Tag Archives: ethics

Thoughts on avoidable harm and being veganish

Posted on September 13, 2022 by There's an Elephant in the Room

I can’t count how often I’ve seen declarations from people who claim to be vegan despite indulging in some form of avoidable use of members of other animal species. However before I go any further I must stress the word … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Celebrity culture | Tagged avoidable, celebrities, celebrity, Cruelty, dog, ethics, fur, harm, non-vegan, nonveganism, veganish | 6 Comments

Nothing less than veganism

Posted on August 16, 2018 by There's an Elephant in the Room

Last night was a landmark for There’s an Elephant in the Room on Facebook. Becoming vegan August 2012, when I first became vegan, began a time of discovery; a new age in an unfamiliar landscape. Most new vegans will have … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Awakening to veganism, Festivals | Tagged advocacy, awakening, ethics, harm, justice, nonviolence, petitions, rights, speciesism, truth, vegan, veganism, victims, violence | 9 Comments

Heading in the direction of being vegan / Stuck in a loop

Posted on August 13, 2018 by There's an Elephant in the Room

‘…or if we can’t be vegan we can at least head in that direction.’ I’ve seen so many variations on that theme as a comeback to the call to be vegan that appears in almost every piece I write. Today … Continue reading →

Posted in Awakening to veganism | Tagged advocacy, awakening, cheese, Chickens and eggs, commodification, compassion, consumer demand, Cruelty, dairy, ethics, harm, health, justice, slaughter, vegetarianism, violence, welfare | 3 Comments

Chickens and eggs – what about the males?

Posted on June 1, 2018 by There's an Elephant in the Room

I find my thoughts returning frequently to chickens; these wonderful, gentle, friendly little birds whose species bears the brunt (in terms of sheer numbers) of our own species’ arrogant delusions of entitlement and staggering ignorance about necessity. I’ve written many … Continue reading →

Posted in Chickens and eggs | Tagged advocacy, chickens, Chickens and eggs, commodification, consumer demand, culling, dairy, egg-laying hens, ethics, harm, health, humane, justice, macerating, moral choices, resources, respect, rights, sentience, slaughter, Statistics, truth, vegan, veganism, victims, violence, welfare, well-being | 19 Comments

Hens and puppy mills – an analogy

Posted on May 8, 2018 by There's an Elephant in the Room

Not a day goes by that I fail to see someone contradicting a post that explains – often at some length – that there is no such thing as a humane egg. As soon as there’s a post about eggs, … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Happy' exploitation, Chickens and eggs | Tagged abolition, advocacy, backyard, chickens, Chickens and eggs, commodification, commodities, consumer demand, dogs, egg-laying hens, ethics, harm, health, hens, humane, motherhood, puppy farms, puppy mills, reproduction, resources, rights, selective breeding, speciesism, truth, vegan, veganism, victims | 25 Comments

Claiming exceptions

Posted on January 29, 2018 by There's an Elephant in the Room

‘That’s not true. That just happens on factory farms. It doesn’t happen on all farms‘. This depressingly common statement appeared recently on a friend’s page in response to a post. It’s been lingering on my mind ever since because variations … Continue reading →

Posted in Addressing resistance to change, Advocacy, Exceptions | Tagged advocacy, chickens, Chickens and eggs, commodification, compassion, consumer demand, Cruelty, dairy, ethics, exceptional circumstances, harm, health, human superiority, humane, justice, milk, nonviolence, resources, respect, rights, sentience, slaughter, speciesism, truth, vegan, veganism, victims, violence | 20 Comments

Speciesism

Posted on January 22, 2018 by There's an Elephant in the Room

Originally posted 6 August 2014, revised and links updated 22 January 2018 Speciesism is a pervasive form of prejudice, taught to us all in our earliest years, that blinkers humans into the mistaken belief that we are so much more … Continue reading →

Posted in Speciesism, What is ...? | Tagged breastfeed, Chickens and eggs, consumer demand, Cruelty, dairy, ethics, harm, human superiority, justice, petitions, prejudice, sentience, Single Issue Campaigns, slaughter, speciesism, Torture, vegan, veganism, victims, violence, welfare, welfarism | 42 Comments

‘Personal choice’ – remembering a lesson

Posted on January 10, 2018 by There's an Elephant in the Room

This year, I’ve decided to revise and re-publish some of my favourite blogs from previous years. This is the first of these, prompted because the claims of ‘personal choice’ still make monotonous and regular appearances in comments threads everywhere. Originally … Continue reading →

Posted in Addressing resistance to change, Advocacy, Awakening to veganism | Tagged advocacy, body parts, Chickens and eggs, commodification, Cruelty, dairy, domination, ethics, harm, injustice, justice, personal, personal choice, reproductive systems, resources, sentience, speciesism, vegan, veganism, victims, violence | 16 Comments

What is veganism – a reminder

Posted on January 5, 2018 by There's an Elephant in the Room

In recent days, I’ve seen many comments on posts and pages making suggestions about how to be more persuasive about veganism; how to make it more ‘appealing’. ‘You should be telling people to watch < film about human health>’; ‘You … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Terminology, What is ...? | Tagged advocacy, Chickens and eggs, commodification, dairy, diet, environment, ethics, health, human superiority, justice, milk, sentience, vegan, veganism, victims | 17 Comments

Aggression, blame and guilt

Posted on December 14, 2017 by There's an Elephant in the Room

A comment on a recent essay said that with regards to vegan advocacy, ‘people don’t respond positively to aggression, blame and guilt but rather to encouragement, praise and education’. I have to say that I do agree with the principles of … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, Awakening to veganism | Tagged aggression, baby steps, betrayal, blame, Chickens and eggs, commodification, compassion, consumer demand, dairy, encouragement, ethics, guilt, harm, honesty, human superiority, humane, justice, lies, light-bulb moment, milk, negativity, pragmatism, praise, truth, vegan, veganism, vegetarianism, victims | 10 Comments