milk, eggs, and feminism

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/5/2000 6:15:54 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

ABlaine writes:

 

> Granted, I haven't done a lot of reading on the link between veganism and

> feminism, but a few thoughts have occurred to me that I have never heard

> discussed:

 

Annie, have you ever seen this link?

<A HREF= " http://www.enviroweb.org/far/info.html " >Information About Feminists

for Animal Rights</A>

http://www.enviroweb.org/far/info.html

 

Feminists for Animal Rights is dedicated to ending all forms of abuse against

women and animals. Because exploitation of women and animals derives from the

same patriarchal mentality, FAR attempts to expose the connections between

sexism and speciesism whenever and wherever we can. We feel that the common

denominator in the lives of women and animals is violence - either real or

threatened - and we work in nonviolent ways to change that.

 

Carol

[Guest guest]

Hi all -

 

Granted, I haven't done a lot of reading on the link between veganism and

feminism, but a few thoughts have occurred to me that I have never heard

discussed:

 

1) Eggs - eating a living creature's unborn young. This is analogous to

forcing humans to undergo abortions so others can breakfast on steak and

fetus. This is not only disgusting, it's about the worst attack one can

commit on a female. Millions of hens are enslaved for their reproductive

abilities and I find that heartbreaking.

 

2) Cow and goats' milk - stealing the mother's milk from one species to feed

another. This is totally unnatural - the only animals that should be

drinking cow's milk are calves. Human infants should stick to human milk.

Adult humans don't drink human breast milk, so why would want we want to

drink any other species' breast milk? And again, millions of female living

creatures are enslaved for their reproductive abilities and denied the joy

of nourishing their young. It's a travesty particular to female animals.

 

Now, I realize that male cows, etc. don't have it much easier, but these are

atrocities committed solely on females. As a woman and a feminist, I find

it horrifying.

 

-Annie

[Guest guest]

2) Cow and goats' milk - stealing the mother's milk from one species to feed

another. This is totally unnatural - the only animals that should be

drinking cow's milk are calves. Human infants should stick to human milk.

Adult humans don't drink human breast milk, so why would want we want to

drink any other species' breast milk? And again, millions of female living

creatures are enslaved for their reproductive abilities and denied the joy

of nourishing their young. It's a travesty particular to female animals.

I agree! Something I find interesting is that, according to my

understanding of Islam, it is one of their major commandments, to let a baby

have its mother's milk, that it is considered a sin to rob a baby of its

mother's milk. Anyone know if that is right about Islam?

Deborah in BC, Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

hi there annie,

 

On 6 Jul 00, at 8:14, annie wrote:

 

> Now, I realize that male cows, etc. don't have it much easier, but these

> are atrocities committed solely on females. As a woman and a feminist, I

> find it horrifying.

 

agreed. actually i brought up these very points just a few days

ago... (?) this is a big part of what got me to go vegan.

 

it's startling now, thinking back on it, that i went vegetarian first but

didn't commit to going " all the way " until much later. personally, i

think it would be worse to be kept alive horribly, to be subjected to

a more drawn out process of torture, than to die horribly. and

indeed, dairy and egg industries are assaults against femaleness,

like any that is committed against human females. the

comparison is gut-wrenchingly accurate: dairy cows, in particular,

are forcibly impregnated to keep them lactating. " forcible

impregnation " , when done to human women and girls, is (or should

be) called " rape " . the device that the cows are strapped into during

the process of artificial insemination is called a " rape rack " . (i

believe i first read about this in _animal liberation_...)

 

a friend once told me about a novel about a world where human

females were considered a separate species (easy to do, as the

definition of species is extremely ambiguous and debatable), then

enslaved, then finally used for food, by a ruling class of men.

young girls were considered delicacies (like veal). i haven't read it,

nor did i want to at the time (i understand it is quite a brutal read,

as you can imagine) so i never inquired as to the title or author.

can anyone help me out here?

 

in solidarity,

 

mylène

 

ps: hi carol so you're a FAR member huh? you'll be glad to

know that sending in my membership dues is on the list of stuff to

do once i have a little disposable income...

 

++++++++

" [We] are only beginning to uncover our own truths;

many of us ... would be glad just to lie down with the

sherds we have painfully uncovered...

 

The politics worth having, the relationships worth having,

demand that we delve still deeper. "

Adrienne Rich

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