A lot of anarchists seem to be vegans (for some reason?) but I'm personally not. There are few things I hate more than obnoxious, preachy vegans, but I'm perfectly okay with nonpreachy veganism. I'm of the belief that everyone needs different diets that are accustomed to their needs (except the essential vitamins and the like, of course), and that means that vegan diets are appropriate for some, and nonvegan diets are appropriate for others. Vegans who insist that vegan diets should be made required or are necessarily better for others, I think, personally, are quite bonkers.

As this blog post[propagandalalaland.blogspot.com] says:

PropagandaLalaland původně napsal:

Okay comrades, here's the thing: after the revolution, people are still going to want to live in cities, eat meat and dairy products, be monogamous, drive cars, put children in schools (albeit, schools that teach their values), drink alcohol, and do most of the fun things they used to do pre-revolution. Is that really too hard to understand?

I am an animal welfarist, which means that while I don't think animals have specific "rights" to act on, I think people should not abuse them when possible. I'm fine with hunting and farming, I don't like battery cage farming. ALF/ELF are okay as well. I think protections of habitats and endangered species are both good things. That's really all I can say on the subject.

First, if we liberate the humanity from the capitalism the exploitation of animals will be basically done. Liberate the animals from the exploitation and the struggle of the capitalist industry is important not only because they have rights too, we have to remind that raise animals to have a diet based on meat requires to destroy thousand of forests, and also the animal industry produces tons and tons of highly contaminant waste. Also remind that the big availability of meat is a recent thing that arrived during the second industrial revolution, our diet is more based in what the food industry wants to make us buy than in what we need to eat , and is just remotely similar to our ancestor's diet and totally different if we go to the time that America where "undiscovered" by the rest of the world.

Second, I think that anti specism as a single way of activism is just a trap because focuses people in a parcial fight that usually has zero impact in the way that the capitalism exploit the people and the earth in general.

Third, Veganism (or the freegan variant) is good way to fight directly the capitalism not consuming animals grown in an industrial way. I don't think that veganism is a thing really attached to anarchism, is just a way of life and a fight tool.

Fourth, Veganism, animal rights and antispecism are beautiful ideas that deserve a lot of respect, but they have his incongruencies about the animals right since they are just worried about animals with "nervous system". For they this is the main argument to not harm the animals forgetting about insects, plants and other beings without that capactiy. Also they tend to humanize the animals that they want to protect and specially they tend to focus on those animals that are cool and look adorable, animals that they can easily humanize in his minds attributing they human qualities, feelings and all that stuff like if the tvcartoons and Disney views on animals were real.

Fifth, I have a lot of suspects about who are really promoting and funding those movements and what are they real goals. There is a big industry around the vegan food , and also around the animal rights with thousands of non gubernamental organizations asking for funds all around and receiving funds from governements, people and even multinationals. They are triying to promote veganism not as a way to liberate the animals, caring for the earth or anything similar, just for money. Thousands of forest hectareas are destroyed every year in the name of "ecologism" to grow more vegetables to feed the new industry and even to convert it into a "cool geen gasoline" ... and most vegans and animal defenders are just happy with it and support that "ecological industry" that can serve they his soja milk and tofu hamburguer. The implantation of veganism and animal rights in the society is probably just a move from the capitalism to make more money and distract people in parcial fights saving animals. And as part of all this there are a lot of "vegans" and "ecological concienciated people" consuming products from that evil industry, while they eat the McDonalds vegan menu 100 cows are killed to make a big mac, they are happy drinking his soja milk that was transported from sudamerica in trucks, planes or ships invalidating the ecological purpose, the only way to be vegan and cause impact is buy from alternative places and try to buy from local producers where you can see and check that they are using ecological ways to produce and are not just another capitalist industry with a "green seal". Also there is another alternative, check the trash from supermarkets and recicle food instead buy it, it's an efective way to no give your money to the capitalist industry and show the insane amount of food that it produces just to be throwed to the trash while they allow the famine in the third world a, and now again in what we call the "developed world" with thousand of poor people in the streets of USA, Europe, Russia and countries from the European Union where the working class can't affor a slice of bread for his kids because theyr parents have no jobs.
Vegans consuming vegetables from the supermarket that also have meat are not going to do anything because it cause no real impact in the evil food industry, they are still taking your money, buy fruit or vegetables that travels thousands of miles before arrive to your table is also worthless no matter if they have the label "ecological" because the transport process is never done in an ecological way, and nowaday doesn't exist a ecological transport network thatn can deliver fruits or vegetables from long distances .
Real veganism have to consume real ecological products produced in his local area, triying to avoid consume products from regular supermarkets and those that are ecological but come from longs distances. Of course there are products imposible to buy from local producers or during certain times of the year, in these cases you have to do the best you can and try to don't turn your food habits into a fanatic religion with untouchable dogmas.

Sixth, maybe animal liberation is more near than we think if the science can really grow meat in tanks, animals will be free and we will eat meat. All happy.


I'm talking in general, about regular people involved in animal rights movements and veganism not only about anarchist people and I also think that those "compañeros" that are always triying to convert you in a vegan are a big pain in the ass, it can be like some kind of fanatical religion ... I have even heard that it's mandatory to be vegan if you want to be a real anarchist !!, I always try to not talk about my views on this with they because you will start and endless discusion that will take you to madness prefering to hit your head against a wall to fall unconscious. I can only imagine a worst thing, have a discussion with an anarcho-primitivism guy (not confound with anarcho-ruralism)

Salud compañeros!

P.D: Sorry for my English!

You make some excellent points, MacDuro, and yes, the average American eats too much meat. We can lessen our consumption without removing it entirely. Animals can be raised humanely and with less impact on the environment if we don't cramp and stress them as much as we do. Veganism shouldn't be a required part of anarchism, veganism is only one optional lifestylist option that can be included in anarchism. And supporting the vegan industry is still capitalism; they will waste food and produce unhealthy products if necessary.

FalconShooter původně napsal:

You make some excellent points, MacDuro, and yes, the average American eats too much meat. We can lessen our consumption without removing it entirely. Animals can be raised humanely and with less impact on the environment if we don't cramp and stress them as much as we do. Veganism shouldn't be a required part of anarchism, veganism is only one optional lifestylist option that can be included in anarchism. And supporting the vegan industry is still capitalism; they will waste food and produce unhealthy products if necessary.

The consumptoin of meat per habitant in Europe and USA is insane, specially since 25% or more of that meat ends in trash cans. People have to start to think about not waste resources, not online talking about water or energy, food it's too an important resource because his products affects to our enviroment and the life of the animals. One good method is start doing pressure in our same envioremnte, we have to demand that all anarchist or libertarian (european meaning, not tea party) events serve only vegan and ecological food(if possible). As a meat eater I'm not going to day for consume only vegetables during one night or even some days, and it will help a lot to concienciate people and also will have a real impact if it's a real big event . All libertarian and anarchist work groups in my city have been following that rule during the last 10 years, people that eats meat never complains about and even support it because understand the purposse and see that it has a real impact.

I've noticed that most anarchist spaces offer only vegan food, which is fine, but I want to be able to eat meat after the revolution. So as long as we keep that in mind, I'm fine with "vegan spaces".