Why Most of us are Abolitionists

This post has potential to make some people upset, but that is NOT why I wrote it. Seems there is a lot of claiming of words and silly discussions over semantics, so I am just writing to clear this up, at least as far as fact and definitions go.

“Why most of us actually are abolitionists and why you should be proud to be one!!!”

I have heard an awful lot of negative comments the past few weeks about ‘abolitionist vegans’. “Crazy” “Nazi” “Extreme” “Mean” and “Judgmental” were some of the words used.

I talk to A LOT of vegans every day, and I can say with total confidence that accepting and kind vegans are the overwhelming majority, no matter what they ‘call’ themselves. Obviously there are “mean people” in EVERY GROUP, and vegans are no different in that sense. Admittedly, there are also some who come across as a total jerk at times - I get it.

But abolitionism was defined before anyone had ever heard the word ‘vegan’. It doesn’t belong to us any more than the animal’s lives belong to us. The words abolitionism and abolitionist have a clear definition. As an example:

In the era of slavery here in the U.S., there were welfarists. The welfarists may have kept slaves themselves. They probably felt they had always ‘treated them well’, maybe even ‘like members of our own family’. Perhaps some welfarists didn’t keep slaves, but didn’t see a problem with slavery as long as the slaves were kept in ‘humane conditions’ and treated ‘humanely’. That is a welfarist. They failed to see that the problem was THE SLAVERY ITSELF!

So, my dear vegan friends - Is that you? Is that who you are? It is NOT who I am.

Most of us do actually see the problem - the *use* itself, and we seek to end it entirely, e.g. abolitionist.

I am an abolitionist, and I am happy to ‘label’ myself an abolitionist. Actually, I LOVE all my ‘labels’ - vegan, organic, environmentalist, activist, ABOLITIONIST - every single one of those words matters a great deal to me!

I am an abolitionist to the core of my being. It is NOT our word, but it sure as hell means something. Some will disagree, and perhaps some will argue that abolitionism is a certain kind of outreach or theory, but I would argue back with facts and definitions – it is NOT our word.

At the risk of angering some - most vegans ARE abolitionist vegans as an ideal - an end goal.

To reach this *end goal* however, the many contradictions involved with SICs (single issue campaigns), the entrenched speciesism at times found within some *outreach* and orgs, and the mis-messaging and mixed-messaging when attempting to *sell* veganism as a *healthy diet* or to *save the planet* are all subjects worth thinking deeply about and reading some of the many articles available for effective activism.

It can only help our personal ability to both research and discuss the contradictions with others. Keep an open mind. Continue to learn. But if there is one thing that is of utmost importance is that the message is always veganism. As the LEAST we can do. The moral baseline.

Some blogs and sites are super-intimidating, I have seen that for myself. Anyone can talk to me anytime if they have a question or want some support…the only ‘deal’ I make is to expect nothing less than an honest response and don’t get self-defensive and upset by possibly not hearing what you would have preferred I say. Grown-up truthful honest dialogue is requested.

I am so lucky to know so many amazing, kind, intelligent, compassionate, open-minded people, and I am proud to be a part of this movement. I am an abolitionist vegan, I live without *using* animals and want to see *use* ended in entirety. If you are vegan, then most likely, so are you (*abolitionist* vegan).

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Repost of a snippet of my blog from the other day in case anyone did not know what I meant when I said “contradictions”

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From Earlier Blog:

What if animal products suddenly were made to be healthy? Or produced in ways that did not negatively affect the environment? Of course that won’t happen, but the baseline questions is “Would you still be vegan”? If all pigs for slaughter ran on green fields and eaten only when died of natural causes, would you still be vegan? I would be vegan no matter what, so giving other definitions to veganism is mixed messaging, because in reality, there is only one reason for being ‘vegan’.

I definitely talk about health, and I definitely talk about the environment, and famine, and all the other great reasons there are to be vegan, but the very bottom line, and the very essence of the word ‘vegan’ embodies a moral stance that says animals are not ours to enslave or oppress, and that we have no rational reason to live violently and harmfully. That must be the baseline message. Is attending a circus any different morally than eating at a restaurant that serves meat? Our message must be as broad as possible to avoid further speciesism, while narrow enough to save individual lives.

When signing certain petitions, such as taking foie gras off a restaurant menu, do the cows, pigs, and other animals served there not get a petition? It is animal ‘use’ too, and certainly entails much needless suffering. If people boycotted the restaurant for menu foie gras removal, do they resume eating there if they stop serving it? Even if the restaurant is still serving pigs, chickens, cows, etc.?

I’m NOT saying never eat out again. I'm NOT saying to never sign a petition. I'm NOT saying not to protest cruelty at every opportunity. I am just talking about the way we communicate our goals to others in the most effective way.

Whole blog post can be found here: http://vegan-evolution.blogspot.com/2014/10/abolitionist-welfarist-why-does-it.html

A great article: http://freefromharm.org/animal-products-and-psychology/humane-meat-and-veganism/

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The simplest of thoughts can be the hardest to communicate - we have the power to stop suffering on a massive scale, so why wouldn’t we? Why exploit others when we clearly don’t have to?

I LOVE being vegan!