Once I opened The Vegan Matrix, I couldn’t put it down until I had devoured it in its entirety. Melanie Joy leads with #ARMeToo as an example of how damaging privilege can be when it is unexamined and unfettered. And while I did not experience the abuses of certain males in positions of power firsthand, I witnessed this reckoning while working at Mercy For Animals. Our movement is relatively small, after all, where the idea of six degrees of separation becomes no more than two degrees.
The Vegan Matrix is a fantastic book with a penetrating and consciousness-expanding wealth of knowledge. I highly recommend it for anyone concerned with the importance of being inclusive to build a more empowered vegan movement.
Please note that this list is not comprehensive nor representative of Melanie Joy’s most valued observations. Rather, they’re a selection of my favorite quotes and points.
Lesson 1
“It can sometimes hurt more to witness the passive bystanders to injustice than to see the direct perpetrators of it.”
The words of Ibram X. Kendi come to mind with this one. So many people enthusiastically proclaim, “I am not racist.” But in his book How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi contends that there are only two possibilities: A person is either racist or antiracist, i.e., neutrality is impossible. One actively opposes racism—appearing as a racist policy or a racist idea—or they permit it to continue.
Kendi offers a simile: “‘Racist’ and ‘antiracist’ are like peelable name tags that are placed and replaced based on what someone is doing or not doing, supporting or expressing in each moment.”
Something to think about when encountering the manifestations of any oppressive system.
Lesson 2
“With awareness, those of us in privileged positions are better able to offset the damage that our privilege might cause.”
Privilege has a way of disguising itself from our consciousness. Maybe the first step then is to acknowledge that we all possess it in one form or another, so that we may begin to self-analyze and take responsibility for our words and actions.
For example, I benefit from being an able-bodied, heterosexual, cisgender woman. Recognizing these advantages, I can work to be an ally for others and contribute to a more connected and compassionate animal rights movement and world.
In what ways are you privileged?
Lesson 3
“[B]ecause all oppressions are interconnected and mutually reinforcing, it’s important to become informed about as many oppressions as possible if we wish to help transform them.”
Vegans do not live in a vacuum, untouched by any other form of oppression than carnism (the invisible belief system, or ideology, that conditions people to eat certain animals).
We can experience feelings and circumstances of divisiveness among ourselves. #ARMeToo called to attention instances of sexual harassment by several of the movement’s leaders. For many, this may have been the first time that their sense of safety and unity was fractured, the first time they were made aware of oppressions that exist within the animal protection community.
The fate of billions of animals every year quite literally depends on our success. It’s up to all of us to support and respect one another, to create a united front in service of our mission, and to facilitate cooperation with other social justice movements.
Lesson 4
“Privilege is usually invisible to those who have it; we generally only see the fortress of privilege when we’re standing on the other side of it.”
Privilege, unbeknownst to us, can become so ingrained in our sense of self and how we operate in the world that it’s difficult to discern between who we think we are and who we actually are. So if someone were to call you out on it, it feels like a wholly misguided attack on our character and we immediately become defensive.
Fortunately, we are not doomed to proceed through life blindly…
Lesson 5
“Although differing values may contribute to the problem, more often the problem is not caused by a difference in values but by a difference in literacy.”
To be privilege literate, we must seek to understand the nature and structure of privilege—as it exists in general and in its specific forms, e.g., male privilege.
Only when we come to comprehend our privilege can we begin to empathize with those impacted by it and make positive changes.
Lesson 6
“Our privilege can make us feel entitled to never be inconvenienced, and to perceive minor inconveniences as major burdens.”
Here, Melanie Joy offers two examples: non-vegans claiming they could not be vegan because they can taste a difference between hamburgers and veggie burgers and the common reaction of people when asked to use more respectful language.
Lesson 7
“With a commitment to inclusivity, vegan outreach can more fully reflect the compassion and justice our movement is built on.”
Melanie Joy addresses—and squashes—the common assumption that by being inclusive we sacrifice effectiveness:
- Being inclusive doesn’t mean taking resources from animals
- Being inclusive can expand, rather than limit, our audience
- Being inclusive helps target the roots of oppression
- Being inclusive helps us think more creatively and strategically
Lesson 8
“Take responsibility for your own literacy. Don’t expect others to teach you, which makes them carry the burden of your education.”
Also, “don’t expect those you’re talking to about your privilege to have all the answers, either.”
Lesson 9
“When we’re frustrated by our differences, struggling to communicate about problems such as privilege and oppression in our movement, it can help to remember, and honor, our bond as vegans, and to remember that we all want to help create a better world.”
Only another vegan knows how difficult it is to live in a world where carnism prevails. Let that be the steady ground we stand on while working toward a more inclusive and empowered movement.
Lesson 10
“Stay connected with your empathy. When you’re discussing someone’s privilege, be careful to consider how your feedback will feel to them.”
The goal is mutual understanding. By practicing integrity and honoring dignity, we can cultivate connectedness and protect the relationship beneath the disagreement.
Melanie Joy, PhD, is a psychologist and vegan and social justice advocate. Personally, I admire her most for her perspective on effective communication, something that I think many vegans struggle with when sharing their motivations with non-vegans.
Read her books, follow her on Instagram, and if you ever have the opportunity to hear her speak, don’t miss it!
Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media