Responses

Checkmass - 10/30/2009 12:03:07

Because some people feel a bit more passionate about a cause than others.

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photosynthesize - 11/12/2009 17:14:27

It really depends on what the militant vegans do. I have no problem if someone raids a fur farm and releases all the animals as they directly are helping the animals, but when vegans do crimes such as blowing up a KFC, it does not directly help animals, and it just gives vegans a bad name.

Remember events like the Boston Tea Party, where tons of British tea were dumped into Boston harbor because the Americans didn't like the tea tax the Brittish imposed on them. It certainly would've caused more economic damage than blowing up a KFC or raiding a fur farm. Although it certainly must've seemed extremist back then and I'm sure that there were many opponents of a more peaceful way to get rid of the tax, the Boston Tea Party is now a celebrated part of America's past and is part of the reason why we are now a free country.

By welfarist, I assume that you mean that they are against people who try to make the lives of farmed animals better by improving factory farm or slaughterhouse conditions. I am against it, as it makes it seem as though if an animal experiences less pain, then it makes it okay to murder the animal. The only good thing I can see about it is that it brings light to the issue. But I would never attack someone for having welfarist views, because they are still improving the lives for the animals, if only by a little.

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shearwater - 11/13/2009 07:53:34

Animal welfare is different from animal rights. Welfarists are generally people who support animal shelters, dog rescue organizations, etc., all good causes. But in general they eat meat and ignore the suffering of animals beyond household pets and horses.

A representative from a local group called Friends Of All Animals was being interviewed about an upcoming event and he went to great lengths to distance his group from extremists like PETA and HSUS who he pointed out oppose hunting and meat. He was promoting a fundraiser for an animal shelter - a barbecue I believe. Obviously they're not friends to ALL animals.

Actually I and a lot of other "extremist" vegans do want to make life better for animals imprisoned and sentenced to death in farms, slaughterhouses, zoos, circuses, and everywhere else. This in no way contradicts our overall belief and goal to end all cruelty. It's just a step on the way and a realization that since we're not going to stop all suffering today at least we can try to minimize the pain for those currently caught in this web of human cruelty. What's the alternative? Because we can't achieve total victory immediately do we ignore the suffering we can stop?

In the meantime humane laws and practices that result from these "small" victories set legal precedence and influence public opinion that animals do indeed suffer and are not merely living machines as some believe. Getting people to treat animals better helps animals and our cause now and in the long run.

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