veganism just might be the universal solvent… Almost all of us have tasted meat, eggs and dairy. Ironically, this most universal act may be the most horrific. The manner in which industrially farmed animals are mistreated, mutilated, beaten, and destroyed eclipses all other human crimes. In fact, many have argued that animal slaughter inspires colonialism. Before we commit genocide we call our victims animals. We drop bombs on subhumans, on vermin – and we do it in the name of democracy, Judeo/Christian principles, Western Civilization. We construct hierarchies as a foundation for conquest, and the prototype for all hierarchies is human superiority over animals. PHIL WILSON
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