Karen Winter: Unfit to lecture others on morality and ethics

Karen Winter's seemingly permanent character flaw - an
inability to accept responsibility - prevents her from
seeing that the flaw renders her morally unfit to be
telling anyone else what constitutes ethical behavior.

Karen is integrally responsible for animal collateral
deaths in agriculture, but her character defect leads
her to point the finger at others for "wrong thinking".
Karen has a CHOICE of whether or not to participate
in the market for commercial produce; no one compels
her to participate. Karen claims to believe in "animal
rights", one of which - the most BASIC of which - is
that they have a right not to be killed casually and
without consequence. Karen CHOOSES to participate in a
market the functioning of which leads to the casual,
consequence-free death of millions upon millions of
animals. She says, wrongly, that it is the fault of
"others", others who won't accept her wrong vision.

That's a lie. Karen's participation in an ongoing orgy
of animal death is fully HER responsibility. She and
other "aras", trying to escape the sharp point of
animal CDs, insist that the CDs aren't necessary, while
killing meat animals for meat is intrinsic to meat
production. THAT'S RIGHT! The animal CDs *aren't*
necessary, which renders Karen's choice to participate
in an animal-killing produce market, a choice for which
she bears full responsibility, morally untenable. She
CANNOT claim to respect the "rights" of animals while
she knowingly and voluntarily participates in an orgy
of UNNECESSARY animal deaths.

Karen is not responsible for the moral choices of
others. She IS fully responsible for FREELY CHOOSING
to participate in a market that, as it currently
operates and is set to operate for the indefinite
future, violates what Karen pretends are the "rights"
of animals. No matter how much Karen wants to disclaim
moral responsibility for what she views as bad
outcomes, she cannot.

Jonathan Ball wrote:

<snip>
> Karen CHOOSES to participate in a
> market the functioning of which leads to the casual, consequence-free
> death of millions upon millions of animals. She says, wrongly, that it
> is the fault of "others", others who won't accept her wrong vision.

It is, for two reasons:

1). I don't farm. Therefore, the direct, hands-on responsibility for
CDs lies with the producer, who can end them if he wishes. I can
buy from locals I know, but that will not prevent the producer from
creating CDs. My individual purchasing power is not capable of
changing his methods in and of itself. A farmer does not have to
farm with high CD levels; the fact that a limited number do not --
and that those ARAs who can, do buy from them -- is proof of that.

2)The market creates motivation for farming. Until the market, or
a significant segment of it, rewards the CD-lite farmer, the farmer
will have only his own moral vision to reduce CDs. Therefore, the
most effective method of reducing CDs is to increase the number of
vegan consumers who appreciate the CD situation. No matter how many
people opt out of the system, partially or entirely, until the
number of concerned vegan consumers reaches an effective level, the
deaths will continue, no matter what I buy. It is the deaths themselves
which concern me, not some personal piety. It really IS the animals,
jonnie, not me, that concern me. I can cultivate my garden, literally
OR figuratively, but that does nothing for the animals. Society MUST
change before the ANIMALS will stop becoming CDs. That is what matters.

Yes, I buy products containing no animal ingredients and not tested on
animals, when they are available. Do you see companies who do use
animal products disappearing? No. Vegans simply don't have the power
to make them disappear. We need more vegans.

Turning this into a personal attack is a red herring. You know this, of
course, but because you have no effective or honest argument, it is the
shoddy and unethical attack you use.

Yes, participating in the market makes one part of the system. But the
unfortunate thing is that NOT participating in the system does nothing
effective for the victims until the numbers of those not participating
reaches a certain critical mass. I accept my responsibility as one tiny
drop of water in the ocean, but if that one drop evaporates, that one
drop will NOT dry up the ocean. It's the ocean we're concerned with
here, jonnie, not the drop.

<snip>

Rat