If you have read this before or this is a re-post, I apologize. However this article and phrase have been coming up in my mind a lot recently. I have been advising people to "consider the lobster," by which I generally think I mean, "Take everything you're thinking, throw it out, flip it upside down, and consider the newest, perhaps least initially considered 'important' perspective you can. "
Oh, damn it. I found NikolaiFyodorov's original post which has some good discussion on it. So go there instead. If this sinks into the hub unnoticed I'll nuke it for space. I also think the directive sounds whimsical.
Now I think I would like a lobster tattoo. But give it six months. :)
organicAnt - I think this article does an excellent job of considering the uncomfortable aspects of eating meat and animals without making the audience, which I think we can safely assume are a majority omnivores, feel too guilty. I certainly did not feel attacked but rather, as always, "Consider the Lobster" leaves me questioning, considering, and examining my own perspectives. I think this is a very effective piece because it is not incendiary and it is not judgmental, but it does not mince its words, facts or perspectives either. Then again apparently the article got quite a mixed reception from Gourmet readers so maybe other people would not agree with my feelings on it.
I think it is an excellent piece.
Hi _refugee_ I'm really happy that you have found something that speaks to you. I'd be interested to learn what impact it had on the way you see animals used for human consumption and pleasure? In what ways has it prompted you to change your lifestyle?
Personally, when I was a meat eater, this article would've never spoken to me. Firstly, because the first half is long winded and uninteresting and secondly because I'd have not been able to relate to crabs as much as I related to cows, pigs and chickens. Reading it now though, all the descriptions of how the crabs are treated make me feel sick and regretful that I was ever part of such heartless and barbaric tradition.
I have heard several testimonies of people who said they needed a "right kick up the butt" and became vegan only after watching a presentation by the controversial vegan activist Gary Yourofsky, whom many perceive as an arrogant and violent character. My point is one that I have repeated before. Because we're all at different stages in our awareness journey, I don't believe that there is any single method of animal rights activism that will speak to everyone and I'm sincerely sorry that my approach didn't reach you but as a fellow vegan once said:
Point being that for a lot of people no matter how the message is transmitted, they will always find a reason (excuse?) not to listen to it.
There are vegan nutritionists who try to make the case for veganism through their knowledge of the health requirements of the human body. There are vegan 'chefs' sharing recipes and vegan lifestyle tips and hints. There are vegan athletes and body builders who hope to inspire through their physical prowess. There are vegan artists trying to poke through the status quo bubble with humour and sarcasm. There are vegan gardeners, who try to reach people's compassion through their love for nature. There are law professors who use logic and reasoning to promote veganism. There are feminists who spread the connection between animal and female abuse. Heck, there are medical doctors who have dedicated their lives to promote the benefits of a plant based diet.
And then there is me, a web developer and second language English speaker, with a computer and severely lacking social skills who, like other vegans, feels frustrated at the senseless unnecessary subjugation and suffering imposed by our species on the rest of the animal kingdom, doing what I know to try and make the world a bit more conscious and a little less cruel. Even if I don't succeed at least it helps me sleep at night that I try.