Author Archives: There's an Elephant in the Room

Ending life as we know it – humanity on the edge of the abyss

Posted on March 30, 2019

Every day I see posts using fanciful estimates about the number of individuals our species slaughters each year. There are even suggestions (often circulated by those seeking to claim credit – and frequently, donations) that slaughter numbers are falling. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Global disasters, Statistics | Tagged 6th extinction, abyss, bees, climate, climate change, commodification, consumer demand, existence, global warming, habitat destruction, male chicks, marine destruction, planetary collapse, planetary destruction, silk worms, sixth extinction, slaughter, slaughterhouse, species extinction, Statistics, vegan, veganism, victims | 4 Comments

Petitions and single issues – where’s the harm? – FAQ

Posted on March 10, 2019

I was recently asked the following very well articulated question by a friend who is a committed activist and vegan advocate; I understand why we don’t want to put effort into single-issue causes, especially those that are so blatantly speciesist … Continue reading →

Posted in FAQ, Single Issue Campaigns, Speciesism | Tagged advocacy, animal rights, antispeciesism, betrayal, campaigner, campaigns, counter productive, death penalty, euthanasia, execution, harm, Harm reduction, innocent, otherisation, petitions, promoting harm, regulation, regulatory reform, rights, Single Issue Campaigns, speciesism, speciesist, veganism, welfare, xenophobia, xenophobic | 7 Comments

Speciesism and the welfare of property

Posted on February 15, 2019

Sometimes we are told that someone ‘loves’ ‘their’ animals, or that they ‘treat them well’, but the claim that is always shouted from the rooftops is the one about ‘high welfare standards’. These claims may come from people in a … Continue reading →

Posted in welfare | Tagged autonomy, business asset, commerce, commercial assets, companions, consent, feelings, guidelines, individual, property, regulations, rescue, respect, sanctuary, sentience, sentient, speciesism, welfare, welfare standards, well-being, wellbeing | 6 Comments

With friends like these …

Posted on January 26, 2019

During this month of the media year when veganism is widely misrepresented as a dietary fad and a menu choice that we can ‘try out for size’, there are several articles and interviews circulating where celebrities are given air time, … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrity culture | Tagged animal rights, animal use, celebrities, celebrity, extreme, extremism, husbandry, misinformation, plant-based, plant-based eating, raising awareness, slaughter, slaughtering, Statistics, Tom Regan, vegan, veganism, vegetarianism, violence | 2 Comments

Wishful thinking meets wilful misinformation; a deadly combination

Posted on January 17, 2019

Our future as a species is on the brink of disaster with climate and planetary collapse looking increasingly likely in the foreseeable future. The science that confirms this is rapidly shifting from a widely ignored trickle to a torrent sounding … Continue reading →

Posted in Addressing resistance to change, Global disasters | Tagged animal agriculture, anti-science, catastrophe, consumer, consumer demand, death, destruction, disease, environmental destruction, health, killing, marine destruction, misinformation, necessary, non-vegan, premature death, science, slaughter, slaughterhouse, species extinction, vegan, victims, wishful thinking | 3 Comments

Looking at language: livestock

Posted on January 5, 2019

Defined by the dictionary as ‘farm animals regarded as an asset’, the word ‘livestock’ is an obscene truth hidden in plain sight. While we may allow ourselves to be soothed by the ‘caring’ rhetoric of the victim sellers, the word … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer demand, Terminology | Tagged business asset, climate change, commerce, commodity, consumer, consumer demand, habits, language, livestock, media, money, profit, reproductive, slaughter, slaughterhouse, violation | 3 Comments

New Year 2019, and I’m hoping for a miracle

Posted on December 30, 2018

I usually do a blog at this time of year – it’s an apt time to reflect on the changes that have taken place and a chance to evaluate the slow but steady progress that we’re making towards a vegan … Continue reading →

Posted in Festivals, Global disasters | Tagged 6th extinction, abyss, agriculture, animal rights, animal use, business continuity, catastrophe, climate, climate change, consumer demand, crisis, disaster planning, extinction, extreme weather, farming, global warming, gore, human superiority, human supremacy, miracle, New Year, peril, plant-based, plant-based eating, regulations, slaughter, supply and demand, vegan, veganism, weather | 3 Comments

‘What are cows for?’

Posted on December 17, 2018

A recent comment on a post read, ‘What do you think cows are for?’ The writer was raging against the facts relating to dairy use and consumption. It was clear that they saw nothing wrong with their question as a line of … Continue reading →

Posted in FAQ, Nonhuman family members | Tagged breast milk, cats, chickens, childhood, companions, consumer demand, cows, dogs, eggs, milk, pigs, sentience, sentient, sheep, vegan, veganism, violence | 2 Comments

Compassion and kindness; not what we need to ask for

Posted on November 25, 2018

The words ‘kindness’ and ‘compassion’ are not what we should be asking for when advocating for the rights of our victims. I can almost hear the gasps of indignation and keyboards warming up already, but please bear with me. Let … Continue reading →

Posted in Terminology | Tagged advocacy, animal rights, breast milk, bred for eggs, cheese, commodification, compassion, compassionate, consumer demand, dairy, eggs, honest, kind, kindness, milk, other people, property, property status, resources, responsibility, rights, sentience, sincere, slaughter, stop, subjective, truth, vegan, veganism, victims, violence | 5 Comments

On trusting experts

Posted on November 16, 2018

When we are new to the world, parents and carers feed and clothe us. Most of us have little idea what we are eating, drinking, wearing or using. As children we lack even the ability to grasp the brutality of … Continue reading →

Posted in Awakening to veganism, consumer demand | Tagged breast milk, consumer demand, dairy, egg-laying hens, eggs, expert, gore, harm, health, hens, humane, justice, milk, money, slaughter, slaughterhouse, trust, truth, vegan, veganism, violence, welfare | 2 Comments