That Feminist Dyke

myasphyxiatedmind:

lavenderlabia:

ghosthustler:

It gives me such issue! Because, the ideas behind veganism are solid, there is exploitative factory farming of animals which has not just an impact on a moral level, but is environmentally damaging and creates product of dubious quality (i.e. pumping animals full of antibiotics and growth hormones).

Exploitative farming happens across the board though, and it’s almost as much an anti-capitalist issue and should be explored as that, with veganism being framed more within the inference of personal belief.

Militant veganism as it were does very little to address the actual problem at hand of animal exploitation. Framed within a capitalism system, it becomes a flawed “vote with your dollar” argument if addressed as a means of activism — that by not eating meat, you’ll discourage the production of meat. There’s no social impetus towards that though, and even in converting others to veganism/vegetarianism, you’re going to have wide swaths of the majority who simply won’t change, in addition to those who are disabled or have gastrointestinal disorders who simply cannot eat a vegetarian/vegan diet and remain healthy.

There will always be people who will eat meat out of personal choice, or who need to eat meat out of dietary requirement. That doesn’t mean that we can’t lessen the exploitation or suffering of animals, but most of that suffering doesn’t come at the hands of a fellow tumblr user who just happens to enjoy bacon, it comes at the hands of the conglomerates who are more than willing to push the commodification of meats and animal products to such a massive scale and attempt to shape cultural tastes as well.

It’s absurd the degree to which people will shame essentially powerless individuals for their actions instead of trying to address the overarching culprit. The best vegan causes are animal industry regulations and forced humane standards. Don’t try to dismantle the meat industry with faux-populism and nebulous activism — ally yourself with the communists, socialists, democratic-socialists, anarchists, or even left-leaning neoliberals who have the same issues with the effects of meat commodification that you do.

Also, y’all need to stop with the flawed dichotomies of “oh, you wouldn’t eat a disabled person, so you shouldn’t eat an animal!” or “factory farming is slavery!” or “the mass slaughter of chickens is like the holocaust!” because no, no, wow, no. False equivocancies that only serve to demean other people and generally do little to affirmatively help your cause in a manner that other approaches would still. You don’t need to be racist or ableist to try and convince somebody to limit or end their meat intake, and honestly, that racism or ableism is probably just swaying more people away from the cause. You can’t meet a cause with hate.

Holy shit this is perfection. Bolded for emphasis. 

This. Militant veganism is full of classism, racism, ableism, fat-shaming and a whole ton of other problematic shit.

Something militant vegans who think everyone can go vegan seem to miss:

- Some people with gastrointestinal disorders cannot live on a vegan diet and remain healthy.

- Not everyone can afford a vegan lifestyle. Food deserts exist whether you want to believe they do or not.

- Not everyone is able enough, mentally or physically, to prepare vegan meals.

- Some people who have struggled with ED find it triggering to attempt a vegan lifestyle.

And that’s not to mention the fat-shaming idea that if you’d just go vegan, you wouldn’t be fat. Because obviously all vegans are thin, right?

Or the racism inherent in comparing factory farming to slavery.

Militan vegans need to shut the fuck up. They aren’t helping anything or anyone, human or animal.