The Violence of Meat Eating

"...Not only the slave, but the horse, the ox, and the mule shared the general feeling of indifference to the right naturally engendered by a state of slavery. The master blamed the overseer, the overseer the slave, and the slave the horses, oxen, and mules, and violence fell upon the animals as a consequence." - Frederick Douglass (1817 - 1895).

Violence is, according to Webster's dictionary, "Lawless force; assault; attack.". Oppression is a direct result of violence, and also is the reason for it. Those that have the power to suppress are supporters of violence.

Causes of Violence

Violence comes from many different places. Some people blame it on television and movies. Some believe that violence might come from what you eat.

"Meat eating is the most oppressive and extensive institutionalized violence against animals." - Carol Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat.

The daily ritual that many people have of eating meat is the introduction of violence inside the home, the family, and the community.

Violence Begins At The Kitchen Table

When the blood of a cow is sopped up with a piece of bread, it is called "juice" by some. But it cannot be denied that it is the blood of an animal. Children are taught at a very young age that violence is OK for some because to them it is obviously OK for violence to be used against animals.

"We cannot maintain that oppression is fine for some simply because they are not like us. Only through a rejection of violence and oppression themselves will we ever find a long-term `freedom and justice for all'" - Marjorie Spiegal.

There is definitely differences between human and non-human oppression, but they have the same essences. They are both built upon the same basic relationship -- that of the oppressor and the oppressed. As long as oppression exists, the violence in the world will also.

Suggested reading for more information:

• The Dreaded Comparison, by Marjorie Spiegal. This is available through I.D.E.A; PO Box 124, Prince Street Station, NY, NY 10012.
• The Sexual Politics of Meat, by Carol Adams.
• Dead Meat, by Sue Coe.

"Ultimately, the true battle against oppression will be waged within each of us, because that is where all the violence, with enough work, can finally, everlastingly, be brought to an end." - Marjorie Spiegal

There is no Justice, Just Us!