There’s a video going the rounds on Facebook. Perhaps you’ve
seen it. I hear it involves chickens being ground up alive. People are
understandably upset about this practice.
I’m not saying it’s ok. Nobody’s saying it’s ok. Nobody will
tell you that it’s the height of moral sophistication to toss a live chicken in
a grinder simply so you don’t have to pay someone to kill and/or debone it.
But that is precisely the point. It takes zero moral
fortitude to condemn this practice—and yet, the Vegan Army roundly congratulate
each other on the strength of their collective character; each member goes to
sleep each night after patting hirself on the back for helping stamp out animal
cruelty. The only people who will defend this practice are the people
making/saving money from it, and even they will not claim that it’s an awesome
thing to do, no, it’s just business. The economy, you know. You have to do what
you can to make a profit; it’s regrettable, but necessary. When pretty much
everyone agrees with you, how much has your character strengthened here,
exactly?
[Now, I’m not claiming that the only causes worth fighting
for are the difficult ones. It shouldn’t need to be said, but I’m a woman, and
have become accustomed to explaining myself in excruciating detail—not that it
avoids “misunderstandings”, but there it is. I overexplain. I’m not saying that
your cause is not worthwhile unless it costs you scads of energy, inner peace,
and simple joy. I’m not saying this. Just to be clear.]
Animal cruelty is the social activist placebo—much like
recycling is the environmentalist placebo. People who recycle get to think well
of their actions; they recycle a beer can and shame other people into recycling
beer cans, then hop in their gas-guzzling SUV and drive to a ski resort where
they will ride a high-energy chair lift to the top of a mountain that was once
home to lynx but is now clogged with skiers, some of which spent $100 to be there—just for one day.
People who condemn obvious instances of animal cruelty get
to think well of their actions; they post a video depicting live chickens being
ground up in a factory and shame other people into posting the same video, then
go to work and crack a rape “joke” in front of a rape survivor who will not say
anything because zie remembers the “joke” that was told last week about sexual
harassment, and strongly suspects no good and much bad will come of speaking
up.
I am tired of people who pretend they are better people than
everyone else because they eat vegan for the good of the planet and/or
animals—forgetting, conveniently, that the mass production of the palm oil found in the vast majority
of their dairy substitute products is directly and rapidly contributing to the
extinction of orangutans. I am tired of people who choose an easy moral choice
and promptly excuse themselves of all other responsibility for making the world
a better place.
I understand that there’s a lot of shit in the world, and
each person has only so much energy and must therefore prioritize, but would it
kill you stop fucking contributing to the other shit? It’s not that fucking
hard.
I choose to devote my energy to problems between and among
human persons. However, while devoting that energy, I also devote precisely
zero energy to kicking dogs. Would it fucking kill you to cease devoting energy
to kicking rape survivors (for example)? It is morally reprehensible to continue
this conflicting behavior, and also hypocritical, and yet, it’s everywhere, and you do it with a straight fucking face and I don't understand.
When I bring this up in conversation, I am accused of being
unfeeling. I am accused of not giving a shit about animals.
And yet, I am not allowed to accuse you of not giving a shit
about disenfranchised persons, even in situations where you clearly do not give
even one-half of one shit.
