"Race"

L'INTRO FRANÇAIS : Je le trouve très intéressant de voir comment nous choisissons nos mots en général, et en bonnes sociologue, specifiquement autour de l'inégalite. Pour ce petit "post" j'aborderai le langage français autour de la question de "race" sur les êtres. Encore un petit mot sur l'animalité et l'inégalité entre êtres humains et animaux, mais bon, c'est un grand problème dans le monde aujourd'hui qui doit absolument pris en compte !

And now for ENGLISH:

There is Only One Human Race

In my sociological studies here in France, I have come to realize very interesting subtleties surrounding the word "race." In fact, in France, using the word race to denote an ethnicity of a human is not only rude but quite simply not said. In sociological work and study, however, if you want to specifically use the word race as it is meant in English, it is necessary to put the word in quotation marks. (A feminist author Colette Guillaumin made something of a scandal when she chose to simply capitalize 'race' rather than put it in quotes). The French explain the word choice by saying, "Il n'y a qu'une race chez nous: l'être humain !" meaning approximately "There is only race amongst us : the human being!" In spite of continual struggles of identity and somewhat worrisome discussions on the 'immigration problem' thanks to Sarkozy, I personally find this word choice to be a major success. We still have denigrating words put towards people of different ethnicities and cultures, but quite frankly, the fact that there is no "human race" is beautiful.

Animal Races

However, even amongst animals, we see the objectification and inequality launched upon animals in that in the French language, people often use the word "race" to denote "species." "A good race of cow, that makes for a delicious meat.." etc. Though I am not suggesting that there isn't a variation of species in the order Animalia outside of human beings, I'm highlighting the curiousness in using the word race is used rather than species in the French language for animals yet there is a conscious abstinence from the use of 'race' respecting human beings. Moreover, the word racisme (le racisme) exists in French to denote injustice towards individuals of other ethnicities. The weight and the violence of the word race is very evident in the French language, yet finds its way into discussions of animality. Interesting how four letters can mean so much.

Seeing

Marilyn Frye, a famous feminist author, once said the following about realizing one's oppression:

Consider a birdcage. If you look very closely at just one wire in the cage, you cannot see the other wires…It is only when you step back, stop looking at the wires one by one, microscopically, and take a macroscopic view of the whole cage, that you can see why the bird does not go anywhere.[1]

While vegan activism is definitely the most important to me (because there appears to be such a dearth of vegan activists) taking my africana studies class and this women's studies class reminds me just how important all these systems of oppression are to tackle. As a sociology major, I'm quite literally a student of inequality. At this moment in time I feel so stretched across the vast abyss of inequality, pulled in all directions, constantly shifting between these different political campaigns and it's often so hard to tie them all together. I am passionate but unable to mobilize.

I am critical of the radical vegan activists who tie all social oppression together, who recognize the ways in which all of the following themes can create inequality: gender, sex, sexuality, poverty, race, class, age, ability. The problem is that although this is true, to use all of these rather strong radical political stances all at once dissuades the average listener from hearing. In reality, we are forced to normalize ourselves in an effort to gain coverage from the media and the average passerby. Given the massive budgets behind meat advertising, we have to make our voices be heard as much as possible.

So I am finding myself in this strange crevice, this strange space of social inequality overwhelm, where my radical feminist politics can never cross with my radical animal rights efforts, except perhaps amongst already radical folks. Where my critiques of current economic structures cannot find its way into these campaigns, for fear of overwhelming the average listener with more than one non-conventional notion at a time. Too much new and we shut down, after all.

But there's definitely something about all this that hurts. Something that hurts about only being able attack one inequality at a time, an impatience, a hunger for change, a need for change that drives me mad. I want to be able to fight against gender norms, against horrendous foreign aid programs, against AR-abusers, but I simply can't get past the fact that it's not efficient to overlap my efforts.

I see the wires of the cage,

but I can't see how they all work together.

How can I break the cage ?

There are way too many birds in here,

and time is running out.

We've gotta get out.

source

---

[1] Marilyn Frye, The Politics of Reality: essays in feminist theory. Crossing Press: Freedom, California, 1983; pps 2-7

Cercle de Silence à Paris (Place des Innocents) par OneVoice

Circle of Silence

for Animals Exploited by the Fur Industry

for info on the action, check out OneVoice's website

For information on the egregious methods of the fur industry, please check out this brief factsheet.

Humor + AR

Ummm so I've been thinking a lot about using Humor and AR, and how to tie the two together...

So in my procrastination on my french sociology work, I was bopping around looking how humor can be used for AR. The following cartoon only somewhat touches on the whole human-animality question but definitely brings to light this question of superiority which we hold to be unique to the human race.

Shamlessly snatched from the following site. I hold no rights : http://www.vegetus.org/vegtoon/ar.htm

The site in general can be found here: http://www.vegetus.org/vegtoon/vegtoon.html

Some duds but some that are pretty interesting.

The End.

Embracing Animality vs. Vegetarianism : Opposing Arguments?

A theoretical veganism question came to me today. Here it is in the roughest of forms. Tell me what you think:

Animality :

I consider myself a vegan in practice and in theory. So I'm constantly reevaluating my relationship and the larger human relationship with non-human animals. (Sorry if that seemed to be creating an immediate divide between the two.) Animality, quite simply put, is the essence of being an animal, something which we necessarily tie to being non-human. However, as I have put in other posts, humans are necessarily animals and I think there is something quite radical about embracing one's animality, that is to say, questioning cultural norms that go against "animality" and hiding one's "animalness." We also see how animality ties in with feminism quite frequently (check out Carol Adams or Pattrice Jones for more on that) and how The Woman is often connected with The Animal, that is to say that She possesses more animal-like qualities that Man (male) does not possess (see: emotions, involuntary menstruation, focus on the body rather than the mind, and all the rest of that garbage.) So. I think more and more amongst vegan advocates we see a shift towards embracing our own animality, that is to say that since humans are necessarily animals we must recognize our own needs and desires as necessarily human, rather than dismissing them when they arrive. Our animal needs are just as legitimate as our "rational" needs.

Vegetarianism and Embracing Our Animality... Does it Clash ?

FYI, this is a space of thought, not of thesis. I attended a lecture on vegetarianism and the speaker coined vegetarians and vegans alike as "Abstinents" as if it were some necessary withdrawal from society, an abstaining from part of the cultural story-telling, etc. However, the argument can be made that meat and killing is a desire. Fortunately in our society most of us have come to terms with the fact that killing one another is unacceptable (exceptions: government-approved activities such as war, grassroots independence movements, etc.), so my argument for vegetarianism doesn't crumble by me saying this :)

However, to what point can one remedy the notion that we embrace our own animality and desires and all the while "abstain" from an industry so horrible?

I think the answer lies somewhere in the fact that questions and categories are not quite as discrete as I've made them out to be. Animality does not mean savageness, after all, it simply means recognizing that we are animals and as such are not simply brains detached from the rest of our physical beings. One can be animal and ethical at the same time. But all the while the argument is continually made that meat is a desire, a need to consume the flesh of another being. I think this question merits some more evaluation... So please don't hesitate to give me feedback!

VG-Zone: Veg Guide to Paris

Best website ever for FRENCH VEGANS/VEGANS IN PARIS/

végans/végétaliens/végétariens à Paris!

VG-Zone.net

Spread that shit around!

Furthering Oneself from the Culture of Meat: Good or Bad?

I keep asking myself if it's a bad thing that I'm losing my connection more and more to the culture of meat-eating. On the one hand, that's a good thing. It's a great thing! But by losing my tie with this huge part of our culture (current culture, I should add) am I separating myself too much from omnivores? That is to say, from a campaigning standpoint, am I losing my ability to connect to meat-eaters ? Am I losing my ability to effectively rework the culture of meat, but removing myself from it? Culture is moldable, after all, and just requires a good bit of time and energy to change. Here's the equation for you right-brained people (also I'm bored, and procrastinating on homework)

TIME + starting a VeganDialogue + vegan cupcakes + SUSTAINED PATIENCE

= Vegan Revolution !

So I ask myself, am I still able to effectively relate to the people I'm talking to?

It's true there are always the lines like ---

• "I used to love meat!"
• "This tastes just like meat, try it."
• "I know that veganism sounds kind of extreme but... "

all of which help the non-vegan in question from feeling judged. Also to keep her/him from completely tuning me out, and everything that I have to say, for fear that I've just lost it.

Making Non-Veg Alliances? This has consequently led me to consider developing slightly odd ties/alliances with my friends who are vegetarian or omnivore and get their insight as to how best campaign. For instance, I could show them a series of pamphlets, videos, presentation methods and they could respond with their feedback. Especially when it comes to vegan food, I sometimes question how people really find Isa's cupcakes of heaven (As for me, I don't remember what milk tastes like.. though I was mildly lactose intolerant for most of my childhood anyway. As are many people.) AND! If you ask someone about this business, they may *MAY* actually listen to what you have to say for once.

---%---

But as I was thinking about how far I'm separating myself from the culture of meat, I have to pat myself on the back. Once you've seen all the pain, suffering, and madness that goes on in the meat industry, you just kind of want to run out into the street and scream at the top of your lungs "DIE YOU MOTHERFUCKING AGRI-INDUSTRY OF HELL!" And sometime it really hurts. It really fucking hurts at first to see so much and feel so disempowered. To see a mother bellowing for her calf in just 8 oz. of milk. A putrid, ammonium-wreaking, file-cabinet-sized hen facility in every little egg. And a serving of meat? Tail-burning, beak-clipping, ineffective stun-guns, "kosher" lies, scalding tanks.

Sometimes it hurts, but when you realize how much of an impact you can have, everything kind of looks up. I've been a vegan activist for not too long, and I can already see the impact I've made on my friends and family. And as W.E.B. DuBois once said,

One thing alone I charge you. As you live, believe in life! Always human beings will live and progress to greater, broader and fuller life. The only possible death is to lose belief in this truth simply because the great end comes slowly, because time is long.

Time sure as hell is long. But it's important to keep that in mind. Because change is a-happening.