Dear Colleagues:
I would imagine that most of you would not choose to spend time with people who show up at “town hall” meetings and propose civil war or talk about “nazi” health plans, or with people who think that sort of behavior and discourse are acceptable and who support it.
I do not wish to spend my time talking with people who think it is appropriate to promote violence or who regard it as appropriate to call people “pricks,” “nazis,” or “state collaborators” because they reject violence and threats of violence.
When I started the Facebook account, I asked those who supported violence not to participate in the site. I made it clear that the purpose of the site was to discuss animal issues from a non-violent perspective. Unfortunately, there are a number of folks who believe that they have a right to enter any forum and promote their pro-violence views. This is particularly curious since these same people allow virtually no criticism of their positions on their own sites, or they edit or sometimes even alter critical comments that are posted.
In any event, I have decided to take a break from FB. I will continue to promote non-violent abolition here and I may start a FB discussion group on Ahimsa and Animal Rights that will be by invitation only. I am not sure.
Please know that I enjoyed immensely meeting many of the people who joined the site. There were some wonderful discussions and many thoughtful contributions. Unfortunately, a relatively small number of people made it their project to try to infect every thread with their pro-violence rhetoric despite my repeated requests that the site focus only on the discussion of animal rights within the framework of non-violence.
Please continue to visit this site. There will be more posts and podcasts coming. And I have a new book, The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation?, co-authored with Dr. Robert Garner and published by Columbia University Press, coming out this fall. I hope that this book will help animal advocates to think critically about the relevant issues.
Go vegan. It’s easy; it’s better for you and the planet; and, most importantly, it’s the morally right thing to do. And creative, non-violent vegan education is the most important form of activism in which we can engage.
In my view, our movement should be one of peace and non-violence. That is the only way that we will ever achieve any significant and enduring change.
Gary L. Francione
©2009 Gary L. Francione
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