...to watch the documentary Cowspiricy. There are a number of reasons for you to do so, but to me a primary one is that it does an excellent job of illustrating the power of intersectionality. Wikipedia says: "Cultural patterns of oppression are not only interrelated, but are bound
together and influenced by the intersectional systems of society."
The documentary isn't about animal liberation or animal rights or veganism...it's about the fact that animal agriculture is one of the primary driving forces of global warming and environmental destruction...and...none...absolutely none of the national and international "environmental" organizations make this driving force a focus of their efforts. It seems, even, that some of these organizations (e.g. Sierra Club, Greenpeace, etc) are either oblivious to this fact or they are aware of it but choose not to do anything about it. The documentary goes into more detail about the probable reasons they avoid pushing against animal agriculture.
One of the delightful things shown in this film is the total cluelessness of those who promote "sustainable" animal agriculture. There's no such thing and the hucksters who are pushing it are simply liars or ignoramuses.
One rather poignant interview with a spokesperson for Amazon Watch (if I remember the group correctly) resulted in the woman speaking for these folks admitting, after being pushed a little, that one of the reasons they avoid addressing the problem of animal agriculture is that in South America over 1,100 activists have been murdered over the past 20 years...mostly those who spoke out against the devastation caused by animal agriculture.
Veganism is the basis for human animals living in harmony with other Earthlings...it also offers a massively effective way for us to counter the forces that are disrupting the climate. The intersection here is between animal harm and climate change. One of the most effective ways to ameliorate the forces harming the Earth is to quit farming (harming) her beings. That's called a "win-win".
One group...and only one...of all the groups out there who are soliciting money to combat climate degredation makes the effort to point out that what you eat can harm mother Earth....only one. Their name is Rainforest Action Network.
Watch this documentary (caution there are several instances where extreme violence and brutality toward animals is shown...not many...but it is present)...preferably in a setting where you can fast-forward past some scenes of horror (if you wish). But watch it...and if you're like me...any luster and or respect you might have held for most of the big environmental organizations is going to evaporate into the warming climate. We're being flimflammed by the very folks who say they are trying to help our planet. It's a very disheartening thing.
In the meantime, go vegan, for the animals, for the planet, for your own integrity and well-being. And watch Cowspiricy...and get your friends who claim to be concerned about the environment to watch it too. You'll be doing everyone a favor.
Friday, September 19, 2014
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8 comments:
I've heard nothing but good things about this doc, and really looked forward to watching it. Now, even more so! :)
Thank you for commenting HVG. I hope it resonates more positively with you than my last suggestion (Under The Skin) did. :-)
It's great! I just saw it the other night! The visual evidence of the damage done by "livestock" was powerful. That "ecological" groups won't admit to the urgency just illustrates how corrupted things have gotten. (sigh) One more reason to speak up, loud and often, because institutionalized "Earth defenders" sure sold out. :/
Thank you for commenting Bea. I'm glad you appreciated the documentary, I hope they create some sort of data rich guide to accompany it because I think it sure lends itself to community screenings. We've actually had a couple of folks tell us (Red Earth Vegans) that it convinced them to move to veganism...that's hard to beat.
Over a thousand activists murdered in South America! That’s just appalling. We really do have a fight on our hands to rid the world of animal agriculture. Sadly the connection between animal agriculture and global warming and the destruction of our environment is ignored. Most people are ignorant of the connection.This film needs to be seen more widely, I doubt if this will be shown in Cinemas here in the UK. This is a powerful film and more people need to see it.
Thank you for commenting Christine. Yes...it must be shown far and wide!
Hi again - Hopefully at this point the maker of the film has recouped the moneys spent to make the movie 'cause he's given permission to air it *free* on youtube as a remastered piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF-dXTpJcFU
There's no excuse now for folks not to watch it and as you said VE it does influence many towards a better way. It's all good - Yes? :D
When I asked Kip about the pirate version on youtube that was not the case…the official release isn't until November 6th and they do need to encourage people to go see the screenings…it's not just a matter of recouping initial expenses (the crowd-sourcing was hugely successful) but in building for the followup… it isn't inexpensive to translate the original (high quality) doc into multiple languages for international showings, nor to travel to speak and promote this important work. And there are plans for two more films ... fundraising remains very important and I think we should be supporting these filmmakers and respecting their release timeline so they can sell copies of the dvd with all the extras on there, build their vision, etc. Surely they deserve to be fully supported by the animal advocacy community.
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