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4.55 AVERAGE
4.55 AVERAGE
Lots of facts and figures, a bit numbery… defo not bedtime reading due to the graphic content. Some good points made though.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
informative
fast-paced
dark
informative
fast-paced
Simply a must-read. For vegans, but definitely for non-vegans as well. Ed Winters is not only a brilliant speaker and debater, but also an excellent writer.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This is an important book written by someone I greatly admire. Writer Nanie Hurly describes Ed Winters as "among the kindest and most sympathetic vegan activists. He does not make excuses and always has facts to debunk wonky claims against veganism." If you're not familiar with his work and to learn more about him, check out his Earthing Ed YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/@ed.winters. His "You Will Never Look at Your Life in the Same Way Again” video has over 35 million views.
"This is Vegan Propaganda" is well-written and well-researched and contains facts, data, citations, and stories that delve into what goes into animal agriculture. I appreciate the Aristotle quote in the introduction warning us that what was to follow wasn't going to be easy: "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." I found that true after reading this comprehensive book on veganism, animal farming, and the meat industry.
I highly recommend this book!
V
Quotes (note British spelling conventions)
“Veganism will come about as a result of the traits in humans that we are most proud of – ingenuity, intellectual honesty, progressiveness and self-reflection – while rejecting many of the traits that are most damaging – stubbornness, wilful ignorance, violence, selfishness and apathy. We are already seeing this in action, and though getting accurate population statistics is challenging, a clear theme is being revealed by polling and surveys: veganism is growing.”
“It is ironic that we believe that empathy and complex emotions only really exist in humans but we then fail to empathize with the animals who suffer at our hands.”
“Every time we eat, we have the power to radically transform the world we live in and simultaneously contribute to addressing many of the most pressing issues that our species currently faces: climate change, infectious disease, chronic disease, human exploitation and, of course, non-human exploitation. Every single day, our choices can help alleviate all of these problems or they can perpetuate them.”
“For all of our intelligence, we have still failed to grasp the simple reality that we need the planet more than the planet needs us.”
“This is the balancing act that vegans face: we either voice our objection and get labelled as extremist, militant, awkward or abnormal, or we stay silent and smile through the image of a cow having their throat cut that passes through our minds as we watch our loved ones bite into beef burgers. We either feel like we are betraying our morals out of fear of causing upset or find ourselves being labelled as preachy, forceful vegan extremists.”
“But does legality equal morality? Should something be accepted as ethical simply because it is allowed under law?”
“Veganism is instead a social justice issue that recognises that non-human animals deserve autonomy, moral consideration and the recognition that their lives are far more valuable than the reasons we use to justify exploiting them.”
“I could either bury my head in the sand, ignoring the feelings of guilt and discomfort that causing suffering to an animal created within me, or live by the new principles that I was beginning to form and change my lifestyle. I opted for the latter.”
“The stagnation of progress comes from apathy, complacency and the refusal to critically reflect.”
“Going vegan really is our best chance to save the planet.”
“Veganism gives us all the opportunity to say what we stand for in life.”
“However, do we actually believe that intelligence should define worth of life or that being more intelligent than someone else gives you the right to harm and exploit them?”
"Everybody loses under the current system - but the flip side to that is everybody wins when we change it."
At the beginning of the chapter titled 'There's No Such Thing as a Happy Farm Animal', Winters writes, "While it may be unpleasant for us to read about how badly animals are treated, it's far more unpleasant for them to have to experience it. Animals can't skip this chapter (which of course you can); this is what they are forced to endure." It was a hard chapter but it gave me more resolve and energy to continue to be vegan and work with the nonprofit Compassionate Action for Animals https://www.exploreveg.org/.
"This is Vegan Propaganda" is well-written and well-researched and contains facts, data, citations, and stories that delve into what goes into animal agriculture. I appreciate the Aristotle quote in the introduction warning us that what was to follow wasn't going to be easy: "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." I found that true after reading this comprehensive book on veganism, animal farming, and the meat industry.
I highly recommend this book!
V
Quotes (note British spelling conventions)
“Veganism will come about as a result of the traits in humans that we are most proud of – ingenuity, intellectual honesty, progressiveness and self-reflection – while rejecting many of the traits that are most damaging – stubbornness, wilful ignorance, violence, selfishness and apathy. We are already seeing this in action, and though getting accurate population statistics is challenging, a clear theme is being revealed by polling and surveys: veganism is growing.”
“It is ironic that we believe that empathy and complex emotions only really exist in humans but we then fail to empathize with the animals who suffer at our hands.”
“Every time we eat, we have the power to radically transform the world we live in and simultaneously contribute to addressing many of the most pressing issues that our species currently faces: climate change, infectious disease, chronic disease, human exploitation and, of course, non-human exploitation. Every single day, our choices can help alleviate all of these problems or they can perpetuate them.”
“For all of our intelligence, we have still failed to grasp the simple reality that we need the planet more than the planet needs us.”
“This is the balancing act that vegans face: we either voice our objection and get labelled as extremist, militant, awkward or abnormal, or we stay silent and smile through the image of a cow having their throat cut that passes through our minds as we watch our loved ones bite into beef burgers. We either feel like we are betraying our morals out of fear of causing upset or find ourselves being labelled as preachy, forceful vegan extremists.”
“But does legality equal morality? Should something be accepted as ethical simply because it is allowed under law?”
“Veganism is instead a social justice issue that recognises that non-human animals deserve autonomy, moral consideration and the recognition that their lives are far more valuable than the reasons we use to justify exploiting them.”
“I could either bury my head in the sand, ignoring the feelings of guilt and discomfort that causing suffering to an animal created within me, or live by the new principles that I was beginning to form and change my lifestyle. I opted for the latter.”
“The stagnation of progress comes from apathy, complacency and the refusal to critically reflect.”
“Going vegan really is our best chance to save the planet.”
“Veganism gives us all the opportunity to say what we stand for in life.”
“However, do we actually believe that intelligence should define worth of life or that being more intelligent than someone else gives you the right to harm and exploit them?”
"Everybody loses under the current system - but the flip side to that is everybody wins when we change it."
At the beginning of the chapter titled 'There's No Such Thing as a Happy Farm Animal', Winters writes, "While it may be unpleasant for us to read about how badly animals are treated, it's far more unpleasant for them to have to experience it. Animals can't skip this chapter (which of course you can); this is what they are forced to endure." It was a hard chapter but it gave me more resolve and energy to continue to be vegan and work with the nonprofit Compassionate Action for Animals https://www.exploreveg.org/.
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Violence