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by Tad Hinnenkamp '00 Anyone who considers herself an activist in the U.S. today should be vegetarian or vegan. It is impossible for one to consider herself an activist working for justice in and outside the U.S. without being vegetarian or vegan. All knowledgeable activists and pseudo-activists realize the truth to my assertions. It is in this truth that causes activists to fight for social justice and other ethical justices around the world. First off, what are vegetarians and vegans? A vegetarian is anyone who refuses to consume the products of non-human animals. This includes milk, gelatin, eggs, animal oils, etc. A vegan goes even one step further by further politicizing herself on truly understanding what animal oppression is and what effects it has on the rest of the world. Vegans are not only politically minded but consciously abstain from actions which contribute to the suffering of sentient beings, animals or humans. They also refuse to support megacorporations, such as fast-food chains, which engage in animal testing or are involved with animal or human exploitation or oppression in any way. Consult the chart on political reasons why most people enjoy a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. So, if one gets into a conversation with a vegan on why she is a vegan, one may come across a reason such as "the consumption of livestock causes world hunger". After all, more than 80% of the U.S. grain harvest is fed to cattle, and thus it is logical to believe that there is more than enough grains in the U.S. alone to feed the hungry people of the world. While technically this could be true, it is a very false and ignorant statement (I myself used this argument). A vegan knows this. Because if North Americans stopped eating meat next year, it is unlikely that a single starving person would be fed newly-freed grains grown on U.S soil. The problems of overpopulation and world hunger do not have their root in the availability of resources, but in the allocation of resources. Huge corporations require scarcity (a tightly restricted supply of resources) so that the market value of goods stays high in order to make a profit. Thus if grains fed to livestock were to become available, the change would drop the prices which would undermine the profit margin. Thus the corporations and "elites" with investments in the grain agricultural market have interests directly corresponding to those of "elites" who own part of the animal agricultural market. Vegetables are a commodity, and those with financial interests in the vegetable industry do not want to make their profit available if it means growing more to make even less profit. One must also realize that the national and global distribution of food is a very political tool. Governments and international economic organizations carefully manipulate food and water supplies to control populations. The U.S. government is tightly controlled by private interests and would thus subsidize the non-production of grains in order to ensure that the industry does not collapse. In fact, farmers would likely be paid to destroy their crops and to not grow grains. Thus, it is not enough to merely boycott the meat industry and hope that resources will be re-allocated to feed the hungry. There must be a system that intends to meet human needs, which implies social change and even social revolution. This is what all activists strive for in one form or another. Animals are exploited because their abuse is profitable. But one must realize that the meat industry is not some isolated entity. In fact, the meat industry (including dairy, vivisection, leather, etc.) will not be terminated until market capitalism is overthrown, because it provides the "driving force" and "energy" to the meat industry. Capitalism provides the "driving force" to exploit animals for easy profits. And it provides the state to set up anti-animal laws, through subsidization of meat and dairy industries, of vivisection and military use of non-humans, and by its opposition (with the help of media) to those who resist the animal exploitation industry. This is facilitated by the human alienation from the simple rationale behind veganism. Animals are made less than human by active dehumanization. Animals are stripped of their worth and of their ability to be sentient beings. Do we subject infants and non-speaking mentally retarded people to the violence suffered by millions of animals every day? A vegan wants to see a world free of both human and animal exploitation. She sees a peaceful and sane relationship between human society and the natural environment. This is why a vegan does not measure non-humans in economic terms, but rather by human compassion. Only a lifestyle based on true compassion towards all humans and animals alike can destroy the oppressive constructs of present society and begin anew in creating desirable relationships and realities. I believe that all activists (whether working for social justice, environmentalism, etc.) truly acknowledge that all issues that are being fought for are interdependent. The fight against anthropocentrism is essential for compassion and justice in this land.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
Percentage of U.S. corn eaten by livestock 80%
Percentage of U.S. oats eaten by livestock 80%
Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock 95%
Pounds of beef produced on an acre 250
Pounds of potatoes produced on an acre 40,000
Percentage of U.S. farmland devoted to beef production 56%
Percentage more milk dairy cows give on farms rather than in nature 1000%
Ratio of average life expectancy of farm dairy cows compared to nature 1/8
Percentage of all U.S water usage by livestock production 50%
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