[Edited May 2 2016 to improve readability on DK5 and attempt to recapture the original formatting]
Cowspiracy- the Sustainability Secret, a documentary ostensibly exploring the effects of livestock on the environment was released seven months ago. Somehow, perhaps due to being an expatriate, I missed the hoopla it generated. Reviews normally have a short shelf life. After the initial furor has subsided, the public generally moves on to the next hot topic. Recognizing this reality, but still wanting to share my thoughts on the film and its themes, I have opted to write a detailed response rather than a review.
Cowspiracy is more than just a documentary seeking to break the silence of environmental organizations on these issues. The conclusion of the film has nothing to do with reforming these membership-driven organizations. Instead, a panacea is offered: global adoption of a vegan lifestyle as "the only way to sustainably and ethically live on this planet with 7 billion other people." [-Kip Anderson 1:26:551 Emphasis added]
While the film's prime objective to reveal an unspoken masking of information about "animal agriculture" by well-known environmental NGO's is laudable, I was disheartened by the effort to build a case for vegan absolutism and the abandonment of focus on the "cowspiracy." The film's absolutist position runs roughshod over nuance, presenting an exclusionary world-view as the only viable option.
I believe that absolutism is almost always detrimental to public discourse. Over the years, I have made a conscious effort to temper my positions- not to meet in the middle- but to work with people who may not see eye to eye, but do share common cause. That Cowspiracy would sink to absolutism, to the point where an interviewee, Mr. Howard Lyman, could state without a hint of objection: “You can’t be an environmentalist and eat animal products [...] don’t call yourself an environmentalist [-Howard Lyman 1:16:42 Emphasis added]" hammered the final nail in the coffin of objectivity. This statement, taken in tandem with Mr. Andersen's closing remark, are the essence of barefaced absolutism.
For the sake of this diary, "vegan absolutism" is defined as the belief that veganism is "the only way to sustainably and ethically live on this planet."
1. Timestamps refer to my closest approximation of when the quotation appears in the film for those who wish double check my interpretation.
Author's Note
Now, I want to make one thing abundantly clear at the outset of this diary. I am by no means saying that veganism is detrimental. What I have an aversion to is the employment of absolute positions to claim sole possession of universal truth, and in doing so, assert an ethical monopoly. In effect, framing an absolutist position in such a way is a direct and deeply personal insult to anyone who believes differently than oneself. Choosing to advance an absolutist position as the only option is a perfect example of "painting oneself into a corner." There isn't any graceful way to step back from such a position, to moderate it, or to compromise. This kind of argumentation automatically lowers the bar of public discourse because one party is absolutely uncompromising. Reading the Cowspiracy "About" page and other press materials, they actually qualify/soften the position from the film to make it appear that they are talking about industrialized, large scale factory farming. The actual film though? Well, not so much. Again, I am not by any means taking issue with veganism. I am taking issue with veganism being elevated as the sole way for humanity to live ethically and sustainably. If veganism were presented as a way to live ethically and sustainably, this diary wouldn't exist. But as you will see, that isn't the message of this film.
One other note: Some of you might be saying, "But didn't you write a diary called Introduction to Agroecology: Holistic Management- "There is No Other Alternative Left to Mankind? How is that any different?" Indeed, I did. Almost two years ago. My position is pretty much the same. I encourage everyone to click the link and scroll down to the very beginning of that diary where I offer some context:
"Allan Savory is NOT proclaiming that Holistic Management is the only solution for climate change. NOR is he saying that Holistic Management (from now on, HM) is appropriate everywhere all the time. [Emphasis original]"
The difference between that diary and this film is this: Holistic Management, or, more accurately, the comprehension that grasslands need herbivores to survive, is offered as the only solution to reversing the degradation of grasslands. Cowspiracy, on the other other hand, proclaims that veganism is the only solution for all of humanity everywhere. One is offered as the only solution in a specific context and the other is presented as the only solution everywhere with no room for other options. The position taken by the film deliberately excludes those who do not share their beliefs from the realms of sustainability, ethics, and environmentalism. In contrast, my diary does not exclude anyone- be they vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, omnivorous, paleo, etc. from anything.
Those are distinctions worth making.
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