Listen
HERE
***NOTE: I AM NO LONGER AFFILIATED WITH OR SUPPORT TAVS
Here is the
facebook post I wrote: "
Anyone who thinks there is no moral difference between, say, driving a car or taking public transport in vehicles that to our dismay may contain animal by-products, and for example eating a piece of cow's milk cheese, obviously doesn't realise that animals are property and what we are trying to abolish is slavery.
There is a *huge* difference between the two examples. As vegans, we are frustrated, horrified and dismayed when we learn that there are some things that we must use that against our will contain animal by products. Such as sidewalks or footpaths, plastics, car tyres etc. Huge difference.
The difference is thus: those things, those industries, those products, are not products based upon animal slavery. They are simply not. It is perfectly conceivable to have cars, concrete, paint, plastics etc, without any animal by-products in them whatsoever. And we are going to abolish that too, you just wait.
However, cow's milk cheese is a product entirely based upon, produced by and dependant on animal slavery, and slaughter. You will *never* have cow's milk cheese without exploiting cows. It is a *slave* industry.
So while as vegans we are working towards eliminating as much harm to others as we can, such as living in a world that doesn't use plastic at all would be lovely, a world in which no vegetable or fruit is produced with nonhuman slaves' manure, and in which we develop alternatives to a lot of harmful products and practices while of course eliminating any animal by products in their making, the NUMBER ONE THING we must do now is ABOLISH SLAVERY. And you *don't* do that by making twisted, incorrect comparisons between products such as vehicles (nothing to do with animal slavery, and yes we hate that there are the products of exploitation in there against our will, and watch us abolish that too! - but those products are in no way dependant on animal slavery) and animal products that people eat, wear or use that are *intrinsically* and *unavoidably* from slavery.
I hope that clears up this silliness so we can get on with being consistent in our advocacy and no more making excuses for "vegans" who deliberately and directly participate in slavery by reminding us that we can't levitate, build entire new vegan painted city buildings/homes on our own (yet) or avoid the use of transportation to our jobs.
Hey - if you can levitate - more power to you I am jealous. If you own a vegan car I love you for it. If you live in a custom house that is completely vegan painted/no animal by-product containing plastics/computer and phone the same - more power to you that is where we *all* should be headed.
But don't get it twisted, and please don't EVER EVER justify or defend slavery."
