Animal activists’ law-defying stunts harm the vegan cause

ACTIVISTS who invade farms in the name of veganism are just attention seekers, writes CAMERON BLEWETT.

Long vision: Activists should encourage people to be fully informed about animal rights. Picture: Instagram

STUNTS like the one we saw at the Gippy Goat Cafe are usually done for one reason: to get media attention for the participants.

The more media attention they can get, the better their chances of finding more supporters.

The more supporters they have, the more time they can “dedicate” to their cause.

And more often than not, their cause focuses on using supporters to ensure their financial stability, making it less likely they will have to get a job to support themselves.

They want you to work and support them so they don’t have to.

These performers want us to believe they are doing it “for the animals”.

Their well-rehearsed rhetoric includes words such as “animal rights”, “total animal liberation” and “respect” to convince you of this.

However their actions show how little they understand the plight of animals.

“Total animal liberation” won’t come from stealing a handful of animals from a farm.

Nor will it come via live streams of sit-ins or yelling at people.

Actual “animal rights” respects the rights of animals, and doesn’t use them as a prop.

With regards to their use of the term “respect”, how is it being respectful to dress them in a nappy?

Unfortunately, all movements attract those who want to make a name for themselves.

And veganism is no different.

The more airtime these performers are given, the more they will attract the same sort of people to it.

These sorts of stunts make the divide wider and harder for those who aren’t vegan to understand or even care about it in the first place.

The more this happens, the greater the price veganism and the animals will have to ultimately pay.

If we genuinely want people to understand the plight of animals, and to learn about veganism, we need to do it in a way they are receptive to.

It is unfortunate for us and the animals that so few questions are asked of those who consider themselves their allies.

The threat of being seen as “divisive” or as working “for industry” serves to keep those questions unasked.

This keeps the movement as one where those terms are mere rhetoric for people who are not willing to put in the hard work of learning what works and what doesn’t.

Instead, we should be encouraging people to be fully informed about animal rights theory.

And “doing something” is not always the best thing if we want to bring about true animal liberation.

● Cameron Blewett has been a vegan for 25 years and is founder of online blog The Vegan Police

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