White Privilege, Vegan Feminists, Respectful Butchering, Etc.: A Roundup

This Poplar Spring resident has been appropriately dubbed Patsy the Adorable by photographer Deb Durant.

There’s a backlog in my Google Reader that could provide years of reading material (not to mention all the Twitter and Facebook links I’ve overlooked), so I’ve no doubt that I’m missing some important recent posts from around the blogosphere in this roundup — forgive me for that. But following are a dozen and a half  pieces that I’ve been lucky enough to catch in these last several all-over-the-place weeks and that I highly recommend checking out.

Breeze at Sistah Vegan addresses some feelings that I think (and hope) many shared in her “Response to VegNews Race and Class Privilege Article, ‘We the People,’” and offers insights into the writing of the article and the end result that we wouldn’t have without this post from her. And I hope that those who might not have otherwise paused to consider these issues raised by Breeze now will. 

David comments briefly on “radioactive fish” over at Animal Blawg. Ah, I continue to so love nuclear power and waste. 

In the “Shegans, Unite!” (that’s you, feminist vegans!) edition of her series of intersectionality posts at easyVegan.info, Kelly rounds up and summarizes/comments on some other interesting posts beyond what I’m including here. Be sure to check it out. 

Linked to in Kelly’s roundup as well, Marla’s excellent post “The PETA Effect” at Vegan Feminist Agitator deserves a read. Extract: 

For every smart, creative and truly helpful campaign PETA creates, there are dozens more they release into the world screeching like fireworks, like feral, poop-flinging, misanthropic banshees. “Look at me! Listen to me! I don’t even know what I have to say but I want you to listen to it! Look: boobies! Go veg, you disgusting, fat schlub! Aaaah!!! Vegetables will make you skinny! Booooobies!” Anything clever or useful gets buried under a barrage of ridiculous stunts. Why is this? Because somewhere along the line, like that self-centered jerk you broke up with as soon as you developed common sense, PETA decided that what works best for them is not only in their best interest, it is their main decisive interest. 

Marla continues to be awesome in her respectful but thoughtful and independent take on the recent dairy investigation, the issue of interpretation, and how the average (meat- and dairy-lovin’) person is responding to the investigation in “Exploitation + Objectification = Conklin Farms. (In other words, business as usual.)” As you probably gathered from my brief allusion to this matter in my last post, I’m with Marla. 

Doris at About.com raised the ire of Dean Koontz fans recently (fellow vegans, check out the comment thread and send her some support?) with “Dean Koontz Is Anti-Animal,” in which she smartly responded to some of his logic-defying remarks. Yes, animal rights is aaaallll about the strong trying to control the weak. *Eyeroll*

Marji has been continuing to keep her eye out for stories relating to pit bulls and breed discrimination over at For the Pit Bulls, including, for example, in “Tammy Devoll: Is Ownership of Pit Bulls Worth the Risk?” and “Pit Bulls Only Breed to Maul.” I give her kudos. This topic stresses. me. out. I would not do well trying to read and respond to everything Marji does. 

Back to Sistah Vegan again now for more thought-provoking issue exploration from Breeze, via video and transcript: “Compassionate Talk About Whiteness in Veganism (Farm Sanctuary).” 

In a series of four posts (1, 2, 3, 4), Mary compiled lessons learned from her last several years of blogging at Animal Person. Like many, I have appreciated, learned from, and been challenged by Mary’s consistently thoughtful, smart posts over the years, in addition to nodding along to many. No exception here. 

What’s that? We need more disgusting, infuriating things to happen in association with the oil catastrophe? From RaceWire: “Feds Target Oil Spill Workers in Immigration Probe.” And other upsetting news from RaceWire while we’re at it: “SB 1070 Hits Schools: The Disappearing Children of Arizona.” 

Checking back in at Invisible Voices after a hiatus, Deb provides what I always, always, always love to see from her — pig photos! Adorable, adorable pig photos!  

In “Searching for Hope,” Greentangle takes a look at the usual perplexing hypocrisy in how we think about animals, including the “wild” ones we romanticize. 

Will’s “Are You a Terrorist?” flowchart at GreenIsTheNewRed.com requires no summary. Speaks for itself. 

“Hippy-Dippy Soft-Brained Butchery” is the response of Liberation BC’s Glenn to yet another example of the always obnoxious and infuriating instances of folks pretending that hacking apart someone’s body is a way of showing respect for that someone.