Vegans are often accused of forcing their animal equality “agenda” on others or shoving their animal liberation “propaganda” down others’ throats, so to be fair I thought I’d make a list of all the animal agriculture propaganda that has forced the animal-abuse agenda upon us all since we were very young … Consider:

*We were all taught that “Old MacDonald had a Farm,” and yet we were never once told what actually happens to the animals on that farm …

*We were all taught the words to “Bah Bah Black Sheep” and learned that the sheep therein says, “Yes Sir. Yes Sir. Three bags full!”, and yet none of us were told of the immense suffering that farmers inflict upon sheep to bring us that wool …

*We were all asked to complete exercises in school where we were required to “Match the animal with the products they give us” and we were rewarded when we matched cows with the milk, chickens with the eggs, and sheep with the wool that we forcibly STEAL from them …

*We were all taught that the correct pronoun to use for an animal is ‘it’ – the same pronoun we use for inanimate objects – when in reality the correct pronoun to use when referring to any sentient being is always either “he” or “she”, seeing as how sentient beings are individuals to be respected, not commodities to be used …

*We were all taught the “Balanced Diet Pyramid” and thereby told that we needed to regularly consume the corpses and secretions of other animals to be healthy — essentially (and quite incorrectly) that protein comes from meat and that calcium comes from milk. Indeed, we were told not to exclude any of the food groups shown in that Pyramid otherwise we would get sick. We were never told about the plant-based sources of protein and calcium, and we were never taught to ask why humans are the only animals on the planet who drink milk beyond infancy and the only animals on the planet who drink the breast milk of other species …

*We are each of us even to this day inundated with commercials and advertisements showing images of happy animals — of farmed animals smiling — of farmed animals actually enjoying selling the cut-up body parts of their own friends and family members, when in reality farmed animals scream and moan and shiver and tremble when they see their loved ones abused & murdered …

*We have been taught to use euphemisms like “beef”, “pork”, “mutton”, “ham”, “bacon”, “leather”, “wool”, “down”, and “gelatin” — terms that make it easy for us to look away from the fact that these items are ACTUALLY dismembered parts of dead animals; the corpses of previously living beings who had a family, who had friends, who had a face, and hopes, and a heartbeat …

*We are still to this day told that words like “farm fresh”, “organic”, “local”, “grass fed”, “cage free”, and “humane” somehow make the enslavement and the mutilation and the murder that happens to ALL farmed animals somehow morally acceptable — that abuse is somehow OK as long as it is done “kindly” (?!?!?) or quickly (and only if the victim is an animal, of course. If we are told that a human was “killed humanely”, the discussion is always VERY different) …

*We were given toy animals with our “Happy Meals” while failing to be told that these toys come with a meal made from the slaughtered parts of tortured and violently murdered beings …

*We were taught that the principles of justice, compassion, and peace don’t apply equally to animals because “they’re stupid” or “they’re different” or “they’re just animals.” At the same time, we are told to respect all humans and uphold the principles of justice, compassion, and peace equally with all of them — because individual humans being different does not mean that those individuals are in any way inferior or less worthy …

So, now that you are aware of just some of the many ways by which we are all conditioned to disregard and denigrate animals, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to continue being the oppressor thereof by directly funding those who profit from animal abuse, OR are you going to listen to what your Heart as known all along and start showing ALL animals the respect and the decency they deserve?

Get on the right side of history, my Friends … Get on the side of Justice & Compassion … Go Vegan … Thank you.

(inspired by Ritka Thomsa)

Filed under: Sanctifying Sentience by Scaughdt