Animal Writings

A few years ago in Vienna, Virginia, there was a carnival that gave you a free, live rabbit if you could throw a ball at some bottles and knock them over. That was the prize. No questions asked. No attempt to see if you were fit—not to mention committed—to take care of a living, breathing animal for the next ten years. No instructions on the required diet or habitat for a rabbit. Of course, not a speck of information on the rabbit's psychological needs. Rabbits need to run around. They're social; they want your company. They're endlessly curious and will quickly become bored if not morose if they have no stimulation and chance to explore.

What a despicable, heartless thing to do. To the carnival operator, these intelligent, inquisitive animals were chattel; cheap inventory to give away as curios. I'm sure most of these "giveaway" rabbits ended up neglected and unhappy, and probably died of disease—or loneliness—soon after arriving in their new "home." I'll bet quite a few were "released" outside. (Domesticated rabbits don't stand a chance.) A friend who works in rabbit rescue tells the first-hand account of a girl who won a rabbit, held it by the ears and dropped it, before even leaving the carnival.

An animal activist found out about the Vienna carnival and visited it. She was appalled. Not sure what to do, she called PETA. PETA immediately thereafter contacted local authorities. Turns out that using rabbits in this way was (and still is) illegal in this jurisdiction. The next day—no more rabbits. Yay, PETA. Yay, compassionate person who gave a damn.

Part 2:

On PETA...PETA isn't perfect. (What group is?) However, there are a million "in the trenches," "getting it done," "directly helping animals" actions that PETA does all the time, and you'd never know it from the mainstream press. One of the criticisms of PETA is that they don't get their hands dirty, helping real animals in needs. It's not really a criticism, because advocacy, influencing public opinion, and educating consumers on animal issues helps animals, too. But the criticism is also wrong. PETA was very active in rescuing animals in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They rowed boats down flooded neighborhood streets, waded through water, gained entry to trapped animals in abandoned houses using crowbars, secured animals in carriers, and brought them to a safe place. They found animals tethered to staircases with no access to food or water; they saw pit bulls covered with old scars, an indication that they were used for fighting. PETA helped not only dogs and cats, but birds, pigs, goats, horses, and other species. Some of the animals were in bad shape. These two dogs were locked in this small hutch for two weeks:



This little guy unfortunately didn't make it; he had already died of starvation by the time PETA found him:



But many animals were rescued safely, and thanked their rescuers in their own way:



PETA staffers also fostered homeless dogs until they could be reunited with their persons. There were many happy reunions, like this one:

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And giving away animals as prizes should be illegal, period.

Virginia residents: This year there is a bill in the Virginia Legislature that would prohibit carnivals in the state of Virginia from giving away animals as prizes. A rabbit rescue group with which I volunteer fostered a rabbit, Bogey, who was rescued from a carnival that gave away all his siblings when they were only six weeks old. Three of them died soon thereafter. The bill would prevent those sorts of tragedies, and help raise the status of animals from things to sentient creatures deserving of legal protections.

The full text of the bill is:


If you could take a minute and urge your legislator to support this bill — HB828 — that could make a big difference. It really could. I can almost guarantee you that legislators are going to hear from well-organized opponents of the bill. If they know that their constituents want the bill passed, however, and understand why it should be passed, they are far more likely to vote for it. You can find your legislator here.

Our companion animals are a huge part of our lives.

We take them on vacations. We miss them when we're on business trips. And they miss us; we leave a recently-worn shirt for them to sniff and sleep on, and we call home to inquire about them—or speak to them. We give them gifts on their birthdays and holidays; we celebrate their homecoming anniversaries. When we come home from work, we are delighted to see our little friends. We hug them and kiss them and feed them and pet them and brush them and play with them and ask how their day went, because we really do care. They sleep next to us on the bed and watch TV with us. We nuzzle them and speak in the softest, kindest voice to them. We know they won't be with us forever but we wish they could be. Most of us who believe in heaven could not imagine heaven without our animals. They're like family. We adopt them, they live with us, we love them, they are part of our family.

A virulent anti-animal rights web site dismisses the notion that pets are family, claiming that "just like family" when referring to our companion animals is a mere expression. The condescending remark I read was along the lines of "don't they realize that 'just like family' is only a figure of speech?"

The toughest, most stoic men in the world may break down when their companion animal dies. They may go into a state of grief for months, during which time they're likely to tear up at the mere mention of their lost companion.

In my experience, partly as a shelter volunteer but mostly just as a friend or family member, people usually grieve more deeply for their pets than for their parents. This is true not only for animal rights activists, but for soldiers, moms, ministers, "important people" like CEOs and statesmen, people for whom the concept of animal rights is foreign, people of all types and political persuasions, from all walks of life.

Why would losing an animal affect people so greatly?

Our relationships with our animals may be profound and last 20 years—longer than most marriages. Our interaction with our animals is usually very intimate, and filled with touching and caresses. Many individuals who have trouble expressing themselves or being tender unabashedly let these sides of themselves come out with their pets. Our animals are straightforward. They openly express their appreciation for kindness, and their joy from simple pleasures, such as a game of fetch, or a high perch in a sunny window.

Our lives and our animals' lives become intertwined, like the orbits of the earth and the moon. When our animals are happy and running around, it lifts our spirits. When they lick our faces or purr, we share their contentment. When they aren't eating right, or are in pain, we crumble. As they age, our feelings toward our old friends deepen, but we feel occasional stings of melancholy, as they become slower and we evade thoughts about their mortality. We think back to the sprightly kitten, puppy, rabbit, or bird we knew way back when. Then we gaze at our stately prince of the household and hug them, with all our heart.

When Hurricane Katrina hit, we saw people risk their own death because they refused to leave their pet in harm's way. Families stayed home, knowingly endangering their lives, rather than go to shelters because the shelters would not accept their companion animals.

An anonymous man floating on a tire in the water refused to come on board a rescue boat, saying that he had two dogs; he simply wasn't going to leave. He kept saying, "I am responsible for them. It's as simple as that. I'm not coming on board."

Mississippi residents Carole, Patricia, and Lillian Montet would not leave their cat behind. "Leave McGinty?" Carole said. "This cat helped my mother get through her hip surgery; McGinty inspired my mother."

"She's family," Lillian said of McGinty.

Jack Weber of Mid-City barely made it out alive with his family: his wife, Ollie, their daughter, Tamara, and their Dalmatian-retriever mix, Spartica. "That's my family," Jack said.

Their roof blew off, then the sheetrock fell as the family moved from room to room "until there wasn't more room," said Jack. Then the ceiling fell down, and they managed to get in their little boat and took on a neighbor, Leon Gomez, who's in a wheelchair, and Leon's rottweiler, ODB.

We can't forget the image of the little boy having to leave behind his beloved dog, Snowball. He was so distraught as he yelled "Snowball! Snowball!" that he threw up.

When evacuees were reunited with their pets, after being worried sick during their separation, we witnessed the most tearful reunions — they were tears of joy.

"Figure of speech?" What a mean thing to say about animals and people.

Favor rights for animals, condemn vivisection, declare commonalities between factory farms and the slave trade, question the morality of fishing, and some outspoken anti-animal rights activists will respond with "you're out of your mind" or "you should have your head examined."

Ok, I will. Under one condition: you have to, also.

Introducing my Psychiatry Challenge to animal rights opponents.

We sign up for 20 joint sessions of psychoanalysis. Granted, there are some practical problems to overcome. We'll probably have to do the sessions by phone, unless you're in the DC area. We'll split the cost 50-50. I might even go 60-40 as a good-faith measure. We'll have to agree on an analyst—challenging but doable.

We'll delve into why I'm vegan, why I advocate it, why I protest the fur trade, the whole nine yards. We'll also look at why you eat meat, how you deal with inflicting unnecessary cruelty on animals, whether you harbor any guilt about doing that, what bothers you about vegans. Hopefully the psychiatrist will ask your and my opinions on behavioral experiments on animals (I hope she doesn't base her analysis on any of them!), continuing AIDS research on monkeys, and use of animals in rodeos, bullfights, and circuses. I don't find any of that entertaining—do you? I suspect that our analyst will be able to put together a picture of our essential driving forces and inner fears. Perhaps we'll do some free-associating with this picture:


I realize analysis sessions are a little expensive, but can you really put a price on "know thyself?" Anyway, put your money where your mouth is. I'll get my head examined if you will. You can contact me via the "Talk to Me" link.

I recently bought Vegan with a Vengeance (VwaV), by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Here's what I've tried so far:

• Italian marinated tofu. I liked this because the marinade is in the perfect zone between subtle and bursty. It soaks into the tofu but does not attempt to drench it—my usual bad habit with sauces. We had it with a side of fettuccine, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, and Italian spices. I added the asparagus and tomatoes to the pasta water during the last few minutes. I put the tofu on top. Shared it with some co-workers. We all had the same impression: YUM!


• Tempeh Reuben. Fantastic. A kinder and healthier alternative to the traditional meat-laded Reuben. The inspired mix of ingredients are scrumptious. I had this with cole slaw, chips, and beer.


• Word on the street is that the VwaV chocolate chip cookies are the bomb. Omnivores eat them up as enthusiastically as vegans.
  
  Update: I lent the book to a co-worker. She returned it today, along with a complimentary batch of the aforementioned cookies. Lordy — they were delicious.

Should you decide, for health, environmental, or moral reasons, to rid your diet of animal products, here are two online communities where you will find immense support, encouragement, simpatico, and helpful advice for your new venture.

The Christian Vegetarian Association discussion group weaves together principles of Christianity and compassion for God's creatures, of which a vegetarian diet is one manifestation. It is refreshing and inspiring. Respectful non-Christians welcome.

On the Vegan Freak forum, you're likely to see discussions laced with profanities, and topics could include anything from tattoos to bashing George Bush to kinky sex. It's fairly left-leaning. Although the room can get rather raucous, it is actually very supportive and tolerant. There are atheists and Christians, post-punk rockers and stay-at home moms.

Although both forums have a strong ethical basis—participants strive to treat all creatures with maximum kindness, and refrain, as much as possible, from causing pain or suffering in any sentient being—some people come to the respective forums for health reasons, and members will enthusiastically answer questions and provide tips on maintaining a healthy, tasty, animal-free diet. Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of Vegan With A Vengeance (five-cupcake rating!), is a regular visitor to the Vegan Freaks forum, and let me tell you, she knows vegan food.

If you do try Dr. Campbell's one-month challenge, drop me a line, let me know how it's going. I'll bet after a month, you'll feel great about your decision and stick with it.

I like how Dr. T. Colin Campbell eases the interested but anxious newcomer into vegetarianism:


I like Dr. Campbell's "just do it" approach to a plant-based diet. So many times I've seen people decide reflexively that dropping meat and dairy is "impossible." It's not. Anyone can do it.

I can vouch for his claim that your tastes change once you settle into a vegan or near-vegan routine. They become more discerning and you can detect subtle flavors that were previously overpowered by the dominating presence of meat. I liken it to a constant loud construction noise finally stopping and then being able to hear the breeze.

The analogy to smoking is not that far off. What we eat is largely a function of habit. Most of us become comfortable, to a fault, with a narrow zone of food choices, and we stay locked within that narrow range for years, if not our whole lives. The impact of advertising and how foods are presented to us cannot be ignored, either. We are exposed to a barrage of images of meat and dairy that are carefully designed to make the products look as appealing as possible, and we are bombarded with commercials showing happy, attractive, healthy-looking people enjoying meat and dairy products. Meat is prominently displayed in advertising circulars, menus, and deli counters. It's what we're used to, what we know, and the path of least resistance, and to break away from a lifelong habit requires a boost of energy and conviction—or a push. In fact, dairy may actually be physically addictive. Casein, the protein in milk, converts to an opiate-like substance, and in clinical studies, drugs that block the craving for opiates also block the craving for dairy products—especially cheese, which contains the highest concentrations of casein. Within four months (on average) of kicking the habit, your cravings for meat, dairy, and eggs are almost non-existent. You rarely think about them; you certainly don't feel deprived. When in doubt, remember that milk contains pus, and that feces and eggs come out the same hole. Also remember that enormous suffering goes into every glass of milk and almost every egg.

Dr. Campbell approaches vegetarianism from a health angle, while I approach it primarily from an ethics angle: we should not deliberately cause preventable harm to animals, and we should not turn animals into slaves who exist solely to satisfy our desires. Out of concern for animals' interests and caring about their welfare, we should not even want to do those things, and a vegan diet is a natural outgrowth of that care and concern. But both Dr. Campbell and I reach the same conclusion: strive to eliminate animal-derived food products from your diet. Any progress that you make on this front will benefit you, the planet, and the animals.

P.S. I like his suggestion of before and after vitals, as a way to see quantitative, measurable benefits. Sort of like "Super-Size Me" in reverse.

Today's popular weight-loss diets are dumbfounding, with their complicated regimes and regulations. With all kinds of rules from which you can't stray. None of this fruit for two weeks. None of this fruit ever. This many nuts, but only of this type. Can't combine these two kinds of foods. Can't eat this food before noon. Can't eat this food at breakfast. Must have this percentage of protein on your plates.

That's crazy. Strict bounds are a tip-off that a diet is not all that healthy. A maze of rules and warnings is more appropriate for prescription drugs. You shouldn't have to eat with a spreadsheet.

On a vegan diet, as long as you mix it up, and unless you throw everything resembling common sense out the window and get ZERO physical exercise, you can eat till you're full. You don't have to measure servings down to the ounce. You barely have to be aware of how many calories you're eating. It's a natural diet that is well-suited to our metabolism and digestive systems. For those of us who have desk jobs and commute to work by car, it may be a life-saver.

The next three posts will be excerpts from the chapter in The China Studyentitled "How to Eat," interspersed with some commentary. The idea being to help you achieve escape velocity from the world of meat and dairy, of slaughterhouses and dark hen sheds, of motherless calves and flockless birds, of lame pigs and raped turkeys, of prion-infested beef and pus-laden milk, of clogged arteries and cholesterol, of impotence and constipation, of breast cancer and diabetes -- and give you a smooth lift-off into vegetarianism.

After that, I'll be going off in several different directions.

This health and safety pledge is an out-and-out lie, pure and simple. One of a million brought to you by America's animal agriculture industry. It shows contempt not only for the animals who are treated so miserably, but also for consumers.

The misery and death in the above photos is commonplace, not an exception. Every time animal protection investigators visit a battery cage egg operation, they document overwhelming filth, stench, and confinement, and birds in varying stages of decay.

Meat and dairy producers count on the public being duped, staying ignorant, and/or engaging in wishful thinking, so they'll continue to buy animal-derived products under false pretenses.

The short-term solution? Refuse to buy into these myths and refuse to buy products of cruelty. The long-term solution? Go vegan. You can do it.
Addendum:

Even among those of you who have never uttered the word "vegan" or seriously thought about vegetarianism: doesn't a world in which our relations with animals are as peaceful as possible, in which we no longer create animals just to kill them, in which we no longer contort and enlarge animals' upper bodies so we can get more meat out of them, in which we no longer crowd, confine, mutilate, orphan, starve, dehydrate, drag, crush, boil alive, lasso, shock, and electrocute animals sound good? Which sounds closer to God's green earth, His ideal? Our current system of factory farms, or a world in which all our nutritional needs are met through healthy vegetarian diets and in which pigs, chickens, sheep, and cows enjoy bright wonderful lives and human kindness on sanctuaries? One in which newborn is separated from mother, chained, and put in a tiny pen, or in which mother and child graze with others of their kind for the duration of their natural lifetimes?

Each one of us can make that world happen, and we can do it largely through our choices of what we buy, especially which foods we put on our plate. There are lots of good resources on the Internet, around any metropolitan or college town, in the library, and in the bookstore to help you make that life-affirming transition.

A lot changes in a year. In the fall of 2004, during a strategy meeting for planned anti-fur protests, we were trying to decide on the best location for the events. The near-consensus was that we should hold off on predominantly African-American shopping districts. The thinking was, "African-Americans are still emerging from the persistent ravages of racism and economic exclusion. Understandably, they would be occupied with achieving parity, recovering from centuries of being the victims of hate, prejudice, and marginalization." I dissented only slightly. I recommended that we not rule out African-American neighborhoods, because exposure to animal exploitation and cruelty issues is important, even if there is some latency between exposure and changes in habits, or activism.

How wrong I was. I was blind. To my great shame, I unfairly underestimated African-Americans' ability to recognize the plight of factory farm animals and animals imprisoned, trapped, and slaughtered for their fur. I underestimated the alacrity with which African-Americans would recognize — and be horrified by — the impoverished conditions we impose upon these animals, and the tortures they are forced to endure because of our selfishness. I underestimated the depth to which African Americans, though still plagued by economic discrimination and latent effects of racism, would resolve that it is profoundly unjust to force such unbearable conditions upon animals, just as it is profoundly unjust to do the same to entire races and classes of people. African-Americans know what it's like to be on the downside of institutionalized oppression.

Experiences over the past year have made me see how wrong and unfair I was. I've never been more pleased to admit my shortcomings.

I can report, after two dozen anti-fur demonstrations and leafletting events in a shopping area in which about 20 percent of the pedestrians are African-American, that clearly and consistently the people most responsive to the message are African-Americans. They show more interest in this issue than whites and than other minorities on the street.

Not only do a higher percentage of African-Americans take the pamphlets we hand out; a higher percentage of African-Americans ask questions and display insight into the wrongness of killing — and inflicting misery and violence — on animals for "fashion."

There have been all the following African-Americans (this is partial list):

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This past October, at the start of the Federal Government's fiscal year, a new 8(a) contractor took over the government contract of which I was a part. I "conveyed" to the new company. We're a very diverse and social group, with lots of interaction. Between the close-knit work environment, sitting across from the mini-kitchen, and getting back into cooking after several months of eating mostly out of a microwave, I've had lots of opportunities to discuss food and diet, and, by extension, vegetarianism and animal agriculture topics with co-workers. I endeavor to not preach in the workplace. It's not right — it's rather predatory and rude — and besides, we've got a lot of work to do. But apparently, more than I expected, food and diet, and my vegan diet specifically, are subjects of frequent interest. I try to answer questions straightforwardly, and I don't shy away from the ethical aspects or goriness of farm animal cruelty. Of course, I try arduously to gauge the reaction of the person with whom I'm speaking; I strive to not give them more information than they want to hear, or make value judgments (after all, I was a meat and dairy eater for decades). Sometime I'll just come right out and ask, "how much do you want to know?" I never say "you should do this" except in a friendly way, as in "you should try this vegan restaurant; it's fantastic" or "try the veggie bacon; I think you'll like it; remember it burns easily when it's almost done cooking." But I do attempt to explain forthrightly, when the question arises, why I do not eat or wear animal-derived products. I also try to listen to why others do.

Here are some brief examples of encounters with my wonderful co-workers over the last several months. All the characters except for me are African-American. The names have been changed slightly:

• Tanya is just about the nicest person I have ever met. I think she's all of 20, still in school, and she works for us part-time. Almost out of the blue, she said she wanted to be vegetarian, maybe vegan, for moral and health purposes. Of course, this was music to my ears, and I tried to offer support, encouragement, gratitude, and helpful advice. One day, after our boss bought lunch for everyone, she confided in me, shyly, "Gary, you're going to be mad at me, I had a chicken wing." Mad? Are you kidding? I was in awe of her. At 20, not only was I clueless, but I turned a deaf ear to the one vegan I knew. I was taken with her sensitivity and real concern for animals. Hardly anyone turns vegan overnight.


• Mary is closer to my age and has been a big meat-eater all her life. Until recently, when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She is now interested in vegetarian alternatives, even those strange-sounding soy products like tempeh and seitan. She realizes good and well that the food most heavily marketed to her is overwhelmingly unhealthy. KFC, roast-beef sandwiches, monster-size burgers, pepperoni pizza — food that's dripping with fat and cholesterol and almost devoid of fiber and phytonutrients. She read the chapter in The China Study about the correlation between animal protein intake and diabetes, and I told her about trials right here in DC in which diabetes patients on a vegan diet — but not on the American Diabetic Association diet — were able to discontinue their medicine in short order. Things are changing.


• Paula just started a couple of weeks ago. She told me, "I heard you were an expert in vegetarian food." Flattery is effective. That led us to discussions about farm methods (her relatives used to raise chickens), health, false claims in advertising, avian flu, and whatnot. Paula pretty much knew the deal on all fronts. Un-gullible but open-minded is how I'd describe her. Corporate America—Meat and Dairy Division: your "don't worry, be happy, our food is good and safe, and our animals are happy" campaigns may be superficially working, but they lack depth. Just below the surface is a rumbling discontent and distrust. Paula is enthusiastic about incorporating vegetarian meals into her diet and reducing her meat intake. She is well-aware of "free-range" hype intended to dupe unsuspecting but well-intentioned consumers into buying meat that came from chickens who were still mostly confined in stinking crowded sheds. She's been to some vegan restaurants and is amazed, like I am, how they can perfectly reproduce the taste and texture of chicken with soy meats, and also create new taste sensations with various plant-based ingredients. She abhors the fur trade — vehemently. I lent her a couple of vegan cookbooks and she has promised to give me some leftovers, if there are any.


• One day before the turnover of the contract, I discussed a touchy subject with Darlene, a fellow musician with a delightful self-depricating sense of humor, who was interested in seemingly everything. (Like me, she also moved over to the new company after the contract re-compete.) I brought up PETA's Animal Liberation exhibit, which draws parallels between humanity's treatment of slaves and our present treatment of farm animals. In particular, the exhibit, which exists online and in the form of presentations in real life, looks at how those in power, who exploited the oppressed for often frivolous reasons, ridiculed victims, made up excuses for why victims should be mistreated ("they're stupid;" "the Bible says we can"), kept the atrocities mostly out of sight, and turned killing into a mindless, mechanized task. I mentioned that the NAACP and other groups had decried the exhibit as demeaning, because it compared human suffering and animal suffering.
  
  I was going to go on, but she finished what I was going to say. She got it right away. She understood, and articulated that the commonalities presented in the exhibit were primarily in the attitudes and tactics of the oppressors, that we should strive to reduce all sorts of cruelty, no matter who the victim is, and that, as far as she knew, why wouldn't a chicken or a pig or a mink deprived of everything meaningful in its life and subjected to intense physical pain suffer just as much as a human? The NAACP doesn't speak for all blacks.
  
  (Actually, around the same time, I called someone at the NAACP national headquarters in Baltimore about the PETA exhibit. After explaining that the intent of the exhibit was not to belittle the horrors of the slave trade at all, but to explore the mindsets and mechanisms that cause entire societies to brutally exploit those with less power, in hope that we may end such inexcusable misuse of power, we were on approximately the same wavelength. Understandably, no one wants their struggle against injustices done to them to be taken lightly, and so there is some basis for a gut-level aversion to being compared to a group that you think has not suffered nearly as much. But once you acknowledge that the other group has suffered in much the same way, for many of the same reasons, even though the two situations are far from identical, there is more of a bond. All victims of tyranny suffer, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere*, and at the bedrock level, the bedraggled worn-out hen in the battery cage wants and fears the same things as us. I may have mentioned my phone call with the NAACP person in a previous blog comment. I'll be speaking about the PETA exhibit and about common causes and solutions to institutionalized oppression at length in a future thread.) Note that Darlene is no animal rights activist. She's not even vegetarian. She eats a little meat and feels guilty about it, but cannot break the habit.


• Richard actually tried veganism for a while several years ago, for health reasons. He said that his health noticeably improved as a result of the diet but that he found it too difficult to maintain. His main complaint was that he couldn't find enough quick and simple vegan meals. I think it's gotten a lot easier to do that in the last few years; there's been a wealth of vegan convenience foods, ready-made dishes, and frozen dinners that have come on the market. I don't know for sure that he'll re-try veganism. But he might.
  
  We had the holiday party at a restaurant that served foie gras. When Richard asked what that was, I explained, with as mush discretion as I could muster, how foie gras ducks are deprived of swimming water, confined in tiny enclosures, force-fed up to a pound of food through a tube that's stuck down their throats — which engorges their livers to several times normal size and induces "fatty liver disease," and then killed so their diseased livers can be made into paté. Richard appropriately called the process disgusting and appalling. The next day, just to make sure, he asked me to jot down the name of the dish so he would know never to patronize a restaurant that served it. (Fortunately, at our party, we had a pre-arranged menu that included ample vegan selections, so there was no chance of anyone ordering one of the most barbarically produced foods in the world.)
  
  If we all go out for happy hour or someone's birthday, Richard always makes sure that there will be vegan food available for me. Of course I appreciate him looking out for me. But, beyond that, I think sometimes it is easier, at least for a while, for the vegan-curious to sort of use a vegan like me as a proxy, before confronting all these moral issues in a personal way, and breaking with tradition and comfort zone. Eventually, I do suggest gently (and perhaps over a drink), something along the lines of "I can tell you're thinking about these things and it's great. But I feel like I need to nudge you just a little. Instead of asking the server if there's anything vegan on the menu for my benefit, think of your actions in terms of how they benefit the animals. That in turn may inspire you to order vegan items for yourself as well. But thanks regardless." Or something like that.

These are just a few snapshots of many conversations and experiences. They have been enjoyable and educational — and that feeling has been mutual from what I can gather. NEVER — and I do mean never — again will I allow myself to harbor such a stupid, condescending thought as "they're still recovering from racism; concern for animal issues is a few years off." Shame on me. Compassion for God's Creation has no color. Or rather, it encompasses all colors.

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I was quite ignorant a year ago and I hope my eyes have been permanently opened, and that people of color will forgive me for this idea — which seems repugnant to me in retrospect — that they were not ready to participate in any big way in animal advocacy and veganism. I should have known better, seeing as how many African-American notables — including the late, great Richard Pryor — have eloquently related mistreatment of slaves, mistreatment of animals, and human obligations to innocent beings of all stripes and species. Even our small band of regular protestors is multicultural. I should have known but I guess I was locked into my own small-mindendess and lack of faith. I hope that I am now more enlightened and will never do something that prejudicial again.

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And so the world goes on. And painstakingly improves. For generation after generation, we engage in the most heinous exploitations. Then, one day, when it's all over, we universally despise it, and condemn — sincerely, and with clarity and genuine enlightenment — the evils of what we no longer do. Now we are in the beginning stages of another seismic transformation, in which animals, after thousands of years of suffering at our hands, are finally freed from our tyranny, and are upgraded from mere things to fellow beings, who experience fear and contentment, who are capable of deep joy and suffering, who, like us, crave freedom and peace. We cannot save them all, We cannot fundamentally change nature. But we can divest ourselves of brutality and callous indifference. We can make a choice to be kind instead of cruel. We can make lasting reparations with the world's—and God's—animals.

Of course it makes perfect sense that those who have been on the bottom, who have been persecuted, devalued, demeaned, denigrated, abused, and enslaved, would recognize those evils anywhere, even in themselves. I greatly underestimated African-Americans' ability to make the connection between human and animal oppression, to recognize our obligation to all creatures who suffer. I'm ashamed and embarrassed about my misjudgment. But I'm exuberant about the possibilities. The liberation of animals, though occurring unevenly and in fits and starts, as with any societal overhaul, is proceeding at a rapid pace relative to past liberation efforts. Across the globe, animal welfare and even animal rights principles are being discussed by government bodies and woven into law. On the streets and at the water cooler, vegetarianism is mainstream, at least in concept; it is no longer fringe. Overwhelmingly, when given a chance to vote on improved animal welfare, citizens take the side of the animals — the downtrodden and suffering. Step by step we're marching toward the Peaceable Kingdom.

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Related posts:

Civil Rights and Animal Rights

Black and White Moments

Martin Luther King: "I Have A Dream"

Expanding Circles of Freedom

^*Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

What would it take to make you go vegan? I'm interested primarily in those of you (or your friends) who would not categorically rule it out, who may have considered it vaguely, or in the back of your mind, but for some reason have not been motivated to take the plunge.

Does vegan cheese not taste good enough? Is vegan food not easily available? Are you concerned that you won't get enough protein? (There's almost no such thing in the developed world, only too much protein.) Does it just seem too hard? Do you need proof that we don't need meat and dairy?

Is it something more subtle? Does being vegan does not fit in with your self-image; is it just not you? Do you have an unfavorable opinion of vegans, and can't see yourself going over to the "other side?" Do you think vegans are hippie leftist radicals? Too judgmental? Humorless? If you're a guy: does veganism seem too effeminate? Do real men eat meat?

Do you fear your family and friends wouldn't accept your dietary change — or the new you? Are you afraid you might be taunted and made fun of; that you would have to put up with ridicule and endlessly annoying questions? Would people who know you try and derail you, talk you out of it, or sabotage your efforts?

Would it be easier to do with a buddy?

Do you feel that a meal isn't complete unless it has meat?

Did you it try before, unsuccessfully?

Are you put off by tofu and soy meats?

Is it something more vague, that you can't put your finger on?

What would it take to get you closer to being vegan, or to dropping meat and dairy entirely? A heart attack? A Mad Cow Disease outbreak? More easily available vegan main courses in restaurants and fast food outlets? A significant other who's vegan or heading in that direction? More knowledge? Images of farm animal cruelty that are so awful they shock you into being vegan?

I'm interested. I have some friends who feel really guilty about eating meat but they do it all the time anyway. They've gotten pretty good at compartmentalizing: they're sick about how we treat farm animals, but they don't think about that when they buy nicely packaged meat products or prepare meals with meat. Yet they react strongly to pictures of farm animals suffering, and acknowledge that standard animal agriculture practices are cruel — sometimes almost beyond belief. Nevertheless...soon after expressing heartfelt sadness and guilt over the suffering of farm animals, they're absorbed back into the system, eating the same chicken and turkey and egg-filled baked goods that they've eaten for years. Is it habit? Is it comforting to stick with the tried and true routine, with what you know, with basically what you grew up on? Do you have an aversion to ethnic foods? Are you afraid that you'd have to give up some of your favorite foods, including comfort foods? Are you worried at a deeper but more subconscious level that you'd be giving up some of who you are?

Is it none of the above, but something else? (Please explain.)

As stated before, I'm not interested in an argument, but I am interested in your thoughts, experiences, and ideas for solutions.

You can email or me or leave a comment.

Thanks!

To certain people of faith:

You say God put animals here for our use. And you're pretty resolute about that. I'm not going to change your mind on that in this short post.

I will respond that even if we can use them, we mustn't be cruel. I think you'd agree with that. Well, the production of almost all animal foods is excessively cruel. Not just cruel but often merciless, brutal, and barbaric.

I would also challenge you: rather than being satisfied with the minimum requirement (e.g., we can use animals as needed), why not strive to be as kind to all creatures as possible?

From The University of Rochester Vegetarian Education Group (UR-Veg):


So by giving hens even less room in their barren, God-forsaken, battery cage caverns, suffering goes up, profit goes up, revenue goes up, number of eggs sold goes up, but "productivity" per bird goes down.

Of course, 235 eggs a year is still a ridiculously unnatural number of eggs for a hen to lay in a year. Hens' natural ancestors — who can fly, roost in treetops, dust-bathe, walk freely, forage, clean their feathers with their beaks, raise their young, and build nests — lay maybe 20 eggs a year.

Women: suppose that through intensive breeding and added hormones you had not 12 menstrual cycles per year, but 120; a period every three days. Would you feel "productive?" It would be pure Hell. Your own body would become a hard-labor prison.

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The entire article from which the UR-Veg excerpt is taken is extraordinarily well-written — highly recommended. It smashes Wegmans' preposterous claims about their egg farm to bits. The Wegmans egg operation is hideous, it's been exposed, and Wegmans, rather than showing some integrity, or the slightest concern for the animals whose role in the Wegmans business plan is to be miserable so the company can squeeze out a little more profit, has resorted to brazenly unsupportable cover-ups.

In a way, Wegmans is a mirror image of consumers who buy eggs produced by battery-caged hens but don't want to be reminded of the horrible suffering they know they are causing. Both sides make up lies — layers of weak, seat-of-the-pants, unconvincing lies to wish away cruelty, and to hide from sobering self-judgment.

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Wegmans could save face and ease the suffering of hundreds of thousands of hens if they would just come clean, and honestly admit that they confine these intelligent animals in deplorable, crammed conditions just to save money. I don't expect Wegmans to suddenly pull out of the egg business, but they could certainly give their hens some semblance of a life by backing off on some of the worst abuses. They could give the hens space to use their legs and wings; they could provide the hens with straw for nesting; they could hire one or two more people to identify dying hens and humanely euthanize them. Consumers — that might include you — could ease their minds and start to disengage themselves from cruelty and make reparations to the animals who have suffered so greatly by cutting back on eggs and by pledging to buy only eggs that came from cage-free hens.

Perhaps this is self-evident, but...Rather than sustain cruelty by lies and cover-ups, it is ultimately much easier to stop doing the cruel acts that force so much evasiveness. Fighting your conscience is draining, no matter how deftly you can spin out excuses for morally inexcusable behavior. In the end, we all want to do the right thing. Why wait?

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References:

1. From a form letter that Wegmans has been distributing to concerned customers.


5. Developing Science-Based Animal Welfare Guidelines.Presented by J.A. Mench and J.C. Swanson at the 2000 Poultry Symposium and Egg Processing Workshop, UC Davis.


15. "The effects of cage shape, housing and strain of chickens on various performance parameters (Report #2)." D. Bell and J. Carey, Progress in Poultry, vol. 37, 1998

Whole Soy Lemon and Ginger. Smooth, refreshing, divine. I swear, it's like each week they raise the bar.

From The China Study," By T.Colin Campbell:


The book also explains that bone mineral density (BMD) is not always a reliable predictor of osteoporosis, or a desirable goal. Among other things:
BMD is also linked to greater BMD.

Dr. Campbell continues:


Here is a summary of the book's recommendations to minimize the risk of osteoporosis:

• Be active.


• Eat a variety of plant-based foods.


• Avoid refined carbohydrates.


• Keep salt intake levels low.

Beans and green leafy vegetables are loaded with calcium. From perusing the store shelves, calcium and vitamin D fortification seems now to be the norm in soymilk. The carton of orange juice I'm looking at says it provides as much calcium (and Vitamin D) as a milk. There's obviously more to healthy bones than calcium. Simply replenishing the stock of calcium as it continues to be drained by a high-animal protein diet is like continuously refilling the lake instead of fixing the leak in the dam. But if it's calcium you're looking for, it's easy to find it from sources other than dairy.

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The main point of this commentary is not "You must ditch the dairy if you want to be maximumly healthy." It's to show the degree to which the dairy industry will lie to you. They lie in ways that could hurt you, and trick you into supporting cruel practices to which you're opposed. And your tax dollars help pay for these lies.

The dairy industry claims milk will help you lose weight when it doesn't. They suggest that dairy cows are happy and grazing with family, when more likely the cows are confined indors and in pain from mastitis infections, and their families—from whom they were forcibly separated when only two days old—have been slaughtered. They present milk as a wonder food, necessary in your diet, when in fact it is not only unnecessary but may be causing irreparable harm. The only animals for whom it is necessary—calves—are deprived of milk because the dairy industry takes it all.

The dairy industry is not interested one bit in your health. They just want your money. They don't care if their products may increase your chance of cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, and autoimmune disease; they'll fund a psuedo-science project and make bold claims based on the faulty, biased research to confuse you, and to keep consumers from defecting (more on this in a future post).

The dairy industry cares not one whit about how much cruelty they cause in producing their products. If they can save a few cents from withholding food, water, and humane euthanasia from a lame cow suffering to death, they will do it. If they can crowd a few more cattle on a truck, even at the risk of losing one along the way, they will do it. They fight every attempt at welfare reform tooth and nail. A portion of your taxes goes to finance their brutal treatment of animals and their marketing campaigns aimed at getting you to purchase as much of their unhealthy product as possible. They're allowed to lie to you with impunity: even though you're forced to cough up money so the dairy industry can mislead you and possibly endanger your health, you're not allowed to sue them for fraud.

It's not too late for one more (or your only) new year's resolution: For the sake of your health, your family's health, and the hundreds of millions of cattle that are forced to suffer each year for no good reason, strive to cut out dairy in 2006.

Soymilk has gotten pretty darn tasty; in terms of animal cruelty and environmental impact, compared to cow's milk it's no contest. There is a wealth of evidence that it offers protection against heart disease. Some people are allergic to soy products. Rice milk is another good alternative.

Soy ice cream ranges between okay and delicious. Shop around. Enjoy the taste of ice cream without all the saturated fat, cholesterol, and horrible suffering going on the background.

My wife and I just had some Chreeze nacho dip. I have to admit, we were a little skeptical. Way too many tortilla chips later, we can report that it wasn't bad at all.

Reducing and replacing dairy in your diet is easier than you think. The dairy industry's health and purity marketing campaigns are mostly a fraud, designed to hide its products' unhealthiness and deceive the public about the cruelty inherent in its business. I hope you'll choose plant-based alternatives to dairy. There are so many options these days; all of them are much kinder to animals and to your body than dairy.

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Related Link:

MilkSucks.com

(I'll be adding annotated references to this post soon.)

On the Vegan Chai blog is this post, about a newspaper story of a pig who had a brief, though traumatic taste of freedom on her way to the slaughterhouse. The original story was written almost as burlesque, with jokes at the pig's expense.

The blog's author, "Girl Least Likely To," comments:


The writer of the article reacted to the pig escape attempt in the same way that many meat-eaters react to farm animals' misfortunes: with mean but un-funny jokes about the victim's predicament. The pig was probably exhausted and terrified. The lack of exercise in the confinement operation where she had lived, and her genetically modified upper body—made huge for Smithfield's and meat-eaters' benefit—would have made movement difficult. She was lassoed, dragged along the ground, and driven to the slaughterhouse, where she may have ended up as one of the animals screaming while being dunked into scalding water because she was not completely "bled out."

The jokes are a defense mechanism. The people making them are responsible for that pig's, and millions of pigs' awful fates. The jokes are a nervous reaction, a diversion technique to avoid self-incrimination. Pointing your mind away from your own transgressions is an awkward and draining task.

Perhaps laughing about the pig's trauma and ultimate demise makes the whole episode seem less tragic. Make enough jokes and maybe you perpetually block sadness and empathy.

Let me propose a radically different idea. Hold off on making any jokes. Imagine the ordeal from the pig's point of view. Imagine being too exhausted to run or fight any more, and being trapped and pulled along the ground. Imagine that your life thus far was one of severe indoor confinement in which you were denied all normal behaviors. You have never slept on soft straw, rooted in the ground, covered yourself with cool mud, or had an interesting meal. Every day except today has been a bland, painful, crowded, unsatisfying nothingness. You experience a few minutes of life outside the factory farm, the truck, and the slaughterhouse. You're pursued and caught. You collapse. Your death ahead may or may not be torturous.

Let yourself feel a little pity for this creature. We're inflicting pain and misery on her; that's what she feels. Wouldn't some part of you rejoice if she broke away and made it to safety?

Who are we, if we lose our ability to feel pity, or if we insist on smothering it with vapid humor? What would happen if we allowed ourselves to be a little sad for this pig?

A lot of things would happen, all of them good. I know beyond doubt that some of the gruffest, most superficially mean-hearted people hearing this story will also feel a twinge of sadness. And I'm asking you to not fight it. That persistent pilot light of compassion that won't die out should be welcomed, not extinguished. Once you feel the pain of the pig, and the other 370 million pigs killed each year, and the 10.5 billion other farm animals killed each year (in the U.S. alone), you'll take steps to reduce that pain. No joke will give you that kind of satisfaction.

There is one poignant part of the story, a quote from a police officer who was involved with retrieving the escaped and lost pig:


Maybe we do have some empathy.

Dear Mr Mittell,

Thank you for article on the importance of exercise and its role in reducing obesity ["Exercise: We Simply Must," The Washington D.C. Examiner, Jan 2, page 15]. I agree wholeheartedly.

You mentioned that when you visited Eastern European countries, you were struck by how much citizens of those countries walked. Whereas here in America, we drive everywhere, sit at our desks all day, and watch TV. Very true. Your conclusion was that "McDonald's isn't the problem, and miserable denial isn't the answer. "Miserable denial" meaning going on a diet. You rightly pointed out the fraudulent, faddish nature of the corporate diet industry. One word: Atkins.

I've been overseas several times and I noticed people walking more, also. But that's not the only difference between here and there. I also noticed smaller portion sizes and fewer fast food outlets.

Obesity is merely one result of our Standard American Diet. Hundreds of studies show a correlation between animal protein intake and the incidence of heart disease, prostate cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other serious conditions. The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD, documents this linkage very well and provides thorough references. But there's more than correlation going on. There's cause and effect. The Dean Ornish vegetarian diet reverses heart disease. Dr. Ornish published a more recent study in which a vegetarian diet appears to reverse prostate cancer. If a pill did this, it would be the headline on your nespaper. In trials conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a high proportion of volunteers with diabetes were able to stabilize their blood sugar levels and completely stop their medication on a vegan diet. The control group following the American Diabetes Association diet saw relatively little progress. Comparisons between meat-eating and vegetarian Seventh Day Adventists in the U.S. show that the vegetarians had half the rate of diabetes as the meat-eaters. Presumably each group got roughly the same amount of physical activity. Countries in which the most dairy is consumed have the highest rates of breast cancer and osteoporosis. Why? There are many possible reasons. Women who consume dairy have greater exposure to estrogen, which may increase breast cancer risk. Animal protein but not plant protein causes an overabundance of acid in the bloodstream; the body compensates by drawing calcium out of bones. Hence: osteoporosis and higher bone fracture rate. Keep in mind that drinking milk (or consuming milk-derived products) as an adult is not something found anywhere in nature. Neither is drinking the milk of another species. Cow's milk is formulated especially for calves. Not only is it unnecessary for humans, it's weirdly unnatural.

Yes, we should exercise more, I agree. But don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen. Our cities and commute times are growing larger, just like our waistlines. We're going to continue to work at desk jobs. Suburbs will continue to be built around the car.

So our diet, over which most of us have total control, is vitally important.

And what should our diet be? Since so many diseases seem to be caused by meat and dairy, since farm animals are treated worse than ever and farms are exempt from nearly all animal cruelty laws, and since plant-based foods have such a small environmental footprint, the answer is a vegan diet. I did it, and it's much easier than you think.

Of course, when you call it extreme or draconian you're setting yourself up for defeat. When you call it exciting and doable you find out that as a vegan your diet becomes far more diverse than it ever was when you ate meat and dairy. It's delicious, too. For everything I gave up, I found three new things. There are fruits, vegetables, grains, spreads, and prepared foods in the grocery store that I never noticed before. In the Washington, D.C. area, there is a wealth of ethnic markets and restaurants, many of which have sensational plant-based dishes. A change in diet can be exhilarating. Meat substitutes are not perfect but they're not bad. Replace ground beef with the soy equivalent and you won't be able to tell the difference in Sloppy Joes, spaghetti sauce, tacos, and chili. Plant-based chicken patties and nuggets taste almost exactly like chicken patties and nuggets. Silk has advanced the state of soymilk by leaps and bounds. Ditto for Soy Delicious and Soy Cream with soy ice cream. The other night I bought some soy ice cream, took one bite and swore I made a mistake—that's how close it tasted to real ice cream. There are hundreds of vegan cookbooks and thousands of vegan recipes online. The list grows every day. I've barely scratched the surface of vegan diets.

As more people become vegan, the number of vegan products in grocery stores and restaurants will explode. This process is already underway. Check the frozen food aisle at most Safeways and, even more so, at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

There are notable side benefits to veganism. At least one is of significant if not urgent moral importance. Animals are treated horrifically in factory farms, the source of most meat and dairy. Chickens are bred to grow so quickly, they start dying of heart attacks at six weeks old. The most popular type of dairy farm is a dry lot dairy, where the cows do not graze. Instead they live and sleep on mud or in huge barns. Their calves are stolen from them at two days old; from that point on, they get none of their mothers' milk. Male calves go to the dreaded veal pen. They're chained, they get no exercise and almost no interaction with other calves, they're fed an iron-deficient formula that makes them crave the mineral and makes their flesh turn pale. They're forced to stand, sit, and lie down in their own excrement. Their lives must be utterly horrible. The veal pen is one of the most despicable forms of animal cruelty ever invented, and it's a byproduct of the dairy industry. Most people don't know this.

Transport to the slaughterhouse is deadly and grueling. Many animals by this point in their lives are lame, from lack of movement and the harsh regime. They're packed tightly into trucks, and given no food or water no matter how hot the temperature. Trips can last up to 36 hours. When the animals are unloaded, some are already dead. Others just fall out of the truck. They're kicked, dragged, prodded, and shocked, all the way to the slaughterhouse.

In the slaughterhouse, because the line speeds are so fast, mis-cuts are inevitable. Pigs are bleeding, flailing,and screaming at the top their lungs as they're dunked in boiling-hot water. Chickens hanging from shackles are paralyzed by a weak electrically-charged solution but are still fully alive and conscious as their throats are slit. A Washington Post story documented improperly stunned cows awake and blinking normally—not reflexively—as their sides were spit open. Improper hanging is another unfortunate side effect of fast line speeds. In these cases, live birds may have their wings pulled off.

Why would any morally decent person want to contribute to this cruelty?

Over half the grain grown in the U.S. goes to feed livestock. In South America, we're cutting down rain forests to make way for increased cattle grazing. Animal agriculture uses huge amounts of fossil fuels and is a leading source of water pollution. A vegan diet, to a large degree, is a no-cost solution to all of these problems.

To summarize, diet matters. It impacts mortality, quality of life, the environment, and animal welfare. We can switch to a healthy diet quite easily, and without spending one additional cent. The only things holding us back are our excuses, and our fear—of change, of new foods, of maybe being a little different. But those are not good reasons to forego saving our lives and sparing animals from misery.

In 2002, a pig saved his person's life, rescuing him from a frozen pond. The pig risked his own life to save a human's.

In similar circumstances, would we be half as heroic?

We can return the favor starting at our next meal. The least we can do for such amazing creatures is not eat them.

This pig is a few months old. He was in the back of a truck when his picture was taken. He was crammed in tightly with other pigs. He came from a factory farm where he slept on dirt and was confined to a small pen. Until this truck ride, he had never experienced the outside or breathed fresh air.

His destination was the Smithfield Packing Plant. He arrived on a cold, clear October night. He made eye contact with the photographer as the truck stopped at the gate. With his sensitive snout he no doubt had a chance to smell the rotting flesh, manure, and overall stench in the air.

He was killed a half hour later.

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50 billion farm animals are slaughtered each year worldwide. Most of them have miserable lives in factory farms. World Farm Animals Day (WFAD), held on October 2 — Mahatma Gandhi's birthday — and organized by the Farm Animal Reform Movement, memorializes these animals and their undeserved suffering. WFAD is observed in all 50 states and around the world, and includes marches, vigils, and various educational activities. WFAD events draw attention to the animals' plight and shows people how they can help the animals.

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Related Link:

Photos of rescued animals at farm sanctuary

A factory farm in California kills 30,000 hens by throwing them into wood-chipping machinery. Most of us recognize that as sick and barbaric. "Cruel" falls short of describing something so utterly heartless.

The people who committed this atrocious act, and their supporters who have a vested interest in treating sentient creatures like dirt, claim that stuffing live animals into a wood chipper is not cruel, that it's a humane method of killing.

Really? Raise your hand if you want your pet killed this way, or if you think death by being ground up in a wood chipper would be a pleasant way to go.

Read accounts of people who got caught in wood-chipping machines. They're horrifying and terrifying. There's a lot of pain involved. Duh.

If you did this to a cat or dog, you would be guilty of a felony in four out of five states. You might be forced to undergo psychiatric evaluation. Anyone who read about what you did would despise you and everyone who knew you would consider you a monster. And they would have just cause.

So what was the penalty for this barbarism? Nothing. The factory farm — a commercial egg operation — and everyone who took part in the mass slaughter was not convicted of any crime. You can do just about anything to a farm animal, no matter how horrendous, and you probably won't even get a slap on the wrist. Our laws permit the most heinous, unthinkable cruelties to be inflicted upon them with impunity.

But cheat in a bass fishing contest — well, that's a different thing altogether. Due to the magnitude of the crime, the authorities will be right on top of that one. You may be subject to a 3000 dollar fine and possible jail time. I'm glad our tax dollars are being well spent, maintaining the integrity of fishing tournaments. That's important.

For more on this story, and also the connection between milk and acne, check out the latest edition of Erik's Diner, Erik Marcus' entertaining, thoughtful, informative, and not-quite-regularly-scheduled podcast. (You can get summaries of each upcoming Erik's Diner show by going to www.vegan.com and entering your email.)

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Additional notes:

• Unwanted baby chicks and spent hens (hens whose egg production has dropped) are also killed by CO² asphyxiation, being suffoca