“Affordable Beef” Comes From “Modern Agriculture”
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As usual, the animal exploiters don’t just miss the point, they spread myths:
“…the [Animal Agriculture] Alliance is concerned about a movement of animal rights extremists,” [Philip Lobo] said, “many of whom are vegans, who are willing to use drastic measures in their attempts to impose their dietary choices onto others.”
Note the “many of whom are vegans” part. See, they’re not truly interested in stopping so-called “animal rights extremists,” they’re interested in stopping the spread of veganism. Period. They see veganism – the exclusion the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose – as the threat.
They even say as much:
“The Alliance works to address the most pressing topics being raised by anti-modern farming activists today, as well as vegan or animal rights activists.”
Catch how they’ve changed the topic? Instead of saying factory farming, they call it modern farming. But it’s all the same. And it’s how most animal products are produced: tiny, indoor spaces where animals live short, filthy, horrific lives and then are killed. Like this:
Mary Martin, Animal Person, responds with:
Are we pinning people down and force-feeding them vegan burritos?
Haha! Vegans aren’t the ones force-feeding anyone. Non-vegans are:
“Many meat people view vocal vegans as religious zealots. When they encounter a nonmeat person some meat people react as though they’ve been cold-called late at night by a long-winded and annoying telemarketer. Most meat people view veganism the same way they view living animals: something to be extinguished so that they may more easily enjoy meat,” I wrote a while back.
I can’t even tell you how often I’ve been told not to “shove my opinions down people’s throats.” It’s a ridiculous accusation. The criticism is absurd. Everything I do as an activist requires the consenting involvement of non-vegans. They don’t hear my opinions unless they read my articles, watch my videos, come to a vegan event, or accept a vegan pamphlet. They choose to listen to me!
Sigh. It certainly seems like there’s little point in talking about ethical issues like consent or free choice when meat mongers like the Animal Agriculture Alliance don’t understand the concepts. Almost makes me wonder if civil discourse is worthwhile.
Speaking of discourse, below are the talking points from the Animal Agriculture Alliance (AAA). Next to them, in italics, I’ve provided a quote from another source that demonstrates how these AAA talking points are myths:
- Myth: “produce the world’s best, safest, wholesome, nutritious and affordable beef”
Fact: “the current system poses unacceptable risks to public health, the environment, our rural communities and the welfare of the animals themselves.” - Myth: “the important role of animal agriculture to our nation’s economy, productivity, vitality, and security”
Fact: “because the modest profits in confinement operations require the lowest possible labor costs, including automated feeding, watering and manure-handling systems, these operations have helped empty and impoverish rural America.”
I encourage animal advocates to use the words of the AAA and subvert their message. (Clearly, they’re stealing our words and trying to subvert our message. That’s why the word “vegan” appears in their articles and why it’s referred to as a “dietary choice” rather than as a non-exploitative lifestyle.)
Use these talking points above as titles in your pro-vegan blog posts. Use these words and phrases in your HTML. Use these talking points in your factory farming video titles and descriptions. Use these talking points in your leaflets. Just tweak the the talking points a bit to show the reality. When a web search for “affordable beef” turns up articles about veganism, animals will begin to get some of the attention they deserve.
When our vegan message gets even half as much attention as their anti-vegan message, then they can start whining about vegans “imposing their dietary choices onto others.” But so long as every other television commercial is for fast food (ie: meat, dairy, and egg consumption), they’re simply misrepresenting the reality.
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