In Response to “A Response to `Vegan Purists’ and `Vegan Police’ Who Criticize Vegans with Non-Vegan Cats”

Filed under: Uncategorized — 28 Comments

September 5, 2011

Given the controversy and furor this has caused among the True Believers, allow me to provide an interpretive tip: This piece is not about feline predators, it is about human hypocrites, the impossibility of being pure, contradiction-free, non-violent, and even “vegan.” Its about being honest. it’s against factionalism and vegan police whose focus in on flaws in lifestyle rather than contradictions in social structures that are producing increasingly deep and irreversible social and natural breakdown and catastrophe. It’s about dialectical embeddedness, existentialist paradox, and the “ethics of ambiguity” (De Beauvoir). Increasingly, veganism degenerates into a fascist, sanctimonious, elitist, consumerist, individualist, apolitical religion, fundamentalism, and form of Panglossian optimism, such that everyday a dozen Facebook warriors gleefully bring us the good tidings that “we are winning!” No, we are losing, losing and badly. We are living in mass denial, oblivious of scientific warnings to humanity, living in a fool’s paradise amidst this unique moment in history characterized by social collapse, the dramatic spike in meat consumption in China and India (the two most populous nations in the world vs. the less than one % of “vegans” in the US), climate change, mass extinction, and biological meltdown. It’s not about cats ….

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28 Comments:

beaelliott

September 5, 2011 at 5:38 pm

“Increasingly, veganism degenerates into a fascist, sanctimonious, elitist, consumerist, individualist, apolitical religion, fundamentalism, and form of Panglossian optimism, such that everyday a dozen Facebook warriors gleefully bring us the good tidings that “we are winning!”

Yes… That’s what I thought you were trying to say. And so eloquently did. It’s also the truth too – that we’re not “winning” at all. Anyone who thinks we are should invest some time away from Facebook and instead study the industry sites such as Pig Progress, Drovers or Meat International. For every “vegan” made there’s contracts to ship out a tons of flesh in exchange. While first-world countries are basking in the fanfare of having “veg” books on Amazon’s top seller lists – All of Asia and Africa are building factory farms and slaughterhouses like we used to build cars… Even while we have designer “cruelty-free” handbags making a dot in the world of fashion – India’s army now wears boots made of (sacred) cow skin. It’s clear the world is westernizing faster than we can even civilize ourselves.

It’s much more than about what we feed our cats… Much more.
Michael Self

September 5, 2011 at 8:07 pm

I became vegan within the last year. Have been vegetarian for most of my adult life. My hesitancy to do so was due to the purists, the elitists … I find myself becoming a purist personally. It’s difficult not to. However, I try to keep that to myself. I cook vs. eating everything raw. I don’t listen to whale music. I want my friends to see that I can be fit (not gaunt) fun (not uptight) and respectful to animals (not demeaning to humans.) How can I look down on others whose convictions are not the same as mine are now when mine have not always been so? Good piece.
drstevebest

September 5, 2011 at 10:43 pm

Yes, you got it! You can now advocate veganism from an ethical and ecological standpoint, and not as a religion, fundamentalist dogma, or elitist sanctimony and instead of shouting “Hallelujah!” recognize the true gravity of the crisis, and only thus realize what we are truly up against, and how hard a fight (I prefer “war”) we really have to wage. It saddens me to see veganism degenerate into cultism and religion, willfully ignoring the scientific consensus of the rapidly worsening ecological crisis, so that vegans can limp along on the crutch of false hope and comfort, deluding themselves they are winning or that an “ethical boycott” or “”abstinence” translates into effective activism and structural transformation, in order to take their daily Soma pill and congratulate themselves on Facebook everyday on our “amazing progress!” It’s truly distressing…….
drstevebest

September 5, 2011 at 10:46 pm

Thanks, good points. There is an art to vegan education beyond the “Brother have you found Jesus?” approach that passes for “outreach” and activism, and veganism alone can never bring substantive social change without global mass uprisings at all levels, and a revolutionary transformation of global capitalism — if such indeed is even possible (I grow pessimistic), for “social revolution” too is increasingly a myth.
vegan enthuasiast

September 6, 2011 at 8:52 pm

i do not claim to be a ‘vegan purist’. I guess I could be called a vegan enthuasiast for the ii do not claim to be a ‘vegan purist’. I guess I could be called a vegan enthuasiast for the impettus manifested in my

participation in such activities as:adopting a minimalist lifestyle to help reduce the amount of suffering I cause. For

example, choosing to buy a pound of orgamic lentils at my local co-op rater than buying a bean burrito, sans the cheese,

from Taco Bell. Taco Bell claims that their bean burritos are vegan when ordered without cheese. Or, researching companies

when choosing which brand of soymilk I will purchase, better yet ordering my soybeans from a soybean farmer and making my

own soymilk, can get a little time consuming. Something as simple as choosing vegan cat food is, to me, a no-brainer and

one of the easier choices when stiving to do the best I can to achieve the highest level of harm reduction to animals. I

figure that the nutrients needed by cats, and other mammals, can be garnered as easily as the animals they are fed or eat

on their own in the free. Instead of ingesting recycled nutrients, we can feed cats nutrients straight from the source in

many cases. The idea that we must drink milk to have calcium has long been inculcated into us to the point that some people

don’t even consider other sources for calcium such as almonds or that there is more protein in quinoa than in ‘beef’.

Supplements, such as VegeCat, should comfort anyone concerned that cats can not get the same nutrients as, say, cows can

get from plant sources. I was shocked to learn that you, Dr. Best, feed your cats other animals. I would expect this from

Peter Singer. I would never expect this from you. I am not the ‘vegan police’ but I do have an opinion. There are many cats

who have been vegan for more than 15 years. I rescued a cat when he was 8weeks old. He is 8 years old now and has been

vegan since I got him. He has never been sick and seems to enjoy all the vegan delights I give him, Tofurky keilbasa

casserole with broccoli and Daiya vegan cheese being one of his favorite dishes. So, if the scientific evidence is still

out, the empirical jury is in. Buy some Vegecat supplement powder, look up some vegan cat recipes and evolve. mpettus manifested in my

participation in such activities as:adopting a minimalist lifestyle to help reduce the amount of suffering I cause. For

example, choosing to buy a pound of orgamic lentils at my local co-op rater than buying a bean burrito, sans the cheese,

from Taco Bell. Taco Bell claims that their bean burritos are vegan when ordered without cheese. Or, researching companies

when choosing which brand of soymilk I will purchase, better yet ordering my soybeans from a soybean farmer and making my

own soymilk, can get a little time consuming. Something as simple as choosing vegan cat food is, to me, a no-brainer and

one of the easier choices when stiving to do the best I can to achieve the highest level of harm reduction to animals. I

figure that the nutrients needed by cats, and other mammals, can be garnered as easily as the animals they are fed or eat

on their own in the free. Instead of ingesting recycled nutrients, we can feed cats nutrients straight from the source in

many cases. The idea that we must drink milk to have calcium has long been inculcated into us to the point that some people

don’t even consider other sources for calcium such as almonds or that there is more protein in quinoa than in ‘beef’.

Supplements, such as VegeCat, should comfort anyone concerned that cats can not get the same nutrients as, say, cows can

get from plant sources. I was shocked to learn that you, Dr. Best, feed your cats other animals. I would expect this from

Peter Singer. I would never expect this from you. I am not the ‘vegan police’ but I do have an opinion. There are many cats

who have been vegan for more than 15 years. I rescued a cat when he was 8weeks old. He is 8 years old now and has been

vegan since I got him. He has never been sick and seems to enjoy all the vegan delights I give him, Tofurky keilbasa

casserole with broccoli and Daiya vegan cheese being one of his favorite dishes. So, if the scientific evidence is still

out, the empirical jury is in. Buy some Vegecat supplement powder, look up some vegan cat recipes and evolve.
drstevebest

September 7, 2011 at 12:05 am

Well, don’t be shocked, as I said I weighed this on both sides, both reading studies and hearing anectdotes. Don’t be shocked if you find other vegans with a host of inconsistencies, such as buying vegan food at non-vegan stores and eating vegan food at non-vegan restaurants (funny how no one answers this question when I pose it to them with their finger wagging in my face). How is this different from feeding my cats meat? Except that it is even more supportive of the flesh industries and throws even more money their way.

Don’t equate me with Peter Singer, who is a vegan-when-convenient flexitarian, and I never cheat and I go hungry rather than eat non-vegan meals, and I travel all over the world and find myself in some very food-challenged places and situations.

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE SHOCKED when you hear the pontificating I hear from people who claim to be pure, wholly consistent, and free of contradiction in their lifestyle, as they are ignorant of and not involved in the political and ecological crises of the planet in any way in most cases I encounter. I have researched the issue, and have tried to make my cats vegans, and failed, so spare me the condescending remarks of not being evolved, as I gaze up upon you on your higher spiritual plane. This is a facile judgment not only because you condemn me on one criterion, but you know nothing about me to make such calls. Being evolved is not only something one strives to be in the realm of lifestyle, but also political consciousness and a wide range of learning in general and involvement at the political level.

So I appreciate your detailed response, but find you represent the typical purist, sanctimonious, and one-dimensional thinking that emanates from the from the pretentious (and typically elitist and authoritarian) lotus leaf-land of the Vegan Police and moral fundamentalists. Sorry if that is somewhat unkind, but your letter and tone betrays more than a touch of purism, apoliticism, and condescending sanctimony, but thank you for at least sparing me the hostility and verbal violence that no one doles out better than vegangelicists and pacifists.

There is one thing I will say, however, in hearing you out and so many others, while striving not to be harsh and judgmental toward them or intrusively probing their own inconsistencies, as I could easily do if I took on my Socrates persona. And that is that I am going to make a renewed effort at this, I will actually try some of the newer products you and others have mentioned to me, as I do this slowly and carefully, allowing my cats to have the last word on whether this is tasty for them and whether their bodies respond well or poorly.

Unlike most others (I don’t know you so leave you out of this category), I actually listen to, weigh, and deliberate what people say in opposing arguments if it seems to have any merit at all. And I do find enough merit in what I hear and continue to study to try this out more systematically with my cats, while nevertheless remaining skeptical and feeling like a vegan vivisector experimenting with my values on carnivorous animals. That doesn’t make me evolved or unevolved, just open-minded and uncomfortable with my shortcomings from my own ideals, which stem from the fact that I became a trusted guardian of 5 magnificent rescue cats who have shown a distinct distaste for any vegan products I have tried to introduce.

Thanks for writing.
vegan

September 7, 2011 at 10:14 am

*add seeds or nuts
Dr Best,
I think there is an obvious difference in actually purchasing ‘meat’ and purchasing vegan items

at a store that sells ‘meat’. Of course, I certainly do not wish to give my money to a store

that sells ‘meat’, but by not purchasing animal ‘products’ at the very least I am using my

dollar to do as little harm as possible. By purchasing animal ‘products’ not only are we

directly supporting the murder of animals, we are also complicit in helping keep the store in

business. So, I think, the least amount of harm would be not directly supporting the murder of

animals rather helping keep the store in business. I would rather not do either but at least

I’m not doing both.

I chat with a small number of vegans of whom I do not know one who claims to be a perfect

vegan. Vegans I know are aware that the best they can do is the least harm possible. Vegans I

know are aware that it is basically impossible not to do some harm no matter how hard we try

short of killing ourselves. The point being, we strive to do the least harm as possible.

Choosing to directly purchase animal ‘products’ is pretty easy to avoid. Choosing to buy vegan

cat food or non-vegan cat food is an easy choice. There are several good vegan cat foods if the

idea of cooking vegan meals for cats is daunting. My cat seems to really appreciate the daily

cooking of an array of vegan offerings and, of course, my homemade cookies with Vegecat

supplement tucked away inside with cinnamon, pumpkin or other flavors to hide the taste of the

supplment. Yes, it is a little time consuming to shop for and prepare his meals. But hey, when

he rescued me I knew I would do anything I could to make him happy & healthy.

I will be condescending because you are well educated and know what animals endure at the whims

of really “ignorant” people who know their complicity is wrong. I’m not as educated as you so

you lost me with the ‘political consciousness’ when the context of my ‘evolve’ statement was

just directed at the choice to buy/make vegan cat food or not.

I clarified that I am certainly not a “vegan purist”. I am someone with an opinion and my

opinion stands. I would have never expected you to choose to give your cats non-vegan food. It

really blows my mind. I certainly hope that you are somehow inspired to make/buy vegan cat

food. I do apologize if I came on strong. You are a hero to me and it’s hard when you find that

your hero falls short in something. Especially something you would have never imagined. I feel

you are at the front of the ‘movement’-for lack of a better term. When recommending books,

yours are the first I recommend. I have a copy of all of your books and I built a special shelf

just for my collection of your books. Of course, the shelf went on top because that is how I

think of you-Top Shelf. So, please forgive my outburst of surprise. But, I am certainly not a

self-proclaimed ‘purist’ or a member of the vegan police. I am just a fan with an opinion.
Again, I hope you will reconsider and choose to feed your cat pals vegan food. I am glad to

hear you will consider and perhaps try some of the food products/recipes mentioned by folks.

There are some good vegan recipes online for cats. Imagination with recipes goes a long way.

Casseroles give an opportunity to add healthy ingredients/nutrients. I suggest Tofurky products

as an analogue. Tofurky products are tasty and packed with protein and they use organic

soybeans in all of their products to my understanding. Of course, they unfortunately use

sodium. . When in a rush and as a treat I give my cat pal Tofurky deli slices straight out of

the pack. I’m posting my cookie recipe below. I have had decent success with the cookie recipe

and have found many non-vegan cats & dogs who like them.

Vegan Cat/Dog Cookies
2 cups organic flour
pinch baking soda
1/8 cup organic milled flax seed
can add organic cornmeal or other grains-just add more liquid to compensate for dryness
dash cinnamon
1/2 cup organic applesauce (or pureed pumpkin, almond butter, peanut butter or pureed

bananas-this recipe is very versatile-let your imagination go wild and add any healhy pureed

fruit or pureed veggies, etc.)
1/8 cup Vegecat supplement (vegan essentials online store is one place to order)
enough liquid to bring the mix together
Mix dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients
Scoop with small ice cream scooper onto oiled pan or roll into balls or spread into pan and cut

into squares, etc
bake appx 20-30 min. depending on size, oven, etc.
these store great in freezer
*can add seeds or nuts
drstevebest

September 7, 2011 at 10:56 am

I’m sorry to let you down, but the fact that you held me, a mere human, beyond reproach, and much of the tone of your criticism, which doesn’t yet grasp my basic point that we are all embedded in some inconsistency or shortcoming, betrays a purist standard,, whether you recognize it or not. And how does rare honesty and enduring a withering storm from hypocrites and lifestyle vegan fetishists not something to admire, anyway? Nor do you come close to pointing out the relevance of giving money to the flesh industry at the restaurant and store, as you admit you do, and giving it to them at the petfood place? In both cases, a vegan is pumping money into the system, you are supporting people who buy and sell dead animals, how is this not an inconsistency? And you choose to do it, whereas you could grow a garden or boycott any restaurant not vegan but you don’t do either I am aware of. And I bet you put in more money than I do at those places than buying cat food. I wont repeat the point again, but I find the logic unassailable. And yes, I said I am going to renew my efforts, cats willing, and thank you for the information.

But look: I’ve also said the question is not how pure your vegan lifestyle is, but more generally how active and effective are you in bringing about systemic social change? The entire system is murderous and unsustainable, and the typical lifestyle vegan is capitalist, consumerist, elitist, and ind individualistic, a vegan bubble world detached from the larger struggles I have deeply involved myself in for 30 years now.

But somehow that doesn’t get factored in the equation of moral judgment, and it’s so much easier to “expose” me as a “fraud,” when I am being scrupulously honest and issuing challenges my critics — some unbelievably hateful and hostile — cannot address, because they are complicit too. They see and live in the small picture whereas I never take my eyes off the totality.

I hope that at the same time I hear you and others out, you will all be as honest as I strive to be, examine your own imperfections and flaws, and recognize the deep problems with lifestyle veganism, and involve themselves politically in the deep social and ecological crises ripping this world apart right now. Only then can veganism and animal liberation reach their fullest potential in alliance with other social movements, as I have argued in detail in many essays and tried to bring about in practice. Because we cannot possibly change this world while being less than one percent of the population (in the US at least); with dramatic spikes in meat consumption in China, India, and the developing world; with our mutual alienation from other social movements.

People can rejoice in their petty hostilities all they like, for I have a much deeper conception of veganism and ethical responsibility that doesn’t allow lifestyle vegans and vegan police to present themselves in such a flattering and self-satisfying light. I set much deeper challenges and standards for myself, and for this movement as a whole. The issued raised over cats are not trivial, but in the larger picture, they are inconsequential compared to what we and this movement needs to do to escalate the struggle against a system that will destroy every last living being and functioning ecosystem until nothing is left.

But how many many vegans are informed about that, recognize and understand that, let alone work on the bigger and systemic issues that need to be resolved if there if there is to be life at all? We clearly have a different scale or worry and investment of energy. I will of course remain vegan myself, and I am not a “cheating” vegan (18 years now), but I see veganism and the lifestyle focus as a distraction from the deep structural causes of social and ecological crisis today, and will always believe that veganism must be social and political and overcome purism and internal attacks to focus on real enemies and forces of destruction.

So while people continue in various places to negate my intense amount of activism over the last 30 years to focus on what I feed my cats, and continue to ignore globalization, neoliberalism, the spike in meat consumption in China and India, I can only see how flawed the vegan paradigm and movement is, and this is a shame because veganism and animal liberation are to crucial to a viable future for all animals and the ecological integrity of the planet. The left will simply create another speciesist system without our playing a major role in social transformation, if they can accomplish anything at all, also very doubtful.

But so long as we bicker and talk about cats (not an insignificant issue, but let’s keep it in perspective), we will forfeit what we offer to the future and healing the planet and always remain as pathetically marginalized as we all are. And thus so much of my work focuses on the urgency of these crises, the big picture, the interconnectedness of oppressions, and the need for radical alliances of resistance deeper and broader and bolder than anyone has dared to imagine…

So you see, while I may not perfectly fit your definition of vegan, and that of all lifestyle vegans and vegan police, none of you fit my definition of vegan, and, dare I say it, one is more substantive, authentic, and relevant to systemic change than the other, but also more difficult than trading recipes and potlucking; denial of complexity and criticism of others while exempting oneself is always the easy path.

Thanks again.
a vegan

September 7, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Dr Best,
I think there is an obvious difference in actually purchasing ‘meat’ and purchasing vegan items at a store that sells ‘meat’. Of course, I certainly do not wish to give my money to a store that sells ‘meat’, but by not purchasing animal ‘products’ at the very least I am using my dollar to do as little harm as possible. By purchasing animal ‘products’ not only are we directly supporting the murder of animals, we are also complicit in helping keep the store in business. So, I think, the least amount of harm would be not directly supporting the murder of animals rather helping keep the store in business. I would rather not do either but at least I’m not doing both.

I chat with a small number of vegans of whom I do not know one who claims to be a perfect vegan. Vegans I know are aware that the best they can do is the least harm possible. Vegans I know are aware that it is basically impossible not to do some harm no matter how hard we try short of killing ourselves. The point being, we strive to do the least harm as possible. Choosing to directly purchase animal ‘products’ is pretty easy to avoid. Choosing to buy vegan cat food or non-vegan cat food is an easy choice. There are several good vegan cat foods if the idea of cooking vegan meals for cats is daunting. My cat seems to really appreciate the daily cooking of an array of vegan offerings and, of course, my homemade cookies with Vegecat supplement tucked away inside with cinnamon, pumpkin or other flavors to hide the taste of the supplment. Yes, it is a little time consuming to shop for and prepare his meals. But hey, when he rescued me I knew I would do anything I could to make him happy & healthy.

I will be condescending because you are well educated and know what animals endure at the whims of really “ignorant” people who know their complicity is wrong. I’m not as educated as you so you lost me with the ‘political consciousness’ when the context of my ‘evolve’ statement was just directed at the choice to buy/make vegan cat food or not.

I clarified that I am certainly not a “vegan purist”. I am someone with an opinion and my opinion stands. I would have never expected you to choose to give your cats non-vegan food. It really blows my mind. I certainly hope that you are somehow inspired to make/buy vegan cat food. I do apologize if I came on strong. You are a hero to me and it’s hard when you find that your hero falls short in something. Especially something you would have never imagined. I feel you are at the front of the ‘movement’-for lack of a better term. When recommending books, yours are the first I recommend. I have a copy of all of your books and I built a special shelf just for my collection of your books. Of course, the shelf went on top because that is how I think of you-Top Shelf. So, please forgive my outburst of surprise. But, I am certainly not a self-proclaimed ‘purist’ or a member of the vegan police. I am just a fan with an opinion.
Again, I hope you will reconsider and choose to feed your cat pals vegan food. I am glad to hear you will consider and perhaps try some of the food products/recipes mentioned by folks. There are some good vegan recipes online for cats. Imagination with recipes goes a long way. Casseroles give an opportunity to add healthy ingredients/nutrients. I suggest Tofurky products as an analogue. Tofurky products are tasty and packed with protein and they use organic soybeans in all of their products to my understanding. Of course, they unfortunately use sodium. . When in a rush and as a treat I give my cat pal Tofurky deli slices straight out of the pack. I’m posting my cookie recipe below. I have had decent success with the cookie recipe and have found many non-vegan cats & dogs who like them.

Vegan Cat/Dog Cookies
2 cups organic flour
pinch baking soda
1/8 cup organic milled flax seed
can add organic cornmeal or other grains-just add more liquid to compensate for dryness
dash cinnamon
1/2 cup organic applesauce (or pureed pumpkin, almond butter, peanut butter or pureed bananas-this recipe is very versatile-let your imagination go wild and add any healhy pureed fruit or pureed veggies, etc.)
1/8 cup Vegecat supplement (vegan essentials online store is one place to order)
enough liquid to bring the mix together
Mix dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients
Scoop with small ice cream scooper onto oiled pan or roll into balls or spread into pan and cut into squares, etc
bake appx 20-30 min. depending on size, oven, etc.
these store great in freezer
*can add seeds or nuts
Elaine

September 8, 2011 at 1:43 am

My cats eat meat. My dogs don’t. It’s a compromise I’m willing to live with.

To make up for it (and whatever other minor transgressions I make, for example, feeding my son Oreos) I will continue to do veg education and outreach by leafleting, tabling, giving out free food, and blogging.
Holy clueless masses

September 9, 2011 at 11:19 am

This blog entry got 10x more comments than your “Capitalism in Crisis” entry. That kind of says it all about where the “vegan movement” is at.

You’re way ahead of the game, Mr. Best. These people are flailing in your wake.

If you want to know what the future of the American police state will look like in a couple years, turn your attention to Michigan. While people are worried about what “will happen” in WI, it’s already happened or happening in MI – dictatorial financial emergency managers, taxation without representation, ALEC/Macinack policies carried out exactly as planned, the selling off (privatization) of the commons, privitization of schools (and eventually prisons, where free labor of prisoners will replace public sector employees), Devos and Erik prince (Blackwater) ties rule politics, control of great lakes (freshwater for bread basket of U.S. as the aquifer is depleted), ICE/pumped up border security with drone surveillance. It’s ground zero for the elites. As they wave WI with one hand, behind their back they are changing MI with their other hand.

climate change, peak oil, peak metals/resources, peak water. Tar sands, keysone xl, fracking (earthquakes), the oil race to the arctic (ironic, no?), deep sea drilling, Nigeria, Ecuador…Libya…Yemen…Somalia…Iraq…Afghanistan…Packistan…predators…reapers…fire scouts…UMVs that act like hummingirds or walk like dogs…and will eventually work in an autonomous swarm…real bees that are dying in masses…no pollination…no need, we’ve got GM crops to save us, the new green revolution..seed control therefore food control…the harrassment of those living off grid…monocrops…loss of biodiversity, loss of predators, movement of free living animals moving north due to heat and loss of food, isolation of animals due to human encroachment/development, loss of birds, influx of insects/mosquitos, bats dying off, diseases on rise, food shortages, water droughts, control of water, civil wars, die off of fish, acidification of ocean, wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, arctic melting, conveyer belt awry, sea level rising, tipping points, waterways polluted, mountaintops blown open, deregulation, nafta,free trade, shock doctrine, biometrics, iris scans, immigration crackdown/papers, facial recognition, iarpa, darpa, data collection, rfids, cyberwars, registered travellers program, prison-industrial complex,war on women’s rights, war on lgbt rights, war on the poor, Consumer propaganda, media controlled by elite, collapse of the dollar (probable replacement of western currency (SDRs?)…etc., etc., etc………..there is so much more…

And, yes, factory farms.

But by all means, people, continue squabbling about cat food. Because when the blackouts hit your town, I’m sure you’ll still be worrying what Steve Best feeds to his cats.

And one day when you look out your window to see an array of autonomous drones staring back at you, please be sure to quickly get on facebook to tell everyone you know, because i am sure the govt would also like to know they are doing their job well.
drstevebest

September 9, 2011 at 1:21 pm

Thank you for your eloquence and insights; this is very powerful and incisive, and dead on. In Facebook Veganville, you would be jumped, trounced, and rolled for being a “pessimist” and ex-patriated for the heresy of not taking your daily Soma, not drinking the Kool-Aid, for daring to look beyond single-issue vision to see the true realities and full scope of the social and ecological crisis, so radical and real that the weakness and near irrelevance of the vegan movement (in its actual rather than unrealized potential state) might be recognized with a soul-shattering force. You make an excellent point about how much more critical fire and general commentary this issue has drawn in comparison to a significant critical video of capitalist hegemony hat probably very few watched and fewer still could incorporate into or reconcile with their individualist lifestyle paradigm, insular space, and theological belief in the Second Coming of peace and harmony, such as the vegan “movement” and only it — in its massive armies surging forth from less than one percent of the population (in the US and similarly elsewhere) and its diverse white-to-white rainbow spectrum — can bring about. That indeed speaks volumes. Great post, thank you.
Lupo

September 11, 2011 at 4:31 am

Nice to finally hear this from someone in the real animal rights community, rather than just the weak “animal welfarists” who claim that all animal rights activists fall into the cultish realm of yuppie veganism you so accurately described.

It’s amazing how issues as diverse as the continuing demonization and slaughter of wolves or the horrific experimentation still being conducted on primates get only passing mention in the wider “vegan movement”, but the moment someone accidentally eats meat, doesn’t feed their pets a strictly vegan diet, or other imaginary “sins”, a fiery debate rages on the intenet and even in real life meetings. Whenever a real issue is brought up, any sympathy it may generate is instantly negated by self-congratulatory backslapping about how “we” are winning the fight against human exceptionalism.

To me, the point of veganism (or vegetarianism) in the world we live in now is not to be “pure” (as you rightly suggest, it’s impossible) but rather to show that an alternative system is possible, to avoid hypocrisy, and to maintain consistent personal ethics. It isn’t about self-righteousness or the delusional belief that because a few upper-middle-class white people stop eating meat, humanity’s attitude towards other animals will change.

Not only is this puritanism cultish and self-righteous, it also scars the bigger picture of animal liberation. Any media figure who wants to be taken seriously on this issue always must first clarify his disassociation with the stereotypes generated by “yuppie” or “psuedo-hippie” veganism. And at worst, otherwise interested people are turned away by the stereotypical image of animal rights, and the real movement is kept small and relatively powerless. The trouble real activists have throwing off the stereotype when around those who aren’t activists is immense- I don’t know how many times I’ve had to disprove people’s stereotypes about being a vague, psuedo-scientific, whale-music-listening (though wolfsong is enjoyable) hippie.

Anyway, thank you for writing this. This message should be heard far more often.
drstevebest

September 11, 2011 at 4:53 am

Thank you for this thoughtful and detailed response, and the support, and of course I could not agree more; the focus of the vegan movement is so narrow, its mindset so denialist and complacent, i do not believe it will ever get smart and fulfill the great potential it has for shaping a viable future. Because as I’ve emphasized the Left is too paleolithic to generate on its own a future worth fighting for without vegans and the AL movement, but neither side gets it or grasps the big picture, pretty hard when you lack the schooling in history and philosophy and have not taken a decade or two to think through the complexities.

ATTENTION ALL VEGANS! I strongly urge you to go to UK Indymedia and some UK anarchist sites to read what they think of the vegan and animal advocacy movements. On one hand, it is shockingly arrogant, dogmatic, ignorant, and speciesist, and totally unworthy of a tradition with a cultured and political history as deep as the Left’s; on the other hand, who can deny much of what they say or not understand why they think this way of us? As a leftist, vegan, and AL activist, I can see the deep flaws in all movements and the profound need for dialogue, understanding, and alliance.

Am I confident it will happen? Hell no, I lost all religious faith decades ago. Do I think the vegan movement will be anything but an embarrassment that invites this hateful and contemptuous wrath and continue to spin the windmills of irrelevance and self-deception? No.

Do I think this species in general will get it together, ever,to stave off the crises lifestyle vegans insist they cannot honestly confront without sinking into the quicksand of despair? No. (But notice that the denialists — who refer vegan religion over scientific truth and social analysis — in effect make my point for me: that we live in a deeply-crisis ridden world that threatens mass extinction including our own? If you were held in the basement of the Roman Coliseum in 100 AD, and told that you were going fight an opponent the next day, wouldn’t it behoove you, instead of assuming an easy victory, to ask how big and strong your enemy is so that you have a chance to gear up and prepare for a formidable battle? Turning away from the harsh realities of social and ecological crisis is a recipe for failure, hardly a guarantee of victory. But, in a classic case of blaming the messenger, the Soma addicts of Veganville only stuff wax in their ears and dismiss the sober-minded who study the facts on population
growth, the spike in meat consumption, the modernization of China and India, the catastrophe of neoliberalism, and the warnings of world scientists, and dismiss you as a “pessimist” who is “dangerous to the movement.”)

Am I therefore a decadent and nihilist? No, but you’ll have to read my reflections below on activism in an age of crisis and culture of suicide to know how and why I still fight. With apologies to pacifists of delicate sensibilities, if we want to avert complete collapse and catastrophe, we with fall and lay bare our throats or we make this a two-sided war.

Thanks again, I have some crumbs to hang onto know there is some life and intelligence out there and some who get the bigger picture, for I have walked through a gauntlet of hostility and ignorance lately and needed a lift.
Aran

September 11, 2011 at 10:15 am

I think you made some really good points here. Derrick Jensen said something similar about the environmental movement, he posed the point that people are not guilty for environmental destruction because they use toilet paper and that paper comes from deforestation, they are guilty because they don’t directly stop the companies from doing deforestation.

That said (and putting aside the issue of cats) I like people (who many activists consider ‘Vegan Police’) that tell you if something has animal products in them or if a company is linked with animal abuse or who challenge me for eating palm oil – I may not always do what they want but I am glad they told me. I will always share my view on something myself and tell people if I disagree. I know this is a side issue from the war for total liberation, some what of an irrelevance given the current conditions the animals face – but even in the war there is time to chat while moving between targets 🙂
drstevebest

September 11, 2011 at 12:23 pm

Thanks, I really like Jensen’s work and politics, and would like if even more if he didn’t kill and eat animals, but I;ll take his big picture resistance politics over a pseudo-purist, single issue vegan’s elitist politics any day. I agree with you and in terms of my own life am a strict vegan and would cease using any product not vegan or made from palm oil, or was owned by a meat/dairy industry like some soy milk and fake meat products are, etc. But we’re dealing with cats, who arguably are obligate carnivores, and none of the many anecdotal stories I have heard overall and especially recently are enough to allay my fear with experimenting with the beings I love most in this shitty world.. That said, I’ve noted many times now I intend to try some new vegan kibble, with great trepidation and close monitoring, and surely everyone coming down on strict vegans with non-vegan cats ought to spend that time and energy examining their own shortcomings, thinking about the problematic nature of this brand of proselytizing, and focus more on the macro-picture and structural logic and repressive mechanisms of global capitalism and what they can do to become part of a social resistance movement to this implacably omnicidal machine. If nothing else, read more on social theory and history to understand the deep and manifold causes of the ever-worsening social and ecological crises and move from shallow veganism to a more political and engaged deep veganism and total liberation politics. Back to the consumption problem thought, If you have any information, I’ve been meaning to learn more about the degree to which the soy products grown on decimated rainforest land go into vegan products rather than only cattle feed, and what products a vegan might unwittingly use than contain palm oil ingredients, especially if masked or not labelled. This would be a real service vegan police could perform rather than attacking fellow vegans for contradictions they also have but do not or will not admit or cop to. Again, I don’t consider these type of issues trivial, especially if vegans are consuming palm oil products or rainforest soybeans, but in the larger scale of things (which you recognize exists and demands our urgent attention), we are maximizing our ineffectiveness and marginalization (does not eating meat/dairy/eggs really do anything if practiced by less than one per cent of society?) and minimizing the contributions we can make on a larger scale demanding our participation in social movements, mass resistance forces, and transformative politics. Thanks for writing!
Aran

September 11, 2011 at 5:30 pm

Sounds like you are a stricter vegan than me because I find it very hard to avoid palm oil or unethical soya – although I am happy to be reminded by stricter vegans of which products to avoid in that regard. The main issue I have with palm oil is the fact it is mostly labelled ‘vegetable oil’ which is annoying as everything has vegetable oil. I totally agree that the best thing Vegan Police types can do is research which products are problematic in regard to palm/soya.

I also agree with your general analysis that points away from personal purity and toward effective action. I’d much prefer to drink an energy drink for example that ‘looks vegan’ (even if I am unsure) than miss out on an effective SHAC demo because I am physically knackered. I don’t think keeping lists of non-vegan E numbers is a great use of activist time either, although I am quite happy if Vegan Police types provide me with one. However the actions must be first priority.
drstevebest

September 12, 2011 at 5:15 am

Yes, you are right, despite my flaws of imperfection pointed out by the perfect, I am setting the bar higher and demanding that veganism mean more; not diet, not lifestyle, not even ethics only, but a social movement part of a total liberation struggle, an anti-oppression movement, which actually is how Donald Watson, the founder of veganism, defined it in the mid 1940s; veganism has done into steep decline ever since, and see John Robbins is promoting happy meat and PETA is suggesting we eat 2% non-vegan foods and not ask too many questions of the restaurant staff, lest we give veganism a bad name! Your priorities are straight, I wish I could say the same for most of the docile, domesticated, and fantasy-clinging tiny crowd we call the vegan “community.”
Aran

September 13, 2011 at 11:14 am

Just to add. I have been thinking a lot about the palm oil issue and my question is a bit of a philosophical one, so I figured you’d be the best person to ask. I am aware of the ecological reasons for protecting the rainforest and not eating palm oil. However I am interested in the purely rights based question in terms of killing individuals directly how much worse is it than other plant based agriculture? Ie. pesticides killing animals, land being cleared in other areas apart from the rainforest (with less endanger species but still the same individual lives), hunting on farm land, shooting of ‘pests’ and such – is palm oil worst in terms of numbers? It seems like the focus on palm oil (from a rights perspective) is possibly justified around who is being killed rather than the numbers of individuals being killed. This may of course be reasonable as higher primates may legitimately suffer more in this process than other animals, I don’t know. What are your thoughts?
drstevebest

September 14, 2011 at 12:54 pm

Aron, don’t know if i am the one to best answer this, and haven’t forgotten, just super busy, meanwhile if you get info on this please share, I will try to get back to you, thanks
Torvus

September 17, 2011 at 9:44 pm

Thank you Dr Best for a badly needed reality check. Wishful thinking will get us nowhere. Neither will circling the wagons to ‘protect’ veganism. I believe we should stop criticising others, try to improve ourselves, and just be and do the best we can. Everyone is on their particular road at their particular stage and we should be inclusive and welcoming. It may not be a vegan who makes the decisive difference . . . Do you have to be vegan to be actively against fox-hunting? Hans Ruesch was an anti-vivisectionist who meticulously researched his shocking subject (in 4 languages), and suffered long and mightily to have his books published and distributed: he was a meat-eater.
drstevebest

September 17, 2011 at 9:53 pm

Thanks for this comment. I agree, ideally, everyone would be vegan, but would it have been better that Ruesch was vegan and wrote recipe books, or that he was not and write anti-vivisection books. Veganism is important, but it is not enough and despite the propaganda,, igniting resistance and large-scale social change is a greater contribution that what lifestyle Whole Foods fetishists, potluckers do. And I bet all these purist vegans consume various foods or products with palm oil in them, which is one of the worst things ever extracted from the earth, might do a post on that tonight. Thanks!
Candice

September 18, 2011 at 8:40 pm

“Supplements, such as VegeCat, should comfort anyone concerned that cats can not get the same nutrients as, say, cows can

get from plant sources”

are you sure about that? I did my own research too, and tried to get info from sources not selling products. It seems to me that a lot of people just assume that what is healthy for a human will be healthy for a pet, or indeed that at cat and a cow could eat the same, or even need the same nutrients (NOT). What I found is that the alkalinity of plant foods is inappropriate for a cat, and that many people who have used vegan foods have ended up with sick cats, unfortunately. Bananas??

The bigger issue is, yes, there is an elephant in the room that the most pure vegans can’t see. I have had this conversation with the more-ethical-than-thou, who as SB says, are ignorant of their contributions to oppression, violence, environmental degradation, even murder, simply by paying their taxes. Have you ever told your government to stop supporting the occupation of Palestine for example? Cause if you are American, you are supporting it (just one example, and any person in the West paying taxes, myself included, is complicit in many things by not challenging the government) So there are children being shot in the head with a bullet you paid for while you sit in judgment of the people who are feeding cat food to the cats, the point being that it seems that you don’t recognize your own role in injustices, then you can be ‘disappointed’ in SB and others.
drstevebest

September 18, 2011 at 9:29 pm

I have continued to study this science and vet reports on both sides of this issue and find anyone who thinks this issue is easy and settled in favor of veganizing cats is deluded. While I read some positive arguments this can be safely done, I also come across an alarming number of studies of urinary tract infections in male cats (such as any dry food, vegan or not can cause), and other problems. So the vegan kibble argument, if advanced as all a cat needs, seems reckless to me, although someone quite knowledgeable about the hazards of dry food is sending me recipes for wet vegan food and purees, but I am highly skeptical my cats will eat this. but will try. Meanwhile, later I will post information about palm oil, an evil, earth and animal habitat destroying product, that is in hundreds of ingredients not labelled as anything but “vegetable oil” and the like, and let the purists start examining their own inconsistencies rather than hiss at me and my gorgeous cats. Thank you for your input Candice! You help the sane among us keep perspective.
Camille Marino

September 19, 2011 at 12:52 am

I devoted a lot of time, money, and energy in an attempt to veganize my four cats and two dogs. I still have a jar of Vegecat and a lot of frustration and regret at having tried to make my cats conform to my beliefs.

Vegan fundamentalists are grounded in ideological dogma that are ultimately devoid of consideration for what is in the best interest of domesticated animals. Further, the emphasis consumerism and minutia is an utter distraction from the forces of destruction and oppression bearing down on the planet and every animal on it.

I concur entirely with Candice’s observations.
vegan

September 24, 2011 at 1:05 am

I thought my statement about me being aware that trying to do the least harm possible is about

the best we can do, short of killing ourselves, would have satisfied your need to continue

claiming I am not aware of inconsistencies in a vegan lifelstyle. I am perfectly aware that we

can never be ‘pure vegans’ by any stretch of the imagination. My point was that if I go to any

store, even vegan stores, I am contributing to the harm of animals and the environment and

slave labor as well but I’m not also purchasing animal ‘products’ such as non vegan cat food.

I actually do not buy food from a “petfood place”, I assume you meant a ‘pet’ store such as

‘Petsmart’. I buy some food, and other vegan goods, from a local co-op and some from Fred

Myers- a supermarket. And, I buy some stuff like Vegecat supplement from Vegan Essentials which

is an online store. I purchase the majority of my food ‘needs’, along with V-Dog vegan dog

nibbles, from Food Fight which is a local vegan store. I rarely purchase V-Dog nibbles because

they do not have an organic line so I usually make my own organic nibbles. Even if they had an

organic line, nibbles are a small part of my cat and dog pals diet. I prepare balanced meals

for them. Vegecat & Vegedog supplement includes recipes to make nibbles and a chart showing how

much supplement to give. I will cater to my cat pal’s tastes as long as the food is vegan. For

example, he likes the traditional tofurky keilbasa and does not like the tofurky keilbasa with

sun dried tomatoes. I would never cater to a taste for ‘meat’ if he even has a taste for

‘meat’. Again, I’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old, he is now 8 years old, and he has never

been given ‘meat’. He loves most of the tofurky analogues which, in my opinion, taste very much

like meat so he would probably like the taste of ‘meat’ if given to him. I would never cater to

a taste for tortured, raped, murdered, rotting animal flesh, for any reason, especially
considering he apparantly does not need ‘meat’ to live or he, my dog pal, my husband and I

would be long dead by now. If my cat and dog pal were accustomed to eating ‘meat’ and I wanted

to switch them to a vegan diet, assuming I just turned vegan or just decided to turn them vegan

or whatever reason, I am the alpha and so it goes. I bring home the fakin’ ‘bacon’ and,

assuming they didn’t like the taste, they would just have to eat it and would eat it when they

got hungry enough. Funny, I’ve never had a non vegan dog or cat turn down Tofurky products I’ve

offered them; Tofurky deli slices are the usual favorite. If my cat or dog pal decided they

wanted to hunt animals, for whatever reason, I would treat them as I would a hunter and try to

disrupt the hunt. Do I have a right to impose my ‘vegan will’ upon them? I have a strong

conviction that I do have a right to impose my ‘vegan will’ upon them
because I think we do not have the right to impose our taste for flesh or our desire for

survival upon other animals. As I reread my last sentence, I am overwhelmed by the

inconsistencies of veganism and feel like a hypcrite. I feel I have a right to try to stop a

hunt, for example, yet purchasing vegan goods will also
do harm. If I decide to go back to work to be able to purchase land and grow my own food, I

would still do harm. There is not a perfect vegan lifestyle. We will always cause harm, short

of complete consumption cessation. I find some consolation in not aggravating the

inconsistencies of veganism by choosing not to hunt, for example, or choosing not to buy non

vegan dog food for example, on top of my vegan purchases. You know, I can’t really call them

‘vegan purchases’ because they are not really vegan due to factors like the tires that deliver

the goods not being vegan or purchasing a ‘near vegan’ product from a company that has

employess who are not vegan. I guess they should be called ‘near vegan’ goods or ‘trying to be

vegan’ goods or ‘wish they were really vegan’ goods. So, anytime from here that I use the word

‘vegan’ what I really mean is ‘near vegan’. Awakening to harsh realities can make one feel very

helpless. I don’t like to feel helpless and want to empower myself. What are the best choices

to do the least harm? Are there ways to do no harm and still live out our lives? I would

definately purchase a book that offers answers to these questions.

My cat pal gets great vet check ups. I have his blood checked yearly and last year his protein

level was actually a little high so I had to scale back on the protein. I add quinoa, among

other healthy ingredients, to his homemade nibbles which is very high in protein so I had to

scale back on the amount I used along with other ingredients including the analogues. I

sometimes use a food processor to crumble tofurky products such as the tofurky feast log that

is popular on Thanksgiving. I buy them after Thanksgiving when they are on special to save

money and freeze them for the year. We have settled with Tofurky analogues because they are a

local company to us, they use organic soybeans, they use wind power and all of their products

are vegan-well, as close as you can get to vegan given the tires used in transport, the bugs

killed during the transport, etc. The taste of the analogue in the nibbles seems favorable, but

he also likes it when I flavor the nibbles with peanut butter instead of an analogue. I’m

rambling but what I am trying to say is that taste is certainly no reason for inflicting

suffering and death on other animals just for my cat pal to be satisfied and it is obviously

not necessary for him to be healthy. I don’t know what I would do if it were necessary for him

to eat other animals to be healthy. I do know that I see cats who eat the garbage that is

marketed to them getting cancer, among other horrible ailments, in alarming number. Diabetes is

another ailment that is commonplace now. But hey, they have medicine to sell us for everything

right. I am glad I was able to rescue him at such an early age and feed him a healthy vegan

diet for basically his entire life. Especially when I see other cats his age with cancer, etc.,

and he is super healthy. Same goes for my dog pal. Not to say they won’t have diet related

health issues at some point, but so far so good.

You commented on growing food as the ideal. Of course, I would prefer to be self sufficient and

grow all of my own food- although not perfect it would surely be the better
choice. Giving my money to Fred Myers, or in reality any store, is inconsistent with
those striving to maintain a vegan lifestyle for moral reasons. Giving my money to any store,

since I think we’ve established that there are only ‘near vegan’ goods, is insonsistent with a

vegan lifestyle, but certainly a double whammy would be to also purchase animal ‘products’.
Truthfully, there is no justification for me to buy goods anywhere; by doing so I am

prioritizing my wants and needs over other being’s very lives. What to do? Becoming complacent

with being complicit in causing harm is not an easy pill to swallow for those who pursue a

vegan lifestyle for moral reasons. It’s hard to sleep at night knowing that, no matter how hard

we try, we are causing harm. We are supposed to be the good guys who would do anything to end

animal exploitation and yet we cause harm. Knowing this can certainly be an impetus in part for

some of us to risk our freedom to try to compensate. Unfortunately, there is no compensation.

Harm done is harm done, period.
How do we distinguish what will cause the least harm when making choices?. Do I need to shop at

Fred Myers
or my local co-op to survive? What are the better choices, since there are not perfect choices?

Does my survival justify shopping at these places? My local co-op is vegetarian with the

exception of selling ‘pet’ food with ‘meat’. The co-op refuses to go all vegan; I do not know

of a vegan co-op. I do not see a difference in buying from the vegetarian co-op or Fred Myers,

they both sell animal ‘products’. I try to buy as many goods from Food Fight, the local vegan

store I mentioned, but they do not have enough items to sustain us. I am complicit in the

exploitation of animals even when puchasing my vegan goods from these places, I know. Again, I

know my purchases are only ‘near vegan’ even at a store that only sells vegan goods. I want to

feel good when I go to an all vegan store but I never feel good knowing all the reasons my

shopping experiences are only ‘near vegan’ and causes harm. I think about the animal ‘products’

used in the tires that delived the goods. I think about the insects that were possibly killed

by the transport of my purchases, and other animals such as a squirrel being ran over. I can

never shop without flashes of the many reasons I know of and God knows how many reasons I don’t

know of that make my shopping experience harmful to animals.
Back to what to do? Do I strike out on my own, boycott the stores and live off of whatever I

can grow on the balcony of my apartment? Really I should. If I were a better person I would. I

have checked out community living places such as the Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. To my

understanding, they only allow vegan food to be prepared in their communal kitchen. My mate was

not interested in communal living so that was that. Should I cut back on my activism to work

and save money to buy land to have a garden? I’m asking, should I? Since I know there is no

perfect vegan lifestyle, I can either kill myself or strive to make the best choices I can.

Those choices will never include buying animal ‘products’ such as ‘bacon’. The question is, how

do I go about doing the least harm possible and is there actually a way to do no harm at all?

As for putting more money into ‘those’ places than you I don’t know. I never eat at any

restaurant that is not vegan. I have that luxury due to where I live-I moved across country

just to be in a more vegan friendly environment.
(It was a selfish move, I could have possibly done more good staying in the hostile community I

lived in. I had a beer bottle thrown at me when I demonstrated in front of a Tyson chicken

plant. Many of the town folk were employed by the chicken plant or at the slaughterhouses so

asking them to go vegan when killing is how they made a living was near impossible as well as

sometimes dangerous. They had an outlet mall where I would leaflet several times a month,
my leaflets were rarely well recieved. My 6 year old niece would sometimes help me leaflet at

the outlet mall and some people were actually hostile to her. I could not find another vegan

and certainly not a vegan/activist group in a 70 mile radius of where I lived. (Not to say

there were not any other vegans besides my husband and myself but I could not find one.)
To help with minimizing the amount of money I put into ‘those’ places, or any place,
I do not have children nor will I ever have any. My vegan husband, cat pal, dog pal and I live

in a small apartment, buy mostly 2nd hand items such as car tires, clothing, furniture, etc.,

share a car, share a cell phone, do not have an air conditioner, on and on. When we travel,

which is rare, we pack our own food. I make our soymilk from organic soybeans that come from a

farmer that does not farm animals, only organic soybeans. I do not know what kind of organic

fertilizer he uses. He says he does
not use any animal waste as a fertilizer. These are examples of what I consider easy tasks when

striving to be the best vegans we can be and is the least I can do no matter how big of a

hassle these tasks may be.
Do I put more money than you do into establishments that are not vegan (I’m assuming that is

what you meant by ‘those’ places)? I really can’t know.

At any rate, I’m just a poor, dumb country girl. I had never heard the word vegetarian, and

certainly never heard the word vegan, but I made some connection when I was 14 and went

vegetarian. I was not smart enough to make the total connection to go vegan until I fortunately

was smart enough, with an internet connection, to research puppy mills which led to an

overwhelming amount of information on inconceivable atrocities that humans inflict upon

animals. (This is when I lived in Florida before I moved back to my home town).During my

research on puppy mills, I ran across an upcoming lecture to be given by Gary Yourofsky. My

mate and I attended the lecture and we both left the lecture as vegans.We have both been vegan

since. I immediately found a group of activist in my area.
I went to a lot of demonstrations and leafleted with the group of local activists. Since, we

moved back to my home town and then moved across country to be as close to vegan heaven as

possible- if only a vegan heaven existed. My husband and I decided that he would bring home the

vegan bread so that I could quit my job, become an activist/housewife and devote my life to

vegan outreach. We have tried our best to adopt an austere lifestyle. We are still coming up

with ways to reduce our impact-we make a game out of ideas/ways that we can do without

‘things’. The other night he challenged me to give up one of my only luxuries which is a vegan

perfume I adore that cost around $15 a bottle and I use about 2 bottles a year. His challenge

included him giving up his vegan shaving cream and instead using vegan soap that he already

uses to bathe with. He said the extra money should go into our ‘help’ jar that will go to one

of several places, such as dropping off vegan nibbles at a local sanctuary which is something

we have recently added onto our help jar list. Will you please give me some ideas of how/where

we should give/use the money in our help jar? A couple of the ways I have been using the money

are: to foster homeless animals, for gas to leaflet, volunteer, protest, etc.

Back to me trying to be an activist. (I hope you don’t mind my long, out of context ramblings

on your site. I understand if you don’t have the time to read this or all of it or if you don’t

have time to reply. I certainly don’t want to take time away that you could use for more

important matters.) Your advice/opinions would be very much appreciated and respected because,

again, I feel you are the #1 leader in the ‘movement’. Your ideas are the wisest that I have

read/heard. I have taken the time to read/listen to almost everyone that I know of in the

‘movement’. Second place goes to Dr. Vlasak-also a very wise man in my opinion. I like some of

Gary Francione’s ideas, but I do not agree with all of his points as I do yours. Finding out

that you feed your cats ‘meat’ is the first disagreement I’ve had with what I know of you which

is through your books, essays, videos and radio interviews. Gary Francione has several rescue

dogs that are all vegan. (Btw, I am waiting to see if you or Francione will lead a march on

Washington reminiscent of the 1963 civil rights march on Washington-around 250,000 people

attended, I wonder how many people would attend a march for animals.) One major disagreement I

have with Francione is his lack of approval and lack of respect he has for the ALF. I think it

is ridiculous for someone like Francione -well educated and very well aware of what animals

endure- to try to denounce the importance of the ALF to the movement and particularly to the

animals they rescue. We need more people like those of the ALF who will sacrifice all to bring

change. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be many people who are willing to risk their

freedom or personal gains to bring about much needed change for animals. We need more people

like Jill Phipps, Judi Bari, Peter Young, Gary Yourofsky, the list goes on a short while, who

are absolute heroes. Ok, now onto the advice I hope to have from you. I want to make the best

use of my time/resources. Should I go back to work to help buy land so my husband and I can

have our own garden? And, if I return to work I will have money to give to groups who are

helping animals. Is it better to give money to groups or use the time that I would be at work

for activism? Which groups/persons should I give money to if I should at all? If I remain a

housewife, or not, how should I delegate my time/resources? Should I continue my usual

activities of handing out leaflets, volunteering at events such as Vegfest, attending

demonstrations, talking to anyone, anywhere that will listen, wearing clothing/buttons/bumper

stickers on my car with a vegan message, writing letters to political figures, companies etc.,

volunteering at sanctuaries, fostering all the animals I can until I find them well inspected

families, feed the birds, squirrels, etc., that come into my yard, try to find the time to

learn Spanish so I can reach out to Spanish speaking folks and any other activity I come across

that I think deserves my attention. I try not to spend too much time online chatting with other

vegans because it’s time I could be handing out leaflets for example. It is sometimes

comforting to talk to other like minded people I admit. And, it’s nice to learn about other’s

ideas and actions, escpecially the actions of the ALF. I think that veganism is the “baseline

of the movement” which is why most of my attempts at activism revolves around vegan outreach in

particular and animal exploitation in general.
In my personal life I am concerned with my impact on the environment and try to do as much as I

can to help reduce my impact. I, also, care very much about human rights. Yet, my passion is

trying to help animals because I feel they are the most vulnerable. I reach out to people

involved in environmental and human rights issues when possible. For example, I leaflet or

table at the local Earth Day festival most every year. You have helped me greatly in my

attempts to align animal rights with human rights and the environmental movement in my

activism. Still, the end of animal exploitation is my dearest concern and where most all of my

time and resources are spent.

I have not addressed all of your comments in your last post to me. Forgive me for that. I would

be very appreciative if you would offer your advice on how to best use my time to achieve the

greatest good considering my position. Please, I hope at this point you don’t think of me as a

‘vegan elitist’ or a ‘vegan purist’. I certainly understand the inconsistencies of a vegan

lifestyle. I am just a fan with an opinion- and in want of your advice.

I hope for a march on Washington soon. I know the real change will come when we take it to the

streets and not by the preacher and the choir debating cat food. Though change for the animals

used to make the cat food could come now. I know we must take it to the streets. So, who will

organize a march on Washington if it’s even a worthy expenditure of time/resources. I think it

may be. You can count me in when/if the time comes. Imagine the news coverage. Is this a good

time? Calling all activists who want to take it to the streets. I think a march on Washingtone

is just what we need. I certainly can’t hurt, right?

Should you decide to give your cat pals a vegan diet, here are some links to the Vegecat

supplement I mentioned and some vegan cat nibbles. I want to mention how wonderful it is that

you are caring for rescued animals. I saw a bumper sticker on a car the other day, the sticker

was shaped like a dog hand and read: “Who rescued who”.

**Vegecat supplement: (this is the type that I use, there is also a vegecat ph supplement.

should you choose to use a vegecat supplement you may want to read about the difference in

types or maybe use both??) http://store.veganessentials.com/vegecat-mix-by-hoana-p1880.aspx
**Vegecat PH supplement: http://store.veganessentials.com/vegecat-phi-mix-by-hoana-p1882.aspx
I don’t use this either but I know some people who do and think it’s important. It’s vegeyeast

supplement that is supposed to be good for the urinary tract. Apparantly, some cats, especially

male cats, have some sort of trouble that this yeast is supposed to help with. You may want to

research to see if you want to use this??)
**Vegeyeast supplement:

http://store.veganessentials.com/vegeyeast-supplement-for-cats-and-dogs-by-hoana-p1874.aspx
**Vegekit supplement-for kittens:

http://store.veganessentials.com/vegekit-mix-by-hoana-p1881.aspx
**Here are some vegan cat food options: (if you want, you can order a small bag of each brand

to see which they like most)
**Evolution nibbles:

http://store.veganessentials.com/evolution-diet-vegan-cat-kibble-p1873.aspx
**Evolution canned food:

http://store.veganessentials.com/evolution-diet-canned-vegan-cat-food-p1933.aspx
**Ami nibbles: http://store.veganessentials.com/ami-cat-vegan-cat-food-p2246.aspx
**Hoana nibbles: http://store.veganessentials.com/vegecat-kibble-mix-by-hoana-p1883.aspx
vegan

September 24, 2011 at 1:41 am

ps In an attempt to clarify why I do not think I am a ‘vegan elitist’, my husband and I decided

not to have children which we thought would help with environmental/consumer concerns. Also,

the time needed to care for children, in our opinion, could be better spent handing out

leaflets or other forms of activism. We live in a 800 sq ft apartment which we pay $550 a

month. We share an old car and take the bus or ride our bikes when possible, we share a cell

phone and do not have a home phone (money better spent to help our activism), we live off

around $30,000 a year, we rarely go out to eat because I can make healthier food at home and

the money saved will help with our activism, we rarely go out at all because of the expense and

we never take vacations because we decided years ago that we would use that money for

activism-we do plan a vacation to celebrate being vegan for 10 years by going to Farm Sanctuary

for their Thanksgiving event, Farm Sanctuary is a state over from us and we have budgeted $300

for the trip including gas and will not have another vacation for another 10 years, most of our

belongings came from a thrift store or for free off Craigslist, we do justify giving our cat

pal and dog pal luxuries like Tofurky which is expensive but we rarely splurge for us to eat

the ‘convenience’ foods like Tofurky, we each have one silver wedding ring and no other

jewelry-not even watches, our cell phone and car have clocks, I do have a couple of ‘imitation’

broaches that I picked up at an estate sale and an antique store and one was given to me as a

gift from a family member but they cost under $10 each, I do not wear makeup for several

reasons, one being the cost, I borrow or go to the library for books-though I did splurge on a

collection of your books and 6 other books and 3 ALF videos, oh and a few tshirts I bought us

new and all have ‘animal rights’ messages and one shopping carry bag with an ALF print. I could

list other ways that I feel keep us off the ‘vegan elitist’ list, if I even understood what you

meant by ‘vegan elitist’. I could go back to work and increase our income so we could be better

consumers but we just can’t rationalize or moralize (did I use the word moralize in proper

context?). I just want to defend myself against being called a ‘vegan elitist’ or a ‘vegan

purist’. I hope this post and my post above do defend me from these terms. Thank you Dr. Best

for all you do. You are still my hero.
near vegan

September 26, 2011 at 4:35 am

ps In an attempt to clarify why I do not think I am a ‘vegan elitist’, my husband and I decided not to have children which we thought would help with environmental/consumer concerns. Also, the time needed to care for children, in our opinion, could be better spent handing out leaflets or other forms of activism. We live in a 800 sq ft apartment which we pay $550 a month. We share an old car and take the bus or ride our bikes when possible, we share a cell phone and do not have a home phone (money better spent to help our activism), we live off around $30,000 a year, we rarely go out to eat because I can make healthier food at home and the money saved will help with our activism, we rarely go out at all because of the expense and we never take vacations because we decided years ago that we would use that money for activism-we do plan a vacation to celebrate being vegan for 10 years by going to Farm Sanctuary for their Thanksgiving event, Farm Sanctuary is a state over from usemailreally@yahoo.com and we have budgeted $300 for the trip including gas and will not have another vacation for another 10 years, most of our belongings came from a thrift store or for free off Craigslist, we do justify giving our cat pal and dog pal luxuries like Tofurky which is expensive but we rarely splurge for us to eat the ‘convenience’ foods like Tofurky, we each have one silver wedding ring and no other jewelry-not even watches, our cell phone and car have clocks, I do have a couple of ‘imitation’ broaches that I picked up at an estate sale and an antique store and one was given to me as a gift from a family member but they cost under $10 each, I do not wear makeup for several reasons, one being the cost, I borrow or go to the library for books-though I did splurge on a collection of your books and 6 other books and 3 ALF videos, oh and a few tshirts I bought us new and all have ‘animal rights’ messages and one shopping carry bag with an ALF print. I could list other ways that I feel keep us off the ‘vegan elitist’ list, if I even understood what you meant by ‘vegan elitist’. I could go back to work and increase our income so we could be better consumers but we just can’t rationalize or moralize (did I use the word moralize in proper context?). I just want to defend myself against being called a ‘vegan elitist’ or a ‘vegan purist’. I hope this post and my post above do defend me from these terms. Thank you Dr. Best for all you do. You are still my hero.

Comments are closed.

Fuck this corrupt, omnicidal, nihilistic, corporate-controlled, fascist world-system; you don’t reform evil, you destroy it. Not a chance in hell to create a culture of life until we destroy the culture of death. Disease has consumed the entire body of civilization. We live among ruins, we inhabit a graveyard, an apocalyptic wasteland strewn with corpses, carrion, and zombies.
We need to focus like a laser beam on a grim truth: whatever the gains of a worldwide environmental and animal rights movements throughout the last four decades, they have nonetheless continued to lose ground in the battle to save biodiversity, to stop or even slow down the destruction of the rainforests, topsoil, coral reefs; to prevent ever-worsening resource wars; to end the blatant and open war and Holocaust against nonhuman animals; and to come to grips with the immanent catastrophe of climate change in our minds let alone our policies and actions.
The sense of urgency is rising in proportion to the severity of the crisis. Increasingly, calls for legislative change, moderation, compromise, and taking the slow march through the institutions can be seen as grotesquely inadequate, as growing numbers of people gravitate toward more radical tactics of change. “Reasonableness” and “moderation” in the current situation seem to be entirely unreasonable and immoderate, as “extreme” and “radical” actions appear simply as necessary and appropriate.
From Athens to Paris to Brazil, there is growing realization that politics as usual just won’t cut it anymore. We will always lose if we play by their rules rather than invent new forms of struggle, new social movements, and new sensibilities. The defense of the earth requires immediate and decisive action: logging roads need to be blocked, driftnets need to be cut, and cages need to be emptied. But these are piecemeal and reactive measures, and in addition to these tactics, radical movements and alliances must be built that unites struggles on behalf of humanity, nonhuman animals, and the earth in a politics of total liberation.

Resistance is the oxygen of the future. Live to resist, resist to live.
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Dr. Steve Best

In Response to “A Response to `Vegan Purists’ and `Vegan Police’ Who Criticize Vegans with Non-Vegan Cats”

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