Μια παγιωμένη παρανόηση είναι ότι ο veganism σημαίνει απλά την αλλαγή των ατομικών καταναλωτικών συνήθειων και ότι αυτό θα οδηγήσει στη κοινωνική αλλαγή. Ωστόσο, αυτή η σύγχυση του veganism με τον καταναλωτισμό ως στρατηγική για την αλλαγή, είναι μια αρκετά πρόσφατη εξέλιξη που έχει τις ρίζες της στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του '70 με την άνοδο της νεοφιλελεύθερης ιδεολογίας· και προέρχεται εκτός του veganism. (Διαβάστε περισσότερα ...)
neoliberalism
Power to the Corporations?: The Neoliberalization of Social Movements
A dominant misconception is that veganism simply means changing individual consumer habits and that this will lead to social change. However, this confusion of veganism with consumerism as a strategy for change is a fairly recent development that has its roots in the late 1970s with rise of neoliberal ideology; coming from outside of veganism. (Read more...)
Veganism is a Collective Process
Veganism needs to be viewed as not simply individual change, but as a collective political process. Speciesism and other forms of ideological controls prevent us from seeing veganism as a collective process.
Class Bias and Nonhuman Animal Advocacy
The following is from "A Discussion with Tom Regan" in Ahimsa Oct/Dec 1987; I think it illustrates the class bias inherent in well-resourced nonhuman animal advocacy:
Tom Regan: People think of activists as antagonists in confrontation, and so on. I think of activists in terms of people with a dollar bill in the wallet; that's the way I think of the real activists.
An activist is anyone who goes into the marketplace with a dollar in hand, who says "I'm going to buy this rather than that because it has something to do with the way that animals are treated."
This would mean that the more disposable income a person has the more potential that person has of being a "real activist." (Read more...)
Veganism: It's No Accident
As a social movement that seeks to radically transform the structure of society, veganism requires forethought, reflection, and critical thinking. When "accidental" or "accidentally" is added to "vegan" it misrepresents veganism as a mindless act; it disregards the moral, social, and political substance of veganism.
More On Neoliberal Appropriation
A key element of neoliberalism that I didn't mention in my previous post is "personal responsibility." The focus on personal responsibility by neoliberals leads to over-personalization and ignores the structure of oppression. Neoliberals (re)define veganism and other social movements "as more a matter of personal responsibility – a private, primarily economic matter," to quote Lisa Duggan. We see this in Bruce Friedrich's essay on "Effective Advocacy."
The Neoliberal Appropriation of Veganism
In Making a Killing: The Political Economy of Animal Rights, Bob Torres claims, "Veganism can be deeply political and meaningful, but as an historical and social practice, it has failed to live up to the political possibilities it offers." The problem with this statement is that Torres takes veganism out of the historical and social context. As such, he fails to realize that veganism hasn't failed, but, rather, it has been appropriated and misrepresented.
Veganism: Theory and Practice
"Without a revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary movement" means that a revolution is achieved with neither verbalism nor activism, but rather with praxis, that is with reflection and action directed at the structure to be transformed. – Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed