1. Activist Feedback
Rick and activists leafleted with volunteers, many of whom were affiliated with Anonymous for the Voiceless and others with Vegan Outreach, at Winter Jam in Atlanta. Rick did an amazing job distributing booklets prior to our arrival. Vegan Outreach activists passed out 72 Primal Strips, and the strips were helpful in starting conversations with people who had already received a booklet from Rick or another volunteer. One volunteer said she spoke to a couple in line who were vegan and thanked her for being there.
2. Are Animal Welfare Reforms Beneficial?
From the earliest days of animal advocacy, people have recommended
reforms to reduce animal suffering and death. However, many animal advocates
have opposed such reforms on several grounds. Over the next few weeks, I
will consider some of their objections.
Critics of animal welfare reforms assert that reforms send the message
that animal exploitation and abuse are acceptable, as long as they are not
too severe. Further, they assert, when animal advocates support welfare
reforms they undermine animal rights and animal liberation.
I think it is hard to anticipate how people will respond to any advocacy
campaign. Humans are complex, and there are many ways they can interpret and
respond to a campaign. It is possible that animal welfare reforms encourage
people to recognize that animals deserve moral consideration, and this could
be a necessary step toward animal rights and animal liberation.
At the end of the day, I see animal rights and animal liberation as means
to an end. They are abstract concepts, and I think what really matters are
the actual experiences of sentient individuals. I think the goal of animal
advocacy should be to allow animals to live according to their natural needs
and desires, and to be free of human-caused pain, suffering, and early
death. Widespread adoption of animal rights or animal liberation would
likely improve the status of animals greatly, but so might the adoption of
animal welfare reforms. I think it is very unclear which strategy is most
likely to benefit animals.
Next week, I will consider a related argument, that advocating animal
welfare reforms leaves intact the view that animals are property, and
animals will always be abused as long as they are regarded as property.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.
3. All-Creatures.Org Ministry