Veganism has been all over social media lately. With people blaming Covid-19 on animal agriculture, comparing meat-eating to the holocaust, and posting videos of animal abuse, the issue has become hard to ignore. Despite these extreme and illogical methods of spreading their cause, I considered adopting a vegan diet because I can’t stand animal abuse. A few months after I started thinking about the topic, I found the solution to the vegan question through an unlikely source: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After reading his Letter From a Birmingham Jail, I applied the wisdom of Reverend King to determine that veganism is not the solution to combating animal abuse. Instead, we should focus on increasing animal welfare through peaceful actions and incremental life changes.
Most of us acknowledge that veganism is an extreme position, but many will be surprised to hear that MLK opposed extremism and favored nonradical means of achieving justice. In his letter from Birmingham Jail, he admits that he “has been greatly impressed with the white moderate.” Dr. King attempted direct action in Birmingham, but he ended up in prison — a place where white moderates never found themselves. He then goes on to describe how the civil rights movement owed much of its success to moderates who pushed the status-quo in a very gradual manner. In the same way, animal-lovers should push for animal welfare gradually if we want real change to take place.
Bad news for vegans: their sense of superiority, radical views, and dry burgers (sorry, the Beyond Burger is not realistic) only increase tension over animal welfare — a tension that Dr. King described as “a word that I have come to fear.” This shows that MLK could have confronted white people and their racist actions, but he tactfully decided against this as to spare their feelings so that they would be more receptive to his ideas. In the same way, we shouldn’t force our anti-animal-cruelty views on people. This behavior only creates antipathy between animal-welfarists and meat-eaters. Instead, we should foster a productive dialogue between the two groups that can slowly lead to the increase of animal welfare. The problem is that veganism inherently creates this tension. Dr. King points out that “those who engage in direct action are the creators of tension,” making it impossible for vegans to not invoke hostility in meat-eaters. If vegans eat some bacon every once in a while, people will be more likely to consider their opinions, and animal welfare will actually increase.
I know what you’re thinking — there’s no way that meat-eaters can be better than vegans at increasing animal welfare. Let’s look at some more Martin Luther King quotes to drive the point for moderate welfarism home.
From his cell in Birmingham Jail, Dr. King writes “justice delayed is justice that is inevitably delivered.” If the anti-racists of Rev. King’s time had the patience and foresight to wait 50 years, they’d recognize extremist actions to be futile and unnecessary — as we now live in a country devoid of racism. Instead of pushing for radical laws and moral revolution, Rev. King slowly changed people’s minds in the favor of civil rights to fulfill his dream that one of his distant descendants may not be judged by the color of their skin. Just as MLK avoided direct action and extremism to achieve his dreams, animal-welfarists should adopt more moderate and reasonable practices. Through opposing animal abuse in this toned down manner, we too can accomplish the dream that one of our distant descendants may live in a world free of animal cruelty.
Even though we meat-eating animal-welfarists are clearly in the superior position, vegans still accuse us of animal abuse and murder. When an extremist approaches you in a hostile manner (as they often do), it is usually best to walk away. But in case you are feeling brave, I’ll provide you with one more piece of MLK’s wisdom to defend yourself. From the Birmingham Jail, he writes that “a wonderfully rational notion is that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills.” As much as vegans like to think that they’re making a difference, ultimately, time itself is responsible for shifting the moral zeitgeist towards justice and compassion. Remember, “justice somewhere is a threat to injustice everywhere” — small actions of compassion matter the most. Through easing tensions, making little decisions that support justice, and letting time play itself out, we can shift the status quo so that our children’s children’s children’s children’s children may live in a world where animals are treated fairly.
Check out Letter From A Birmingham Jail for the original source content presented in this piece.
