Animal Liberation has an uphill battle in the fight against animal agriculture.

So instead of simply trying to lower consumer demand for animal products, it makes much more sense to attack the root causes of the problem, the power structures that allow animal exploitation to persist.

Here are seven power structures that currently enable animal exploitation:

1. Government subsidies that make it cheaper to grow plants to feed meat animals than to feed humans,
2. The lack of humane and environmental law enforcement,
3. Meat industry doesn’t have to pay for externalities, like damage to the environment or people killed from industry byproducts like manure or runoff water,
4. The social/political environment that allows animal exploiters to live without fear of consequence,
5. The social/political environment that imposes harsh penalties for animal advocates who cause “economic damage”,
6. The economic environment that allows humans to be treated as disposable commodities, and
7. The social/political/economic environment that allows animals to be treated as disposable commodities

Can you think of any others?

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(partially crossposted at ElaineVigneault.com)

Sections: Vegan Theory
Topics: Theory, veg, Vegan