The Vegan Spring 1975

It was with great regret that I read the letter "Saying it with Fires" in the Vegan Winter 1974 issue. I must admit I am torn deeply by this issue. However, in regard to animals most people truly believe that it is necessary to kill animals for food, sport, research, etc. Until that belief can be changed through education it would seem that direct action against such a strongly held belief can only result in counteraction by any society holding such beliefs. Further, I think that what is at issue here is a lesson we have in our hands to teach but can lose the right to teach if we make a mistake. The lesson is that humanity must abandon the use of force. Clearly nothing is more forceful than the taking of life. So we must oppose the use of force. It seems quite logical to believe that we cannot convince our brethren to abandon the use offeree if we use it ourselves. Clearly, the use of force rather than reason to accomplish ai\y end is unjustifiable. Such at least is our logic. Our emotions tell us the reverse unfortunately. One wants to liberate all animals. Yet this cannot be done by force. It must be done with logic, with teaching. We have today the ability to communicate with all humans to teach the need to abandon the use of force and to abandon the use of animals. If we-,instead of using that ability to communicate, become instead brigands in the eyes of society, we shall lose soon that ability to communicate. We must remember we are talking about dealing with what in a sense are children with toys. If you wish to take a dangerous toy out of a child's hand, you:must present it with another toy, more tempting but less dangei ous. Veganism is such a tempting and undangerous toy. It must be presented to the foolish children called carnivores who now cling to their animal victims with such foolish energy. If we can present veganism and the need for and ease of practice which goes with it, we can liberate all the animals rather than just a few by r.ight. But, if we adopt the stealth of the hunter in our efforts, we shall have lost all of our cause.

In America, demonstrations by Vegans have included demonstrations at the ubiquitous McDonald's hamburger chain - including some demonstrations which which brought live cattle into their establishment to prove that only dead ones were allowed there and other demonstrations using live horses outside horse meat markets to show the beauty of the living animal. We have also demonstrate! in zoos with signs and placards and mock bars proclaiming "no-one is free until all are free" and "this is a prison, close this prison". Bunuel's new film The Phantom of Liberty" even includes a reference to a demonstration at a zoo.

Such demonstrations bring public attention to the issues involved but do not involve trying to take the deadly rattle from out of the baby's hands. Instead, they are designed to make the baby think. We support such non-violent demonstrations.

Bob Pinkus. U. S. A.