Joanna Lucas's "Letter From a Vegan World"
Vegans are often asked by curious friends and family members why they consider "humanely raised" animal products such as organic dairy, "rose" veal, and "free range" eggs to be morally objectionable. Joanna Lucas of Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary outside of Denver, Colorado, has penned an eloquent and moving answer to this question in her Letter From a Vegan World.
Essential Reading for Vegans, Omnivores, and Everyone in Between
Taking as her foil the efforts of welfare organizations pushing for "humane" consumer alternatives to factory farmed animal products, Lucas explains why she believes that these efforts run counter to the true spirit of compassion for animals, arguing that vegan outreach and education must be the central focus of the movement.
The Faces of Organic Dairy, "Rose" Veal, and "Cage Free" Eggs
Lucas's letter begins with descriptions of what life is like for organic dairy cows, "rose" veal calves, and "cage free" hens and goes on to encourage vegans to stand firm in their abolitionist convictions. She even provides a link to a full color pdf of the letter that is ready to be printed and distributed in your very own grassroots outreach effort. Many thanks to my good friend Harold Brown of Farm Kind for calling Lucas's letter to my attention.
Thanks for your comment, Chris! I agree completely that we should all strive to be "on the same team", even though our views on the matter may be divergent in some respects. However, I think that exercising patience with and tolerance of different opinions within the movement is perfectly compatible with articulating, even forcefully, one's arguments for taking a strong stand for abolition. Differences of opinion in the movement NEED NOT be divisive, so long as we treat one another with respect and compassion in sorting out our differences. If we succeed in engaging one another with respect and compassion, what's more, it seems to me that a diversity of strong opinions within the movement is exactly what we want, as that kind of lively interchange serves to keep the movement agitated and evolving. Tolerance of diversity doesn't have to (and, in my opinion, shouldn't) devolve into an "I'm okay, you're okay" complacency where we all just engage in self-congratulation without engaging in the difficult but crucial discussion of how best to advance the movement.
The Vegucator | June 4, 2008 10:39 AM
I wouldn't criticize people too much for trying to be or having the allusion of being more humane. If vegans get to evangelical it can be a turn off. I think more people will come around in the future.
We can all me on the same team.
Chris Oposnow | June 3, 2008 9:08 PM