Do you reckon you would’ve?
One of my idols is a historical figure - Benjamin Lay. He was a vegan back IN THE 1700s!!!! And he was fiercely against slavery, he spoke out against it loudly and forcefully. But I believe one of the reasons he was able to do this was because he was incredibly unique from day one - he was a strange looking fellow with dwarfism and never had any hope of fitting in to ‘normal’ society anyway - without the bounds of belonging he was able to find true morality and speak up for what was right. I hope we don’t have to be dwarfs to speak out against widespread cruelty and immorality in this day and age.
Change is scary, most people don't fight the primal instinct to belong. Especially when it is convenient, easy, and beneficial to go along with the majority. It is the uncomfortable and unfortunate truth that MOST people go along with deep ingrained systemic injustice because they've been taught to ignore it, expect it, or simply because it is too damn scary to stand up to people around you.
None of us want to go against the norm when it threatens our social standing and convenience, and I totally understand that. But there is always a choice, and sacrifices are necessary to get the ball rolling on big social movements. When the actions of the majority (even when it benefits you) seems to go against what's right in your heart, you can and you should stand up against it. It might make you a little uncomfortable to realise you may be in the majority and you might feel like ignoring or dismissing things like this article or other people spurring you on to make changes - that's cognitive dissonance and it is one of the reasons social justice movements are so slow; it takes a lot of guts to change your mind and change your behaviour and it is really really hard, but I urge you to push through it and give these ideas a chance. Our brains reject change even when it's the right thing to do because it takes a lot of energy to rewire beliefs, which is fair enough; I understand that feeling - I've been through it too. But I believe it's important to fight against it and put in the work to change your mind for the benefit of our collective moral future, and I believe all humanity ought to be working to a more moral and compassionate future.
We all would love to say, with hindsight, that if we had been there we would have been standing up against slavery and against the mistreatment of jews during the holocaust; that we would have cheered Martin Luther King Jr. on and supported his dream; and that we would have been marching the streets to support women's right to vote. But the reality is; the majority of us wouldn't, and didn't. It takes a damn long time to change things that are deeply and systemically wrong with our society; it takes a lot of fighting, a lot of reasoning, a lot of standing up uncomfortably and shouting the truth to whoever will listen, and perhaps the hardest part is watching people dismiss you and ignore you before things start to change.
That doesn't mean that those people who weren't standing up and fighting were bad people, even though we might like to think they were with hindsight. They were just people, people like you and me, people who made the choice to go along with what was normal because it was easier for them than standing up against it and risking their social standing, and in some cases even their lives. The scariest part about looking back on those eras, particularly one as shocking and horrific as the holocaust is realising that most of those people doing and supporting those horrible things were not evil people, they were just normal people, people who for the most part believed themselves to be compassionate, kind and moral human beings. They were people who loved their families, loved their pets, and just went and did their job everyday. For some of those people, that job was to push other people into gas chambers. In another time, some accepted the economic advantages and benefits of using slaves to work their fields.
There is a reason that heroic stories of people who hid their neighbours from Nazis, who got children out of danger, who freed slaves and who stood up and protested against injustice are widespread and celebrated - it's because their stories are rare they did what was right even though it was difficult, even though it was a risk, even though it put them at a disadvantage, and even though barely anyone else was doing it. It's admirable for sure, but here's the crux of the matter - those stories are celebrated, but the others are ignored - those stories of all those other neighbours who turned a blind eye, who pretended not to notice when people were being rounded up and taken away. Those people who joined everyone else at the markets where slaves were sold, just because that was a normal thing to do at the time and every one of their friends and neighbours had one. Again; those people were not bad people, they just succumbed to that very real and very primal instinct to belong - because belonging gives you the best chance of evolutionary survival, and that's a pretty realistic response.
To be honest with you, you probably wouldn't have been standing up against slavery, the holocaust, or the oppression of women back then. The easiest way to tell is... are you doing it now?
What are the biggest social injustices of our time, what are the movements we should be fighting tooth and nail to end? There's always a large number of social justice issues we should be working to put a stop to, and I admire those people who are advocating for them. We're well on our way with movements such as homosexual rights, trans rights, and the rights of refugees and immigrants; there are plenty of people highlighting these important movements and we've gotten past some really crucial turning points in terms of popular support for them and progressing them from a majority against to a majority for. They are certainly some of the most important current social movements. So if you're protesting for them, many kudos and much strength to you.
There are two huge movements that still seem to be in their infancy, two movements that are against injustices occurring on phenomenally large scales, and the two that I'm most passionate about; they actually go hand in hand. The first one is environmental destruction, we need to stand up and fight against single use plastics, we need to fight against toxic consumerism and the sheer volume of trash we create, fracking, toxic waste, oil spills, herbicides, pesticides, habitat destruction and fragmentation; and we need to fight against the ongoing ruination of our forests and our oceans by big industries like fossil fuels and animal agriculture. Its fairly obvious we can't go on abusing the environment as we have been doing, we have to force a big change in our current practices here if we've any hope of having a future on this planet.
The second, of course, is the unethical practices of mass animal agriculture, factory farming, slaughterhouses. There is a huge amount of systemised cruelty, torture, and an unreasonable scale of death, terror, and destruction in the production of meat, dairy, and eggs in our country, and indeed in almost every country globally. It's simply wrong, and although it's not yet a popular opinion - it is an incredibly important movement. We know we cause an enormous amount of suffering in these industries, that's hard to argue against. There are a whole lot of immoral practices going on in these cases. It's uncomfortable to acknowledge, but it's true. And we also know that vegan diets are healthy, complete, and appropriate for the vast vast majority of human beings.
Almost every day there is more footage leaked of slaughterhouse practices, that are hard to watch and that are clearly causing suffering and harm. It has gotten to the point where we oughtn't ignore the suffering of those animals any longer, those animals who clearly go through psychological torment throughout their lives spent in less than stimulating environments, those animals who are clearly afraid and experiencing pain. It is still very difficult to stand up against these industries and practices, look around you; it is still easy, convenient, and beneficial to ignore the huge societal problems we are up against. The people who are trying to call attention to these problems are ridiculed, laughed at, yelled at, and threatened. Just because they're threatening a system that benefits the majority - just like those who fought against slavery, just like those who stood up for women's rights to vote. But we are starting to gain traction, evidenced by the awareness of puppy farms and irresponsible breeders being higher now than ever, the highest rates of people making the switch to vegan lifestyle being recorded year after year; our movements are causing changes, the time to join us is now.
It is undeniably easier and more convenient to make excuses and arguments against change. It's easy for example to say it is more expensive or too difficult to find plastic-free food items; it is easy to say it is too expensive to buy vegan products (for the record - being vegan is NOT more expensive). Even if on some level we know these excuses or reasons are inaccurate or not worthwhile, these allow us to justify our decision to continue on the trajectory supported by the majority, it's how it's always been and even though it's painful to watch I can't hold it against anyone. But every person does have a choice, and if you're still reading, please think about whether you're allowing cognitive dissonance to prevent you from making the right one. The good thing about this movement is you can cause an enormous difference without doing very much at all. Use your mouth to protest, not just with your words, but what you choose to put into it. If you choose vegan meals I guarantee you you will be doing good work for this movement, its time to remove normalised animal cruelty; make it known that you won't choose to fund that industry any longer.
Here's some damn good news. We are not 200 years ago. We are in the here and now, and we have things that those people didn't. We have the social power of the internet, we have the protection of all those laws that past people fought for, we have the example of previous social justice movements that we can draw on for inspiration and to spur change in the hearts and minds of others. And we have you, your voice is important, your actions are important, and you can make a difference; and I urge you to try. It is scary, uncomfortable, and unusual to stand up against the majority and say 'what we are doing is wrong and we need to change it' you will probably get yelled at and driven to tears by people you love - just like those who refused to have slaves or who set slaves free were back 200 years ago. You would be told you are crazy, idyllic, stupid, a hippy, unrealistic. Heck, Martin Luther King Jr. had a guy spit on his face. But those people who put themselves out there and stood up for what was right; those are the people we admire, look up to and draw on for inspiration and motivation. I believe the strong should stand up for the weak, I believe that animals deserve safety, love, and respect, and I stand for removing unnecessary suffering and harm wherever it occurs, and I wish you would too.
Thank you for reading this all the way to the end. Much love to you, sending you positive vibes wherever you are. Please let me know in the comments what topics you'd like to read about, whether you enjoyed this one, or previous articles. Share it on your social media and give people some food for thought.
One of my idols is a historical figure - Benjamin Lay. He was a vegan back IN THE 1700s!!!! And he was fiercely against slavery, he spoke out against it loudly and forcefully. But I believe one of the reasons he was able to do this was because he was incredibly unique from day one - he was a strange looking fellow with dwarfism and never had any hope of fitting in to ‘normal’ society anyway - without the bounds of belonging he was able to find true morality and speak up for what was right. I hope we don’t have to be dwarfs to speak out against widespread cruelty and immorality in this day and age.
Change is scary, most people don't fight the primal instinct to belong. Especially when it is convenient, easy, and beneficial to go along with the majority. It is the uncomfortable and unfortunate truth that MOST people go along with deep ingrained systemic injustice because they've been taught to ignore it, expect it, or simply because it is too damn scary to stand up to people around you.
None of us want to go against the norm when it threatens our social standing and convenience, and I totally understand that. But there is always a choice, and sacrifices are necessary to get the ball rolling on big social movements. When the actions of the majority (even when it benefits you) seems to go against what's right in your heart, you can and you should stand up against it. It might make you a little uncomfortable to realise you may be in the majority and you might feel like ignoring or dismissing things like this article or other people spurring you on to make changes - that's cognitive dissonance and it is one of the reasons social justice movements are so slow; it takes a lot of guts to change your mind and change your behaviour and it is really really hard, but I urge you to push through it and give these ideas a chance. Our brains reject change even when it's the right thing to do because it takes a lot of energy to rewire beliefs, which is fair enough; I understand that feeling - I've been through it too. But I believe it's important to fight against it and put in the work to change your mind for the benefit of our collective moral future, and I believe all humanity ought to be working to a more moral and compassionate future.
We all would love to say, with hindsight, that if we had been there we would have been standing up against slavery and against the mistreatment of jews during the holocaust; that we would have cheered Martin Luther King Jr. on and supported his dream; and that we would have been marching the streets to support women's right to vote. But the reality is; the majority of us wouldn't, and didn't. It takes a damn long time to change things that are deeply and systemically wrong with our society; it takes a lot of fighting, a lot of reasoning, a lot of standing up uncomfortably and shouting the truth to whoever will listen, and perhaps the hardest part is watching people dismiss you and ignore you before things start to change.
That doesn't mean that those people who weren't standing up and fighting were bad people, even though we might like to think they were with hindsight. They were just people, people like you and me, people who made the choice to go along with what was normal because it was easier for them than standing up against it and risking their social standing, and in some cases even their lives. The scariest part about looking back on those eras, particularly one as shocking and horrific as the holocaust is realising that most of those people doing and supporting those horrible things were not evil people, they were just normal people, people who for the most part believed themselves to be compassionate, kind and moral human beings. They were people who loved their families, loved their pets, and just went and did their job everyday. For some of those people, that job was to push other people into gas chambers. In another time, some accepted the economic advantages and benefits of using slaves to work their fields.
There is a reason that heroic stories of people who hid their neighbours from Nazis, who got children out of danger, who freed slaves and who stood up and protested against injustice are widespread and celebrated - it's because their stories are rare they did what was right even though it was difficult, even though it was a risk, even though it put them at a disadvantage, and even though barely anyone else was doing it. It's admirable for sure, but here's the crux of the matter - those stories are celebrated, but the others are ignored - those stories of all those other neighbours who turned a blind eye, who pretended not to notice when people were being rounded up and taken away. Those people who joined everyone else at the markets where slaves were sold, just because that was a normal thing to do at the time and every one of their friends and neighbours had one. Again; those people were not bad people, they just succumbed to that very real and very primal instinct to belong - because belonging gives you the best chance of evolutionary survival, and that's a pretty realistic response.
To be honest with you, you probably wouldn't have been standing up against slavery, the holocaust, or the oppression of women back then. The easiest way to tell is... are you doing it now?
What are the biggest social injustices of our time, what are the movements we should be fighting tooth and nail to end? There's always a large number of social justice issues we should be working to put a stop to, and I admire those people who are advocating for them. We're well on our way with movements such as homosexual rights, trans rights, and the rights of refugees and immigrants; there are plenty of people highlighting these important movements and we've gotten past some really crucial turning points in terms of popular support for them and progressing them from a majority against to a majority for. They are certainly some of the most important current social movements. So if you're protesting for them, many kudos and much strength to you.
The second, of course, is the unethical practices of mass animal agriculture, factory farming, slaughterhouses. There is a huge amount of systemised cruelty, torture, and an unreasonable scale of death, terror, and destruction in the production of meat, dairy, and eggs in our country, and indeed in almost every country globally. It's simply wrong, and although it's not yet a popular opinion - it is an incredibly important movement. We know we cause an enormous amount of suffering in these industries, that's hard to argue against. There are a whole lot of immoral practices going on in these cases. It's uncomfortable to acknowledge, but it's true. And we also know that vegan diets are healthy, complete, and appropriate for the vast vast majority of human beings.
Almost every day there is more footage leaked of slaughterhouse practices, that are hard to watch and that are clearly causing suffering and harm. It has gotten to the point where we oughtn't ignore the suffering of those animals any longer, those animals who clearly go through psychological torment throughout their lives spent in less than stimulating environments, those animals who are clearly afraid and experiencing pain. It is still very difficult to stand up against these industries and practices, look around you; it is still easy, convenient, and beneficial to ignore the huge societal problems we are up against. The people who are trying to call attention to these problems are ridiculed, laughed at, yelled at, and threatened. Just because they're threatening a system that benefits the majority - just like those who fought against slavery, just like those who stood up for women's rights to vote. But we are starting to gain traction, evidenced by the awareness of puppy farms and irresponsible breeders being higher now than ever, the highest rates of people making the switch to vegan lifestyle being recorded year after year; our movements are causing changes, the time to join us is now.
It is undeniably easier and more convenient to make excuses and arguments against change. It's easy for example to say it is more expensive or too difficult to find plastic-free food items; it is easy to say it is too expensive to buy vegan products (for the record - being vegan is NOT more expensive). Even if on some level we know these excuses or reasons are inaccurate or not worthwhile, these allow us to justify our decision to continue on the trajectory supported by the majority, it's how it's always been and even though it's painful to watch I can't hold it against anyone. But every person does have a choice, and if you're still reading, please think about whether you're allowing cognitive dissonance to prevent you from making the right one. The good thing about this movement is you can cause an enormous difference without doing very much at all. Use your mouth to protest, not just with your words, but what you choose to put into it. If you choose vegan meals I guarantee you you will be doing good work for this movement, its time to remove normalised animal cruelty; make it known that you won't choose to fund that industry any longer.
Here's some damn good news. We are not 200 years ago. We are in the here and now, and we have things that those people didn't. We have the social power of the internet, we have the protection of all those laws that past people fought for, we have the example of previous social justice movements that we can draw on for inspiration and to spur change in the hearts and minds of others. And we have you, your voice is important, your actions are important, and you can make a difference; and I urge you to try. It is scary, uncomfortable, and unusual to stand up against the majority and say 'what we are doing is wrong and we need to change it' you will probably get yelled at and driven to tears by people you love - just like those who refused to have slaves or who set slaves free were back 200 years ago. You would be told you are crazy, idyllic, stupid, a hippy, unrealistic. Heck, Martin Luther King Jr. had a guy spit on his face. But those people who put themselves out there and stood up for what was right; those are the people we admire, look up to and draw on for inspiration and motivation. I believe the strong should stand up for the weak, I believe that animals deserve safety, love, and respect, and I stand for removing unnecessary suffering and harm wherever it occurs, and I wish you would too.
Thank you for reading this all the way to the end. Much love to you, sending you positive vibes wherever you are. Please let me know in the comments what topics you'd like to read about, whether you enjoyed this one, or previous articles. Share it on your social media and give people some food for thought.
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