Circles of Compassion Essays Connecting Issues of Justice
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circles of compassion essays connecting issues of justice edited by Will Tuttle, PhD circles of compassion essays connecting issues of justice edited by Will Tuttle, PhD Circles of Compassion: Essays Connecting Issues of Justice Copyright © 2014 by Vegan Publishers. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For more infor- mation, please contact the publisher directly. Published by: Vegan Publishers, Danvers, MA, www.veganpublishers.com Cover and text design: ©Robin H. Ridley / parfaitstudio.com Watercolor art: ©Madeleine Tuttle / madeleinetuttle.com Farm Sanctuary goats: ©Jo-Anne McArthur / weanimals.com Road: ©Avohitatevs; Hands: ©Dolgachov / dreamstime.com Printed in the United States of America on 100% recycled paper ISBN 978-1-940184-06-7 Table of Contents Foreword: Connecting the Dots by Carol J. Adams ...................................... 10 Introduction: !e Circles of Compassion Vision by Will Tuttle .......................................... 19 Essays Beyond Humanism, Toward a New Animalism by David Cantor ....................................... 22 No Innocent Bystanders by Angel Flinn ......................................... 37 Why Compassion is Essential to Social Justice by Katrina Fox ......................................... 42 A Woman, a Cat, and a Realization by Beatrice Friedlander .................................. 49 In the Doing and the Being by Lori B. Girshick ...................................... 54 Social Responsibility, Re"exivity, and Chasing Rainbows by Rachel Alicia Gri!n .................................. 63 Eating Animals and the Illusion of Personal Choice by Robert Grillo ........................................ 74 Carnism: Why Eating Animals is a Social Justice Issue by Melanie Joy ......................................... 80 Social Justice, Sincerity, and Sustenance by Lisa Kemmerer ..................................... 90 Mother Corn, Father Pumpkin, Sister Bean… by Rita Laws ........................................ 96 Until Every Belly is Full by Keith McHenry ..................................... 108 Slavery. It’s Still a !ing. by Christopher-Sebastian McJetters ........................ 127 Hunger, Meat, and the Banality of Evil by Dawn Moncrief ..................................... 133 Animal Rights Equal Human Rights: Domesecration and Entangled Oppression by David Nibert ....................................... 149 Building an Animal Advocacy Movement for Racial and Disability Justice by Anthony J. Nocella II ................................. 159 Our Lifeline Revealed !rough the Eye of Justice by Richard A. Oppenlander .............................. 171 A Hunger for Justice by lauren Ornelas ...................................... 182 Veganism: A Path to Non-Violence by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau ............................. 198 Climate Change and Injustice Everywhere by Sailesh Rao ........................................ 207 Injustice Everywhere by Anteneh Roba ...................................... 214 Becoming a Vegan Feminist Agitator by Marla Rose ........................................ 224 How We Hinder Children to Protect !em by Ruby Roth ......................................... 229 Connecting the Dots on Dietary Choices by Richard H. Schwartz ................................. 234 Looking Behind the Curtain to the Hidden Side of Justice Issues by Kim Sheridan ...................................... 240 !e Gay Animal: A Personal Exploration of Interconnections by Jasmin Singer ....................................... 249 Animal Rights as a Social Justice Issue by Gary Smith ........................................ 268 Confronting the Saboteur Within: Advancing a Consciousness of Compassion by Jo Stepaniak ........................................ 274 Unrecognized Roots of Injustice and the Vegan Transformation by Will Tuttle ......................................... 280 !e MOGO Principle for a Peaceful, Sustainable, and Humane World by Zoe Weil ........................................... 291 Conclusion: Going Forward by Will Tuttle ......................................... 305 Author Pro#les ..................................... 311 Foreword: Connecting the Dots by Carol J. Adams What is intersectionality? !e concept was developed as a critical race theoretical intervention in anti-discrimination law. It has also subsequently been employed as a method for analyzing and combating oppressive structures and practices beyond discrimination law. Feminists have been among the activists and scholars analyzing mutually reinforcing logics of domination and drawing connections among the varied implications of power relations. Many of these writers have identified ecofeminism as an important resource for dis- cussing intersectionality. Ecofeminism posits that the domination of the rest of nature is linked to the domination of women, and that both dominations must be eradicated. To the issues of sexism, racism, classism, impe- rialism, and heterosexism that concern feminists, ecofeminists add environmental exploitation. Analyzing mutually reinforcing logics of domination, and drawing connections among practical implications of power relations, has been a core project of ecofeminism, and we’ve benefitted from insightful writings by Marti Kheel, Greta Gaard, Lori Gruen, Deborah Slicer, pattrice jones, and others. Others who write on this subject often acknowledge the influence of feminism and ecofeminism in the development of their understand- ing of interconnected oppressions. Jim Mason’s An Unnatural Order (1997) is an example of this. Mason argues that all human oppression 10 originates in the domestication and subsequent oppression of animals. Mason coined the term misothery (from the Greek words for hatred/ contempt and animal) to denote speciesist derogation of animals, which he views as parallel to misogyny, hatred and contempt for women. !e theory that the oppression of women, animals, and other subju- gated groups are interrelated has proven to have practical implications. For instance, it has brought about the recognition that companion animals are often targets of abusers as well as the human victims of domestic violence. As feminists were developing what we now call “ecofeminism” in the 1970s, the contemporary animal rights movement was beginning to take shape. By the early 1980s, as more and more animal advocacy groups emerged, it was becoming clear that the budding movement, though rhetorically attuned to sexism and racism was not as inclusive as it should have been. !is meant that while we were fighting against some social injustices, we were simultaneously promoting them in our daily actions. !is book originally began with the vision of two feminist-animal activists who wanted to help others make sense of the intuition that how we respond to animals is connected to and is a part of social jus- tice in the world. In 2006, Ashley Maier and Stacia Mesleh created “Connect the Dots,” an organization whose mission was to promote and build capacity to address the connections between human, animal, and environmental well-being. In 2008, they decided to edit a collection of essays that addressed the commonality of oppression. !eir call for papers explained that they wanted to illustrate that a pervasive mindset, conscious or uncon- scious, underlies most human-caused violence, exploitation, and oppression. !is mindset is “Me and those like me are better and more important than others. Our feelings, wants, needs, desires, and very lives are worth more than ‘theirs.’” !is mindset persists in most cultures and reveals itself in 11 manifestations that are both socially sanctioned (i.e. animal consumption, land use, inequitable pay) and non-socially sanctioned (i.e. abuse of companion animals, toxic waste dumping, rape). !ese two branches of injustice share the same root system; thus one cannot be watered without causing the other to thrive and grow. !e outcomes of this mindset include, but are not limited to: patriarchy, racism, sexism, homophobia, heterosexism, classism, genderism, ageism, environmental destruction, speciesism, consumerism, family violence, sexual violence, the prison industrial complex, war… !ough seemingly disconnected, these manifestations are connected by the paradigm of perceived superiority. !is mindset endures because it has well-established safe havens within the human social norms of most cultural contexts. 1 Ashley and Stacia wanted to shine a light on the daily choices that feed and sustain this mindset, allowing it to hide in plain sight. !ey envisioned that their anthology would contribute to the dialogue and community building they saw as necessary to expand justice beyond the currently accepted borders that offer shelter to a privileged few. !ey invited contributors to write about how they see oppression shaping the world, or about their journeys towards connecting the dots of oppression, or defining moments that illuminated the inter- connectedness of oppressions, and/or advice to those who aspire to live a more just life. From the beginning of their project, I discussed with them the progress on the manuscript. In 2013, a variety of forces caused Ashley and Stacia to realize they had to put “Connect the Dots,” the organization, on hold, and that they would not be able to complete the book. !ey had previously signed on with Vegan Publishers to publish this anthology, and with their permission,