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This week in animal rights/veganism
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Deviating from my traditional format, I'd like to briefly touch on a few news events tied to the "animal rights" or "vegan" keywords on Google News followed by my commentary.
"Anatomy still in lessons plans, but frog doesn't have to croak"
DAILY PRESS | Conscientious students have a tough time getting out of dissections. Often they're met with the "but they're already dead" nonsense I often have to hear from my Biology professors. According to this article, schools are slowly getting away from dissecting real animals.
From the sound of it, the move sounds more like "vegan reservations" where a vegan option is being provided parallel to the remaining non-vegan ones. The article asserts live dissection is not going to be removed completely from the curriculum but non-dissection options for the conscientious are available.
If this is the case, a vegan should feel very fortunate to have a non-dissection option, but I fear this will be viewed as a complete solution--as if vegans want a world where they have vegan options for themselves rather than an actual vegan world. In this case, the idea that breeding and using animals for dissection is wrong is lost in the struggle.
'Do Vegan Fad Diets Cheapen the Vegan Lifestyle?'
TWIRLIT | While the article correctly recognizes veganism is a lifestyle, not a diet; this is also one of those articles which views vegetarianism and veganism as two kind of 'cultures of ethical consumption' where vegetarians base their consumption on ethical principles, and vegans? Well, you know. They just take it a wee bit further.
I'm happy the author is taking at least some skepticism to her observation that:
Recently, through out the blogosphere, I have seen many people that use veganism and vegetarianism as a diet- a way to restrict food groups under the socially acceptable blanket term of a vegan and vegetarian diet.
Asking "Do half-hearted vegans and vegetarians dilute the name down to nothing more than a fad diet?" Though I wish the author could have come to the objective conclusion that the word "veganism" (leave "vegetarianism" out of this) was originally coined and still defended to be a way of living which excludes, as far as practically possible,the use of animals for any purpose. Why are we having this discussion (again)?
'Activists buy stake in Bob Evans'
COLUMBUS DISPATCH | This is yet another story of the "activists" (really?) at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals buying stock in the animal industry.
Let me repeat that. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals uses donated money to purchase shares of companies like Tyson Foods, Bob Evans, Papa Johns, and California Pizza Kitchen. While these Activist Bucks are helping these companies to expand their businesses and exploit animals, PETA is trying to convince them to "reduce suffering" while doing so.
According to a Bob Evan's spokesperson,
Our goal is to balance the needs of our customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers … as well as the animals that provide food products.
What exactly is the logic here? I'm sure someone out there is using the infamous and empty "steps in the right direction" justification for PETA's purchases, so just what are the steps? This company profits from the selling of animal commodities. PETA funds the company, may or may not enact some reforms to "lessen suffering" involved in animal production, these companies get the endorsement of animal welfare organizations on their products...when do we get to the part where we stop or even reduce the exploitation of animals?
Adding to this trouble is the fact self-described animal rights activists are happy PETA is doing this! Why do we believe animals suffer because the companies who process their materials and labor need correcting? Have we forgotten why animals are killed, confined, et cetera? Companies don't create the demand, they create the supply. Imagine what we could do if we used this money for vegan education instead of funding the animal industry. Ah, but that is too radical, right?
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