Hi there. I'd just like to start off by saying I have absolutely no idea how Steemit works but it seems to be all the rage within the anarchist community at the moment, and I'm very much an anarchist.
But I'm also a vegan.
In fact, I believe that that to be anarchist you must also be (or are open to being) a vegan, and vice versa.
If we apply the true definition of the word anarchy, we see that it means to be free from masters or rulers. However, no where in this definition does it state that only humans should be free from external rulership. I'd argue that anarchy, then, in its truest form, means that all sentient beings should be free from rulership.
Cows, chickens, pigs, goats, lambs, fish, dolphins, whales.....All of these precious beings deserve to be free from human rulers - just as we humans deserve to be free from the 'authority' within 'government'.
The truth is, our perceived 'authority' (yes, I'm going all Larken Rose with the quote marks for 'government' and 'authority') over the animals is just as nonsensical as the 'authority' we believe 'government' have over us.
'Your stance on animal rights today is a reflection of your stance regarding slavery in the past' - me. (Just a cool quote I came up with one day and decided to chuck it in the blog ;-)
We see ourselves as an 'authority' over the animals because we believe we are intellectually superior. But, if intellectualism is going to be used as an argument, then why are we not torturing and murdering disabled human beings who are unable to express themselves in an intellectual capacity? I recognize I have no 'authority' over a disabled human being because I simply do not have any more rights than they do - their mental state is entirely irrelevant.
In our capacity to suffer, we are all the same. The cow strives for freedom and life just as much as you strive for freedom and life. It is the one universal bond that connects all sentient life forms: to be free from suffering. And make no mistake about it, slavery is suffering.
I could write a post breaking down all of the arguments for veganism (I will save that for another day), but I really wanted to drive one simple point home: You are either for slavery, or against it. As Mark Passio said, there is only one great divide in humanity: Those that believe in the legitimacy of slavery, and those that don't.
If you're reading this blog and you're an anarchist, I simply ask that you extend your philosophy of freedom to the animal kingdom. We ALL deserve to be free from rulers.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
In Lak'ech