While I was watching a video of a Portland, Ore., pet-store protest last night, I was reminded of how I felt at the Animal Rights Conference last year.I felt so good knowing that people across the country -- and even around the world -- are doing what they can for animals.
The video featured the Radical Cheerleaders for Animal Rights, a group of women (and their pompoms), standing outside a pet store in the middle of a mall, chanting, "Rise up! Resist! Puppy mills should not exist!" among other catchy phrases. I give those women a lot of credit for having the moxie to stand in front of strangers and shout for what they believe in.
Fortunately, these Portland activists are not alone. Every day I read about the work of animal activists via my connection to people on Facebook.
A woman in Tennessee makes frequent trips to the city pound and shelter to pick up dogs facing imminent deaths. She then drives them to Chicago, where they have a better chance of being adopted.
Through her Podcasts, Colleen in the San Francisco area has convinced dozens of people, including me, to go vegan.
Vegan Outreach volunteers across the country pass out veg literature on an almost daily basis.
People gather to protest fur, foie gras and the horse-carriage industry every week.
Organizers, like two hard-working ones in Chicago, plan veg*an get-togethers so people have the opportunity to meet other veg*ans. These are a great way to re-energize after being surrounded by meat-eaters every day.
Still others try to raise awareness of animal issues via blogs or e-mail lists.
This list is just a tiny sample of the work that is being done on behalf of animals. It's inspiring to know that while I'm typing in the Midwest, someone else is passing out "Why Vegan?"s in the Southeast and others are shouting on behalf of dogs in the Northwest.
Admittedly my contribution pales in comparison to others'. But to paraphrase Colleen, it's not about doing everything; it's about doing something. Even those who don't consider themselves activists, but who simply choose not to eat meat, are helping animals in a huge way.
But I really admire the activists who get out there and raise awareness of animal issues, those who shake their pompoms in the face of the status quo.
(Photo courtesy of the Radical Cheerleaders for Animal Rights.)
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5 comments:
The things I do also pale in comparison to what the others on your list do! But, every little bit counts - something I learned from Colleen!
And just being a part of this wonderful community has done amazing things for my soul.
Keep it up, Tracy!!
If you tried "thinking" instead of "feeling" for awhile, you would be better off.
It's heartrending to see someone like yourself - seemingly bright and earnest - get swallowed up by the animal rights propaganda and mindset.
You would do animals - and yourself - so much more good if you pledged to animal welfare, rather than animal rights.
"Animal rights" is an impossible concept, and much that flows from it is wrongheaded, dangerous, misanthropic, and fascistic.
The wonderful and esteemed author Vicki Hearne said it best:
www.sfponline.org/Uploads/20/Hearne.pdf
As far as vegan goes - there's no such thing. And yes, I have been 'vegan' - and vegetarian and macrobiotic, too.
But it is all an illusion.
For every acre of crops raised, dozens or even hundreds of animals - mice, rabbits, deer, moles, voles, birds - are eliminated to protect the produce.
So, if one cow dies for my hamburger, at least a few bunnies, mice, and deer are dying for your soyburger or riceburger.
Not to mention, unless the crops are organic, that the pesticide runoff poisons habitats and kills more animals.
Then you have the issue of habitat destruction, from farmers taking over land and pushing animals out.
And if you are using man-made materials in products such as shoes and bags etc rather then leather, then you must know that they are mostly petroleum based, and their manufacture wreaks havoc on the environment.
You cannot fix the world; it has been 'broken' since Adam & Eve. Someday, we are promised that the 'lion will lie with the lamb' -but WE can't make that happen, and it's silly to think that we can tiptoe through life without killing anything. It is impossible, and actually, not even desirable, because killing and renewal is the natural circle of life.
I don't expect you to change your mind - you're probably mounting a very comprehensive defense in your mind as you are reading this, secure in what you think you know, and ready to defend it and try to shoot down my points.
Be my guest, it's only human.
But I would encourage you to do some reading on the difference between animal welfare and animal rights, and how 'animal rights' can and does lead to disastrous consequences for those of us who love and want to interact with animals.
I know the difference between animal welfare and animal rights. I also know it's impossible to go through life without killing. I hit insects with my car, for example.
The point of animal rights is to be as compassionate as possible. No one can be perfect.
I agree that the harvesting of crops kills animals. But it takes a fewer amount of crops to feed a vegan than it does to feed a meat-eater. The cows, pigs and chickens that meat-eaters eat are fed plants that must be harvested. So your point is nonsense.
If I lived with your view that the Earth is already broken, so why bother trying to make things better, I'd go through life not giving a damn about anyone or anything.
Even if you don't care to make the world a better place, why criticize those who are trying?
Some cut & paste action going on at my blog as well.
It’s not a question of what has no impact, but what has the least impact? It’s good to see someone looking at the organic side, as well. We can have even less impact on the planet if we grow all or most of our own food. This takes about 10 years to learn well, so now’s a good time to start. Even just a planter box. It’s been a surprise to learn that even organic gardening isn’t sustainable. It’s a step up from chemicalized agriculture, but does nothing to build back the soil. To do this, an organic farm would need to market only 10% of its crops, keeping the remaining 90% to return nutrients back to the soil in the form of specifically grown compost crops and kitchen wastes from what the farm/family ate. The further we can close the loop the better.
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