269life.com
November 2016
We travel on the same, well-trodden path that so many other disenfranchised groups have been on, but our journey is much more challenging as we must fight for the freedom of others rather than our own. Veganism is an essential step that any responsible and sensible person must take. Yet it is not enough.
The guiding principle of our movement is the uncompromising demand for animal liberation. There is no cage big enough, nor blade sharp, enough to justify any animal exploiting industry. It is an essential expectation that we as a species evolve beyond the false ideology that the human animal is of a different and superior nature as other animals on this planet. The treatment of other animals by our species stands as a complete contradiction to the way we perceive ourselves - as being part of a progressive, fair and moral society.
We travel on the same, well-trodden path that so many other disenfranchised groups have been on, but our journey is much more challenging as we must fight for the freedom of others rather than our own.
Veganism is an essential step that any responsible and sensible person must take. Yet it is not enough.
The injustice is much too insidious, and the pernicious ideology of human supremacy is much too ingrained in our psyche. We must dedicate as much of our time and effort as possible towards the liberation struggle. We must act and express our views as loud and in the most penetrating manner possible. For the harm done, in both manner and magnitude, is of an immeasurable degree.
Change will come once a cultural shift occurs and a substantial debate commences. Our main objective must be to overthrow speciesism. Instead of a futile pursuit for marginal popularity, and being irrationally opposed to using antagonistic tactics, we should aspire instead to subvert the status quo.
Our struggle is a just one and we must therefore demand change, rather than beg for it. Our goal is to destroy the fundamental thinking that allows this exploitative system to exist.
In light of the marginal progress we have achieved these past decades, the docile and accommodating strategy which aims to win over some potential fence-sitting vegans/vegetarians seems highly inappropriate. Addressing the source of the problem through a long-term approach would be significantly more effective than fighting for short-term and partial goals, which do little in the way of building a solid nonspeciesist liberation movement.
It is of little importance if we are liked at this stage of our struggle; instead, we need to focus on forcing our agenda into the center stage of public awareness.
Time is our main foe: each passing minute means the death of countless individuals. Agitation is preferable to the deafening silence which permeates and accommodates the highly profitable venture of the animal exploitation industry.
Our attitude and tactics should align with our rhetoric. Pleading with people to adopt a vegan diet based chiefly on environmental, human rights, human health or other selfish
anthropocentric concerns is, in reality, a subconscious admission of defeat. We must always take great care when bringing up those kinds of peripheral matters, and never forget where the focal point should lay or who the real victims are (hint: it's not the diseased overweight guy with a mouthful of dead flesh).
We aim to bring the pain and horror other animals face each and every day out of the suppressed darkness and into the realm of everyday life.
The animal holocaust is ever-expanding and is expected to double in size(!) by 2050, as it did these past 30 years. Nowadays, most people are well aware of what is being done to other animals, and yet remain apathetic in the face of the atrocities committed in their name, even after witnessing the utmost graphic evidence.
Awareness campaigning is simply not enough. Our message needs to become considerably more confrontational and, due to the monumental task at hand, our focus and resolve must be, first and foremost, channeled towards demolishing speciesism.
We must engrave the 269 symbol in the collective consciousness. It is a symbol easy to distribute and duplicate, which allows us to communicate a radical message without relying solely on biased media outlets. With such control over our message, we can create viral conduits of communications by popularizing the 269 symbol through ever more daring and creative means. It is time to bring the fight to the streets, it is time for the line to be clearly drawn.
Victory is achieved through persistence and consistency. We must remember to stay open-minded and look for ways to be as efficient and as effective as possible for the animals. Circumstances are constantly changing, and so we must always be alert and flexible, using any means available to our advantage, as well as building a substantial and united oppositional force.
269life is what we make of it. It can be sprayed on a wall, hanged over a bridge, rendered in 3D animation, inked under our skin, printed on mass-produced stickers or posters... It's up to you to incorporate it into your life and art, and to disseminate it using your individual talents and capabilities. The options are limitless and creativity and imagination are key assets in this war of liberation.
All are 269.
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