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I'm really not looking forward to this...

Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2023 3:48 pm
by wizardling
Avoiding footage like I know I'm going to see in "Dominion" is exactly why I've been able to avoid becoming vegan for my whole life. I never watched "Faces of Death" or any of that other gnarly stuff that was going around the internet when I was younger, and I also never watch graphic news video content. Beyond wanting to avoid watching something distressing, there's something about those kinds of videos that I find insulting. Like someone is trying to get a rise out of you or offend/disgust you for the sake of shock value. And if I'm honest, it's also why I've mistrusted PETA and more militant vegans for so long, because their tactics and arguments trigger that same feeling of disrespect.

But of course, a huge difference between something like "Faces of Death" and "Dominion" is about complicity and ethical obligation, and that's what I'm understanding now. And while that feeling of disrespect comes from feeling like the person who created the video either doesn't trust my ability to make a decision based on simple facts or good argumentation, it is absolutely true that I wasn't convinced by veganism until I understood the immense suffering inherent to industrial animal agriculture. Part of that understanding comes from witnessing.

So, fine. It's important, maybe even essential, to look at the effects of the systems I've been supporting up till now. I've already had a really hard time with the YouTube videos embedded in the courses up to this point, but I've also made sure not to look away. This is definitely an "Omelas" moment, but I find myself putting it off.