Lone Wolf

Tonight's blog is written by the great Walter Bond and illustrations are from L's last group of digi art:

The Earth and animals don’t need any more soccer mom, potluck vegans. What is needed is an intervention on behalf of our mother earth and her animal nations. It is my opinion that nothing that has been done in defense of animals has gone too far. If we look at things from a biocentric viewpoint, the holocaust that humanity has ushered in against innocent life is the worst atrocity in world history!

All too often I feel animal rights’ activists get hung up on either “what’s going to ultimately win animal liberation in the long run” or a sort of defeatism over the fact that we cannot win their total freedom at this very moment in world history. While there is a lot to consider in either of these views, they are both far too philosophical for the task at hand. A warrior in a battle does not need to vex her or his mind with constant thoughts of ultimate victory. That is someone else’s problem. A warrior in battle need only concern themselves with thoroughly winning the battles at hand.

Tactical thinking is what’s needed, tailor-made to fit the practicality of the battlefield. There are relatively few people in animal rights that should be ultimately concerned with the “Big Win.” The rest of us should be concerned with fighting our guts out and winning battles on behalf of individual animals or against animal exploiters. Instead we have far too many arm-chair generals that think they are vanguards of the movement because they are vegan and have an opinion. This non-approach is quickly running its course.

Let’s frame it another way. I am not a rapist, do not participate in rape; I never have, and I never will. However I do not masquerade as a rape prevention activist simply based on my non-participation in said crimes, nor do I go amongst groups, in person or online, of accomplished rape prevention activists and expect my opinions to be received with the utmost reverence. Simply put, not partaking in a social injustice is absolutely the first and most important step, but that does not make you an expert in fighting against it. For that you need training and hopefully, but not always, the help of others with more experience than yourself.

Furthermore when too many people in a movement shirk their duty because they are on a throne staring across the vast expanse towards the “Big Picture”, the implication quickly becomes that the muck work is for someone else to do. When the bulk of the people in any movement take up this approach, then guess what? NOTHING GETS DONE, save a lot of speculation and philosophizing, not to mention pretentiousness.

We must let the few vanguards and accomplished leaders (by example, not title) do the job of leading and directing. It’s far easier (and personally safer) to not confront and fight the evil in your own neighborhood than it is to incessantly worry about what actions you can take to end all animal use, abuse, torture, murder, etc., while somehow simultaneously touching the hearts and minds of all people with our message, because you know what? You can’t.

Now here comes a hard lesson, especially for people in the middle to upper class of first world countries. You are not important. If you are sincere about animal liberation, then it’s animals that are important. What we can for them is important. The only thing of importance is what we are a part of.

ITA, Walter!