Ambivalent Ambition

crankyskirt:

“Angry asshole looking for racism with a chip on her shoulder”: Interpretations of Sistah Vegan Project

I ran across a vegan blog in which people were discussing my critical race vegan work; in particular, an article that I had published last year that looks at how access to certain vegan commodities in the USA are still contingent upon structural racism and poverty on the global scale. I also questioned why and how it is that certain white middle-class vegans really think veganism is a ‘single-issue’, and that as long as they aren’t ‘overt racist’, they need not think about racism, whiteness, and 1st world privilege. The article they were discussing is a small excerpt from my dissertation in progress, and the language is grounded in ‘academic writing’ and I come from the discipline of geography, so the concept of ‘space’ is crucial to my analysis.

After claiming he/she had looked at my blog, this one vegan referred to me as a ‘angry asshole looking for racism’ and ‘with a chip on her shoulder.’ So much anger and misunderstanding. I didn’t participate in the forum, just observed, but it reminded me of why I need to continue doing this work, despite my fellowship funding not being renewed for 2011-2012 academic year. This of course is not the first time I’ve seen such hate and anger towards the work I do. When I decided to engage in a discursive analysis of Skinny Bitch and show how it’s an example of normative whiteness, a white identified female vegan posted, “Get over your black self and just be human for a day” last year. And there was a complete Veganporn discussion, back in 2006, dedicated to why my Sistah Vegan anthology proposal was basically ridiculous. Some white identified folk didn’t know why it was important to consider race and gender within vegan culture in the USA; others were disgusted by my use of the word ‘sistah’ versus the ‘proper’ Standard English word of ‘sister.’

I joke with people when I say that I stopped being vegan because my life is too intersectional, but it’s a joke tinged with truth. The more I read about veganism as an activist movement, the more bothered I became (and not just by the privilege-blind all-sorts-of-problematic campaigns developed by PETA). In the course of my reading, I came across something that had been pulling at the back of my head, waiting for articulation, something that I think is really fucking important to consider (here’s the point, paraphrased):

Veganism, much like some strains of environmentalism, is one activist movement where those who are supposedly benefiting from said activism are unable to speak for themselves. One can be an ally for marginalized racial and ethnic groups, with the understanding that one’s voice as an ally is secondary to those of members of the racial and ethnic groups being discussed. One can be an ally for queer people, for the neuroatypical, for sex workers, for youth, for immigrants… but at the end of the day, part of that ally work means recognizing when the fuck to sit down, shut up and listen. (Assuming, of course, that people back up that “ally” label with responsible, empathetic realness.) A cow at market, a fish in a net, a rabbit minutes from death for one person’s meal and another person’s fashion accessory… none of these beings are able to advocate for themselves in the way that human beings can. Which makes it very easy for those who are put off by having to answer to the marginalized in other forms of activism, to jump on the bandwagon, believing that they won’t be called out on their bullshit when their bullshit comes up.

I so wish I had a source for that! But yeah, once that seed of thought started germinating, I kind of realized it was the beginning of the end for me. That’s not to discount in any way the work that Breeze Harper (author of Sistah Vegan) or any other vegans of color have done; it just made me strongly consider the ramifications of IDing myself as vegan, and when all was said and done, I had to opt out.

I don’t see myself as being any kinder or more ethical when I, say, refuse to eat from the seaside restaurant in Port Royal that I’ve known since I was a kid. To me, that’s not just the denial of a childhood memory; it’s devaluing the labor of people whose connection with the food they serve is intimate in a way that is not as common here in the States. My issue with animal cruelty in food production has to do with battery cages and the mistreatment of livestock; I am not thusly moved when I see independent farmers and fisher folks who have a stronger personalized responsibility when it comes to raising animals for slaughter.

For the record, I’m one of those dreaded “mostly” vegans - the majority of what I consume, foodwise and otherwise, would fall under the rubric of “proper” vegan stuff, whatever “proper” means (insert grain of salt here). I didn’t (as a vegan) and don’t (currently) claim any right to call my choices “cruelty-free” or inherently better than those of other people. Too many variables at play.

I think the bolded bits are incredibly profound. I may not agree 100% with the rest, but those points, to me, are crucial. Thoughts?