Anonymous Animal Liberation Devastate to Liberate Or Devastatingly Liberal
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Anonymous Animal Liberation: Devastate to Liberate, or Devastatingly Liberal? Contents BBeecocoming Parartt oof ttf he PrProobblelemm . 55 On being the Greatest allies ooff our own gravediggers . 99 Guililt-t-Soakkeed Coonnsusumpttiioon . 1111 FFaasshhioion Vicictitims . 1133 ‘‘AAllll hhumaanns are bastardrds,s,’ rigghht Roonnnie? . 1414 Desperatatelely seeking sysympaththy . 1616 Up shihit’s clclique withthoouut a paadddldle . 2020 Whatat’s clclasass goott ttoo do wwiitthh it? . 2222 Aniimmatated lilibbeerarals . 2255 innkkiningg ffoorr oouursrselelvvees . 2299 Aererworrdd . 3322 22 “One can only empathise with individuals, motivated by a sincere desire for reform, who join ecology groups, consumer organisations and alternative po- litliticall partieties. InIn anyofof thesese groupsthesese indiviividualsls araree directeded byby aa firmlyly enentrtrenched lleaderrshshiipp tthhrrough a maze of f popolitiliticacallylly motivtivaatted comprromiises to an end that is sadly predictable: the indefinite postponement of profound sociiaal trtransf f oorrmatitionon, tthe enririchmentt oof tthe carreeeerrs oof f aa f f ew burreaucrraattss and the permanent disillusion of a number of intelligent individuals. from ‘Call it Sleep’ — Cronin/Seltzer e movvementt whiich has sprrung up arround aniimal ririghghtts has gaiined wiidede-- spsprread nottooririeetyty and a f f aairir amountt oof f support. It appeallss tto aallll sosortrts oof f peopllee,, generally the compassionate souls and especially the young. Kids, grown up in a world where the cruelty and horror has never been more openly and apparently fraternised by the media, and educational system look for something to do about it all. e lure of the animal rights movement lies exactly in that it appears that you can do something about it. With its sit-ins, hunt sabotage, commando-style Animal Liberation Front (ALF) rraaiids eettcc. tthe movvementt cecertrtaaiinnlyly has tthe aairirs oof f mmilitilitancyy susurrrroundiingng itit and evevenen ifif sosomeononee dodoesesn’n’tt gegett didirerectctlyly ininvovolvlveded inin ststuffuff ththenen ththeyey cacann ststililll fefeelel papartrt of of it. It would be hard to deny that this is where it has its appeal, nestling smoothly alongside the altruistic, caring for the wounded. All sorts of folks pass through tthe movvement, from tthe gentltle and milild mannerreded ttoo tthe angryry oor ttr hehe jjusustt ppllaaiinn weird. BuBut f f t oorr aallll oof ttf he militilitanantt pprreettence ttheherre has allwayys ees xixisstted witithhiinn tthe aniimall ririghghtts movvement tthe belilieef tthahat tthe currrrenentt sociiaall sstrtrucucttuurre can adapt ititseself ttoo eexixissttence witithoutt ananiimall abuse.. AAllll sosortrts oos f f pprressurre gge rroups campaiigns arre sett up, so as to persuade parliament to bring in legislation which will miraculously end humans persecution of other species. Any casual glance at history will of course show that such reformist politics, asking or pressurising governments to reform their practices and laws, offer no rroad tto genuiine change butt a dead end.. Herree iinn tthe cul-l-dede--sac of f hahalf lf ggrranantteded demands and absorbed “sell-outs” you’ll find countless genuine desires for social transformation twisted into new forms of oppression. e meaningful change we crave is permanently postponed by those in power. AAll this amounts to is a constant banging of heads against brick walls and one would’ be forgiven for thinking that the resultant bruising caused to the brains of ananiimal riril ghghtts campaiignerrss iiss rresponsiibbllee f f oor tthe ssttaggeriring naiviveetyty wwitithhiinn tthehe movvement.t. BuBut ititt goes f f uurtrtheher ttr han tthahat- e sse ttupupiid belilieef ttf hahat ttt he huge prroofitfitss involved in the abuse of animals (which are so intricately linked up to financial 33 gain and exploitation in other areas of life) will just be casually given up by the vvasastt cocorrpoporraatitions and govveerrnmentts who benefit from it, iss tthehe rresultlt oof f peopllee allowing themselves to remain blind to the very harsh reality of the society we am forced to inhabit and a refusal to aack the very people who’ve put the blinkers on us. e problem is compounded by people in the animal rights movement enthu- ssiiasastiticacallylly cclluuttchchiing ontto ananyy ssiigngn tthahatt sometthhiing benefificciiaal iis happeniingng f f oorr ananiimalls and cllaaiimmiingng tthahat ttt hhiiss iis partrt oof ttf hehe “r“road ttoo viviccttoory”. In convveerrsasatitions peoplle sse till taallk about tthehe f f uur trtrade as if it has been destrtrooyyeded ((whiichch itit hasn’t)’t) and other such garbage. e trend is to be content that something is happening but never to examine the content of what is happening. At the very most, only the mildest demands could ever be met. Perhaps there will be some reduction in the intensity of farming practices, maybe even an end ttoo vivisectitionon f f oor tthe purrpose of ttesestiting cosmetiticscs.. BuBut tthehe lilikekelilihood iiss tthahatt tthese viviccttooririeses ((asas tthe aniimal ririghghtts movvementt woulld no doubtt see it)it) woulldd be merreelyly cosmetiticc iinn tthemselvlveses.. Operraatitions lilikeke tthese coulld be movveded ((and already are) overseas where there is less dissent — ensuring for the capitalists who conduct ttt hem — ttheheirir contitinuatitionon, tt, heheirir pprroofitfitss, tt, he pacifiificacatition oof f oppositiitionon and encouragement of faith in a parliamentary democracy that keeps the wheels of commerce (and therefore exploitation) spinning round and round. II ononcecehehearardd sosomeononee offofferertoto papayy aa blblokokee toto vvototee foforr LaLabobourur —— jujustst bebecacaususee ththeyey had a proposed ban on hunting with hounds in their manifesto! Even if such a ban ddiid come about (veeryry ununlilikekely) the purrpose of ttf hahatt woulld be tto prreevvenentt sometthhiingng eellsese. e pprrospectt oof f morre wwiidesprread activity agaiinsnst tthehe ririch peoplle who go hunting and the police who protect those leisure interests extending beyond the killing fields, into other areas, could, at some point, develop into something more tthhrreaeatteneniingng f f oor tthose who make tthehe llaws (i(iee. tthose who go huntiting and ttheheirir mates) and require pacifying in some way. But they are already dealing with this iin ddiff iff eerrenentt wayyss:: hhiriiring pprivrivaatte security firmm ((whiich ccrreaeattes anottheherr nniiche iinn tthe marrkeket —— makiing huntiting morre pprroofitfitababllee tthan bef f oorre and ttheherreef f oorre morree powerferfullullyy prprotected)d) anandd havingthepoliceandCrCrownPrProsecutionServicee utiutilislisee existing laws more thoroughly. e Home Office are also bringing in a new, catch- all aggravated trespass law, which aims at criminalising travellers, squaers, hunt sabotteueurrs and rraavveerrss, (t, (though tthe generraall wwiidede rrangiing nattuurre ooe f ttf hhiis Cririmmiinanall J J usustitice BBillill wwillill gogo f f aar f f uurtrtheher tthan elilimmiinanatitingng tthese merre annoyyances f f oor tthehe dominating elite). e heady militancy of Brixton sabs going out solely to aack huntsmen, looks set to become a upping of the stakes, too lile, way too late. e poiinnt iit ss tthahatt what ttt he peopllee iinn tthe aniimal riril ghghtts movvementt cacallll ananiimall lilibeberaratitionon, isis nonott brbrououghghtt ononee ststepep clclososerer inin rerealalitityy byby ananyy ofof ththee soso cacalllleded susuccccesesseses.s. More laws can never, bring about more freedom (though they can be used to grant 44 llegal ririghghttss iinn rresponse ttoo ‘r‘radadiicacal’l’ demands).). FFrreedom iis sometthhiingng tthahat jjusustt cannott bebe llegegiissllaatteded iinntto eexixissttence. It is nott a bba itit oof f paper ttr o be arrgued ovveerr bbyy EtEtonon ScSchohoololeded WWanankekersrs inin sosome bibigg WWesestmtmininststerer bubuilildidingng oror ‘o‘offefferered’d’ toto usus byby LeLe WWiing Councilil BuBurreaucrraattss trtraaiined iin comprrehensiviveses.. FFrreedom iis an exixissttence that has to be fought for and taken. Becoming Part of the Problem 1.1. Moderrnn lif lif e bbrirings witithh it tthe ddiisstrtressiingng rreaealilisasatitionon tthahatt aall iis nonott wellll wwitith sociieety.ty. AAllll aarround us we arre acutteelyly awarree, tthahat f f oorr aall tthe gglloss and ggllamourr ooff ff eerreded iinn tthe advveertrts and shop diispspllaayyss, tt, heherre eee xixissttss vvasastt susuff ff eeriring on an unprrecedentteded ‘‘scallee. e hohorrrroorr OOf tthe worlrldd iis nono llongerr sometthhiingng tthahatt iiss iinnvivissiibbllee, it is openlyly onon’’ show,, wwitith ddyiying chililddrren competitingng f f oor tthe same frfronontt page sprread as tthe Royyaall Family. Contrtraary tto whatt manyy peopllee iinn tthehe ananiimal ririghghtts movvementt bebelilieevvee,, manyy oof tthe aatrtrococitiities aarre nonott hhiidden away,y, behiind cllosed doorrss. eeir repeprresenttaatition on filfilm orr ppririnnt iit s sss ttaariring us daily inn tthehe f f ace. If If peoplle aae rre seen tto be apatthehetiticc iin anyy way tty oo tthhiiss iis nott because ttheheyy aarre nott ddiisgustted by it, bubutt hahavve been so sattuurraatted by itss iimages tthehey’ve become anaesthetised to it. And importantly, it’s not just that people are presented with ttoo much iinnf f oorrmatition but tthahat tthehey’re nonott ggivivenen tthe means of f underrssttandiingng how it all adds up. Ever wondered why