Buying into the Less Cruel Movement
"Buying into the Green Movement," by Alex Williams in today’s New York Times unintentionally provides a great analogy for people who don’t think it’s our right to use animals. The article, which has some fabulous quotes from leaders in the environmental movement, essentially criticizes "light greens" for trying to avert global warming by buying "earth-friendly products." Here are two of my favorite quotes:
- Paul Hawken, an author and longtime environmental activist, said the current boom in earth-friendly products offers a false promise. “Green consumerism is an oxymoronic phrase . . . . The fruit at Whole Foods in winter, flown in from Chile on a 747 — it’s a complete joke. The idea that we should have raspberries in January, it doesn’t matter if they’re organic. It’s diabolically stupid.”
- “The assumption that by buying anything, whether green or not, we’re solving the problem is a misperception,” said Michael Ableman, an environmental author and long-time organic farmer. “Consuming is a significant part of the problem to begin with. Maybe the solution is instead of buying five pairs of organic cotton jeans, buy one pair of regular jeans instead.”
This reminds me of trying to reduce suffering by buying happy meat instead of by not purchasing meat at all. Americans seem to always want to find a way to have their steak and eat it too. I have a friend who recently purchased everything she could get her hands on from a new organic clothing store. You know, tragically-hip $55 organic t-shirts and $200 organic jeans. And this is a woman whose closet is the size of my office and I’ve never seen her wear the same outfit twice. And when she bought her new clothes, she didn’t go through her closet and give away a bunch of stuff she never wears. And she is not alone. This is what "green consumerism," like "humane slaughter," has produced: People who are legitimately attempting to do something good, who have been convinced (through marketing and advertising and the obsession of the media to solve the problems of climate change via making new, unnecessary purchases, or reducing suffering by buying happy meat) that they are being a part of the solution.
Now, we can either mock "light greens" and happy meat eaters for being credulous and falling for the hype, or we can educate them and gently nudge them in a direction of comparing their behavior to what they claim to believe in. We can guide them and offer resources and a friendly ear, and the rest is their responsibility alone. Some will realize the folly of their actions, and some won’t. But if we don’t show up and offer judgment-free aid, we have no hope of turning this ship around.
Thanks for bringing this article to my attention.
It's a weird balance we try to find when we live in the US immersed in this consumer culture. I try to buy at least some of my clothes second hand, figuring it uses fewer resources than buying new, no matter what the source of the new clothes. I have trouble always finding my size in used clothes though, and it takes a lot of looking to find the right things. Plus I sew so I can make minor repairs and alterations to used clothing; some people aren't able to do that. In my office I'm expected to look a certain way and it's hard to get pantyhose and things like that from anything but bad sources, however I also feel like I get judged as it is for not dressing better as it is. It illustrates the bind many people are in, balancing expectations with trying to do what's right.
I would of course suggest to anyone who owns a ton of clothes they don't wear to please donate them. There are programs that also just take professional clothes and provide them to women trying to get back into the workforce. Often these women come from underprivileged backgrounds or are victims of domestic violence, so an old suit can go a long way for them.
Of course happy meat is really easier to avoid than buying clothing. I've been vegetarian for 18 years and vegan for 13 of those. While I still get odd looks at work for not having shinier shoes, it's actually surprisingly easy to be vegan. Of course it's an adjustment, but then after the adjustment I don't feel particularly held back or judged for doing this incredible thing for animals and to conserve resources.
Of course we should all try to eat locally as much as possible, but even local beef still probably uses more resources than those extravagant raspberries. Not that I'm promoting them. It's just that we all make difficult choices along the way, and going vegan remains one of the best choices we can make.
Dress for Success–www.dressforsuccess.org is one kind of nonprofit I think you're referring to. I recently went to a fundraiser for the one in West Palm Beach. I belong to a group that meets monthly called Womenaid. It's a national program. It has no business structure or license, and no one gets paid. Women get together and bring a dessert or fruit plate, and the women who run it bring wine, and every person contributes $35. The cash raised goes to a woman in the area who is in need of an immediate cash infusion. You could start an Animal Aid group and raise money for Second Chance and other causes. All you need is 10 people and that's $350, which is way more than most people would or could give at a time, particularly last minute. You could even change the amount to $10 to make it accessible for just about everyone. You could also do it online, like I did for Peaceful Prairie for Gary Francione's birthday. Just some ideas–I know you were looking for some.