Sticking with the animal rights theme whilst I gear up for a bunch of preachy vegan videos, I've decided to tap out a quick post because I'm pretty miffed tonight. Every so often my disdain for our culture surrounding food boils over. Sometimes I just can't relax knowing the truth.
I ate a simple vegan meal at about ten o'clock because I usually prefer convenience over extravagance. Lloyd Grossman do a jar of bhuna curry that happens to contain no animal products and since it was on offer I had to get one. If you're vegan and like your pasta old Lloyd (don't have a clue who he actually is) does a couple of sauces that knock own brand stuff out of the park. Anyway, turns out the geezer does curry too. What a legend.
I like my mixed veg. It's a good compromise for lazy people who want to maintain a balanced diet. I had a load of the veggies with added broccoli florets - also from frozen - as the filling for the curry and served it with rice mixed through with dark soy sauce. Nothing spectacular but the bhuna really carried the meal. He must put crack in that stuff.
So picture it, I've demolished a decent curry and I'm sat there satisfied... I get to thinking. What is wrong with what I am doing? Why does it not appeal to people to live a life where you avoid causing pain to animals? And most importantly for me, I've been getting upset about how people demonise vegans just for speaking out! Standing up for animals should be applauded but the problem is that most folks see two kinds of animals - the ones they like to eat and the ones they like to look at. Vegans don't make this distinction. No animals are food. They are not for us at all. We want to protect all of them and not just the ones that we haven't grown an appetite for yet.
At the point where I decided to open my laptop to make this post I was thinking about the abolitionists who campaigned against slavery because I know that if I can find any comfort in this struggle for justice, it will be through their words. I've always seen the parallels between slavery and slaughter. The intelligence of animals is of no consequence when they suffer just as we do.
I am sure that the abolitionists and 20th century civil rights advocates would have been ridiculed and looked down upon in the same way that vegans are today. I know that the suffragettes were ridiculed. There's a clear pattern with these things. So I'm going to find some fitting quotes to help calm myself down about the state of the situation for animals today. I've opened up another tab for it. My research game is strong.
“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” - William Wilberforce
Okay so that's one that I actually already knew about. I'd like to think that William was saying that even when people ignored his message of compassion, it was still worth it for him to speak out... To at least try and change people's minds. Alright, bosh, that's one. Now for another.
“If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large.” - William Wilberforce
It speaks for itself. I should be proud of my sense of justice. I should not be ashamed! Those who turn away ought to feel the shame that I torture myself with. Now for a couple from Malcolm.
"I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against." - Malcolm X
This one might be the key. The truth must be spoken. Malcolm lived for the truth. He had no fear. He said that "If you turn the other cheek, you can be enslaved for 1,000 years." The same is true of any oppressed group whose exploitation goes unopposed.
And lastly...
""The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world. I am like a snowball – the further I am rolled the more I gain."
That's from the suffragette Susan B. Anthony.
Perhaps I will get braver. I'm starting to think so.
I ate a simple vegan meal at about ten o'clock because I usually prefer convenience over extravagance. Lloyd Grossman do a jar of bhuna curry that happens to contain no animal products and since it was on offer I had to get one. If you're vegan and like your pasta old Lloyd (don't have a clue who he actually is) does a couple of sauces that knock own brand stuff out of the park. Anyway, turns out the geezer does curry too. What a legend.
I like my mixed veg. It's a good compromise for lazy people who want to maintain a balanced diet. I had a load of the veggies with added broccoli florets - also from frozen - as the filling for the curry and served it with rice mixed through with dark soy sauce. Nothing spectacular but the bhuna really carried the meal. He must put crack in that stuff.
So picture it, I've demolished a decent curry and I'm sat there satisfied... I get to thinking. What is wrong with what I am doing? Why does it not appeal to people to live a life where you avoid causing pain to animals? And most importantly for me, I've been getting upset about how people demonise vegans just for speaking out! Standing up for animals should be applauded but the problem is that most folks see two kinds of animals - the ones they like to eat and the ones they like to look at. Vegans don't make this distinction. No animals are food. They are not for us at all. We want to protect all of them and not just the ones that we haven't grown an appetite for yet.
At the point where I decided to open my laptop to make this post I was thinking about the abolitionists who campaigned against slavery because I know that if I can find any comfort in this struggle for justice, it will be through their words. I've always seen the parallels between slavery and slaughter. The intelligence of animals is of no consequence when they suffer just as we do.
I am sure that the abolitionists and 20th century civil rights advocates would have been ridiculed and looked down upon in the same way that vegans are today. I know that the suffragettes were ridiculed. There's a clear pattern with these things. So I'm going to find some fitting quotes to help calm myself down about the state of the situation for animals today. I've opened up another tab for it. My research game is strong.
“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” - William Wilberforce
Okay so that's one that I actually already knew about. I'd like to think that William was saying that even when people ignored his message of compassion, it was still worth it for him to speak out... To at least try and change people's minds. Alright, bosh, that's one. Now for another.
“If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large.” - William Wilberforce
It speaks for itself. I should be proud of my sense of justice. I should not be ashamed! Those who turn away ought to feel the shame that I torture myself with. Now for a couple from Malcolm.
"I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against." - Malcolm X
This one might be the key. The truth must be spoken. Malcolm lived for the truth. He had no fear. He said that "If you turn the other cheek, you can be enslaved for 1,000 years." The same is true of any oppressed group whose exploitation goes unopposed.
And lastly...
""The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world. I am like a snowball – the further I am rolled the more I gain."
That's from the suffragette Susan B. Anthony.
Perhaps I will get braver. I'm starting to think so.
I love this. You are brave already. You are following what you believe in, despite the ridicule and insults. You are strong. You would rather respect other animals than have the respect of your fellow species. I, for one, greatly respect and admire you for your beliefs and actions. People only react so strongly to the vegan message as it forces them to live up to the truth of their actions. They become defensive, probably mainly due to shame and the fact that they can't remain in their comfortable state of denial when you inform them of the facts. People often find change very nerve-wracking and intimidating and, let's face it, a complete diet change is quite intense. Don't worry about what other people think. You're doing the right thing for yourself, the animals, and the world. I also struggle to speak up about my beliefs but I find speaking about recipes and whatnot is more effective than discussing the atrocities of animal (mis)use. However, I feel you'd manage to do it in an informative and friendly way! :)
ReplyDeleteWolfy (○n_n○)
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