Kip Sieger on The Simple Heart

[Kip Sieger]

Thanks for all you do for animals Wayne!

You're definitely on to something in pointing out how the govt. too often supports the rich and powerful - probably shouldn't be too surprising given how much campaign donations and lobbyists are used to influence legislators, and how not too many high rollers are inclined to bankroll those critiquing the existing power structures.

At the same time, we have a real quandary when it comes to veganism and "the people." Yes, we are conditioned to live blindly, unquestioningly within the strictures of the meat matrix. At the same time, most people take great offense when their "food" choices are called into question, and animosity toward vegans runs high, especially if they're deemed to be of the "preachy" variety; i.e., advocating for animals. 50 years ago, youthful optimism and the power of vegetarianism's compelling and compassionate message prompted me to think that, if only people knew the bloody truth about the animal products on their plates, then surely they would change their ways. But alas, I've found that while the vast majority of people may cheer for the occasional cow or pig who somehow gets free from the slaughterhouse-bound truck, there's no way they're going to connect the discomforting dots and take meat off their plates. If we could figure out why that is, perhaps the vegan movement could make greater progress.

The whole situation brings to mind a quote from the late Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. He was reflecting upon the situation in his life and career with regards to his risking everything to expose vicious truths about the unconscionable war being waged against Vietnam, but I feel the sentiments can be readily applied to the vegan movement as all. The relevant quote is:

"I gave up my job, my career, my clearance, and I staked my freedom on a gamble: If the American people knew the truth about how they had been lied to, about the myths that had led them to endorse this butchery of 25 years, that they would choose against it. And the risk that you take when you do that, is that you’ll learn something ultimately about your fellow citizens that you won’t like to hear, and that is that they hear it, they learn from it, they understand it, and they proceed to ignore it.”

My only quibble would be that I'm not entirely sure how much people actually learn from and understand the difficult truths they hear - most folks, burdened with their entrenched egos and calcified thinking, seem much more inclined to take offense against anything that challenges their sense of morality, and they fight tooth and nail against both the message and the messenger. Which I think is why it is so gratifying when we someone from the meat matrix actually "getting it" - it just doesn't happen nearly as often as it should.