“There’s no justification for food with a face

Humane meat don’t exist, it’s just a disgrace”

 

- Riot/Clone “Rhyming Cutlets”

 

When I got into punk in the 1990s, it was the heyday of vegan hardcore. Bands like Culture, Earth Crisis, 108, and others were advocating a vegan lifestyle—and while I never really listened to any of those bands—their influence filtered through the larger punk movement and even kids here in Grand Rapids—ska kids like myself who would rather skank than circle pit—were becoming vegetarian and/or vegan in large numbers. It seemed that everyone was aware of the connections between what we ate and animal exploitation and most of the kids I knew in the punk scene were at the least vegetarian. Many of us even went to anti-fur or anti-circus protests, seeing that as a critical part of our commitment to animals.

 

It would take me a few years before I became vegan, as I fell for the common trap that it was “too hard” or “too expensive,” although I now recognize that I was just lazy and or unwilling to give up dairy products. By the time I became vegetarian, I had already stopped eating most meat, but dairy was another story—it seemed so hard to sort through ingredients. However, as I became more involved in the political aspects of the DIY punk scene and the anarchist movement, I realized the contradiction inherent in thinking that I could be involved in the collective struggle for liberation while consuming animal products that are the product of exploitation.

 

Veganism has been prominent in the punk scene since the 1980s, when it came to the forefront as part of the anarcho-punk scene in England. Bands like Conflict, Flux of Pink Indians, and Riot/Clone (who even did a whole album about animal liberation) all had songs about animal rights and veganism, and the treatment of animals was a common topic of discussion in songs, on record inserts, and at shows. Here in the United States, veganism became prominent in the 1990s hardcore scene, with a number of vegan hardcore bands (many which were also connected to the straight edge scene) taking a strong and uncompromising stance in favor of animal rights (this seemed to carry over to other scenes as well). In most cases, veganism was advocated as one small step towards the liberation of animals—something easy that we can all do (and consequently, something for which there is no excuse not to do).

 

However, most of these bands recognized that more was needed and there would frequently be tables at shows from animal rights groups and there would be discussion about ways to get involved in the broader struggle (whether that be through protesting the circus, at fur stores, or other such options). In some cases, vegan topics in punk would spur individuals to take more drastic action and some punks would be inspired to take direct action in defense of animals. For example, Rod Coronado was inspired in part by Conflict to get involved in the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Peter Young was inspired in part by the hardcore scene of the 1990s. Both went on to liberate animals and destroy research facilities, thereby taking concrete steps to make animal exploiters pay economically for their actions.

 

Nowadays, it seems that fewer and fewer punks are vegan (or even vegetarian). Whereas I might once have been able to count the number of punks I know on one hand who ate meat, it now seems that I can count the number of punks who are vegan on one hand. In the broader anarchist movement of which the punk scene frequently overlaps, the same is true—fewer and fewer people are vegan.

 

Of course, this isn’t because we won (it probably has more to do with the overall depoliticization of punk over the past decade). Animals are still enslaved, meat is still murder, and dairy is still exploitation. Animals have not suddenly started to be treated better, we haven’t come to a collective realization that eating and confining animals is inhumane—far from it. Animals continue to be exploited in large numbers whether it is for food, research, for dress (leather and fur), or for other products (for example cosmetics). Torture and inhumane treatment is par for the course—and so-called innovations like “free range,” “cageless,” and “organic” are just new ways to hide the exploitation of animals.

 

Animals are still routinely pumped full of experimental drugs, are electrocuted, have their eyes burned out, and are subject to all manner of torture under the guise of medical or cosmetic “research.” Dairy cows are confined to cages and pumped full of hormones and other drugs to enhance their milk production, often to the point where they cannot stand. Chickens are kept in dark buildings and confined to small cages (18×20 inches is standard), debeaked (their beaks are literally broken off), and live miserable lives producing eggs or waiting to reach “market weight” at which point they are slaughtered. At slaughterhouses, animals are electrocuted, bolts are shot into their head, they are stabbed, and have their throats slit—depending on the type of animal—as they are “prepared” for human consumption. Countless animals—rabbits, foxes, and beavers (to name a few)—are confined to “fur farms” where they are raised (in horrible, largely unregulated conditions) to be killed for human consumption. While it seems almost needless to say, all of these animals are removed from their traditional habitats and some know nothing more than confinement and torture.

 

Moreover, consuming animals takes a tremendous toll on the natural environment. Raising animals for meat is horribly inefficient—20% of the world’s population (1.4 billion people) could be fed with the grain and soybeans fed to U.S. cattle. 70% of the grains and cereal grown in this country are fed to farmed animals. On average, it takes 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat. A 10-acre farm can support 60 people growing soybeans, 24 people growing wheat, 10 people growing corn, and just 2 people producing cattle. At the same time, meat and dairy farming pollutes the natural environment. Factory farms—which keep large numbers of animals in highly confined areas—generate incredible amounts of waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), factory farms are responsible for more pollution of American waterways than any other source. More than a third of all raw materials and fossil fuels in the U.S. are used in animal agriculture. More water is used for producing beef than is used in growing the entire fruit and vegetable crop in the United States. All of this meat is shipped hundreds—if not thousands of miles—before it makes its way to the table.

 

Aside from the health implications of destroying the natural environment, there are also significant adverse health effects that come from the consumption of meat. Meat consumption is linked to a wide variety of health conditions including heart disease, obesity, and cancer. In recent years, animals raised for human consumption have exposed humans to a number of deadly bacterial outbreaks from E Coli to Salmonella (due in large part to the horrific conditions in which animals are kept on factory farms). In response, animals have been pumped full of antibiotics—meaning that meat eaters consume more unnatural chemicals. If you eat a vegan diet—and not just buying vegan convenience foods like readymade veggie burgers and what not from the store—you will be healthier and will likely feel much better. A balanced vegan diet offers much more in terms of vitamins, minerals, and variety than any meat-based diet. Moreover, if you emphasize locally grown vegetables—perhaps from your own small garden—in your diet, you will also strike a blow against the larger corporate food system.

 

Of course, being vegan by itself isn’t going to stop the exploitation of animals, but it can be an important part of building the culture of resistance of which punk rock is a part. Being vegan is a way to say “no” to one aspect of the oppression of capitalism and is a positive step towards developing a more sustainable lifestyle. It’s a great way to become more connected to the Earth (by growing your own food and/or knowing where you food comes from) and it’s a great way to build community by sharing recipes, meals, and ideas.

 

Being vegan is essential. It’s the least we can do.

 

“I have recognized one form of oppression, now I recognize the rest.

And life’s too short to make another’s shorter–animal liberation now!”

 

- Propagandhi “Nailing Descartes to the Wall

 

For more on veganism from a hardcore/punk perspective, check out VeganThis.org. It’s a really well done website that contains a ton of information about veganism and animal rights, while paying homage to the vegan hardcore bands of the 1990s.