POSTS IN ENGLISH
On this page you'll find some of the posts on veganism, originally written in Greek. All the posts were written by ecochris.
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Potential vegan!
We may live in the worst time for non human animals, and each passing day may turn even more adverse for them because the human population increases and the vast majority of those born automatically fall on the side of the consumption of animal products and therefore of the exploitation of animals and they are likely to remain there forever or for years until the moment of awareness and of the questioning of all this arrives.
We may live in the worst time for non human animals, and each passing day may turn even more adverse for them because the human population increases and the vast majority of those born automatically fall on the side of the consumption of animal products and therefore of the exploitation of animals and they are likely to remain there forever or for years until the moment of awareness and of the questioning of all this arrives.
We may live in an era of the marginalization of values that attempts to demolish the last nucleus of opposition to exploitation and strikes against veganism in any way and means possible, trying to displace it in the realm of the impossible and the utopian.
The global economic crisis may also turn the world even more strongly towards the devaluation of animals and to animal foods as the last "pleasure".
Nevertheless we must not forget that the prerequisites for veganism continue to be there and that the whole situation is fluid and therefore reversible and the prospect for a vegan world is alive.
- The main prerequisite is that veganism is a simple philosophy that does not require someone to be an intellectual in order to understand it and so it can move and inspire people.
- Furthermore, any man of good will abhors injustice and on the basis of good sense they can recognize that what happens to animals is wrong.
- Also, the physiology of the human body, being that of herbivores, is consistent with this position.
- And also, the practical issues relating to the vegan way of life (plant based food, clothing, etc.) are already settled and solved.
Therefore, the planet is potentially vegan and veganism may come about massively at an unsuspected time and sweep human society like a domino.
The whole game is dynamic and therefore unpredictable and it’s played on the field of the activation of these conditions.
People are under occupation, first and foremost an ideological one, but at any given time in every mind the opposition can crop up and the personal overthrow of the system of exploitation can happen, since we all are on an evolutionary course, affected by many factors.
In a hypothetical scenario where there would not be interests and the manipulation of thought, almost all of us would be vegan, while under the most optimistic scenario of a world that would set its course based on the principle of non-exploitation, everyone would be a conscious vegan.
In the current juncture, the system of exploitation seems to be almighty and have the upper hand, since it’s constantly spreading and consolidating its influence, and leveling any resistance in its course. But never has any oppression been invincible and it is not possible to deceive and manipulate everyone forever.
Society and the people are under the influence of a delusion and the collective consciousness, like a spring, has been stretched to an uncomfortable position of tension in which it can not remain for long and it is destined to return to its normal position of balance and rest and where it really belongs, that is, the one of non-exploitation and respect for life.
So veganism cautiously but steadily rises to the surface, along with other positive ideas which could contribute to a better world. Through the era of maximum despair and frustration, when all the negative indicators have been driven deep in the red, a different perspective has already started to come into view.
The hope is there because veganism is not something unknown and untried, as it has already been in application for 66 years by several million people on the planet, while very close to the vision of a vegan world (from a nutritional point of view) were most countries until a few decades ago, since the people were practically near vegans, consuming minimal animal foods (only 2% of their total diet).
Also, veganism is a new development for humanity and essentially it is in its very beginning as a movement. And the difficulties it has faced so far have given it the necessary experience to move more confidently and wisely.
The prospect of a vegan world is alive and the circumstance has been consistently reaffirming that this prospect can not wait anymore.
Every passing minute something completely absurd, painful and unjust is happening, that we at last need to face with sincere interest and responsibility.
It's high time we saw the issue with the simplicity the founders of veganism and many others (from ancient times until today) saw it.
We don’t need to make difficult contemplations, only the simple thought that we can live without exploiting nonhuman animals and disconnect forever from the huge mechanism that supports and reproduces precisely this view.
Welcome to the vegan world!
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The circumstance: A world full of oppression
In the manmade reality of life on Earth, we see that oppression is pervasive. The word oppression is meant in the broad sense of injustice and includes exploitation, violence, deprivation of liberty, discrimination by any form of pretense, etc.
Because oppression is present everywhere and has infused the social structure, it is ultimately internalized in the oppressed groups and so there is confusion about who exercises it. The result is the rivalry among the oppressed groups, the indifference to other group's oppression or even attacks of one group towards another.
The final recipient of oppression is the weakest link in that chain, i.e. animals, since even the most impoverished and disadvantaged human being can be involved in their oppression.
This is due to the fact that the manmade social structure has been built on this particular form of oppression and it has established and consolidated it by infusing every aspect of daily life with it. The whole system is interwoven with the universal exploitation of animals. Thus, this oppression is the foundation upon which any other form of oppression rests.
The road towards achieving this goal goes through the elimination of oppression of the most defenseless, and at the same time the recipient of all oppression, that is, nonhuman animals.
In other words, the elimination of the oppression of man will not be achieved, as long as there is the oppression of animals, which operates as a reinforcing factor and consolidates the general view of oppression, since it familiarizes the human consciousness with it.
The action: Veganism as an answer
In the equation of the solution to this problem, the parameter to be replaced is oppression, and a different logic needs to be inserted in its place, that of anti-oppression.
Veganism is the theory of anti-oppression and as a practice it is the active opposition towards the oppression of every sentient being, human and nonhuman alike.
Historically, it emerged as a response to the oppression of animals and the practice of exploiting them, in order to show that this particular form of oppression, apart from unnecessary and unjust, functions as the source for any other form of oppression.
But at the same time, veganism was understood that it is a general framework, which has a total potential of anti-oppression.
These features place veganism at the forefront of the struggle against oppression, since its theory and practice can unite and house under one roof every movement of anti-oppression, and all the while to revolutionize it, by giving it an overall vision.
The vision: A world without oppression
Since veganism is a comprehensive theory against oppression, then in order to realize that vision, the acceptance of veganism comes as the logical conclusion of these considerations.
Furthermore, the above rational process of embracing veganism highlights the central, catalytic role that the vegan theory and its application will play towards positive future developments.
Veganism as a logical conclusion
The circumstance: A world full of oppression
In the manmade reality of life on Earth, we see that oppression is pervasive. The word oppression is meant in the broad sense of injustice and includes exploitation, violence, deprivation of liberty, discrimination by any form of pretense, etc.
The finding
Oppression is the root of all the problems of mankind and by expansion, of the ecosystem of the planet.
Oppression is the root of all the problems of mankind and by expansion, of the ecosystem of the planet.
The structure of oppression
There is a hierarchy of oppression from the most powerful (economically, politically, socially and culturally) to the weakest. Characteristic of the dominant group is the privilege, that is, the advantages enjoyed by the practice of oppression.
Oppression is formed on the basis of discrimination and can take many forms. So, on the pretense of any arbitrary discrimination, a corresponding form of oppression can be created as well as the corresponding groups of the dominant and the oppressed, as shown in the table below which includes the most dominant forms of oppression:
basis of discrimination | Name of oppression | Dominant group | oppressed group |
race | Racism | White | People of colour |
sex | Sexism | Men (usually) | Women |
age | Ageism | Older people (usually) | Younger people |
physical ability | The able-bodied | people with disabilities | |
species | Speciesism | Human animals | Nonhuman animals |
Because oppression is present everywhere and has infused the social structure, it is ultimately internalized in the oppressed groups and so there is confusion about who exercises it. The result is the rivalry among the oppressed groups, the indifference to other group's oppression or even attacks of one group towards another.
The final recipient of oppression is the weakest link in that chain, i.e. animals, since even the most impoverished and disadvantaged human being can be involved in their oppression.
This is due to the fact that the manmade social structure has been built on this particular form of oppression and it has established and consolidated it by infusing every aspect of daily life with it. The whole system is interwoven with the universal exploitation of animals. Thus, this oppression is the foundation upon which any other form of oppression rests.
The goal
The elimination of oppression through the conscious choice of not participating in any of its forms.
The emphasis
The emphasis
The road towards achieving this goal goes through the elimination of oppression of the most defenseless, and at the same time the recipient of all oppression, that is, nonhuman animals.
In other words, the elimination of the oppression of man will not be achieved, as long as there is the oppression of animals, which operates as a reinforcing factor and consolidates the general view of oppression, since it familiarizes the human consciousness with it.
The action: Veganism as an answer
In the equation of the solution to this problem, the parameter to be replaced is oppression, and a different logic needs to be inserted in its place, that of anti-oppression.
Veganism is the theory of anti-oppression and as a practice it is the active opposition towards the oppression of every sentient being, human and nonhuman alike.
Historically, it emerged as a response to the oppression of animals and the practice of exploiting them, in order to show that this particular form of oppression, apart from unnecessary and unjust, functions as the source for any other form of oppression.
But at the same time, veganism was understood that it is a general framework, which has a total potential of anti-oppression.
These features place veganism at the forefront of the struggle against oppression, since its theory and practice can unite and house under one roof every movement of anti-oppression, and all the while to revolutionize it, by giving it an overall vision.
The vision: A world without oppression
Since veganism is a comprehensive theory against oppression, then in order to realize that vision, the acceptance of veganism comes as the logical conclusion of these considerations.
Furthermore, the above rational process of embracing veganism highlights the central, catalytic role that the vegan theory and its application will play towards positive future developments.
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