May 16th, 2013 by Kezia

Attention sophisticated thinking vegans: meet your new BFF, LAIKA. The recently debuted quarterly magazine has the glossy and stylish look and feel of a popular fashion mag – without the fur, leather, feathers, cosmetic cruelty, Kardashians, and other atrocities typically associated with chic lifestyle magazines. In addition to fashion, beauty, food, art, music, and travel, LAIKA delivers in-depth articles on animal activism, including people who are driven to make a difference.

Longtime activist Julie Gueraseva is LAIKA’s founder, creative and editorial director – its alpha female (though let’s also shout out to her twin and fellow activist, Stacy Gueraseva, whose work appears in the mag). Julie says the magazine as she envisioned it is “a clear assertion that a full, vibrant, exciting, interesting and satisfying life can be had – without ever having to inflict harm on another.” Like.

We spoke with Julie about the magazine and what it means for vegans.

First, congratulations on creating a brand-new title at a time when the media and publishing industry is at best struggling. What do you think the magazine accomplishes for veganism that is potentially different from and greater than other projects and campaigns you’ve been involved in, or that are currently available?

Thank you very much. Something like this is just one technique of many available at our disposal to help animals. This magazine, this whole endeavor, is completely, purely from the heart. It started as an idea, an ‘a-ha’ type of moment. And then it became kind of a ride that I was on, and there was no turning back. So I can’t really compare it to anything else that’s out there, or what’s come before. It’s totally rooted in the present moment, and completely driven by a desire to liberate animals, and to wake people up to compassion. And that’s all I can focus on. There is no other motive behind it.

This magazine is a culmination of all of my experience, I would say, as a designer who’s worked in different industries, observing things along the way; and as an activist and vegan, who’s learned some tactics in the past six years. And just as a human being, walking through life. It could’ve only happened now I think. A few years ago, I wasn’t ready to carry out something like this. But by the time I had art directed and designed multi-page publications from start to finish, I had the confidence to know a magazine like this was doable.

I suppose the magazine looks different, and has a different rhythm to it. It looks like a fashion magazine at first glance. But behind the style, there is much substance, which might catch someone off guard who picks it up who knows nothing about veganism or how animals are treated. It shakes up the traditional format.

LAIKA is ‘selling it’ with style and design, but you’re also covering harder-hitting subjects plus work from established journalists. Was this an intentional mission to expose readers to serious content inside a pretty package?

Yes. It was a strategic move and also an honest one. I wanted to pull people in with a “cool” visual vocabulary. But I also just really like good design, so it was a logical decision also. I was inspired to make a well-designed vegan magazine, with strong photography, illustration, etc. Based on what I’ve observed, a strong presentation does help people to absorb the message better. But yes, knowing what kind of world we function in, I wanted to employ the aesthetics people respond to in propelling a compassion forward. And yes, I did put some thought into the order of things…more fun stuff in the beginning, and then before you realize what’s happening, you’re reading about more serious things. But by that point, you’re already invested.

But what started as a strategy simply turned into a truthful reflection of the spirit of this movement, as I designed the magazine. There is such a sophistication of thought, ideas within this movement; there are so many truly fascinating people, who do interesting things. There’s all this innovation, frontiers being pushed. It’s an incredibly interesting movement. And it’s centered around animals, who themselves are amazing and mysterious, and so worthy of being portrayed in a dignified, intelligent way.

A lot of advertising and marketing out there is about distorting reality, creating a fantasy, exaggerating things, overselling the brand. And I realized nothing about veganism required overselling. I’ve always known the vegan lifestyle is a beautiful way to be. And I suppose if we think of it as a “brand” that we need to “sell” people on, then it deserves to be “packaged” in a compelling, beautiful way, because it is already that.

We are often critical of “capitalist solutions” to animal liberation – by which we mean the belief that if there were just more vegan products on store shelves, or enough vegan options on menus, we’ll bring about a vegan world. How does the magazine play in this intersection of consumerism and activism?

I’m not a big consumer myself. I’m not a fan of having a lot of “stuff.” If you look at the magazine, it’s actually quite light on product. I am most interested in innovation; I admire creativity. So I am definitely fascinated by products that fill a void, that offer an irresistible alternative and a paradigm shift. We need those types of products out there, because they can sometimes be a person’s first introduction to veganism. And those are the types of products I strive to showcase in the magazine.

But I am also incredibly fascinated by the bounty of our Mother Nature and how beautiful and versatile plant foods are before they are even converted to any type of product. So I would actually like to see humanity get to a place when don’t rely on so many products, and when we are able to find contentment in simpler things. I think maybe that would help us become calmer people in general, less stressed out, and more open to tapping into our empathy.

It’s a tricky thing because I can completely relate to the excitement of seeing a new vegan product on a grocery store shelf. But it’s a complicated thing functioning within the capitalist system, which is defined by greed and accumulation of wealth. I think the most important thing is that our hearts remain in the right place. As long as our new product developments are not driven by greed, ego and the pursuit of status, then having more vegan products on the shelves could very well be part of the solution. We just have to be mindful of who we are competing with. It’s not each other, it’s the animal exploitation industry that we are trying to put out of business. This one thing Darius Fullmer said in an interview always stuck with me. It was something like, “We don’t know what the key is that will open the lock to animal liberation, so our best bet is to do what feels right in our heart, that feels the most effective, and hopefully one of us is right.”

Sometimes I notice that when we get too fixated on discussing cool new products, we talk about animals less. So in the pursuit of the most awesome new vegan products, we just have to remember to continue to talk about animals as much as possible and as loudly as possible. Because their situation is still dire and desperate.

Someone picks up a copy of the magazine, and commits themselves to becoming more active for animals. Or maybe they’re motivated to turn their activism into a lifelong career. Give them your best advice.

Well, first and foremost I would recommend spending time with animals. Being around animals is a transformative experience and is a huge catalyst for becoming a passionate advocate in their defense. So I would recommend finding out where your nearest animal sanctuary is, and going there for a long visit. And if you’ve already visited a sanctuary once or twice, make sure you go again and soon. If you’re unable to or don’t have the means to travel, then go to your nearest shelter and volunteer.

Another good first step is to just start taking action — go from talking about it to doing something about it. I think a good place to begin is by utilizing what you already know how to do. For me, as soon as I stopped eating meat, I started thinking about how I could implement my design skills to help animals. And it was actually designing a little brochure for a group called Compassionate Action for Animals that helped me go from vegetarian to vegan fairly quickly. I think applying an existing passion towards your new passion for saving animals really strengthens convictions. I’ve seen it happen time and time again with people.

I’m also a big believer in protests, in being out there in the streets, speaking out for change. I think participating in protests in essential. Protests have impact, and they also offer a chance to feel a part of a community, meet other activists who share your passion, and put forth a united front — which is an amazing and energizing feeling for a new activist. Exploring the vegan community is important. If there’s something like a Vegan Drinks in your town, go check it out. Once I became a vegan, The NYC Vegan Drinks was the place where I met other vegans for the first time. It was amazing to talk to other people who wanted to help animals.

Find out what events are happening in your town, like a Veg Fest, or something like an Animal Rights Conference, or a book signing for a vegan author — and attend. Talk to people who have been doing this for a long time, who can offer you special insight. Seek knowledge. Learn about the animal agriculture industry, about the legislation out there, marketing tactics, how things are made, how leather is produced, the statistics of animal exploitation, nutritional facts…Seek knowledge and truth by any means necessary — whether from other people, books, films, places, the internet. Be an observer, because this will constantly inform your activism and provide you with ideas on how to solve problems. The animal exploitation industry is a massive problem, but we can solve it. I truly believe we will find the solution.

And if you’ve decided to dedicate your life to helping animals, then follow your inner compass and let it guide to where you feel you’d be most effective — whether being a campaign manager for a nonprofit, running a vegan blog, writing about animal rights, rescuing animals, caring for them at a sanctuary, and so forth. And then seek out opportunities, or get inventive and create your own.

What can people look forward to in future issues?

Page count is increasing, with an even greater diversity of stories. The next issue will have a theme, and that will be the plan for all following issues. The approach will always be to remain uncompromising. The content won’t shy away from serious, difficult topics, but the magazine is also committed to showcasing the full range of a compassionate lifestyle, which includes plenty of fun things. We are going to put the spotlight on cool things and people that are still under the radar, while presenting more well-known things and people in an unexpected light. In the next issue, we profile really incredible people — some who are about to break out in a major way, and some who have already left a mark. We have a photo essay with comments from a veteran photographer on the lives of animals in captivity. We’ll be showcasing innovative food and the people who create that food. The goal is to be original, experimental and inspiring. The purpose of the magazine is to show the beauty of a vegan lifestyle in a truthful way, and really do it justice.

What’s not changing is we will always prominently and honestly feature the lives of animals, whether they are free or still in trapped in the animal exploitation matrix.

As of this week, the magazine has achieved a huge milestone for a new title: mainstream distribution! Dozens and dozens of newsstands have agreed to carry LAIKA – right alongside magazines like Women’s Health and Maxim – and more distribution points are being added daily. Can’t wait? Get it delivered right to your mailbox or your inbox, or view online content at http://laikamagazine.com.

P.S. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika. You’re welcome.

activist, capitalism, communication, media, vegan

May 3rd, 2013 by Gary Smith

On April 20, a group of activists from Fermare Green Hill campaign entered a pharmacology lab at the University of Milano, Italy. Very quickly, news spread on social media. If you were like me, you spent the day reading updates on their Facebook page, waiting to see what would happen to the activists, would they be able to free any of the animals, what would their fates be? While five activists were inside the lab, a large protest took place outside.

They occupied the fourth floor and eventually left the lab with over 300 hundred animals. The entire action took place over nine hours. While inside, they were able to look at documents from the vivisectors and were able to show the world the inside of a vivisection lab.

I am excited and honored to be able to share with you an interview I conducted with a representative from the group.

 

Why did you decide to target a vivisection lab? Did you intend to leave the lab with animals?

We have been campaigning against vivisection for years. We have been fighting against Green Hill beagle breeders, and thanks to our campaign have seen a growth of interest on the issue of vivisection, not only among animal rights people, but among common people, the media, politicians and society as a whole. The abuse of animals in labs has become a serious issue. But still we thought there was a need to do something strong and show what a lab is like, what happens to animals, and try to smash the secrecy surrounding these experiments.

One of our main issues now is to have a public register of all experiments going on in the country, which seems like a really democratic request, but is seen by researchers as a real problem. Secrecy is something vivisectors are fighting hard to maintain. Smashing this secrecy was actually the main reason for the action. Leaving with the animals at the end of the day was of course an option and our request, but we actually never thought it could really end up like this.

 

Why did you choose to go into the lab in the light of day, exposing yourselves, rather than a more clandestine action? Were you concerned about the legal ramifications?

The main goal of the action was a public stunt to get attention and to open up a debate. To save the animals and get out is a completely different kind of action. We have nothing against these kinds of direct actions, of course, but our group is involved in public protests and this was what we would call a civil disobedience action, where we decided to barricade ourselves in the lab, with the animals, showing our faces and openly talking with the media.

Of course we were aware of legal problems coming from this action, like with all civil disobedience, but we are ready to face anything if this can really be a spark for some change in vivisection labs and the relationships that humans have with animals in general.

 

 

What did you find in the lab? Can you describe the emotions you felt being inside of a lab where animals are being brutalized?

There was a room with 18 rabbits, some of them in their cages since 2008 or 2009. They were really scared, some of them had lots of rotten feces in their cages. The one we rescued was full of fleas and mites, which contrasts a lot with the idea of a sterile lab environment.

There were many rooms full of racks with mice cages. The animals in there were trying to escape, some of them were jumping the entire time, banging their heads on the metal ceiling of the cage. Imprisonment made them crazy.

What was more interesting is we found documents of all experiments over the last years. Reading and taking pictures of them we found out what was going on in this lab and the reasons for the death of all these animals. Contrary to what the researchers say, many of the experiments carried out were not to cure serious illnesses and to save people. Many experiments were conducted on nicotine, THC or obesity, for example.

To be there has been a difficult trauma to deal with. The idea to leave these animals there was really difficult to face, and everything was set up to save all of them or at least most of them. This emotion was really strong also among the crowd supporting the action outside of the building, where about 500 people had spent the entire day.

 

Can you give us an update on where the animals that you saved from the Milano Lab are at this point? Do you expect the lab to turn over the remainder of animals that they agreed to?

The rescued rabbit is now living at the home of  a friend of ours. After five years in his tiny cage, he now has a whole home and a caring person with him, and he has a name, he is no longer a number.

Most of the 300 mice already found homes through an organization called VitaDaCani, where some of us also volunteer. We personally took care of them and met most of the people these lovely animals will live with. It was fantastic to see them change their life from a small barren cage to much bigger environments full of stuff to do and proper savory food instead of those pellets they get in labs. Mice are incredible animals and we advise anybody to try and get to know them.

VitaDaCani is in touch with the University, and in the following days all the remaining animals should be released, as the reasearchers think they are now contaminated and useless. To them they are only products, things, but to us they are individuals, lives to be saved.

 

 

Did the action garner media attention in Italy as well as throughout Europe? If so, what was the tenor of the coverage? Did the coverage surprise you at all?

There was big coverage in Italian media, as expected. Actually they are still talking about it after ten days. At the beginning there were our words on the media, the images of the animals in labs and of our actions. Then the scientific community united and got a lot of coverage as well with their mantra “animal research saves lives and there is no alternative.” We responded again and asked for an open debate at the University, something that will probably take place in a few weeks, involving the ethical and scientific aspects of animal research.

Overall there have been many bad articles on the issue, but it’s still good when you see vivisectors so desperate to tell their blatant lies everywhere, and some of these lies are easily recognizable as such. They said to all media the mice would all die within 24 hours out of the lab environment, while only three died in the last ten days. So we are now collecting pictures with them to tell the real story of their new lives.

What suprised us was the action was covered also outside of Italy, even outside of Europe. We have been attacked by the global research community and received a lot of hate mail, text messages, phone calls and a full front attack on our facebook page with hundreds of them commenting and insulting us. This reaction makes us think we are really hitting some nerves.

 

In the US, we have designer laws like AETA as well as new laws called ag-gag that criminalize behaviors of animal rights activists and liberationists. Do you have similar laws in Italy? How does the public perceive animal rights activists?

We do not have specific laws against animal rights activity yet, but Italy has strong laws against terrorism, created in the ‘70s when class war was really strong and there were many armed guerrilla groups. They actually have difficulties applying these laws to other kinds of groups, like ours, so we feel a bit safe at the moment. A couple of years ago a politician proposed a law targeting animal rights actions at fur farms with a terrorism enhancement, but this politician was arrested for corruption, so that was the end of the first specific law against AR activities.

The public received our action quite well. Even the illegal liberation of 70 beagles at Green Hill has been largely applauded and perceived as the right thing to do. I think it really made a difference that the action was done as an open act of disobedience, with no masked activists and no real scuffles with the police. People perceived it as a “Robin Hood” kind of thing. So I guess it’s important to analyze how the movement is sometimes comunicating with the public and society, and how it is portraying itself. That liberation shows that even direct action can have large support and we are sure some underground actions can have big support if commuication is done in the right way.

 

It appears like you have a large animal rights community in Italy. What are you guys doing right to bring so many people out to actions? Any advice you can share?

In Italy there has always been a really huge animal welfare movement and a big portion of Italians are so-called animal lovers. There has always been a separately active grassroots community with their campaigns, and so on. What the Green Hill campaign did was to unite these two fronts and let the animal lovers become activists and the welfarists become more “militant.” We worked on an issue everyone could have something to do for, and created a front that was a real mix of people. Sometimes this was not easy at all to handle, since we had incredibly huge demos with thousands of people at their first demo ever, trying to do whatever they wanted and with no idea of our politics, sometimes attacking us for our decisions (not accepting right-wing people at our demos for example). But beside these side effects, we are sure the strength of this campaign came from this powerful mix and a well studied use of communication and the media.

 

How did this action compare with the Green Hill liberation? Have all of the beagles found adoptive homes?

All the beagles rescued in July have found homes in about three months. It was a huge job and many organizations worked on it. We actually worked on rehoming about 550 dogs ourselves.

Our latest action on April 20^th is just a follow-up to the Green Hill campaign and liberation of all beagles. We want to show that this breeder was just the tip of the iceberg, as we say, and there are 600 labs using animals in this country. We want to show that people are still fighting hard to stop vivisection, whatever it may take.

 

Do you have a message or advice for activists that you’d like to share?

We remember the first time we went to check Green Hill a few years ago. It was scary. Such a big place, with five sheds full of barking dogs, hundreds of them going to labs every month. It was heartbreaking and felt like an impossible task to close this place or even save one dog from there. We had this dream anyway, and we worked hard on it. And in the end we got what we wanted, and much more we can say.

This is our message: always follow your dreams and always fight for them to become true. This can make such a difference to animals.

 

animal rights, animal testing, Contro Green Hill, Italy, vegan, vivisection

April 13th, 2013 by Gary Smith

 

Kind is a new book of poetry by Gretchen Primack, who co-authored The Lucky Ones with Jenny Brown, released last year. Kind is filled with thoughtful, poignant and touching poems about how we treat and mistreat animals. Gretchen’s poetry is straightforward, and makes one think about their role in either oppressing or advocating for nonhumans.

Though I am generally not a fan of poetry, Gretchen’s poems touched me deeply. I can’t recommend Kind enough. Make sure you pick up a copy for yourself or someone who is ready to be inspired to make great change. You can pick up a copy of the book here: http://gretchenprimack.com/books 

Before we get to the interview, Gretchen was ‘kind’ enough to allow me to reprint one of my favorite poems from the book.

 

Love This

If you permit

this evil, what is the good

of the good of your life?

—Stanley Kunitz

The body floods with chemicals saying, Love this,
and she does, and births it; it is a boy
she begins to clean and nose, but he is dragged
away by his back feet. She will never touch him
again, though she hears him howl and calls back
for days.

Her breast milk is banked for others. Her son
is pulled away to lie in his box.
He will be packed for slaughter. How ingenious
we are! To make product from byproduct.
To make use of the child,
kill and pack and truck him to plates.

And when the gallons slow, we start over,
and her body says, Love this! And she does,
though in a moment she will never touch
him again. His milk is not for him.

And when the milk slows too slow,
she will join him on the line, pounds
of ground. And how we will dine!
And talk of our glossy dogs! And her body
will break up on our forks, as mothers
beg us for the grain we stuffed her with,
and children beg us for the water
scouring her blood from the factory walls.

And when her wastes and gases and panic
heat our air so hot our world stops
breathing-then will we stop? Then
will we grow kind, let the air cool
and mothers breathe?

 

How did you come up with the title “Kind” for the book?

This is a book about kindness—our inattention to it, our consciousness of it. But it’s also a book about kinds, the distinctions—artificial ones—we make between this kind of animal and that: humans versus all others, dogs versus pigs, and so on. That double meaning appealed to me as a title right away; this was the easiest-to-title work I’ve ever done!

Animals have always found their way into poetry and literature. Most of the time, they are not being advocated for. Why did you choose to use poetry as a way of advocating for nonhuman animals?

I think we all respond to different media when it comes to making change. Someone might come to a different consciousness through watching a documentary, someone else through reading a pamphlet, someone else through visual art. Poetry has also been a vehicle for change. Think of Adrienne Rich’s work, or Audre Lorde’s, or Wilfred Owen’s excoriations of World War I. Why not also lend poetic voice to the struggle of nonhuman animals? Then there’s simply this: Poetry is the medium I gravitate towards. I’ve written essays and articles, and I co-wrote Jenny Brown’s memoir The Lucky Ones: My Passionate Fight for Farmed Animals, and I love those projects. But when it comes to pure literary expression, my first choice is poetry.

Has your poetry always addressed animal exploitation or is this a new avenue for you?

I worked on this book on and off for about five years, but before that I didn’t touch the subject. I had a turning point when I found myself in a month-long artist residency with a group of people who felt nothing for nonhuman animals. The alienation propelled me to begin Kind—so I guess there was an upside to that loneliness and frustration.

What do you hope readers will take away from “Kind?”

I’d like the book to provide different things for different readers. For those already involved in animal advocacy, I’d like it to provide recognition, consolation, and a feeling that you’re not alone. For those who have flirted with making change but haven’t quite gotten there, I’d like to provide inspiration to take next steps. For those who are sensitive to issues of social justice but haven’t considered animal issues, I’d like the book to start them in that direction. And for all readers, I’d like the book to do what good poetry should do: Make us think about the possibilities of language, of art, of taking a step back and looking at the world a different way. And I’d like it to be a pleasure to read!

When did you go vegan and how did you come to that decision?

I went vegetarian when I was thirteen: I was an animal lover, so how could I eat animals? It was pretty simple even though I didn’t know other vegetarians. But my eyes weren’t opened to the issues inherent to dairy and eggs and the like until much later—I was in my 30s. I’d moved to the Hudson Valley and was introduced to the work of farm animal sanctuaries and the vegans involved with them. Well, that was it. My mind was blown.

As an artist, you must have to live with your heart open. How do you deal with all of the cruelty and suffering against animals and how do you heal yourself?

The activism and the art soothe me in the midst of the horrors. I feel worst when I’m not doing anything about it, so it feels good to roll my sleeves up. Still, I make sure to lead a full, indulgent life and take care of myself. Delicious meals, travel, mindless entertainment, crass humor, lots of snuggle time with rescued animals, and high-quality time with fabulous humans—like my husband, Gus—keep me sane.

If you’re in the New York City area, come hear her read from Kind at the Jivamukti Studio on April 28 and Kleinert/James Gallery on May 11.

Gretchen Primack, Kind, poet, poetry, vegan

March 23rd, 2013 by Gary Smith

 

Last year I sent Jewish media a pitch about our second vegan Passover seder. My hope was that I would be able to get some attention for ethical veganism around the holiday. Our veder made it in an article in The Jewish Journal and they also asked me to write an article for them.

I decided to send a pitch this year, and received quite a lot of responses. I was interviewed for a blog based in Vienna called Living Jewish (hope you read German) and by a journalist from a London-based publication called The Jewish Chronicle. So many opportunities to contribute articles came in that I had to pass up a few.

After writing three articles, I realized that I would be unable to say the same thing differently two more times. Here are my three articles all in one place. Please feel free to share them with friends and family.

Tikkun Daily

Modern Magazine

The Voice of Jewish Washington

It’s an honor to represent ethical veganism to an audience that is ostensibly receptive to concepts like exploitation and enslavement. I encourage other activists to look for similar opportunities to express their ethical and spiritual values around major holidays. (Plus, the food is great.)

 

 

 

Jewish, Judaism, Passover, Passover seder, vegan, vegan recipes

November 2nd, 2012 by Gary Smith

269, animal rights, tattoo, vegan

October 22nd, 2012 by Gary Smith

 

In part one of this series, I spoke with a representative of the group 269 about their action on World Farm Animals Day, where they were branded with a hot iron with the number of an anonymous calf in an Israeli factory farm.

I was curious about how the group regarded the animal rights movement in Israel and the rest of the world, what tactics and strategies they felt were successful and which are not. What followed was a commentary that was more in-depth than could be digested in a single interview.

I am presenting this provocative and thoughtful response in its entirety, however, many readers will find it unpalatable and even antagonistic towards animal activists. Although it should go without saying, please note that the opinions shared are 269’s and not necessarily this blog’s or my own.

 

I’m very pessimistic about the chances of the animal rights movement to succeed. If you take into consideration just some of the parameters of the animal rights struggle’s condition and its enemy (almost all of the human race), you have to be pessimistic:

People are inherently selfish. The number of animals who are abused and killed is infinite. The Animal Holocaust occurs worldwide, in every culture, in every country. There are seven billion people in the world right now. Over the next few decades, this number will rise to around nine billion. 80 percent of the population is from undeveloped countries; in a few more decades this will rise to 87 percent. These populations are not open at all to the animal rights idea. Even the other 20 percent aren’t open to the idea, save a minimal percentage of them. 97 out of every 100 new people on the planet are currently born in developing countries. The life expectancy in undeveloped countries will rise in the future and their mortality rates will fall. Many undeveloped countries will be industrialized in the next few decades, which means The Animal Holocaust is going to double or triple itself in numbers.
If we judge reality with our open, objective eyes, we come to the conclusion that the situation is worse than ever. We cannot win, especially not with the path we are taking. I’m not familiar with every detail of the animal rights movement in the rest of the world, besides a few similar parameters every animal rights activist I’ve talked to has told me, and that is that the vegan community in their country is very small, there are too few activists in general from the vegan community, and that most of the activists are speciesists, who prefer humans over animals.

In order to win the animal rights struggle, we need people who will fight, and we need to be stronger than the criminals. As of today, we cannot force animal rights on the human population. There are too little of us, with too little money, and too much of them, with too many advanced technologies. So we need to convince them one way or the other to stop animal exploitation. But, we all know that we cannot convince seven billion people to stop enslaving animals out of their kindness, so in that front – we cannot win.

What we do have is just a bunch of people around the world, not too many, who care for animals, and need to think what can they do. Increasing awareness is no more than a nice way to expand this small circle, but it is sure not a solution to The Animal Holocaust. So we have to think outside the box, in order to beat the vicious enemy.

There are some examples of creative thinking that can lead to a better change in the animals’ condition. Some of them solve it from the root. Some of them can solve it quickly. Some of these ideas are illegal so I won’t write about them here (I’m not talking about ALF of course, it’s not a root solution and surely not a quick one. You can’t liberate 150 billion animals each year worldwide). Some of them are legal and we all should consider them.

For example: acting against human reproduction. It can be even more essential than convincing another meat eater to become vegan. It can also be very effective in underdeveloped countries.
Another way is promoting artificial meat research. I truly agree with David Pearce who said, “In vitro meat [is] perhaps our best hope of getting rid of factory farming everywhere by the middle of the century…I’d much rather everyone listened the moral argument and became vegan today. But we both know how hard it is to argue against moral apathy.”

These are just two examples in the legal pathway. My point is that anyone can find a much better way to achieve animal liberation earlier than by continuing in the failing way of approaching peoples’ kindness. If you appeal only to peoples’ kindness with ethical arguments, you won’t be able to convince many people to become vegan. Every animal rights group around the world includes arguments and campaigns about health, ecology, etc. in addition to the ethical arguments. So actually, by their actions, every animal rights group around the world agrees with me, whether they have the courage to admit it or not. I wouldn’t have a problem with making the world vegan by health reasons if it would succeed, but people don’t care about health, not in numbers that would make 95 percent of the world vegan, and not even 30 percent, but only a few percentage points at all, and only after a certain age (adults care more about health than teenagers).

So by reducing the power of our message from the ethical argument only, to ethical and health and ecology and any other selfish reason, there are two things that happen. One, more people become vegan for reasons other than ethics (selfish reasons). Two, the animal rights movement grows, but the concentration of non-speciesist, committed vegans falls. And that is a procedure that feeds itself, because more speciesist vegans, means more health/ecology campaigns from the animal rights movement, more speciesist people attracted to it, and so on.

The problem with that is what happens here in Israel (and I’m sure all around the world also): many of them stop being vegan after a few years. The ones who stay vegan, are very speciesist and selfish, so they don’t act much and/or won’t care to go far for animal rights even with effective ideas and/or won’t spend time thinking of revolutionary ideas etc. So what we have is an animal rights movement that has reduced its radical message to get the support of more people, but has become so soft and sterile that they are not a meaningful tool in the animal liberation fight. This is what happens when you think short term and not long term; when you are eager to get a few more vegans at any cost.

We are now just in the middle of this evolution of the movement, but as I see it, in the next few decades, the movement in Israel and in some other places (I don’t want to say everywhere as I’m not familiar with what’s going on all around the world will just be a lifestyle movement, very soft, just dealing with themselves and recipes, and here and there tries to convert meat eaters to become vegan, but surely not a revolutionary movement that will be able to make animal liberation happen. Also, if a revolutionary idea for animal liberation comes up, but it contradicts humans’ health for example, this idea won’t be executed by the animal rights movement because it contains too many selfish activists who feel that health of humans is more important for them than animal liberation (examples of this have already happened in Israel and all around the world). So one part of the speciesist activists in our movement are just ordinary people, who became vegan, but from selfish reasons not ethical ones – and they won’t be the key for ending The Animal Holocaust.

A speciesist movement in my opinion will not be able to stop the animal holocaust. If a great idea to liberate animals comes at the expense of humans, those activists won’t execute it. Speciesist people won’t try their best to liberate animals, not by time or money investment, and especially not by hardcore actions that can be effective. That is why it is an important mission for every one of us to try as much as possible to radicalize the animal rights movement, even if the cost is that some activists will be kicked out. Otherwise, we’ll get a kind of a movement that is itself the final verdict to animal liberation. For my opinion it is too late, but I hope I’m wrong.

We cannot liberate animals by appealing to people’s kindness. We cannot liberate animals by appealing to people’s interest in health/ecology. Although we’ll get some more vegans, but surely not significantly more, and the price for that will be ruining the animal rights movement ideology. That is very dangerous, because the only chance for eliminating the animal holocaust is by having a strong ideology-movement that will produce committed activists that will try to end the holocaust in some other ways than propaganda (that will not end the animal holocaust for sure).
The other part of the speciesist activists in our movement are the activists who also take part in human rights actions. This is a problematic and very crucial issue that I don’t want to get into too much because it is another whole interview, but I have to mention it. It’s unacceptable for anyone who consider themselves a non-speciesist vegan person to promote human rights. Can anyone imagine a partisan who fights at noon to liberate Jews from concentration camps held by Nazis, and at night to make conditions for the Nazis better? It’s a contradiction. We, as people who are committed to justice, cannot ignore that contradiction. We need to understand that theoretically, animals deserve rights just as humans deserve rights. Theoretically we are all equal in the moral status, but in reality, human rights come at the expense of animal rights. It’s a fact. As the socio-economic situation of people improves, more animals are abused and murdered. As more countries become free and developed, the more we’ll see industrialized animal agriculture. We mustn’t ignore this paradox. We need to comprehend that humans are the animals’ criminals. Theoretically, all humans deserve rights, but in reality, rapists’ rights come on the expense of women’s rights. We need to choose sides, the animals or the humans – we can’t choose both. Do we want to be on the victims’ side or on the criminals’ side?
This is one reason why we should invest all our time in promoting animal rights, and not be active for people.

The second reason why we should dedicate all of our time to the animal rights struggle is just by taking into consideration some facts. The amount of animals being exploited and murdered each year by humans is about 100,000-1,000,000 times (!) more than the numbers of humans who endure it. The suffering animals go through has no similarity to the human suffering (vivisection, animal agriculture, premarin from horses, gallbladder/bile from bears, hunting, clothing, etc.). The animal rights movement has much less money than the human rights movement and fewer activists than the human rights movement. The media deals with different human issues all day, every day. Humans can fight for themselves, animals can’t.

So after looking at just some of these parameters, combined with the fact that most people are responsible for the animal holocaust, I think it is obvious why every animal rights activist who fights also for human rights is a speciesist, and is making The Animal Holocaust worse.

I think that a simple example will demonstrate it best. Let’s imagine we are walking on a street and we notice 100 people injured. One of them is on the sidewalk, and he is white, and his injury is a cut in his leg because he slipped while he ran. The cut isn’t so deep, no danger of death, but he is bleeding. Also, there are 20 pedestrians near him helping him to cure.

Right next to him, there are 99 black men, lying on the road, injured because of a bus explosion that was caused by the white man above. They are dying, bleeding, screaming from pain, and only one person is trying to help them. What would you do? My answer is simple, if you’d go to help the single white person on the sidewalk, who has so much help, he is only one person, his injury is not severe, and he is the criminal who is responsible for the 99 people’s suffering – you are either a racist or a very, very stupid man. Let’s say, that no one is that stupid, so there is only one conclusion. Let’s replace in this allegory the blacks with animals and the white with the human population – and this is why animal rights activists who are also active for human rights are speciesists.

I know that now, some readers will give many excuses to justify why it is ok to waste time and money to help humans, and as I said before I don’t want to get to every aspect of it, but I still want to answer one popular argument about that, and it’s “but if we help people and better their conditions, they will be more open to the animal rights idea.”

Again, people are inherently selfish. They always feel like victims. They always want more than they have. We are programmed that way. Helping humans won’t make them be more compassionate for animals, so let’s save the time and help directly to animals, that way we cannot lose.

If this logic was true, all the rich people would be vegans, as they have very good socio-economic status, and we would see many countries that are not occupied and not in a war becoming vegan. But the fact is that we cannot find any vegan country in the world. Not even 50 percent, not even 10 percent. Moreover, we don’t even find such a big difference between different countries; it’s always about zero to two percent vegans, even though we’ve had propaganda campaigns for many decades worldwide. The point is, that even if we make the conditions the best possible, maybe we’ll get some more vegans, but surely not in significant numbers that justify fighting for it vicariously by helping people, and spending so much time and money on it. In my opinion, there is a five percent limit that no country will ever cross (especially not for ethical reasons), and for sure hasn’t been crossed yet.

We shouldn’t forget the big implication fighting for human rights causes. When we fight for human rights, and make countries more developed, and giving people better socio-economic conditions, we might get a few more percentage points open to the animal rights idea, but we sure also get industrialization, and more economic options for people that increase the amount of suffering of animals, and the numbers that are being produced and being murdered increase. So in total, more animals will suffer, because it is more relevant how many people are meat-eaters, not how many people are vegans (like if we want to calculate women’s conditions, we need to know how many people are raping, and not how many people aren’t).

The problem as I see it is that we have a speciesist movement that will become even worse as time goes by, and will have less and less real influence on ending the animal holocaust. I hope that this branding action we’ve done, will make activists in the animal rights movement think, and to try and look at the whole picture, and take into consideration all the parameters, and become more committed to the animal rights struggle. After many years in the animal rights movement, I’m not optimistic, but it’s not me who said that the difference between pessimistic and optimistic is that a pessimist is an experienced optimist.

So to sum it up, I want to say that we have to realize that we cannot end the animal holocaust by ethical propaganda (about 95-99 percent of the human population doesn’t care about animals), we cannot end the animal holocaust by health/ecology propaganda (most of the human race doesn’t care about it either, and it will ruin the animal rights movement), we cannot end the animal rights holocaust by forcing animal rights on the human population (as we are weaker than the enemy), and we cannot end the animal holocaust by ALF (as we cannot liberate 150 billion animals each year worldwide).

Also, we have to be aware to the reason that the animal holocaust is happening, and it’s not education (we are being educated since day one to help others, not to abuse animals, to be kind etc.), not our message, not lack of awareness, and nothing else but the simple horrible truth – we are facing about 7 billion selfish, careless people. Most of the human race doesn’t care and will never care for animals, no matter how many videos we will show them, and no matter how many times we will repeat that meat is murder. If we don’t comprehend that, we’ll not be able to end the animal holocaust. Ever.

Paul McCartney’s sentence is preposterous. The slaughterhouses ALREADY HAVE GLASS WALLS! People know that meat is a dead animal’s part. People, in the majority, know how animals get killed (throat slit), and the internet is full of videos and pictures shot at factory farms for anyone to see. So the slaughterhouses already have glass walls, and not everyone is a vegetarian – not even close.

So what can people do?
1. Become activists. Being vegan in this sick world, with this infinite holocaust, is just not enough. It is much more crucial to be an animal rights activist.

2. Be active as much as you can. We must dedicate most of our lives to the animal rights fight (and only to it), as there are too little of us, and too many enemies.

3. Understand that people don’t care about animals and that increasing awareness is not a tool for ending the animal holocaust, it is only to enlarge the small circle of committed animal rights activists. Therefore, we should only do ethics-based campaigns, without dealing with any selfish issues like health/ecology. We mustn’t reduce the power of our message just to earn another moderate, selfish vegan, as the importance of propaganda is to increase our small, non-speciesist circle. We have to radicalize our movement, even if brings less activists to it in the near future, they will be more qualitative and effective.

4. If you continue in the increasing awareness path, try and do campaigns like 269, with hardcore, radical actions, and deal only with the ethics of animal rights.

5. To realize that the sentence “Think globally, act locally” is very problematic, and indicates very closed thinking. We should “Think globally, act globally.” Make actions that have the potential to spread worldwide, with the investment of little money, time and activists have the potential to go worldwide. We lack resources, so we have to be very calculated. Every action must have the potential to be viewed by people in every country in the world. We have to be as efficient as possible to maximize our time and money, as they are limited.

6. Try to organize meetings only with non-speciesist, committed animal rights activists, and think about the big picture. Take into consideration all the parameters that we mention here, and try to think of creative (legal or illegal) solutions that can lead to end the animal holocaust, or maybe parts of it – forever.

7. Join the non-conventional paths I’ve talked about, like promoting artificial meat research, acting against human reproduction etc. I’m not sure we’ll be able to end the animal holocaust, it might be a lost cause, but for sure if we do have a chance, it’s only in the non-conventional ways.

 

 

 

269, animal rights, Holocaust, vegan

October 16th, 2012 by Gary Smith

 

I saw a video come through my feed a few days after World Farm Animals Day. I don’t generally click on videos, but the words “branded by hot steel” in the title intrigued me. I was immediately mesmerized by what I saw. There was a man with a numbered tag on his ear, similar to the tags I’ve seen on cows. This was followed by three men sitting in a barbed wire cage.

Three men wearing all black entered the frame. When they whipped out a blow torch, I started to get nervous. Were they really going to brand themselves? And why? Why would someone permanently mark themselves and in such a violent and painful manner? I had to click onto the 269 website. After learning a bit about who they are and why they put themselves through this pain, I had to reach out and interview them.

The interview below is part one of a two-part series with a representative of 269. This interview focuses more on 269 – the why and what. The second part will be more controversial, focusing more on philosophy of the animal rights movement.

I was asked by the representative to mention that some of the interview may not be pleasant, but he and his friends in 269 are “only committed to the animals and we believe that we must say the truth about the struggle for animal rights even if it is hard to hear, otherwise we cannot progress in our fight.”

 

What is the significance of the name of your group, 269?

269 is a group of animal rights activists who started a campaign and has a website and a facebook page. To quote one of the activists who got branded, “The Number 269, which was burned on our skin, was the designated number of a calf we encountered in one of Israel’s factory farms. This anonymous calf will be forever immortalized on our bodies, and hopefully this message of solidarity will somehow bring a new way of looking at non-human animals. No animal should be exploited to satisfy the selfish needs and whimsical desires of humans, and that is why we chose to use the industry’s own method of objectifying living beings as this symbolic means to convey our idea”.

 

The video of three of your members being branded on World Farm Animals Day is pretty provocative. Why have you chosen branding as a mode of getting the message out?

The main reason we did this kind of demonstration is that the animal rights movement cannot continue in its conventional, soft way. When we examine the animal rights movement’s accomplishments through history, we realize they are too little and too late. We can’t wait any longer because every second means horrific exploitation and murder of many innocent animals. We need to act more, act harder, better and to start making waves in the world. The Holocaust cannot continue while we sit and smile at the people causing it. This horrible situation requires a more creative and faster solution than delivering another pamphlet to a pedestrian, liking another Facebook page, or joining another animal rights parade.
This demonstration is an example of trying to make a wave, worldwide. But it’s far from enough.
This demonstration is also an example for a global action, not local one. The Animal Holocaust is enormous, and in every country and every culture. We must start to think and act globally, and not locally – otherwise, nothing will ever change. We have to be as efficient as possible. We must do everything we can for the animals.

 

How was the crowd’s reaction to the branding and what it represents? Did they make the connection? Were they receptive or were they repulsed and angered?

The truth is that we decided to do the demo in a non-crowded place, because the branding procedure is pretty sensitive, and many things could have gone wrong and the whole demo would be ruined, especially since we have no experience in branding. So there wasn’t that much of a crowd there. From what I did notice, the people who walked by stopped, and were pretty shocked.

 

The branding video has close to 150,000 views in one week. Did you expect the video to get so much attention?

Actually, we did. We believed it could make a worldwide shock-wave, and we think that this video will rise up much more in the next few months. Our aim is for at least ten million viewers this year, that’s the potential we believe it has and we hope to fulfill it. We believe it’ll get much more media coverage than it has got until today – 10 days after the event. We also hope to get some money from our online shop that we opened in order to finance advertisements of this campaign, so that the videos and the follow-up events will be known all around the world. We are aiming to reach as many people as possible, and fast.

 

What kind of responses have you received from the video? Have you received feedback from people saying that they plan on going vegan?

Well, first I have to say that there were too many responses on Youtube so we didn’t go through every one. But in general the comments were divided in two: “Great demo, I support you” or “You are fanatics. I love steak.”

We need to understand that the potential of someone to become vegan and an animal rights supporter is not up to the actions we do. In every type of action you will encounter opposition, even for a quiet demo, or to delivering pamphlets in the street. The point is that people who don’t care for the animals (most of the human population) will be against you almost no matter what you’ll do, and you won’t succeed in turning them to vegans, and people who have the potential to become vegan will also be convinced no matter what you do (let’s leave aside violent actions). This is my ground point of view, and why I chose to participate in this action, because I don’t think that it can turn away people who have potential, and with these kinds of actions you can get worldwide exposure with minimum time and money.

The animal rights movement always blames everything else beside the real guilty party. We blame our message, we blame culture, we even blame education, just because we don’t want to face the truth – that people just don’t care. We always complain that people should open their eyes and face the truth about the holocaust of animals, well it’s time for the animal rights movement to do the same. You don’t antagonize people by your actions; people don’t care for our ideology in the first place, so it is important to stay united as a movement behind hardcore actions, and to keep a strong ethic ideology for animal rights, with no compromises.

 

What is the mission of 269 Life? What do you hope to accomplish with your organization?

One of the purposes of this campaign is to “speak” to animal rights activists. This shocking demo has a message for the animal rights activists who consider themselves as non-speciesist, committed activists. True activists are not just looking to feel good about themselves, but are really determined to look for animal liberation solutions. We speak to activists who joined the movement neither for social reasons nor dietary ones – but for justice. We want to reach activists who won’t stop thinking of revolutionary ideas to promote animal liberation as soon as possible. About 95 to 99 percent of the population just doesn’t care and will never become vegan willingly. So yes, we still have to work to reach the few who have potential, but let’s not delude ourselves – something has to change.

The animal rights struggle is at rock bottom. There is not enough money, not enough committed non-speciesist vegan activists, and worse of all, the most vicious enemy, people, 7 billion of them, who have many interests in keeping animals enslaved, and who are inherently so selfish, that even the awareness campaigns we have done for many, many years haven’t affected them.

The first step towards solving a problem is acknowledging it. Maybe we don’t have the perfect and easy solution right now, but we know for sure what will not liberate animals – and that is to continue using the same methods. Increasing awareness will not solve the problem. It’ll just recruit some more people who weren’t aware until now, but that’s only a negligible part of the human population. Let’s not forget – almost all humans are aware of The Animal Holocaust but they just don’t care. So please, for the sake of the animals, let’s stop pretending because it only hurts them.

We hope that this branding action, besides spreading the word for animal rights globally, will encourage each and every one of you to start and be more active for them, and in non-conventional ways. If things stay the way they are, the animal holocaust is here to stay.

The second purpose of this campaign is to spread the word for animal rights so that more people will hear about this issue, especially in places where they haven’t heard about it before. That is why we aimed for global distribution, and in the Youtube statistics we did get views in almost every country in the world. Now we just need to continue to maximize the number of viewers in every place.

If these purposes are accomplished, we believe we’ll get more vegans who became vegans for ethical reasons, and which we believe have more probability to stay vegan all their lives, and become active for animal rights.

Also, we believe that we’ll get an increase in the amount of vegans that will take part in more hardcore and global actions, and that will try to look for non-conventional activities for animal liberation than doing another soft demo/stand/lecture etc.

 

Where do you see 269 going in the future?

I hope that it’ll spread globally. Right now activists around the world are gathering and doing follow-up events, like this one. I hope that it’ll open the eyes of the potential meat-eaters to become vegans, as well as the eyes of the vegan activists to become more active and especially more effective. Campaigns such as 269, which is not conventional in its actions and deals only with the moral aspect of animal rights – is the path animal rights activists should go in, if they continue in the propaganda direction. I hope we’ll see much more actions like this one, and especially more activists who start to choose other ways than propaganda to try and end The Animal Holocaust.

 

 

 

 

 

269, animal rights, Israel, vegan

August 31st, 2012 by Gary Smith

(Original interview by Camilla Johansson – http://annorlundararing.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/gary-smith-the-thinking-vegan/)

 

Gary Smith is co-founder of Evolotus, a PR agency working for a better world. Evolotus specializes in health and wellness, spirituality, animal protection, natural foods, documentary films, non-profits and socially beneficial companies. Gary started a blog in February of 2011 called The Thinking Vegan and has written for Elephant Journal, Jewish Journal and as a guest blogger for Mother Nature Network (MNN.com). Gary and his wife adhere to a vegan lifestyle and live with their cat Chloe and their two rescued laboratory beagles, Frederick and Douglass, in Sherman Oaks, CA.

 

How did you come to the decision that the vegan way was the right way?

That’s a long story. The first time I went vegan was more than 20 years ago in college. I opened up “Diet For a New America” by John Robbins and changed my diet on the spot. When I saw the animals in cages, on factory farms, that was it. I did it for the animals, but didn’t fully grasp veganism. I still wore leather and wool, and didn’t have a clue about animal testing. Mind you, this was before the internet and Facebook. I ate a vegan diet for three and a half years and then went back to eating eggs, dairy and fish. I can give you a list of excuses, but ultimately I am responsible for making the choices to go against my ethics.

What drove me back to veganism was my ethics. I always had a voice in my head that told me that eating animals was wrong. A few years later, I finally gave into that voice. I am so glad that I did. This time around, I understand what veganism really is, an ethical choice to abstain from using animals for food, clothing, entertainment and vivisection. The first time I was vegan, I would recommend or buy “Diet For a New America” to friends and family, but I mostly kept my veganism to myself. This time, I am active. I don’t keep it to myself.

What are the obstacles that you have come across and what are the benefits?

For me the changes in diet and lifestyle were not all that challenging. At first they may seem overwhelming, but you get used to reading labels, shopping for clothes that do not come from animals, looking for products not tested on animals and so on. Many things  we try to do seem difficult at first.

I think the biggest obstacle for most people is the social aspect. If you are young and still live at home, how are your parents and family going to adjust to your choice to go vegan? If you are in a serious relationship or marriage, how is your spouse going to react to your shift? If you have to go out for lunch as part of your work, how are co-workers going to accept your new lifestyle? I think that sometimes we paint going vegan as being simple because we want people to make the change, but I think it’s important to be honest with people in that you will most likely get some pushback.

The benefits are numerous. For me, there was an almost immediate shift in my daily level of agitation. I felt more at peace with myself. I knew that eating and using animals was wrong, but did not make the change. Once I made the change, my values of compassion, justice and fairness were aligned with my behaviors.

Another benefit was discovering a community of people all over the world who felt and thought the same way as me. I didn’t know any vegans the first time I stopped eating animals, and not many more this time around. I was dragged kicking and screaming to Facebook, but that is really where I began to create this community. Community is so important for new vegans. It is vital. I highly recommend that new vegans friend others on Facebook, go to local Meetups or start one, follow vegan-friendly pages and blogs. Now, the great majority of my friends are vegans and others who fight for social justice issues.

Health is clearly another benefit. However, if the science was wrong and my life might be shortened by not eating animals or their secretions, I would remain vegan. No ifs, ands or buts.

 

My experience is that people perceive it as a threat when you don´t eat meat. Either they ridicule you or try to pick a more serious argument. What is your experience, and how do you handle it?

Vegans are a mirror for others. Whether you are advocating on behalf of other animals or politely turning down meat, dairy and eggs at a party, no matter what you say, what the non-vegan hears is, “You are wrong for eating and using animals. I am clearly a superior human being to you.”

Why do they hear that message? Because it’s mostly true. But seriously, the point is that everyone believes that they are a good, ethical person. When they realize that they eat animals, they become aware that their behaviors don’t match their ideal of who they think they are. And most people are not aware of the fact that they are eating animals. Eating animals is so normalized around the world via TV commercials, health classes in school, literature at your doctor’s office, and so on, that the only time they become aware of this fact is when they are talking or interacting with a vegan.

I handle this differently depending on the situation. I was born with cerebral palsy and have walked with an exaggerated limp my entire life. My politics are quite radical compared to most other Americans. I have been vegan for nine years of my life (in total). I consider myself an atheist and have not been religious since I was very young. I’ve never really felt normal and have always been outside the culture, so I am used to being confronted and challenged for one of my beliefs or behaviors. If someone shows a genuine interest in veganism or asks questions, versus trying to provoke or win an argument, I’ll spend some time discussing veganism with them. If they just want to argue, I don’t waste my time.

 

What do you tell someone who need motivation to make the change to a plant based diet?

It’s all about the animals for me. The motivation should be to be a kinder, more compassionate person. It is about removing yourself from the exploitation and oppression of animals and living up to the ideal you have about yourself.

I don’t spend much time talking about the health benefits or any other selfish reason why someone should go vegan. I don’t find it is effective to manipulate someone into doing something that their heart isn’t truly in. I am not interested in promoting veganism as a diet, because diets don’t work, and veganism is an ethical philosophy and not a fad diet. Everyone you have ever met has tried a diet and is no longer eating that same way. That is the nature of a diet, it is temporary.

There are millions of people all over the world who have decided that the ethical choice is vegan. Use their experiences and support as motivation.

All it should take to motivate someone is to watch some videos on the internet or documentaries about how meat, dairy, or eggs are produced, to see the horror, suffering and sadness of animals. I also find that spending time with animals at a farm sanctuary has an impact on people.

 

If you were to make an educated guess, how, if anything, would you say that our eating habits will change over the coming years?

We will be eating less meat, dairy and eggs. There is no doubt about that. I think that the costs of feed for farmed animals will continue to rise and hence the cost of animal products will be out of reach for many, I think that as the population continues to increase, it will be more and more difficult to keep up with the demand, I am certain that a horrific zoonotic disease will run rampant through factory farms and many people will die as a result, which will frighten many from eating animals and I think that governments will have less money to bail out big agriculture as well as provide large sums of money for subsidies.

Having said that, sadly consumption is and will continue to rise in countries like India and China as more and more people have access to better paying jobs.

I also hope that as activists, we will have developed more creative and effective campaigns and strategies that will bring more and more people to veganism. There is clearly more awareness around farmed animal issues and veganism in the media and public.

 

What is your advice to a vegan in the making?

There is a lot of advice out there for people who are transitioning. Each person must ultimately decide what is the most effective way for them to proceed. Some suggest giving up smaller animals like chickens first since so many are killed versus cows. Others suggest starting with one day a week of not eating any animal products. It’s really hard for me to advise someone to not just give up all animals right now. Do whatever you have to do to stop. Every moment you don’t go vegan, is another moment of participating in a system of exploitation and oppression, which is not good for you or the animals.

Eating vegan has never been easier or simpler. You can look for substitutions by replacing animal meat with soy and gluten meats, replacing dairy cheeses and milks with non-dairy versions or you can just eat simply.

Everyone is eating vegan foods every day; beans, legumes, fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. It’s simply a matter of eliminating meat, dairy and eggs from what you are already eating. You can eat pasta with vegetables, salads with a half can of beans, bean and rice burritos, as an example.

Make sure to create a support system and get support and motivation from other vegans.

Take the time to understand how horrific the global holocaust for animals truly is. We are talking about 56 billion land animals and possibly trillions of fishes murdered for food each year globally. That does not include the millions who are tortured and murdered for clothing, to test products and in “research,” in entertainment and in hunting. Watch films like EARTHLINGS, FARM to FRIDGE, and read books so you don’t casually decide that being vegan is too hard or complicated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

animal rights, Gary Smith, The Thinking Vegan, vegan

July 31st, 2012 by Gary Smith

Like most of us, I discovered Philip Wollen by watching the video of a debate called “Animals Should Be Off the Menu” last May. I was mesmerized by his oratory skills and the passion in which he described the absolute horror that animals live under all over the world. I couldn’t believe what I was watching. The skill with which he articulated the animal holocaust gave me the chills and brought tears to my eyes. I later discovered that he was the former VP of Citibank and had left to become a philanthropist, to work to help nonhuman animals, the planet and humans in need. You can check out his work at: http://facebook.com/kindnesstrust

 

I have posted the video below our interview, but if you need incentive to watch the 10 minute clip, here’s how he starts his speech. “Animals must be off the menu because tonight they are screaming in terror in the slaughterhouse, in crates, and cages. Vile ignoble gulags of despair. I heard the screams of my dying father as his body was ravaged by the cancer that killed him. And I realized I had heard these screams before. In the slaugherhouse, eyes stabbed out and tendons slashed, on the cattle ships to the Middle East and the dying mother whale as a Japanese harpoon expodes in her brain as she calls out to her calf. Their cries were the cries of my father. I discovered when we suffer, we suffer as equals. And in their capacity to suffer, a dog is a pig is a bear….is a boy. Meat is the new asbestos – more murderous than tobacco.”

 

How did you come to veganism? What woke you up?

I came to the vegan world from the carnivorous world of truncated ignorance. Who would have thought that lightening would strike? I was an investment banker, specializing in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions. I received a mandate from a major conglomerate and visited their various operations, one of which turned out to be a slaughterhouse. It was the most shocking, terrifying and violent experience of my life. It was tangible proof of the abject failure of human beings to develop empathy for the suffering of other living beings. I think I now understand what Hannah Arendt meant in her work “Eichmann in Jerusalem” where she coined the term “the banality of evil”.

The sheer horror that morning affected me profoundly. I began seeing every mundane piece of daily life’s experience through the prism of animal cruelty. Passing a crowded restaurant, and knowing that it concealed a smorgasbord of murderous opportunities. Seeing an attractive woman at the ballet and being repulsed by the sight of her fur coat. Knowing that every butcher shop was a retailer of body parts from murder victims; every fast food chain, in my mind, became a gastronomic tobacconist and every bit as lethal.

So, I guess my client’s slaughterhouse made me a vegetarian on the spot. It did not occur to me that dairy was an equally vile gulag for animals. Once I saw the carnage of veal, artificial insemination of cows; the removal of bobby calves from their mothers, the cruelty of induction and the violence of killing “unviable” calves, dairy was another atrocity on the list.

 

How long did it take from the moment you had your realization to making the change?

One nanosecond. As soon as the penny dropped there was no going back. It was such a blinding glimpse of the obvious.

 

What has changed in your life from this decision?

The most important change is in the way in which see myself; being able to look in the mirror in the morning with a clear conscience. I feel more involved, more inter-connected, more grounded, more sensitive, and more alive. At another level, I feel healthier, more fascinated by the natural world, and more responsible for protecting the powerless and the precious.

 

How did you go from being vegan to speaking out on behalf of animals?

Paradoxically, I have always been a very private person. I have always admired the Prussian General, Count Moltke, a man who reputedly preferred to think rather than speak. A man silent in seven languages. Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper once described me as reclusive. And in a sense, it is true. I accepted the invitation to debate the animal industrial complex because the cruelty they inflict on the powerless is so egregious that I could not let it go unanswered. Almost everything the meat industry has drummed into our collective consciousness is a lie. Pure and simple. Unadulterated lies. The world is crying out for only two things. Leadership. And the Truth. I have no desire to lead anyone. But I am willing to speak the truth.

 

Please tell us about Kindness Trust. When did it begin and what is the mission?

Well, after my experience in the slaughterhouse, I threw all my energy into learning as much as possible about the plight of animals. Meat, dairy, hunting, vivisection, fashion, puppy mills, fishing, pets, shark-finning, caged birds, aquaculture, leather, circuses, dog fighting, and horse racing to name a few. The hideous cruelty of human beings covered the entire non-human animal kingdom. In fact, I could not find a single species that was not abused by humans. Not one. Nor could I find a single habitat that was not affected by human encroachment.

Once the horror had sunk in, my decision was inevitable. I would become a “pro-activist” for social justice. I decided to give away everything I possessed with warm hands. And die broke. And so far, I admit I am right on budget!

I wanted to be anonymous. So I created the “Kindness” name to conceal my identity. As events transpired, my cover was blown, so now I am more visible than I would wish. We are seen as “venture capitalists for good causes”. Right now we support hundreds of projects for children, animals, the environment, aspiring youth and the terminally ill. The projects are generally in countries where I get maximum “bang for my buck”. In a sense, I subconsciously measure the “rate of return on the funds invested” by the number of lives saved relative to the capital employed. Furthermore, animal rights is a low priority in most developing countries. Even where there is a well-established tradition of compassion to animals viz India, and a well-educated cadre of animal rights activists, fundraising domestically in these places is a major challenge.

 

Can you share the two clauses that you include in your leases?

One of my “unusual” projects is Kindness House. It started as an experiment, an “incubator” for not-for-profit organizations to operate. The “Kindness Campus” is a building that covers around 40,000 square feet. It is located in a bustling, colorful, thriving retail precinct, in the middle of hundreds of lively restaurants, clubs, cafes and businesses, within easy walking distance of the Parliament and the financial centre. We have around 300 highly educated, energetic and committed young activists working in the building –  including dozens of wonderful groups like Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, Wilderness Society, Beyond Zero Emissions, Lawyers for Animals, Wildlife Victoria, National Multicultural Broadcasting Commission, and Vegetarian Victoria to name a few. 85% of the groups in the building pay nothing at all. Everything for them is free. We pay all the operating costs like municipal rates, taxes, water, electricity, air conditioning, heating, cleaning, security patrols, repairs, maintenance, and internet. The incubator provides fully serviced offices, boardrooms, meeting rooms, internet, kitchens, showers, mail facilities, intercoms, bike rooms, movie theatre, meditation gallery, and kid’s crèche.

We have two quirky aspects in the leases. One, if you eat animals in my building, I kick you out. And two, if you have a dog, and you don’t bring him to the office, I kick you out. Each dog has a bed, mattress, chew toys, and food bowl.

 

How do you view the animal rights movement? Where do you see us succeeding and what would you like to see done to make greater change?

“Animal Rights” is the greatest social justice issue since the abolition of slavery. It is growing, but it has not yet reached Mach speed. Once it does, there will be no stopping it. Unfortunately, our morally bankrupt political leaders are under control of the industrial meat-and-dairy-drug cartels. The term I have been using for many years is “the animal industrial complex”. But this sick paradigm will not last forever. Ignorance is not an incurable disease.

 

The animal rights movement is largely a leaderless movement. Do you think we need leaders and are you available?

I don’t see the movement as lacking leaders. If anything, we have a large number of leaders, wearing different uniforms, each of them in charge of platoons, divisions and brigades, all fighting in different theatres of war. But we do not have a single, unified army under the leadership of a single general. In a sense, this is the strength of a many-headed hydra. We can’t be killed off easily – and happily for us, there are not too many modern day Heracles’ who can do so.

But perhaps we need new kinds of leaders to be attracted to the “movement”. I do wish they all made an effort to sing, if not exactly out of the same hymn book, perhaps at least in the same key? Unfortunately, many groups are so focused on their own specific campaigns they tend to isolate themselves from campaigns being run by other activists. For example, how often do you see forest campaigners showing up at a rally or a fundraiser for campaigns against whaling, dairy, dog-meat, hunting, livestock, puppy mills, dog and cock-fighting, bear-baiting, circuses or vivisection? The forest and ocean campaigners are also stakeholders in the fight against the meat, dairy, poultry and hunting industries.

We are all members of a broad church. Everyone is welcome. We need to cooperate with each other and get the united message of solidarity heard everywhere. Trix and I encourage groups to see others not as competitors for scarce donor funds, but fellow travelers on the same kindness train; sharing the train, the locomotive, the track and the ultimate destination. That is partly why we don’t get too closely involved in the minutia of the groups we support. We try to stay calmly aloof, only showing up when we can help in a tangible way.

One of the gratifying experiences at Kindness House is seeing how the various groups help each other with no fanfare – even with simple things like sharing computer skills or film-making talent, collecting each other’s deliveries from couriers, attending each other’s fundraising movie evenings in our theatre, or sharing a meal on Friday nights. Of course, I understand there have also been a number of inter-group romances in Kindness House as well, but I guess that is inevitable! It is gratifying to see how many young leaders are emerging from the Kindness Campus.

 

How do you define your animal rights philosophy?

Given that we are all animals, I see animal rights as inseparable from human rights. Dostoevsky asks in The Brothers Karamazov “Is the suffering of one child worth all the wealth in the world?” And he answers an emphatic “No”. But what if it was the child of an ape? To my mind, it would make no difference at all. In fact, I see it more starkly. To be tortured by a member of your own species is bad enough. But to be tortured by a more powerful member of another species, for a purpose you cannot fathom, is horrendous. For me, it is more than speaking out in favour of “animal” rights. It is also about speaking out against “human wrongs”.

 

How do you view welfarism or incrementalism? Do you believe that this helps or hampers animal liberation? Do you believe that abolition will be achieved through welfarism?

The animal rights / welfare movement is highly balkanized. And this weakness has been exploited by the animal industrial complex. Unfortunately, there are a number of groups who have been seduced by the industry. They have hitched their “incrementalist” wagon to the industry business model, and in the process the animal rights groups have been marginalized. To use a technical term, the animal rights activists have been “crowded out” by bigger, better resourced groups who imply that bigger cages lead to no cages – and quicker kills will one day lead to no kills. Of course, we all know that this is a preposterous non sequitur. Anyone who tells me there is such a thing as “humane” slaughter should contact me. I see a wonderful business opportunity to sell them the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I seriously wonder how they define the word “humane”. It is a saccharine, feel-good word designed to provide convenient cover for an atrocious act of barbarism. And it gives consumers a smug sense of satisfaction that eating animals is ethical, after all. A ghastly con – a betrayal of the worst kind.

In Australia, the meat industry has already started talking about setting up their own “animal welfare” organizations to tell “their side of the story”. No doubt they will be recruiting from the ranks of the “welfarists”. The livestock industry here has even gone as far as hijacking the domain names of well-respected animal groups by claiming other unregistered domains such as .org or .edu

Having said that, I am in favour of improving the welfare of animals currently in the system. But let’s explicitly state that it is an interim step in the fast march towards ending animal exploitation completely. Like palliative care in a cancer ward; providing relief to the suffering, while working hard to find a cure that gets rid of the disease everywhere. No illusions. No delusions. My main objective is for the animal industrial complex to cease to exist. My idea of heaven. A bit like the old Soviet Union. We wake up one morning, and it is gone.

 

What are your thoughts on direct action?

I wonder, conversely, what is meant by indirect action? Writing a letter to a politician, the newspaper or calling a radio station? Sure, do that, by all means. I am all in favour of “indirect” action as long as it is also effective action. But there are times when it is just plainly insufficient. We seem to selectively “cherry-pick” the issues where direct action is acceptable. Intervention to stop an act of cruelty to a puppy or a kitten in the street will be applauded. Maybe even when someone intervenes to stop a commercial dog fight? But what about cruelty when an animal is slaughtered in the street for a religious festival? Or what about intervening when a hunter shoots a deer with a cross-bow? Or when female kangaroos are shot for pet-food, leaving at-foot joeys to starve to death? And dare I say it, what about the ubiquitous factory “farm”? Interfering with these sacred sites is tantamount to burning the flag. I follow the “ahimsan” principle of non-violence as assiduously as I can, but Gandhi has taught us that passive resistance, non-violence and civil disobedience can be effective in advancing a moral cause.

 

In interviews you talk about how the word vegan has been hijacked by industry. Can you speak to that and I wonder how you feel about those in the animal rights community who for reasons of the public comfort, choose not to use the word vegan, but rather use the word vegetarian. Do you feel like being honest with our language is important?

I think “vegan” is a beautiful word. It is more than just a descriptor for our diet. I see it as visible template for an ethical, healthy, responsible and rational life. Because it describes our character. It says we do not take the life of another living being to satisfy our wants.

Language is often hijacked for the vile purposes of the abuser. The word “negro” comes from the poetic Latin, “niger”.  Soon becoming the abusive term “nigger”. The word “Humane” has been twinned with “slaughter” to become “humane slaughter”. “Genocide” has been sanitized into “ethnic cleansing”. The Japanese kill whales they do not need, in waters they do not own, for meat they cannot sell, for a taste they do not like and they call it “research”. The sign of the cross, the crucifix, 1,000 years before Jesus, was used in Asia and Europe to mean “do good” or “good luck”. It is now banned in public places because Hitler hijacked it and called it the Swastika. Likewise, the vegan philosophy is now used as a sneering term of abuse.

So I don’t know why ethical people should fear the vegan tag. After all, it is the animal eater who should be ashamed. Without even seeking it, the vegan occupies the moral high ground. It is the vegan who is on the right side of history. I would ask a simple question. Imagine there are two people who are identical in every conceivable way – except one. One is a vegan and the other is a meat-eater. All other things being equal, ceteris paribus, which individual is more ethical? The vegan or the meat eater? The answer is blindingly obvious to everyone. So, to answer your question, of course I believe we should be honest with our language. It is moral cowardice to sugar-coat the pill. The poor animals in these hell-holes deserve at least our honesty, don’t you think?

 

How do you view single-issue campaigns? Do you believe that campaigns fighting against fur, foie gras, banning wild animals in circuses, for example, are effective campaigns in our desire towards animal liberation?

Certainly. Every atrocity that is torn down is one less blight on the face of the earth. Besides, I have found that success breeds success. When activists succeed in one arena, they don’t retreat into a cocoon and shut their eyes and ears to the suffering from other species. A successful campaigner against hunting may shift his sights onto whaling, fishing or jumps racing, or general animal rights education. We have single issue campaigners at Kindness House who work for forests, climate change, refugees from war-torn countries or people with health challenges – and who also show up to help at fundraisers for Sea Shepherd, Wilderness Society, Edgars Mission and Beyond Zero Emissions. And vice versa. I find it reassuring (and entirely predictable) that a person who supports animal rights will also support Amnesty, or campaigns to end domestic violence or getting rid of plastic in the streets.

 

How do you deal with despair? How do you not get overwhelmed by the enormity of animal exploitation?

I think everyone in the animal rights movement suffer from compassion overload to a greater or lesser extent. In my case, most of my groups are in other countries in different time zones. So when there are mission critical emergencies in other countries, the ‘phone rings in Australia at strange hours, making uninterrupted sleep a rare luxury. Even when the ‘phone does not ring, an over-active mind still races through the night, waking me up with the ghosts of nightmares past. I am fortunate to have an extraordinary wife, Trix. Without her I would be lost. It is a great comfort knowing that I always have a safe place to fall.

 

Do you have any advice for activists? How to not burn out?

Whenever things get bad for us, I think about how bad it is for the powerless, innocent animals in those ghastly gulags of despair. It puts my pain into perspective. I also remind myself that I am in this space by choice. The animals are not.

I urge activists to take care of their health. Stay close to their families and loved ones. Be gentle with each other. And have a sense of humor. In recent times I have been meditating and have found this to be a great help. I also recommend drinking lots of water, getting plenty of exercise, play at least one sport, listen to music, read widely and enjoy hearty laughter at least once a day.

Stress just comes with the territory. Activists live more intense, sensitive and observant lives than others. So by definition, they are constantly vulnerable to the ubiquitous cruelty that exists. But, if forced to make a binary choice, I would rather burn out living a compassionate authentic life than rust out living a cruel, unexamined life. For me, there are no regrets.

There is no going back.

 

 

animal rights, Kindness Trust, Philip Wollen, vegan

July 8th, 2012 by Gary Smith

As the late Rodney King exclaimed, “Can’t we all just get along?”

Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a blog post about how infighting is the scourge of the animal rights movement and that animals are dying because of our disagreements. Rather, I believe that a healthy debate can and will move us towards more effective strategies and tactics.

There is nothing wrong with a healthy debate. What I don’t appreciate is the vitriol and name-calling in these discussions. Nothing will be accomplished if all we do is dig our heels in and go into attack mode.

Welfarists like to paint abolitionists as unrealistic and often say that abolitionists truly want to see animals continue to suffer because somehow, this will bring about animal liberation sooner. Not only is this a naïve assessment, it’s not even accurate. Abolitionists want better treatment of animals, just not at the expense of the bigger picture, which is that there is no humane way to use and eat animals. Abolitionists feel like campaigns that support a humane treatment message set back the movement’s goal of animal liberation.

Abolitionists like to paint welfarists as cynics who want to keep animal exploitation alive so their campaigns bring in money, keep people who work for animal protection groups employed, and occasionally yell “victory.” This in itself is a cynical belief, and an unfair characterization. Welfarists believe that since we will not see animal liberation any time soon, we should work towards better treatment in the meantime. They believe that they can simultaneously work for better treatment while advocating for liberation.

Both are right and both are wrong. There’s no magical argument or strategy that is going to bring about animal liberation tomorrow. If there were, the world would be vegan.

Again, I don’t pretend that everyone in this movement is going to agree to the same strategies, philosophies and tactics. Nor should they: I don’t think that would be healthy. Differences are what will spur discussions (ideally). I don’t think we need to be holding hands and signing kumbaya, which is also unrealistic.

What I do think we need is a modicum of respect. We need to learn how to have these discussions like adults, like team members. There are very few of us advocating for the end of animal exploitation. We need to have these philosophical, strategic and tactical discussions in a manner where both sides don’t feel like they need to win at the expense of the other side.

We need to step back and figure out how to best serve the cause. I think we can at least start by having respectful discussions, which shouldn’t be regarded as “infighting.” (Pay attention the next time someone accuses you of infighting, because there’s a good chance they’ve been the aggressor in the conversation.)

Aside from these conversations being more about “winning” than exchanging ideas, we regress to playground-level personal attacks. We’re all very passionate, but insulting each other gets us nowhere, nor do I recommend feeling insulted when someone merely disagrees with our positions. There are a few high-profile bullies, to be sure. But it’s also unproductive to feel bullied when it isn’t happening.

We also need to stop positioning the issues as either/or, black/white, “you’re with us or you’re with the terrorists.” Too often I see people state that if someone doesn’t agree with their premise, they want to harm animals. If they don’t support a tactic, they reject it as “violent,” or they use the language of the oppressors against their fellow activists. Non-vegans want to categorize vegans as either hypocrites or extremists; we need to stop doing that to each other.

This site was intended to create a space for these kinds of rational and philosophical conversations to take place. The vast majority of the comments on this blog are respectful, and very rarely does someone take the conversation into an unproductive direction or a personal attack (occasionally we do delete comments that are overly antagonistic).

As anyone who reads this blog for more than a minute knows, I believe that the ethical argument for veganism – that is, the animal rights message – is the most rhetorically, logically, and morally sound approach for our outreach. That is my belief. We can disagree. But let’s do it respectfully.

 

abolitionism, animal rights, vegan, welfarism