NZ Vegan Podcast Episode 37 - In support of Non Violence

Listen HERE

This episode I talk about my support of non violence and of the abolitionist approach and peaceful non violent vegan education. I give my reasons why, based on my own personal experience and non-expert opinion, and my core beliefs, which is all I can do. In this episode I am specifically talking about some of the things that I have read over the last few weeks in which proponents of violent tactics in the name of animal rights have been getting a lot of attention, and I have read some things that I thought were not only misguided and tactically wrong, but also deeply immoral. Not all those involved are supporters of the extreme physical violence that a couple of writings and advocates are proposing, however it was very distressing to see support of these advocates by anyone at all. I realise that a lot of the really extreme positions come from people who are deeply disturbed by what is going on in our world and are perhaps totally overwhelmed with everything, the horrific amount animal exploitation and who feel desperate. I say they need to snap out of it and help us create a peaceful vegan movement, but of course they don't agree with that, nevertheless I stand firmly in my beliefs, as always.

I also object to people who are trying to confuse the issue by dragging things like Open Rescues into the debate about violence, I think that is muddying the waters and taking the focus of the debate off where it originally began and where it should remain, which was an objection to the hate mongering, propositions of actual physical violence and an escalation in violence in general by some advocates.

Finally I think we must realise that it is important for us to be there for new vegans who may be overwhelmed by their new knowledge, and help them stay sane and positive, because they are our ethical vegan movement and we need them to not lose control, we need them to help us get the ethical vegan movement going, and that is not going to happen if they spiral down into despair and hate.

And now for the good news! These are the podcasts I mentioned in the episode:
Professor Gary L. Francione from Abolitionist Approach:
Abolitionist Approach Commentary
at the iTunes store

Vincent Guihan from We Other Animals:
animalemancipation.com - We Other Animals Radio
at the iTunes store: We Other Animals Radio

And Dr. Roger Yates from On Human-Nonhuman Relations:
On Human-Nonhuman Relations Podcast
at the iTunes store

This is the link to Barbara DeGrande's Veganacious blog
http://veganacious.com/

and this is to Corey Wrenn's Vegan Examiner articles, I hope to have Corey on as a guest very soon.
Roanoke Vegan Examiner

Thanks for listening.