|
JULIETHEBOLT.NET
Transformation, Compassion, and the End of Denial
4/19/2011
Welcome to my website! Instead of having several websites dealing with different subjects: teaching, my writing, animal rights, social justice and even some personal photos and stories. I've decided to save a dime or two and combine them all. That means there will be A LOT of content here. Since I have other projects going on, it will be awhile before it feel really orderly and easy to navigate. But I hope ultimately the will the go-to source for all juliethebolt content and, more importantly, an introduction, to some great thinker, writers and perspectives. So feel free to skip through to what interests you -- and be patient with me,. This is a long-term project that will always be growing, not quite a blog, but a matrix of online resources, explorations and pondering. Right now, mostly the ANIMAL RIGHTS info is up, but my writing and other contents will be returning soon.
So for now, we will start with Animal Justice! Too often in our society non-human animals are relegated to being "things," objects put here on earth to be used by humans. Their own purposes are often not considered. This site, which is being very slowly developed, will explore the "personhood" of animals ("personhood" as a concept of individuality is not the same as "human," which refers to a species). It will explore their use by humans and the negative impact this has on the environment and also health. This site refers specifically to American, Canadian and many European and Asian contexts, where there are many alternatives to not using animals for food or clothes.
I realize this is a controversial subject, one tied to people's cultures, identities, and sometimes even livelihood. I hope to address all these complex issues as this site evolves. My intention is not to offend or judge, but to engage in this important conversation and share information.
Below is a painting created for this site by Kristen McAhren. The idea of the painting is to capture the essence of animals, and symbolically place "farmed" animals back with their ancestors – back to their rightful place in nature.
"In my world, there is life . . ." Painting by : Kristen McAhren
-- BIG PICTURE
Animals are intelligent and have emotions. In many cases they have at least the reasoning ability (including language comprehension and the ability to follow numerical sequences) of a young human child of two, three, and in some cases four, five and six years old! In addition to highly intelligent apes, dolphins, whales and elephants, scientists have specifically proven the reasoning ability of dogs and impressive abstract reasoning of PIGS. These experiments do not include all the other "intelligences" of non-human animals unique senses and properties, which humans may lack. However, sadly, in a for-profit world, animals have been come to be seen as commodities, as mere objects, when in fact they are a lot more like you and me than they are like a robot or a table.
Therefore, one goal of this site is to build understanding of non-human animals as fellow earthlings rather than objects for consumption. Obviously, I argue that they should treated humanely and have basic rights to life and to lead their natural lives. (In the case of "farmed" animals "natural life" means no factory or industrial farms and in possibly even re-wilding.) Furthermore, this site signifies a revolt against big agribusiness, or factory farms, which not only includes slaughter houses, but quite literally, extreme life-long torture camps for animals -- which subvert and exploit their natural physical behaviors and needs, and completely reject their emotional ones.
It is true that for many people, in America and around the world, big agribusiness has become "normalized" and, because of the horror of the reality of factory farms, and human resistance to chance, many people do not want to know the facts, no matter how much suffering non-human animals endure.
This is not the fault of meat eaters per se -- most of us have been raised to believe commodity meat is a health necessity and part of our human culture. Additionally, the agribusiness maintains a very powerful and rich lobby that works overtime to suppress the truth about what is happening to 47 million sentient creatures a year in the USA alone. What is only now starting to be understood is that the brutal slaughter of non-human animals at a rate never seen before in history is also killing us. Factory farming contributes to 18% of global warming (according to the United Nations). This is more than motor vehicles, which contribute to 13%. In addition to heart disease and cancer, factory farming is the cause of avian and swine flu, and is an incubator for pandemics.
My goal is to explore the concept of animal abolition and show that we can live happily, healthily, and fully without the mass-exploitation, torture, slavery, and murder of our fellow earthlings.
Do you think murder and slavery are too strong to use? They are not. When you learn the conditions of factory farms, these are obvious facts.
It is common for people to shield ourselves from this "even more inconvenient truth" because we are so deeply entrenched in the system that we can not imagine life being lived any differently. However, animal consumption has actually tripled over the last several decades and this has not been the norm throughout human history. In fact, many cultures have been vegetarian, pescatarian and, yes, vegan. These peoples, to be explored later here, have been proven to be healthy and live long lives, sometimes exceptionally long. Because the new extreme agribusiness system seems normal to us, it is not my goal to condemn people who consume (or otherwise use) animal products. However, I do hope to engage willing individuals to imagine better and more humane ways to move forward, whether it is total transformation or manageable small steps.
I will also expose people to the adventurous, ethically satisfying, and tasty concept of an international vegan lifestyle. I am still a beginner (after 24 years of alternating vegetarianism or pescatarianism), so I will introduce you to some of the pioneers and experts (which date back to Leonardo di Vinci)!
I hope we can end denial, and move toward a more just world -- for people and our fellow animals alike. We are all interdependent and in this world together -- a very beautiful world, but one that is in peril due to the depths of our denial. Therefore, this site is not only about abolition, but the beauty and hope of liberation.
-- MY STORY
In time, I will recount my personal journey of how I came to the gradual realization of the need for animal justice, abolition, and the end of denial. It is not a remarkable journey, but one of small epiphanies, and those moments when, inexplicably, I decided to listen to my conscience on this matter. Some of you will relate to these moments.
My story also is about some animals that I have had the pleasure to know and love, and also some people, fighting for rights and liberation of all kinds -- for women, for indigenous people, for people recovering from the traumas of slavery and Diaspora.. Somehow I came to realize all the issues I care about (social, educational, environmental) are interconnected, and it is my duty at this time, to narrate and testify about my realizations and lessons about animals -- including the animals that are us.
-- METHODOLOGY
I have mixed methodology, as I have always been an interdisciplinary person. Some of my methodology will be academic, some narrative, and some a bit more informal, including links to other sites -- deferring to expert pioneers here on the web. I hope to create tangible and creative ways to convey this information, as well as provide empirical evidence.
-- SOURCES
|
