Wasting time !

[Academic Papers and Journal Articles]

Maybe someone here can answer this question because I am stumped.....

We obviously have different types of activists,  first I will get facebook activists out of the way, because I feel even though facebook is an excellent tool, it is still quite limited as to the amount of work you are able to do for the animals.

In order to be effective you also need a hands-on approach, so far of which I have seen two different methods.

We first have the education method, which I feel is indeed necessary. This goes right along with the awareness that really is the first and main key to ARA. If people are unaware of what is happening, they obviously will do nothing. Some unfortunately, simply have no interest or compassion and therefore "shut the door" to all AR theories and perspectives.Others however, need education or simply given the proper information needed to make a sound decision, as to what action if any, should be next.

My first reaction, once I had enough information, was total vegan conversion. However I am not going to condemn someone that say eats fresh eggs from their chickens that run free on their land, this is an example, one that I happened to come across very recently. Just because I personally am now unable to consume any animal product, does not mean that I have the right to condemn this person. This also, is a far cry from a factory farm.

In fact let me give a better example here......

When I myself first came on facebook I immediately began meeting ARA's due to my love of animals, "common interest" This activism and veganism was totally new to me. When the activists found that I was not vegan or even vegetarian as of yet, they totally condemned me, filling my page with put downs, cruel jokes and the like. This in turn caused an adverse reaction on my pert, my first thought was "what a bunch fucking lunatics" but my love for the animals would not let me stop learning, therefore I educated myself ! This however took more time therefore "wasting" valuable time.
What I am trying to get at here is, how many people are "turned off" by a vegans rude abruptness or comments? How many would actually become vegan, had they not been "thrown to the wolves" so-to-speak?

Now I will get to the second form of ARA which is Direct Action.This comes into play when every other route has been attempted. As to the extremity of the action, I feel, depends on the extremity of the abuse and the amount of difficulty to stop it. Yes, before you start on me, I agree abuse is abuse, but you still have more and less extremes of abuse being committed.

When every educational avenue has been taken and still fails (we all know this does happen) then it is time for a more direct approach and if we have say a Conklin Dairy Farm which is clearly extreme abuse, then I would say extreme action needs to be taken, what ever it takes, armed or not, these animals need help now!. This may be a bad example right now due to this being so current, I do not want to be falsely accused if extreme action is taken. However, this is my opinion and I intend to use my First Amendment Rights......

This case has been through every route, informing people (education) of the atrocities committed, protesting, letter writing, petitions and the court system, all has failed miserably. Now I see the need for Direct Action, as we speak these animals are suffering terribly at the hands of their abusers who are living more than comfortable lives due to the blood they have spilled !

Now for my final point, I apologize for the length of this discussion, but I feel strongly about all.....

We live in a world made of diversity, if we did not then there would never be need for change. We would all be in some little cocoon perceiving the world as perfect ! This obviously is not the case, so then we have different types of ARA's and I ask, why should we go about wasting time, worrying about what the activist next to you is doing, when all this does is take from the animals? Are we not all fighting for the same outcome? Do we not all want the suffering to end? Then why do we have those which are prolonging the suffering, constantly meddling in the neighbors business? Wouldn't all of the above be much more effective if we were to all focus on the animals?

We need to empty all those cages and free all the animals, while people bicker and gossip amongst each other, there is more blood being spilled, this i see as disgusting and a sorry way to show compassion !

[Lisa V]

Karen,

I worked for years in animal "welfare." I protested slaughter auctions where the conditions were atrocious. I worked to end equine slaughter. I published, I organized, I helped do undercover video, I made tee shirts and websites, I networked. You want to know something? Whatever I did, it didn't really change anything.

The slaughter auctions I protested so vehemently are still there, still doing the exact same things they did 15 years ago when I started. There is a different group of folks working against them now. Eventually, those folks will get tired of not making a difference as well and will go off and do something else. The individual animal exploiters will change as well. But everything will continue on as it always has, with animals suffering and dying needlessly ... and this happens because they are "food animals."

In all my years and all my efforts in animal welfare, I made the difference in the life of very few animals. Those I did make a difference for were mainly those I personally rescued. I bought a blind pony from a killer buyer once ... his price was by the pound because that's how things that will be killed an eaten are sold. His life was different by my actions. But how many horses could I ever personally rescue and care for? It turned out to be three. Three animals. That's not insignificant, and I'm so happy to have been able to do that, but it's a great deal of work for little return. Btw, at the time I was not vegan and I didn't see the irony and absurdity of that either.

The lives of ALL horses would be different if people stopped eating them. The reason there was a blind pony who was slated for slaughter is because somewhere there was someone willing to pay for his dead flesh so they could eat it. Without that demand for dead pony flesh, he would not have been up for slaughter. And that is true for every single animal at every single factory farm, slaughter house, "organic" dairy, "grass fed beef" operation, etc.

There was a ban in the US prohibiting horses slaughter, enacted not that long ago. Proponents of that law said it was necessary because there "was no way to humanely slaughter a horse." And that's true. Just as there is no way to humanely take the life of any animal. Anyway, since the ban, what has changed is that instead of being sent to US slaughterhouses, horses are now shipped to Mexico and Canada to be slaughtered for food. Their condition and treatment is actually worse now as they endure a ride that much longer, many times without food and water. This continues to happen because there are still places where people eat horses. The equine slaughter ban in the US was possible because Americans don't eat horses. Do you see where I'm going with this?

How many whales would be hunted if there weren't people somewhere willing to pay to eat them? Why are baby seals slaughtered? Because seals are blamed for a decline in fish ... and we're concerned about fish because there are people who will pay to eat them. How about factory farmed chickens/pigs/dairy? Again, they exist because people will pay to eat them. How about "organic, grass fed, free range" animals? Again, they are born and are killed because there are people will to pay to eat their dead bodies.

Do you know the most effective way, the only way really, to open those cages and free the animals? It's to stop eating animals. That's all. Stop creating a demand for their flesh and secretions.

Do you know why Gary Conklin wasn't tried for any kind of animal abuse? Because his treatment of cows - kicking them in the head, etc - is considered an industry standard. It's what one simply has to do to when raising animals for human use. Conklin's farm is also a small, family owned one. And I say IS, because it's still there. The Mercy for Animals video did very little, if anything, to change the lives of real animals.

I live in a rural area with conventional and "organic" dairy farms. The treatment of the cows is nearly the same at both places because it must be. Calves are removed from the mothers, male babies are sent to immediate slaughter or for veal, cheese is made using the enzymes from the stomachs of baby calves. As you might suspect, the baby calves cannot give this enzyme while still alive.

A vegan lifestyle spares the lives and suffering of about 90 animals ... every single year ... effortlessly ... deliciously ... joyously. For every person we help become vegan, that's another 90 animals saved. Plus, a vegan will also affect others and cause others to become vegan ... and so it spreads. With 90 animals not suffering and dying for every person who becomes vegan .. every year. It's like the coolest, most awesome pyramid scheme ever ... and everyone wins.

I don't think it's productive for people to attack others, and I'm not attacking you. I've been exactly where you are ... and know your heart is in the right place and that you sincerely want to improve the lives of animals. But it's been my own personal experience that animal "welfare" is an absolute waste of time and the best way - the only way - to make a real difference is by living vegan.

[Mary-V]

Karen, Lisa.... both very informative and insightful posts, thank you... Karen in response to your comment "Whatever I did, it didn't really change anything"... I understand that laws have not changed, but certainly awareness has, and this is all from the actions of people like you... i believe it is going to take a long time to change laws because this is obviously reliant on people changing attitudes and ceasing to support these cruel industries.... everyone needs to keep plugging along, activists will come and go, but as long as the number is continually increasing then we are on the right path... whether we get to see these changes in our lifetime ?.. who knows, but I know we all certainly hope so :)

[Luna Tick]

Hello Karen,

I think a lot of vegans are disappointed by the amount of infighting and unpleasantness, whether it's on facebook or in real life. There will also always be clashes between the AR and Welfare people and this is normal since both philosophies are very different.
I think it is very important to debate on AR issues, even disagree, because it led me where I am now, I think more clearly about the subject that i ever did thanks to all those discussions and debates. But there is only so much we can take so, I think that when it is becoming more damaging than positive and starting to disturb us, then it is time to move away and concentrate on our actions for all animals. In other words, do your own stuff, or with the help of your group and take a step back from the AR community.
After all, because we are all vegan and into AR doesnt mean we will get along with one another. This is something i have learnt over the years. We often think of AR as a big family. I dont think it is. Animals are my reason to get up in the morning and do work, not the AR community.
Maybe it is important to realise this if we dont want to be too disappointed and stop fighting for animals' rights. It would be a pity, wouldnt it? So many people have left the movement because of infighting. We should always remember why we're here on the first place.

G.