ADVOCATE FOR ANIMALS!: An Abolitionist Vegan Handbook by Gary L. Francione & Anna Charlton

Author:Gary L. Francione & Anna Charlton [Francione, Gary L. & Charlton, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Abolitionism
Amazon: B078BSFVCX
Publisher: Exempla Press
Published: 2017-12-07T21:00:00+00:00

Sample Discussion: Harambe and Vegan Advocacy

In May 2016, after a small child entered an enclosure at the Cincinnati zoo that housed a silverback gorilla named Harambe, zoo officials shot and killed Harambe (https://goo.gl/FqkUvg). The outcry against the zoo officials and the mother of the child for allegedly failing to supervise him was deafening. But cases like this, along with situations in which lions or elephants are shot, or dolphins or whales killed, present a marvelous opportunity to engage in Abolitionist vegan education.

Here’s a conversation that Gary had with a student:

Student: “Wasn’t that business with Harambe terrible? I thought of you because it seems to be such a powerful animal rights case.”

Gary: “Yes, it was awful. But he should not have been in the zoo in the first place.”

“I suppose you’re right. But I am just so upset about what happened. It’s not fair that they shot him. It wasn’t his fault. The poor thing did not deserve to die.”

“I’m glad that you feel that way. You obviously are a caring person. But isn’t what you think about Harambe true of all animals?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what did you have for dinner last night?”

“I had chicken. Why?”

“What is the difference between Harambe and that chicken you ate last night?”

“There’s a difference.”

“What is that difference apart from the fact that one animal is a chicken and one is a gorilla?”

“The gorilla is endangered, I think, or at least he was a more rare animal.”

“But what difference does that make? Wouldn’t you be as upset if Harambe were not endangered?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“Obviously, you think that Harambe mattered. And you think that his life mattered—that he should not have died. The issue is why you think the chicken is any different.”

“It feels like there was a difference. Harambe had a name.”

“But that was just something that the humans who kept him imprisoned in the zoo called him. That was not his name. But your comment says something very important about how you are thinking about these issues.”

“What’s that, professor?”

“The fact that Harambe had a name made you see him as an individual. You saw him as someone, not something. But the chicken was someone, too. She just did not have a name.”

“I never thought of it that way.”

“Can you see that there is no difference between Harambe and the chicken in that the chicken valued her life as much as Harambe valued his? They both wanted to live. They were both killed by humans.”

“Yes, I can see it. But isn’t eating an animal different because you’re doing that for nutrition?”

“Well, I’m not a physician or nutritionist but I can tell you that I’ve been vegan since 1982 and it’s absolutely unnecessary to eat any animal products. Take a look at our website, www.howdoigovegan.com, and see what you think. Stop by if you want and we can talk more.”

This was the beginning of a discussion that led a month later to the student becoming a vegan.

In such exchanges, try to slow the conversation down a little so that your listener can examine their own thoughts as the conversation progresses.

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