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ARKANGEL Journal of animal liberation |
Arkangel Magazine BCM 9240 London WC1N 3XX |
| Veganism? No, Grazie! |
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by Merry Orling Italy is the home of the Mediterranean diet, which, as everyone knows, is based on olive oil, legumes, pasta, pizza, fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, and daily-baked breads, the vegan foods par excellence. Until very recently, i.e. not more than a generation ago, meat was served only on special occasions, eggs were never eaten alone, and dairy consumption, aside from cheese and cappuccinos, was virtually nil. Yet the spread of the vegan diet has been painstakingly slow here. Although no official count has been taken, the number of Italian vegans (both those following the vegan diet for health reasons and those practising the vegan lifestyle for ethical reasons) is exceedingly low - an optimistic guess would be in the low hundreds. What happened? Why has veganism failed to take root in the land of vegan plenty? The answer, I'm convinced, lies in the interaction among diverse factors that fuelled a negative synergy in Italy just as veganism was gaining momentum in the UK and the US. I've summarised the three most important reasons below: 1. Historic: Catholicism Until recently, Italians, like all Catholics, were taught by the Church that non-human animals have no soul, existing for the purpose of being used by human ones. This attitude has historically justified the vast majority of sufferances inflicted by the latter on the former, including raising and slaughtering them for food. However, attitudes can and do change, even where the Pope resides. For example, although the Church does not accept divorce and abortion, Italian law accepts them, and many Catholic Italians file for divorce and charge abortions to the National Health Service just like non-Catholics. The fact that more and more Italians live with companion animals should be a major step in changing their attitudes toward animals in general. Lastly, it should be recalled that many Italians are not practising Catholics and are in no way affected by the dictates of the clergy. 2. Economic: McDonald's Incredibly, only five years ago there was no McDonald's in Florence; today there are five and more in the offing. In truth, owing to a combination of cultural factors (such as the relevance of the big midday meal) and economic factors (such as the virtual absence of part-time employment), Italy was the last European country to fall into the golden arches, but its capitulation is having especially devastating effects - and not only on the Mediterranean diet. The reason, as the McLibel judge noted in his historic decision, is that McDonald's insidiously targets young children and teenagers for its clever brand of brainwashing. Undoubtedly, the coming generation of Italian adults will have memories of kiddy parties with Ronald McDonald and teenage encounters over Big Macs rather than the home-cooked family feasts their parents recall. Nobody knows which will prevail, but, judging from what's happened elsewhere, Mediterranean is no match for McDonald's 3. Philosophical: Absent People turn vegan because they hear what vegans say and see what they do. That doesn't happen in Italy. For example, although Virginia-based PeTA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the world's largest animal rights organisation with 600,000 members (out of a US population of 280 million), and Rome-based LAV, Lega Anti Vivisezione, Italy's largest animal advocacy organisation with 20,000 members (out of an Italian population of 57 million), were founded about the same time, the former has promoted the vegan lifestyle virtually from the outset, while the latter does not consider veganism a priority to this day. Arguably, the reason for LAV's refusal to acknowledge the rights of chickens, cows, and calves can be traced back to the 1980s, when the budding Italian movement was totally under the sway of Swiss antivivisectionist, Hans Ruesch. Indeed, some Italian activists considered Ruesch a father who could do no wrong. But that was hardly the case: In 1993, self-proclaimed scientist, Hans Ruesch, and co-defendant, Gianluca Felicetti, Director of the LAV newsletter, were convicted of libelling Peter Singer. In an article written by Ruesch and published by LAV, the Australian philosopher and author of Animal Liberation was labelled "a phoney" and "a sell out", among numerous other unproven accusations. Not content, Ruesch-LAV appealed and lost for a second time and then for a third and, thankfully, last time in Italy's Supreme Court. The libellers were ordered to pay damages and court costs and foot the bill for having the sentence published in two of Italy's major dailies. I know for a fact that, had LAV agreed to apologise before coming to trial, the suit against Felicetti would have been dropped, but the association's Board of Directors voted unanimously to go ahead with the appeal, since, they said, they had no proof that the charges were not true! (Instead, as the judge judiciously explained in his sentence, Ruesch-LAV's charges were considered libellous because they were unable to show any proof that they were true). The results have been devastating. Evidently, LAV hushed up the matter (who would ever table or make donations again after learning that the money collected for animals was instead going to lawyers?) and the smear has done its damage, i.e. Peter Singer is continuously being badmouthed by the self-proclaimed anti-animalisti and the Italian edition of Animal Liberation is out of print. Without the contributions of Peter Singer and many others, no new ideas and practices, including veganism, have been introduced, and consequently there has been no debate inside (or outside) LAV. And, by the way, despite Ruesch & Co., vivisection is alive and well in Italy. These are the three major factors that have interacted over the last two decades to keep ethical veganism well out of the Italian mainstream. Now my concern is: How will the new generation of Italians learn about veganism? An international movement could be the answer. What do you think? Merry Orling Progetto Vivere Vegan |