Why Going Vegan is the Best Way to Fight Corporatism
My personal decision to go vegan started with an invitation to the Humane Society’s 2019 “To The Rescue!” Gala at Cipriani in NYC. What I noticed was that the menu was all plant-based Mexican food. To my surprise, it was delicious!
In my gift bag was included a book entitled “¡Salud! Vegan Mexican Cookbook: 150 Mouthwatering Recipes from Tamales to Churros” written by our chef for the event, Eddie Garza. I opened it and read a profound thought, one that finally gave me clarity and strength in my quest to go vegan.
“When the Spanish settled in Mexico in the 1500s, their main contributions to food culture were meat and dairy products. They also introduced different cooking techniques, including frying food in pork fat. Today’s Mexican cuisine (I would say Latin- and African-American cuisines), the fusion of Mesoamericana and European cooking, is now notoriously known for its excessive use of meat, lard and other animal products that have been linked to chronic, preventable diseases caused by obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. In recent years, there’s been a social gastronomic movement in Mexico focusing on indigenous foods, like legumes and grains.”
That’s when the big idea hit me. The age of European colonization never actually ended. It just became less about war and violence and more about gradual cultural oppression, as well as what we now call “food privilege” and Corporatism.
While many social activists discuss “neocolonialism” today, and see the most obvious criminal offenses in U.S. politics and unrestrained capitalism, many remain blind to international neocolonialism that still continues to this day. And much of it is happening right on our dinner plates.
Funding the Meat Industry Literally Destroys Natural Habitats
You might have heard that the Amazon rain forest (including parts of Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia) is on fire – but what you haven’t heard is that it’s largely due to an insatiable demand for meat.
The Amazon is considered the “lungs of the planet” on account of the fact that it produces 20 percent of the oxygen in our planet’s atmosphere and takes in 17 percent of the carbon dioxide stored by the world’s trees. The world is currently watching helplessly as the Amazon loses the size of three football fields’ worth of rain-forest every minute nonstop! We have already destroyed 15 percent of the original Amazon rain-forests and some scientists are saying if it goes past 20 percent, the damage will be irreparable.
The fires are specifically being set by farmers to clear land for livestock cattle and to grow soy to feed pigs, chickens, and cows. International demand for meat, (the biggest demand coming from China and the European Union) is proving to be more important than protecting the rain forest and keeping the ecological balance in South America. The demand is so great, it’s making some local workers resort to illegal deforestation activities, but penalties are oftentimes not enforced.
Brazil is the largest exporter and producer of beef, with over 232 million heads of cattle. One pound of beef requires 298 square feet of cropland and 211 gallons of water.
Continuing to feed our excessively high meat demand enables these governments and companies to endanger the earth for profit – the very spirit of neocolonialism still in action.
Modern Neocolonialism Kills Humans and Animals
High demand for meat has only caused Brazil and Bolivia to expand their agricultural frontiers – always at the expense of indigenous people. Bolivia is actually one of the worst countries for climate breakdown and water scarcity and with its meat-first legislation in place, things are only getting worse. Some predict 38 million hectares could be destroyed in the next thirty years.
Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, not only supports deforestation but has also publicly said he doesn’t care about what it does to “Indians”, since they are an impediment to progress. Recently, protesters have complained that Bolsanaro is forcing indigenous people out of their lands by withholding healthcare and failing to stop invaders from entering indigenous lands.
Bolsonaro also likes to toss around conspiracy theories, such as his latest rant, that actor and activist Leonardo Dicaprio is paying people to start fires in the Amazon. DiCaprio responded, pledging support for natives and the protesters. We too can pledge our support by going vegan.
Veganism – a Social Activist and Environmentalist Response
Going vegan is not about white privilege – it can also be about standing up to colonialism. Times have changed and instead of just battling “white privilege”, now it’s multinational capitalists or “neocolonialists” of varying race and nationality, some liberal and conservative. But the same colonial policies are still in effect, serving corporate interests instead of the people, and that’s what matters. They are ruining the planet and terrorizing the indigenous population, just as they did 500 years ago in the age of Christopher Columbus.
But are we listening now? The good news is that many people in Latin America are rising up and resisting neocolonialism not only in Brazil and Bolivia but also Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. What we need now is a stronger presence in the United States.
In the words of Alexander More, a climate change historian at Harvard University:
“Many countries that consume Brazilian beef do not participate in the social media and information sphere dominant in the US and Europe, so these lifestyle changes need to happen on the ground, through policy, or education and communications campaigns.”
One way we can fight against modern neocolonialism is to consider going vegan. Protest their destructive policies by reducing the demand for greedy and toxic levels of meat, which is scientifically proven to be unhealthy.
By refusing to contribute to the profits of this neocolonialist oligarchical system, and instead choosing to explore natural vegan foods, we can fight the system in a way that matters – their money.
Remember, the more people go vegan, the less demand there will be for meat and dairy products. Less demand would hopefully also encourage more countries to diversify their beef sources and if more people go vegan, prices for vegan foods will drop, allowing more poor and working-class people to get serious about their health.
Promoting veganism needs to be a positive and empowering trend. If you care about animals, the environment and people, spend your time educating those who are on the fence and share more factual information along with savory recipes – like those in the above-mentioned cookbook. This is the most persuasive way to make a difference and unify us in a great cause we can all agree on: To fight neocolonialism in order to save the animals, save the planet, and most importantly save our own lives!