If YOU stand for Justice—Stand Tall—Be Vegan!
Think, then Go Vegan!
Stand Tall—Be Vegan!
Category Archives: Blog
Slavery is Slavery
As a vegan, I avoid supporting any industry that uses slave labor. It does not matter to me whether the slave walks on two feet or four, has hair or fur, has dark skin or light, is male or female, is young or old, etcetera, etc.
What does matter to me, is if the slave is sentient. That’s all that should matter to anyone who stands against slavery. Because, slavery is wrong. It hurts, it kills, and it cannot ever be made right. It can only be abolished.
As an abolitionist, I educate the public about the horrors of slavery and how we all need to do our part to end it. I feel that part is twofold—stop funding it and inspire others to do the same. Sure, there will be those who continue to support slavery. That is out of our hands. All we can do is change ourselves, educate the masses, and be living examples of what it means to be vegan abolitionists.
Think, then Go Vegan!
The truth will set them free
The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off.
~ Gloria Steinem
People can change for the better when they run out of excuses. Feeding folks lies about how slavery can be made acceptable adds to the non-vegan community’s bevy of excuses. Whereas telling them the truth, that slavery is always wrong, helps reduce their excuses to a whimper. Thus, if you really want to help end slavery, always tell the truth no matter how bitter the pill is perceived (by YOU) to swallow.
Think, then Go Vegan!
I do not love all animals
Contrary to popular belief, even though I am vegan I do not love all animals. That is, although I do love some human as well as nonhuman animals—such as many of my family members, friends, and adopted companions—I do not love every animal on Earth.
In fact, the idea of an “animal lover” sounds rather odd to me. Seriously, who really loves all animals? Or, most likely to be more precise, who loves all nonhuman animals? Now, I’m sure there will be comments from folks who claim to love all animals, but I still think it’s an odd statement. First and foremost, how can someone love someone else (and we’re talking trillions of them here) who they’ve never met?
Secondly, what about ticks? Yes, they are animals just like humans, kittens, puppies, and baby seals are animals. Do “animal lovers” love ticks? All ticks? Because, if they don’t then the term “animal lover” needs to be downgraded to something less encompassing such as “loves some animals” which, of course, would apply to me as well.
Being vegan isn’t about doing something “hip” or “cool”
Being vegan isn’t about doing something “hip” or “cool”, it’s about doing something right rather than wrong.
Think, then Go Vegan!
Welfare versus Abolition
Please think about the following quote by Woodrow Wilson the next time the debate between welfare (i.e., pursuing the regulation of slavery) versus abolition (i.e., pursuing the end of slavery) comes up:
I would rather fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail.
~ Woodrow Wilson
Think, then Go Vegan!
That is sentience
Why does the spider hide or run when he is threatened? Because he fears pain and doesn’t want to die. That is sentience.
Think, then Go Vegan!
I choose not to participate in the exploitation of others
Several years ago I heard through the grapevine (i.e., office gossip) that a workmate of mine took public transport to work rather than his own car. I got so excited being that I too had kicked the car habit years before thanks in part to Al Gore’s 2006 documentary film entitled An Inconvenient Truth.
When I asked him about his mode of transport he snapped at me saying “I don’t have to take the bus I choose to take it”. I quickly extinguished the situation stating that I totally understood and had been using public transport for years.
This conversation of ours got me thinking. So many people will say, “Randy cannot eat that” or “Oh, that’s right, you can’t eat [or wear, etc.] this” in regards to my veganism. Almost as if they’re saying I’d have my vegan club card revoked if I ever dared to consume something non-vegan.
What you might not see
The negro slaves of the South are the happiest, and, in some sense, the freest people in the world.
~ George Fitzhugh (1857)
Can you imagine someone saying this today? Sure, I can believe someone might utter this nonsense, but I cannot imagine many folks who would nod their heads in agreement. Interestingly, unlike today, in 1857 there were lots of people who agreed with George Fitzhugh. Remember, in 1857 slavery was not only legal but also supported by a wide variety of people.
So, what changed between now and then? Well, one thing for sure changed, that is the hearts and minds of the masses. That’s why most of us are repulsed by the idea of enslaving another human being. But how did this change come about? Might I suggest that the underlying factor to this change was people standing up for the rights of others not to be thought of as mere commodities—things—that could be used to death. People who, in some cases, gave their lives to the cause of eventual emancipation.
To prove our superiority
Like everything human, justice is imperfect. It’s flawed. But it’s those very imperfections that separates us from the machines and maybe even makes us a species worth saving.
~ Doyle Franks, Battlestar Galactica
Why is it that we try so hard to prove we are separate from other animals (or in this case machines)? We seem to pick something we feel is uniquely human and then use it to prove our superiority. I find this hugely disturbing. Especially since we generally do this so that we can justify the horrific things we do to those we determine are inferior to us.
Think, then Go Vegan!
