To make these at home:

Vegan Pancakes!
2 cups organic unbleached flour
3 tbsp organic cane sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups plant milk of choice (oat or soy are my fave!)
1 cube of earth balance butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax seed in 6 tbsp of plant milk) or 2 tbsp aquafaba (the water in a can of chickpeas)

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients:

Heat a griddle on medium heat. Stir in all of your dry ingredients in a bowl. Wisk in your wet ingredients. Add more milk if too thick. Put 1/4 cup of batter on griddle until bubbles start to form in the center. Flip and give it another minute or so. Serve with your favorite vegan syrup and enjoy!

These movements are typically connected by a common thread. If one were to find the thread and pull it they’d find discrimination, such as racism, sexism, heterosexism, and political prejudice. These are some of the driving forces behind social movements. Another form of discrimination finally making the headlines is Speciesism. 

Humans are not born with naturally-occurring discriminatory feelings toward people of another race, creed, gender, or species.

Discrimination of all kinds is a learned characteristic. Parents and society as a whole teach children who they should care about and who they can disregard or despise. Most people are familiar with racism and sexism, and most people strive to rise above such antiquated perspectives. They’ve either experienced discrimination, witnessed it or been subjected to it.

But what is speciesism and how does it differ from other forms of discrimination? Speciesism is discrimination of one species in favor of another. Whether that is placing more moral value on the life of a human over an animal, or valuing the life of a puppy more than that of a cow. 

The Emperor’s New Clothes

Speciesists believe, for various reasons, that animals can be exploited to some degree without a moral cost. Many people have never been confronted with the idea that discrimination against animals exists. People use animals for food and clothing and other needs and that is just the way it has always been.

People are taught from a young age that humans occupy the top of the food chain. Most people are satisfied with their place at the top and never question further. The truth is, human superiority is a man-made myth. It’s time for people to realize they’re an emperor walking naked through the streets. 

Speciesism is a form of discrimination that doesn’t differ from other forms of discrimination; discrimination is discrimination. In fact, speciesism could be described as the root cause of discrimination. It’s easy to make a case against racism, sexism, or ageism. Discrimination on the basis of race or sex, for example, is not based on any logical or scientific reasoning.

From a biological perspective, humans are all equal. People have various traits that make them unique, but no differences between the sexes, races, intellectual capacity, or sexual orientation, morally justify discrimination. All humans are sentient beings who experience emotions and the capacity for suffering. 

New Science Brings New Understanding

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “Genetic studies in the late 20th century refuted the existence of biogenetically distinct races, and scholars now argue that “races” are cultural interventions reflecting specific attitudes and beliefs that were imposed on different populations in the wake of western European conquests beginning in the 15th century.”

Essentially, the Declaration of Independence got it right when Thomas Jefferson wrote, “All men are created equal.” Jefferson wasn’t referring to monetary or societal value, he was referring to the inherent moral value of human life; the right to live free from harm that should apply to all people of all races. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Obviously, Jefferson wasn’t only referring to men, he was referring to Mankind. But, why stop there? 

Human Monopolization of Sentience

Animal lives have historically been excluded from possessing an inherent moral value as that afforded to humans. Countless excuses have been made for this injustice. Some examples are the myth that animals aren’t sentient, religious justifications, dietary necessity, biological differences between humans and animals, and even evolutionary justifications.

The plethora of logical fallacies used to justify exploiting animals is as vast as it is illogical. These fallacies rely upon a key factor, the quantification of the moral value of the life of a sentient being. 

Scientifically speaking, animals are undeniably sentient. Like humans, non-human animals have a central nervous system allowing them to feel physical sensations such as pain. They have a brain allowing them to interpret that pain into suffering.

Humans are animals, it is illogical to assume that non-human animals do not possess the same intrinsic moral value and desire to live free from pain and suffering as humans. Assuming the intelligence or emotional level of a sentient being is justification for exploitation also has significant implications that lead to other forms of discrimination. 

Illogical Assumptions

Speciesism assumes the conclusion that non-human animals aren’t as intelligent as humans. This leads people to believe their suffering and desire to live does not matter morally in the way that human suffering matters morally. This is a false assumption which compares animal intelligence and ability to human intelligence and ability, as opposed to making the comparison relative to their own species. 

According to a report by NBC News, experiments in the 1990s showed that pigs were trained to move a cursor on a video screen with their snouts to identify images they had previously seen as opposed to images they were seeing for the first time, this is an ability which is outside the skill set of young humans and some individuals with mental impairments.

When quantifying intelligence, humans should be compared to humans, pigs compared to pigs, cows to cows, and so-on for a legitimate understanding of intellectual and emotional ability. 

However, it is illogical to withhold ethical considerations from individuals on the basis of ability, or whom we assume think or feel differently than we do. Fortunately, in a civilized society, the basic rights of all people are protected, including those who are disabled or incapacitated, because we acknowledge their sentience. It’s only logical that humans should uphold these rights for all sentient beings. 

Imbalanced Scales 

Following the speciesism assertion all the way through to its logical conclusion, one could justify exploiting people with low IQ or mental impairment. This is because the assumption asserts that intelligence and emotional capacity exist on a linear scale, where insects occupy one end and humans occupy the other. Animals reside somewhere in-between.

It is illogical to place sentient beings on a linear scale.

This is because all sentient beings display different talents and abilities relative to their evolutionary development, necessity and environmental influences. Comparisons between humans and non-humans on the level of intellectual capacity or talent have no relevance to sentience.

For example, dolphins can communicate with clicks and beeps humans cannot understand, and bees communicate through elaborate dances. It would be immoral to consider humans who cannot communicate through clicks, beeps, and dancing as having less moral value than bees and dolphins. 

This circles back to racism and sexism. These archaic perceptions of the value of human life are based on this way of thinking. When people place others on a scale of moral value based on intelligence and abilities, or differences in appearance, they begin to feel justified in discriminating against those who are different. Historically, oppressed people have been compared to animals in an effort to dehumanize them, making the public more comfortable with mass-discrimination. 

Intrinsic or Extrinsic Value

Continuing to follow this speciesism logic, one could justify exploiting humans as if one were more morally valuable than the other. For example, one could assume that the life of a politician has more intrinsic moral value than the life of a politician’s assistant. While it could be argued that the politician is doing more for society than the assistant, one could not logically argue that the politician deserves a life free from harm more than the assistant.

The value one provides to society is extrinsic, however, all sentient beings value their own existence intrinsically. All beings recoil from pain, avoid danger, and want to live, humans and non-humans alike.

Hypothetically assuming that an intellectual criterion could be considered justification for exploiting a sentient being, no scientific basis exists for the claim that a lack of intelligence relates to the capacity for suffering. Actually, quite the opposite is true.

From a psychological trauma standpoint, evidence suggests that because non-human animals experience greater suffering because they do not possess the cognitive ability to place their suffering in context as humans do. Non-human animals don’t understand why they are being abused, or why their child is being taken away. They experience pain, confusion, and terror with no way to reconcile those feelings.

Humans are capable of higher reasoning.

This cognitive ability should make people more sensitive to the morality of their behavior toward animals, as well as each other. While humans are capable of killing and eating animals, and currently within their legal rights to do so, it isn’t necessary for survival or health.

In conclusion, morality and legality are not one and the same, as evidenced by the slave trade. Humans can no more morally justify taking the life of a sentient being for personal dietary preferences than they can justify enslaving another human for the purposes of work or profit. Cognitive dissonance has separated animals into an illogical category in the human mind. It is up to each individual to break free from cognitive dissonance through education and end speciesism, vegans are here to help. 

Speciesism is the assumption of human superiority over other animals. The idea that human lives have a greater moral value than that of animals. This assumption leads to the exploitation of animals. This is also the root of discrimination within the human species as well.

Speciesism asserts that intelligence and emotional capacity exist on a linear scale. On this scale, insects occupy one end and humans occupy the other.

Following the speciesism assertion all the way through to its logical conclusion, one could justify any exploitation because it quantifies the moral value of the life of a sentient being. 

Bigots Wearing Stolen Skin

This allows a person to draw an arbitrary line on a scale of moral importance. The line designates some species for exploitation, some for property, and some for protection. But the line is subjective and has no basis in science or logic. So, where does it end? With animals? In society we see the line often blurred to include people of different races, genders, sexual orientation, or people of low IQ or mental impairment. 

Logic Leads To Morality

It is illogical to place sentient beings on a linear scale. This is because all sentient beings display different talents and abilities relative to their evolutionary development and necessity. Humans cannot communicate using sonar, but bats can. That doesn’t make a bats life any more morally valuable than a humans life is because of our intellect. The question speciesists should ask themselves is, where do I land on the scale? Who’s life is more important than mine? 

My works are largely inspired by my activism, and by my part in the continuing fight to end the exploitation of all other animals on our amazing planet.

The Roots Of All Evil

This piece is about domestication, capitalism, and human civilisation built on the back of, and possibly destroyed at the feet of, the cow.

The words ‘capital’, ‘chattel’ and ‘cattle‘ all have shared origin, meaning property. Cows were our first currency and were used worldwide, as they are still by many cultures. The first ever promissory note was written on cow hide, and we now even have the tallow taken from murdered cows coating our modern bank notes.

The many elements illustrated here all represent the horrible history of our relationship to this species of gentle giants, who we once revered, then turned into our slaves some 10,000 years ago. This history has been as damaging to ourselves as it has to them – creating wars, destroying indigenous cultures, displacing countless peoples both human and others, who have fled before the behemoth which is ‘cattle’ ranching – in our unstoppable quest for more land and more water.

Endless fields of soy, corn and wheat blanket the earth, the vast majority of which is turned into feed for farmed animals. Many free-living species have been driven to extinction, and many humans killed or enslaved, and this still carries on today.

‘Cattle’ ranching has also been incredibly damaging to the planet we live on, along with all other forms of animal agriculture, decimating vast swathes of pristine wilderness creating loss of biodiversity, pumping harmful ‘greenhouse gases’ into the atmosphere, creating dead-zones in our oceans due to toxic run-off, and greatly depleting the global supply of fresh water.

Rough estimates of cow numbers on the planet at this time fall at around one billion. Chillingly, over one billion humans do not have access to clean water, and almost one billion are starving.

Those in power have put the planet and her inhabitants in shackles, both real and metaphoric.

We are all shackled to each other, humans and domesticated animals, those chains placed by the hands of our own kin. We have the keys to set ourselves and them free, but we have become institutionalised in this most heinous relationship, where they cannot escape and we cannot see another way, cannot wean ourselves off our dependence.

One day we may see this come full circle, when the planet can no longer take the onslaught and civilisation begins to break down as a result. The banner written in Latin tells us that ‘Oppression Is Wealth‘, but with capitalism, oppression may well be the end of us all.

The model here is Hari, a gentle soul who resided at Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary, from his birth until passing at age 17.

His benign gaze, so penetrating and full of ancient wisdom, was a perfect centre for my bank note. The entire piece was inspired by David A Nibert’s incredible book ‘Animal Oppression & Human Violence‘, also using Jeremy Rifkin’s ‘Beyond Beef’ and Hannah Velten’s ‘Cow’, plus the internet for reference. I highly recommend these books, there is so much more in there than I could possibly convey in one artistic statement.

For more of Helen Barker’s activism and art please visit and show some vegan support:

https://www.helenbarkerart.co.uk/

Also, on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helenbarkerart/

And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helen.ara/?hl=en

Dismantling Environmental Protections For Profit

These changes were made by the Trump Administration as part of fulfilling his campaign promises. Such as, his decision to roll back the Clean Power Plan and the implementation of the Affordable Clean Energy Rule. Also, his loosening of regulations on toxic air pollution and weakening fuel economy restrictions. Trump has castrated the EPA in the process. Each of these decisions constitutes an attack on the health and welfare of both human and non-human animals alike.

Trump has destroyed the strides taken by President Obama to transition America toward clean, sustainable energy production. The Clean Power Plan (CPP) was an environmental policy created by the Obama Administration.

In a nutshell, the Clean Power Plan implemented in 2015 required the energy sector to cut carbon emissions 32 percent by 2030 and was projected to save up to 4,500 lives per year (67,500 people by 2030), eliminate 90,000 asthma attacks in children, and avoid over 300,000 missed school and workdays. The plan would also reduce climate pollution by more than 400 million tons during that time. These were achievable goals under the CPP.

Fuel economy targets were also set by the Obama administration. These targets were meant help reduce carbon-dioxide, nitrous-oxide, and methane emissions, and also reduce the US dependence on oil. Cars made after 2012 would be held to a standard of 54 miles per gallon by 2025. However, the EPA under Trump’s instruction rolled back those requirements in October 2017, and in August 2018, changed the standards for cars to 34 miles per gallon instead of 54 miles per gallon. These decisions have significant and dire consequences for the rest of us.

The Clean Power Plan was so important because the generation of power in the US, and most countries, is the largest source of climate pollution. Coal is dirty shit. This type of pollution is responsible for nearly one-third of greenhouse gas emissions in the US alone. The impacts of climate change are all around us, seen in extreme weather, drought, wildfires, floods, and the spread of disease. 

Benefits Of The Clean Power Plan

The Clean Power Plan would have created standards that could be enforced under the Clean Air Act. The plan set the standards but gave states the flexibility to create their own path to meeting those standards. The end goal was to transition from pollutants to clean energy generation by 2030 which would improve air quality as well as bolster the renewable resources industry. However, 27 republican states challenged the CPP in court and kept it from being implemented until Trump took office to dismantle it.

According to this post, co-written with Derek Murrow and the National Resources Defence Council analytical team, “Economists put a value of $20 billion on the Clean Power Plan’s climate benefits in 2030, and a value of $14 billion to $34 billion on the lives saved and other health benefits. While the Plan will involve compliance costs of around $8 billion in 2030, total benefits will exceed costs by $26 billion to $45 billion. Also, the shift to energy efficiency and cleaner power will save the average American family $85 on its electricity bills in 2030. These electric bill savings will total $155 billion over the decade leading up to 2030.”

Taking Care Of #1

However, those savings and benefits are not what Trump cares about because they are savings spread out among the masses, we all benefit. But, what Trump does care about is the $8 billion dollars his elitist-cronies are going to have to pay to comply with the plan and stop destroying the environment. They own coal-fired power plants, and coal is what must be phased out if we want to survive the climate crisis.

Trump’s intention in rolling back the CPP was to protect the interests of coal industry magnates, not the interests of the American people or the planet.

Trump replaced the CPP with the Affordable Clean Energy rule (ACE). The Affordable Clean Energy rule was issued in August 2018. ACE allows states to set standards of performance for individual power plants rather than the Federal Government. This essentially allows states to decide how much to cut emissions as opposed to required standards.

The obvious outcome is that in progressive states that aren’t major producers of fossil fuels, the restrictions will be stringent. Alternatively, in states that have been historical polluters through the production of fossil fuel, the regulations will be loosened. Trump’s EPA also relaxed maintenance and safegaurds to prevent pollution.

The CPP set standards to close antiquated coal-fired power plants over time, and replace them with advanced power-plants, and renewables such as solar, wind and natural gas. The Affordable Clean Energy rule removes those standards allowing antiquated and dilapidated coal-fired power plants to focus on becoming more efficient but staying open long-term.

The Affordable Clean Energy rule also removes requirements for coal-fired power plants to put in place pollution controls for other types of pollution. These plants produce more than just Carbon-dioxide. Pollutants such as soot and smog-forming particles such as sulfur-dioxide and nitrogen-dioxide are also a huge factor.

The result, according to Trump’s own EPA, is that those pollutants will actually increase over time thanks to the ACE rules. The EPA estimates that by 2030 these pollutants alone may result in as many as 1470 additional American deaths per year. Most of these deaths will be younger children, the elderly, and the impoverished. This is a common theme among consequences of Trump-era policy changes.

Imaginary War On Coal

Among the reasons cited by the Trump administration for these changes are unfair burdens on the power sector. Also, citing a “war on coal” and a blatant denial that carbon dioxide abundance is a major driving factor in climate change.

As outlined in the previous Politics & Protest post from The Misunderstood Mammal, the abundance of carbon dioxide emissions in our atmosphere is extremely dangerous for all of the Earth’s inhabitants, the carbon cycle must find a balance.

As stated in Vegans and the Paris Climate Agreement, “Carbon moves between carbon reservoirs as it is used, this is called the carbon cycle, and it was balanced for millions of years before the Industrial Revolution. Humans have caused a great imbalance in the carbon reservoirs, primarily through the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and agricultural pollution.

This releases more carbon into the atmosphere than the ecosystem can manage. This results in an imbalanced cycle.” It is insane at this point to question the climate crisis and carbon-dioxide is undeniably the driving factor, so that puts the focus on coal as Trump’s primary reason for doing this. 

Air Pollution For Everyone

These decisions ultimately result in more Air Pollution which not only affects the carbon cycle but other aspects of our environment as well. Common pollutants found in America are soot, smoke, mold, pollen, methane, and carbon dioxide, as well as sulfur-dioxide and nitrogen-dioxide.

Unfortunately, the Trump-led EPA has loosened regulations that force companies to innovate ways to decrease their emissions and keep them down. Accordingly, air quality is already declining according to the EPA. The agency recorded 15 percent more days with unhealthy air in the US in 2018 and 2017 compared to the average from 2013 to 2016.

Why should vegans care? 

Everyone should care because air pollutants kill people and animals. As many as 4.2 million people died in 2016 due to air pollution. Over 1 million seabirds and 100,000 sea mammals are killed by pollution every year. Pollutants in the air are linked to cancer, heart disease, respiratory illnesses, and stroke, not to mention asthma.

Over 40 percent of Americans are at risk of disease and death because of air pollution, most of which are the elderly and the very young. A disproportionate number come from low-income and minority families as well. Trump seems to be attacking these people indirectly with every policy change, could it be strategic?

Animals, plants, and insects are affected by air pollution in significant ways. Acid rain, ocean acidification, and smog harm animals. The ecosystem is physically changed by air pollution which changes even the way plants grow. Trump’s attack on the environment is destroying natural life for animals. Air pollution has even been shown to increase the risk of tumors in dogs and cats, and soot and smog have been linked to cardiac arrest in dogs. 

Even plants and insects feel the strain

According to this article from the University of Sheffield, Air pollutants find their way into plants. The herbivorous insects which eat the plants are affected. They have shorter life spans and are less active and less nutritious for the animals which rely on them as a food source. This results in dwindling food sources for birds and other wildlife, while also affecting pollination and the continued growth of many plant species. 

Increased Ozone particles impair the immune system in humans and amphibians alike. Birds are greatly impacted by the pollution from coal-fired power plants. The sulfur-dioxide and nitrogen-dioxide damages the bird’s respiratory systems. Air pollution reduces population density, species diversity, and species richness in bird communities.

Ocean acidification causes the deaths of some fish. Other fish who survive the PH imbalance lose their food source because they preyed upon the dwindling population of other fish. This creates further imbalance in the natural life-cycle for sea life. This imbalance creates a chain reaction that results in an abundance of mercury within fish, which are then eaten by predatory birds and people who then suffer. Nature requires a balance, all of these small political indiscretions lead to a major upset in the natural order.

Terrorist Trump

As long as Trump is in charge of the White House and the EPA is spearheaded by Trump’s selection of the day Americans are in danger. There is no effective defense against this onslaught of terror reigning down upon this planet and the American people if he is not removed from office. The Trump administration has cut the budget for the EPA by 31%. He has diminished prosecuting power of the EPA resulting in negotiating with companies instead of prosecution on many violations that would have been prosecuted under the Obama administration. 

Thanks to cutting half of the EPA’s Office of Research and Development the agency’s scientific progress has been decimated. Not to mention the lack of grant funding for local initiatives. And, enforcement of environmental infractions and crimes received a 24 percent cut preventing prosecution except in major infractions. This is the equivalent of cutting the NYPD budget, reducing their police force by half and firing most of the prosecutors.

Campaign Promises and Apocalyptic Dreams

Ultimately, the only thing Trump has accomplished for the environment is to create more pollution, place more lives at risk, and harm the planet in an attempt to keep his campaign promise to save coal. However, coal isn’t failing because of the Obama Clean Power Act. 

Coal is failing because it is an unsustainable resource. Coal does produce cheaper energy currently than solar and wind power. But this cheap energy comes at a cost to our health and environment. The real reason coal is failing is due to fracking. Natural gas is a cleaner, more efficient source of power and is overtaking coal in the free market.

Trump is fighting a losing battle but the people and animals residing on the battlefield of America’s energy war are the collateral damage. No matter the outcome of the impeachment, the power to stop Trump in his attack on America lies in the hands of each voting-age American. Vote him out to save the planet, to save the animals, and to save yourselves.

Throughout history, Man has developed countless ways to inflict suffering upon the masses with appalling efficiency. Fully-automatic magazine-fed rifles, sarin gas, the atom bomb, and combat drones are just a few examples that illustrate how well humans know how to end a life, or many lives, swiftly. Human intellect is a weapon of mass destruction in itself. The damage of these atrocities cannot be fully realized without living, or killing, in a war-torn country under attack.

No matter how efficient Man has become at hurting fellow humans, those efforts pale in comparison with the tools of terror used to inflict suffering upon animals, all in the name of profit. A quick web search for “Livestock Equipment” reveals horrors that should be reserved for the Dark Web. However, these instruments of torture are found at bargain prices on Amazon.com, and proudly advertised by Google.

The product listings in a local farm supply store catalog would be more appropriately found in the script for an Eli Roth film rather than something the normal brain would associate with farms. These product names alone invoke thoughts of pain and suffering. Products such as a “Side” Crusher, Bloodless Castrator, Shock Prodding Bar, Ear Tattooer and Tags, Heavy-Duty Restraint Halters, Udder Singe, Weaning Nose Rings, and Milking Machines. 

These are just a few examples of the baleful tools of the trade used in the animal agriculture industry, the list could go on and on. Animals are tortured from the day they are bred into life by Man, to the day Man takes their life away. Most people are unaware of the barbarity committed in the name of beef, eggs, milk, and bacon. The idea that animals are treated humanely and live natural lives until they are painlessly slaughtered for food is a fairy-tale people simply want to believe. Nothing could be further from the truth, humane animal agriculture has no physical presence in our reality.

Cows, pigs, chicken, and sheep are besieged by those who should care for them with a constant barrage of poking, prodding, draining, impregnating, and outright torture. To illustrate this requires more than just looking at the cartoon of a happy cow on the package at the store and feeling good about yourself for choosing “humane meat”. This is the Age of Information, and a deeper examination of the tools used in the animal agriculture industry reveals an inconvenient truth, all exploitation is harmful. 

Castration

First, a look at methods of castration. The most widely used form of castration is physical castration, as opposed to surgical or chemical castration which requires veterinary assistance and added costs. All physical methods of castration cause pain and trauma, this is acknowledged by the American Veterinary Medical Association. However, it’s cheaper than paying a vet so physical castration trumps other methods in most cases. The Side Crusher and Bloodless Cattle Banders are a couple of the violent weapons used against animals during castration.

A Side Crusher is as bad as it sounds, possibly worse. This metal implement is little more than a modified pair of pliers. The purpose of this device is to crush the animal’s spermatic cords without cutting the skin or the arteries to the scrotum, in this way avoiding infection and costly veterinary bills and antibiotics. This method causes pain and severe inflammatory responses before the testicles to dry up and the scrotum shrinks after three weeks. 

This procedure is performed without any anesthesia as the animals scream out in pain. Crying out for help as anyone with testicles would beg for mercy when they are assaulted in such a manner. This is not performed by a veterinarian, no training is involved, and no certificate indicating the person performing the procedure understands what they are doing exists.

Animals are legally considered personal property. This means anyone who owns an animal can legally buy this device from the farm supply store and just start crushing parts of the animal’s body, as long as there is an agricultural “justification”. This method of castration is widespread and routinely performed on kids and calves, as well as goats and bulls; again, with no anesthesia. 

Cattle Banding is another archaic form of cruelty that is widely used in the animal agriculture industry. To be clear, this isn’t something that happens occasionally, castration is how farmers manage the herd, it is a daily common practice. This method of torture involves the application of a tight elastic band around the scrotum and testes. The band compresses the arteries and veins impeding arterial flow and killing the tissues, resulting in ischemia. Often the scrotum fills with blood, becoming engorged and painful. 

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, “Continued ischemia induces severe cellular damage and coagulation necrosis. Ischemic lesions of the intestinal tract or limbs are widely known to cause pain during the acute phase, followed by reduced pain as the lesion progresses. Blood pressures and heart rates of 2-month-old lambs remained high 4 hours after the placement of rubber rings, suggesting the persistence of pain.” Again, this is an every day practice in the animal agriculture industry.

Prey animals have a natural instinct to hide when they are threatened and feel vulnerable. Animals experiencing this procedure will retreat and hide, they experience psychological trauma and fear, and become depressed. Often they will throw themselves to the ground screaming, roll onto their back, rub against walls or fences trying to rid themselves of the pain-inducing foreign material, all the while screaming out in agony and confusion.

Confinement and Control

How do the oppressors who run these farms keep the animals under control and keep track of the herd? Many methods are used to confine these innocent prisoners on their death row. For instance, electrified fencing fortified with cattle guards at vehicle crossings, which are used to prevent cattle from leaving the owner’s property and crossing designated paths.

A cattle guard is essentially a hole in the ground covered by bars that are spaced far enough apart so that a cow’s hooves will slip through the space between the bars, preventing animals from crossing the path. This sounds benevolent enough until the realization occurs that many animals persist in trying to cross or jump the guards, resulting in injury and typically euthanasia.

Animals are big, really big. An adult bull can weigh between 1,100-2,200 pounds. A feeble farmer cannot simply put a bull on a leash as if they were dogs to lead them around. Therefore, often the feeble farmer will use weapons such as a cattle chute. This is a small alleyway created from metal bars. The feeble farmer coerces the animal into the chute, then traps them. While confined in the chute the cows receive various forms of treatment or forcible impregnation, castration, and further abuses.

Shock And Prod

Naturally, once an animal has been corralled into the chute once or twice, the process of trapping them will become more difficult. These aren’t mindless pieces of meat meandering in a field, they are sentient beings and they will recoil and retreat from learned dangers, as all intelligent beings would. As a result, feeble farmers must coax the large, muscular beings into these vulnerable situations using weapons. One such weapon is the cattle prod. 

The cattle prod is essentially a stun gun. Its an electronic tool which delivers a high power output of 4000 volts transmitting a low current, and typically produces a high pitch tone only audible to animals. This shock and tone will hurt and frighten the animal so that they want to get away from the danger, again, as any human would do. The farmer uses the prod or smaller stun-gun versions, to push the animal in the direction they want them to move. These are often used in rodeos as well. This is considered a “humane” method of controlling animals, shocking and frightening sentient beings is literally considered humane in this society. 

Products And Property

The oppressors within the animal agriculture industry maintain large herds of animals. Cattle operations that have over 100 cattle have an average of 186 cows per farm, and if they have over 500, the average spikes to a staggering 921 beef cows per farm. There are more than 75 million pigs on factory farms in the US at all times. To keep track of the prisoners and maintain ownership of these sentient beings, farmers use methods such as RFID chips implanted in the skin, ear tattoos, and ear tags.

Ear tattoos are performed in a sadistic and barbaric manner. The tool is essentially a stamp pad similar to those found in elementary school art classes across the country. However, the ear tattooer is not an innocuous plastic container containing an ink-soaked sponge and happy hearts and stars carved from foam.

Ear tattoos are created using a cold metal hand tool with two rows where letters and numbers can be interchanged to designate that animals’ “product id” or signify ownership by a specific human or company. The letters and numbers are created with needles. The ear is then tattooed by clamping it into the device, the needles imprint ink into the skin leaving behind a number, not dissimilar from those seen on holocaust survivors.

Another method of displaying ownership and inventory tracking is the ear tag. The ear tag is basically a plastic rivet pierced through the animals ear, with a numbered tag dangling off of it. Many people think nothing of this, comparing it to an infant receiving an ear piercing. However, from an ethical standpoint neither piercings are acceptable because they lack consent and are not intended for benevolent reasons such as medical necessity. 

Babies cry for a reason when their ears are pierced in the mall by some teenager making minimum wage. They cry because it hurts; forcing needles through the body hurts. For both babies and animals there is also an element of confusion and fear because they don’t understand why pain is being inflicted upon them.

Although, babies are pierced with very thin needles, .04” to be exact. Whereas the ear tag used for animals is typically nearly half an inch thick, .43” in most cases. This is a significant difference, not to mention the psychological trauma. At least a baby is being held by their mother during the assault rather than being violated by a monster.

Anti-feminism in Animal Agriculture

Few human females have ever had to endure the onslaught of anti-feminist attacks as the female animal has. First, these animals are forcibly impregnated repeatedly by the feeble farmer. Dairy cows are impregnated every year, because this is as frequent as they possibly can be. Keeping them in this cycle ensures she will continue to produce an efficient and profitable supply of milk. 

There is no love story between a cow and a bull, this is not something that is done naturally. Insemination occurs through artificial insemination in most cases. That means that a feeble farmer scares, shocks, and prods the cow into a cattle chute, dons shoulder-length plastic gloves, and then inserts his or her arm deep into the cow’s rectum in order to position the uterus for optimal insemination.

Next, the assailant forces a sperm-filled instrument into her vagina to perform the insemination. These people should be on a sex-offender registry somewhere, as should the people who buy their products knowing how this happened. From a compassion and ethics perspective, purchasing a jug of milk is not much different than purchasing a rape snuff film. 

Pigs must endure pregnancy twice annually, often artifically inseminated by an assailant, or confined to a rape-cage and impregnated by a male pig. To make matters worse, they are then confined to gestation crates. A 2’x7’ torturous crate where they cannot turn around or hardly move, while their babies are taken and stored in farrowing crates, which prevent them from moving around too much too. The assailants want these animals fat, not fit.

It’s Not Kidnapping When You Own Them

Once they’ve delivered their babies, they have very little time to be mothers. Typically calves are taken from their mothers as soon as possible, as little as three, but no more than eight months after birth. To ensure the calf doesn’t drink too much of the farmers precious investment, the calves noses are pierced and clamped with a weaning nose ring.

A weaning ring is a plastic or metal device that is adorned with large spikes. When the calf tries to suckle from their mother as they naturally should, the mother is forced to back away from the pain of spikes poking into her udders. It’s not difficult for anyone to imagine the psychological damage this must do to both mother and child. The mother who has a natural inclination to care for her child is heartbroken because she cannot; and the child confused and feeling abandoned and hungry as mommy backs away. 

Once the calf is old enough to be taken from their mother, the cow is connected to a milk collectors which are hooked to milk machines. Milk collectors are essentially tubes that connect directly to the cows teats with suction, and then connect through tubing to the milk machine. Next, the impregnation cycle begins again.

Fire And Brimstone

Although a cow’s udders appear to be bald from a distance, they are actually covered in fine hairs. These hairs prevent proper suction. Therefore, dairy farms routinely use an udder singe to burn the hair off of their udders and ensure a good connection for the milk collectors.

The udder singe consists of a small propane tank carried by a feeble farmer, who then approaches the cow with a wand. At the end of the wand is a large flame. The feeble farmer waves the flame underneath the cows udders to literally burn off all of the hair. The animal receives no anesthesia for this attack. 

The milking machine and milk collectors also often cause mastitis, an inflammation of breast tissue, by acting as a reservoir for pathogens, and directly implanting pathogenic organisms into the streak canal (teat/nipple), also causing long-term deterioration of the teats.

As for the calf who was taken away from their mother after a psychologically damaging weaning process, the mother is replaced with a feeder bucket. The feeder bucket is exactly as described, a bucket full of weaning ration, a mix of nutrients and grains to prepare them to graze, and a cold rubber teat to replace their mothers warm nuture. 

The End

After all of this torture, when the young calf grows into an adult beef cow, they meet a very dark end. The animals are typically not slaughtered where they were raised, they are instead taken to slaughterhouses, places that specialize in mass-slaughter. The faster they can kill an animal the more profitable they become.

The doomed to die are then loaded into a truck as tightly as possible, transported, often in extreme temperatures at high speeds becoming injured and ill during the trip. When they arrive at their final destination many must be dragged off of the truck with ropes and chains because they are unable to walk on their own. 

Finally, they are loaded into a cattle chute one last time and shot in the head with a captive-bolt gun. This doesn’t kill them, it is simply meant to stun them and numb the pain to come. However, these workers do not care about the animal’s welfare and are often seen on video beating the animals.

Slaughterhouse workers are paid very little, hurried through their work, and unskilled, so the bolt gun is often ineffective to prevent any pain and instead causes further suffering. Ultimately, the animals reach the end of the line where their throats are slit with a large blade, the pain and horror can be seen in their eyes as their pupils grow large and wide, making one final attempt to make sense of the painful life they’ve experienced. They try to scream out in agony and fear, just before the life leaves them and they gurgle their final breath through the rush of blood and anguish.

After that, their lifeless bodies are bled-out and desecrated into the products found in the local grocery store. This is where the most important step takes place, the most powerful and destructive tool used in the animal agriculture industry rears its ugly head, the consumer’s dollar.

Every atrocity, every horrendous act, every violent tool of the trade mentioned in this article is made possible entirely by how consumers spend their dollars. If people stop buying the end product, the rest of this misery will disappear. How do you spend your dollars? Their lives are in your hands.

While perusing Instagram and Facebook it is easy to find talented artists. After all, that is the Instagram mission, to share content. Many artists use their work as a method of activism and advocacy.  They use art to spread a message of compassion and enlightenment, while displaying their talents for the world.

Instagram has One Billion user accounts. The Misunderstood Mammal however only accepts the best. With such a large talent pool, standing out in a sea of images can be a challenge. However, the art of Philip McCulloch-Downs seems to overcome this hurdle with ease and grace. 

About The Artist

Philip McCulloch-Downs is an artist, writer and a poet who uses his art as a form of activism. He considers his art a calling, and describes himself as such: 

“If, on any given day, you took a slice out of my mind you would find the inscrutable coldness of Peter Greenaway’s films, the warmth and joy of the Kneehigh Theatre Company, the flamboyance of Rufus Wainwright’s songs, the sweeping majesty of the Malvern Hills, the furious rants of Doug Stanhope, the dark words of Samuel Beckett, and the sheer, childlike wonder of the giant puppets of Royal De Luxe. On another day you may just find a doughnut and a pocket watch.”

Philip was born in Malvern, Worcestershire, UK in 1970. He earned a degree in illustration from Leicester Polytechnic (now DeMontfort Uni) in 1992. After graduating, Philip worked for five years in a graphics company, after which he moved from Malvern back to Leicester, and then to Bristol. Ultimately, he settled in Somerset.

Philip became a vegan activist in 2005 and an animal rights artist in 2014.

When discussing his animal rights art Philip believes the best decision he’s ever made was to combine the ethical, spiritual and vegan themes that had repeatedly surfaced in his work and to “do something useful in this ridiculous world.”

Philip is a person of many talents, his website www.philipdownsart.co.uk/ is a complete library of his paintings, poetry, novels and videos. Click the link for more. His Instagram account is mesmerizing. The impressive array of color and depth encompassed in Philip’s masterpieces are somehow brought to life using only acrylic on canvas board, stretched canvas or paper, as evidenced in the many breathtaking “making of” videos he has uploaded to YouTube. 

He is a member of the Art of Compassion Project. The Art of Compassion Project is a collective of 150+ vegan artists from all over the world using their talents for animal rights activism and advocacy. They have art shows several times each year in America, Italy, China, Germany, Ireland and the UK.

Ethical Vegan Artist Spotlight

For his Artist Spotlight, The Misunderstood Mammal has decided to showcase Philip’s work of art Meat. Meat, is a graphic display depicting a supermarket meat aisle offering the typical selection of pre-packaged slaughtered animals, such as turkeys and portions of cow and pig, all nestled snugly within their plastic wrap coffins.

What is so different about this supermarket meat bin? Tucked away, almost indistinguishable from the other meat in the bin, we find two human babies, freshly stamped with a UK Meat Inspection seal (similar to the USDA in America) and still bleeding.

The painting alone illicits feeling of disgust intermingled with curiosity and rage. It’s easy for anyone (who isn’t a sociopath) to see how wrong it would be for a human infant to meet such an unnecessary and horrific demise. Yet, most people are so far removed from the reality of animal agriculture that they never give a second thought to the packaged bits of infant animal flesh they’re buying for dinner.

Most people don’t realize a cow is slaughtered before it reaches 36 months, pigs only live for 6 months and lamb… yes, cute little fluffy white lambs, are slaughtered at 8-12 months old. At least they get a year though, right? Chickens are slaughtered at 35-49 days old.

Along with his visual plea for mercy for all, Philip has written a powerful accompanying poem of the same name: 

The blood-filled heart

The complexity of breath

The miraculous biology

Of birth and life and death

Packaged up in pieces

Of mortal meat and bone

We take the lives of others’

Though we never take our own

The body with a beating heart

A living consciousness

Made of mind and muscle

All is lost in death

Leaving only morsels

Of meat upon the bone

Though we take the lives of others’

We never take our own

A part of the Animal Rights collection

When asked about the inspiration for Meat, this is what the artist had to say:

Meat was created just after I left my job at a local animal rights charity. I’d worked there part-time for 14 years, and had become very disillusioned with the ego-driven incompetence that I found was the driving force behind even this supposedly moral and ethical endeavour. My artwork had had minor success within this organisation, but there were so many constraints and limits placed upon me (as well as opinions that I disagreed with) that I realised I’d have to leave it all behind and go it alone if I ever wanted to have a truly individual voice.

So this painting was, in part, a reaction to that, as well as being an uncompromisingly simple summing up of my ‘gut reaction’ to the meat aisle in my local supermarket. The wall-to-wall parcels of muscle and bone and rendered flesh were a stark reminder of the cognitive dissonance that our society suffers from. Right there, in glorious technicolour, was a symbol of all that is wrong with humanity. A big concept that needed a shocking and provocative image to bypass any subtlety or pussyfooting around!

“ALL the meat in those supermarket freezers began life as a baby, no different to a human baby. “

Any doubts I had about the effectiveness of an image like this was dispelled by the three separate encounters I had with supermarket staff as I photographed the meat freezers. They assumed I was a student doing a project (i.e. harmless) and I said nothing to dispell that thought. It was obvious they thought of ME as the one that was behaving oddly, rather than the families putting dead animal body parts in their shopping trolleys all around me.

I have never felt so angry, so sad, or so much a stranger in a strange land. All these feelings informed the image, and after 2 years it has proved to be just as provocative, offensive and striking as I’d hoped.

Usually Meat is served with sides. For this plate full of morality, The Misunderstood Mammal would like to recommend, See how they grow:

and dæge:

These are two more of Philip’s paintings from his Animal Rights Gallery. When these painting are paired together Meat the result becomes a full course of realization. The tragic trio paint a stark picture of the travesty of Speciesism, The plague of cognitive dissonance dragging all mankind into the depths of destruction illustrated within the grimacing faces. 

How To Make Meat

In summary, activism is never just about standing on the corner passing out pamphlets, or tabling or protesting. Activism is simply spreading the message. Messages manifest in many forms. Whatever talent you posess, use it. Use your talents to paint a picture, write a poem, sing a song, advocate online. Please use your skills to make this world a better place.

Please click HERE to purchase some of Philips powerful artwork and support this artist-activist. He also has several galleries unrelated to Animal Rights which display his other works inspired by his experiences and Spirituality. Look for Philip and other great vegan artist-activists in 2020! The Art Of Compassion Project will be at the Plant-Powered Expo in Olympia in February, and the Vegan Life Live show in Alexandra Palace in March, both in London. Stop by and see his work in person!

How long will we ponder, this coup that has occurred?

How long will we slumber, awaiting our White Knight?

To kiss our complacent foreheads, and take up our fight?

No Bernie, no Warren, and no Buttigieg will spare our impending fate.

Dismantled EPA, Trumped by climate change, the future traded for Nationalist hate.

How long have they ruled, knowing where our power lies?

Our strength is in numbers, so they stoke the divides.

How long will it take, for us to see?

We must come together, to fight the powers that be.

Earth Grown Affordable Vegan Cheese

In the mood for a pizza? Craving a killer stromboli? If you’ve ever tried either of these without cheese you know the disappointment that typically follows. Pizza just isn’t pizza without cheese, anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

All too often vegans are frugal with cheese because it can be expensive, but Earth Grown is bringing down the price! While most vegan cheese brands start at $4.50 or higher for 8 ounces. However, Earth Grown has undercut the competition coming in at only $3.29 for 8 ounces! So no worries, you can load up on that melty goodness!

Who is Earth Grown?

Earth Grown is a brand offering from Germany-based discount supermarket chain Aldi. While Aldi is obviously not a vegan company, they are rapidly increasing their plant-based/vegan options at an impressive pace when compared to other larger companies such as Wal-Mart’s Great Value and Meijer’s True Goodness line. That’s not to say that The Misunderstood Mammals readers would actually shop at Wal-Mart. 

The Earth Grown line provides both vegan and vegetarian options, so check the ingredients before purchase. Their line includes several options for seasoned burgers, Two types of meatballs, and even hot dogs. 

According to Earth Grown, “Our Promise: All our Earth Grown products are free from animal products, including meat, poultry and seafood, and our vegan items are also free from substances produced by animals – such as eggs, dairy, honey, gelatin, and lanolin.”

What’s In The Cheese? 

Filtered Water, Modified Corn Starch, Canola Oil, Vegetable Glycerine, Tricalcium Phosphate, Pea Protein, Sea Salt, Tapioca Flour, Rice Maltodextrin, Natural Vegan Flavors, Lactic Acid (Non-Dairy), Sunflower Lecithin, Enzymes, Yeast Extract, Xanthan Gum, Annatto Extract (Color), Powered Cellulose (to prevent caking). 

Cooking With Vegan Cheese

This cheese is actually quite impressive. This cheese melts similarly to real cheese, it stretches a bit like dairy-cheese once cooled. Another key point, it browns somewhat under a broil, and the best thing about this cheese is that it tastes fantastic without that greasy mouthfeel some other brands have. Find it at your local Aldi to have an awesome pizza, or get creative! Don’t forget take a picture of it for your Instagram like all the other cool kids do and send us some of that food porn!