the ethics of veganism

It hit me over the past week that the only thing I've been blogging lately is radio playlists. Which is awesome in its way, but a little narrow in focus. So here's a link to an article brought to my attention today - on the ethical questions raised by lab grown meat:

The vegan carnivore? It's made in a lab, no factory farms and no killing, but it's still meat. Looks like we'll need a whole new food ethics...

I have to admit that I recognized my own reactions to lab grown meat in some of the scenarios, ranging from PETA's Ingrid Newkirk saying:

‘Any flesh food is totally repulsive to me ... But I am so glad that people who don’t have the same repulsion as I do will get meat from a more humane source.’

to the idea that

‘Natural’ food feels right, ‘synthetic’ food feels wrong.

As Baggini writes,

Many people cannot distinguish between their ‘all-things-considered’ moral judgment and their unmediated gut feelings, mistaking reflex revulsion for ethical insight.

I noticed this reflex response in myself - revealed only when I was asked why exactly I was ambivalent about lab grown meat.
But what I see as the real major insight here revolves around the way Baggini highlights the complexity of these issues:

The biggest obstacle to a more nuanced view of food ethics might be that it is so difficult to accept that ethics is not just about choosing between the good and the bad, but balancing different, competing goods.

We need to reach a point where we are neither romantically devoted to traditional, small-scale farming methods nor addicted to technological fixes. We have to be able to determine the roles of both.

Read the whole article, as my snippets don't do it justice. And then think about your own reaction to lab grown meat (whatever that reaction might be), and take a moment to consider the 'why'.

squeamishness, robots, and animal pals

A few more facts about Laura the vegan that I would like to share:
I'm not vegan because I'm squeamish. I am not weak and skinny, and if I'm pale it's because I'm naturally fair and not a fan of bright sunlight. Just because a bleeding steak spoils my appetite doesn't mean I'm bothered by blood. The fact that I care how humans and other animals live and die does not mean I'm afraid of death.
[stay tuned for the next installment...]

The science & technology page on cbc.ca has been featuring an awful lot about robots lately. Are they trying to accustom us to intelligent machines so we don't notice it when they start replacing us? Fusing with us? Becoming us?

As much as I like robots I would rather hang out with my cats. The irreplaceable. Dog companions are equally irreplaceable, including the sweet and lovely Umbria [the beauty reclining on the couch], whose time on this plane has come to an end. We will all miss you, Umbria, but your red-headed human roommate most of all, I expect.

Kill Eat Exploit the Weak guide to holiday shopping

If you missed last night's show, you also missed our suggestions about how and where to spend your xmas money. Lucky you, we promised to post the list here.


independent local retailers (KW):

Green Door Vegan Variety
10-509 Wilson Ave, Kitchener, 519-896-1500

Delirium Clothing
23 King St N, Waterloo, 519-886-8480

Scaredy Cats Costumes and more
64 King St E, Kitchener, 519-576-5340

The Catacombs
108 Queen St S, Kitchener

independent artists online:

The Royal Sarcophagus Society Store

online veg friendly shopping (Canada):

WWF Panda Store

Comondi

Grass Roots Environmental Products

PhytoAromatics

Downbound

online veg friendly shopping (US and international):

Jorubo

Crafters for Critters

Anatomy of a Skirt

Whammy Industries

Green House Framing

Super Vegan

Lekkner

Food Fight Grocery

If you're feeling ambitious you can also check our website's Causes page. Some of the charities listed there sell items to raise money for their efforts. And there's always the option of making a donation to a good cause in someone's name...

On a slightly different note, while I was browsing through Herbivore Magazine looking for shopping ideas I came across an interview with Michael Franti. At one point he talks about the importance of realism in the "politics of veganism," and since what he says is very close to my own philosophy I wanted to share it with you here:

"I find that people come to vegetarianism a lot more easily through attraction than they do through shock tactics. I'm somebody that really believes in that. I don't preach my diet to other people. If people want to talk about it because I'm eating certain things, I'll talk to them about it. If people want to know if there are some political beliefs, some economic reasons, or some health reasons behind it, I'll explain it to them. I don't try to belittle other people for where they're at in their evolution as a person.

"There should be some realism to the politics of veganism. For example, if we could get everyone in America to stop eating half as much or even 30 percent as much meat, it would be a much greater effect on the meat industry than if we just get a handful of all-out, 100 percent vegans. So, while I would love to see everyone benefit from the health effects of veganism, I would also like them to see the effects of the meat industry on the environment, on the suffering of animals, and on the consumption of oil and other natural resources ... of deforestation ... all of these things could be significantly reduced if we encouraged people to eat less and less and less meat. Over time, hopefully, people find the benefit of being vegan or vegetarian."

Michael Franti (Spearhead, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Beatnigs) in Herbivore Magazine, Issue 12, p.52

next on-air KEEW: Dec 16, 11pm ET