Is there such a thing as constructive criticism? How about being able to express how you feel about something without the intention of offending those who feel differently about whatever it is you are talking about. As a blogger and activist for human rights, the environment, veganism and the ethical treatment of animals – I find that most people become really outraged or offended when I write on these topicHUMAN RIGHTS for the GAY and LESBIAN community:
I really don’t understand how the decision to get married for 2 consenting adults of the same-sex would create a massive problem for the sanctity of marriage. Quite frankly – the divorce rate between heterosexuals is at an all-time high. I have been in a committed relationship with my husband for over 18 years (we have been married for over 6 years). My relationship and my commitment to my husband has not created any issues for the heterosexual community that I am aware of. If there have been issues in my relationship with my husband – the issue only lies with the people who bring it up.
In regards to being a homosexual and living my life openly as a gay male – well again, the problem is usual with those who are homophobic or pretend to hide behind their religion. I never make my sexuality an issue – it is always someone else who makes it an issue. I find people become very uncomfortable when I discuss my relationship with my husband – it used to make me feel like our relationship was not as legitimate as theirs, but that has definitely changed. I have made the choice to express how I feel about my relationship despite how uncomfortable others may be about the issue of sexual orientation. If someone is uncomfortable with my sexuality – that problem is not mine, it is theirs. I certainly have no problem hearing the stories my heterosexual friends share with me about their relationships and marriage. I have long passed the days of feeling the guilt that others have inflicted onto me – guilt for nothing, guilt for how I was born. Shame for how I was born. I have dealt with all that. Maybe it’s time for those people who feel uncomfortable about someone’s sexual orientation to deal with their own guilt and shame because once they do – only then can you move towards a more positive and non-judgemental life.
THE ENVIRONMENT
Whenever I blog or have discussions about the environment, I am always told that, “trying to save the environment is a losing battle”, “corporations won’t allow us to move towards a more sustainable environment”, “one person can’t make a difference”, “there are bigger forces at work – therefore we can’t win the environmental battle.” – For me, these are the reasons that there are not more positive victories for environmentalist and the planet as a whole. People are not motivated to act because they already believe they are defeated. I also believe that people become defensive and they feel that I am making a judgement against them because as soon as I talk environment I get comments like “recycling doesn’t work, it all ends up in the landfill anyway” or “environmentally friendly products cost more and are less effective”, “electric cars are not efficient and won’t work”, “solar and wind power will not be able to power huge metropolitan areas”……the skeptics always have the answers to what will and will not work for our environment but never really look at the data or evidence that these things are already working. What is the worst that can happen if we try to do things that will benefit the planet and the lives of our future generations????
VEGANISM
I think this is the one that most people really don’t understand. My choice to become vegan ties into the ethical treatment of animals. I really don’t understand how we can pick and choose which animal we can eat and which ones can become our pets. For me, I have made a clear distinction that I will never eat anything that has a heartbeat or that has eyes. I have even gone as far to say that I will never eat anything that is living or breathing. Here are some of the comments I have received about being a vegan: “you can’t live without meat”, “what do you eat”, “plants are living and breathing”, “salads are good”, “you don’t look unhealthy”, “how do you get your vitamin B”, “you are going to get sick”, “tofu is gross”, “do you eat leaves”….I could go on. I have decided not to become defensive myself whenever I hear such comments – I now explain that my food choices are endless and contain all the nutrients I require to ensure optimum health. After completing research about the meat and dairy industry, I have concluded that consuming any meat or dairy products would be detrimental to MY health. I try not to preach but do want people to understand what is in their food. Being a vegan is a little challenging when you don’t live in a metropolitan area – everywhere you look, restaurants advertise burgers with cheese and triple bacon, steak with potatoes, eggs with bacon and sausage, duck, turkey, lamb, veal, goat, etc….In an attempt to show people how I eat as a vegan – I have started to post some of my meals on Facebook. I only did this to show people who I eat just as well as those who believe that it is essential to eat meat not to provoke a Facebook photo war of meat vs. vegan. Guess my photos offended some people.
ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS
It’s funny how I never really questioned why I was eating meat – it always looked awful to me. Eating meat was a learned behaviour. I never thought about why I was eating eat until my late 20’s. I slowly decided that I did not want to eat meat anymore and looked for alternatives. I did occasionally eat chicken and fish and decided to give them up because of a video I saw about rabbits being scalded alive for food – I heard them scream and that sound is what did it for me. Since then, I never consumed meat again. It was the most important and satisfying decision I have made in my life since ‘coming out’ as a gay male. I will not support any company that allows animals to be tortured. I will not support any organization that tests on animals and I certainly will not support an industry that not only allows their animals to be pumped with hormones and other chemicals but has a devastating effect on our environment. Why is it that we lack respect for some animals and keep others as pets? I have so many ‘animal lover’ friends yet they continue to tell me not to send them emails/notifications on how ducks and turkeys have feeding tubes inserted into their mouths, or how pigs and chickens are confined in gestation crates with barely enough room to move. They don’t want to hear about the cruel practice of how they get veal or how baby chicks are shuffled through conveyor belts to their doom – just like humans were shuffled to their deaths in concentration camps. The meat and dairy industry is a cruel industry but these are only words – until people have the courage to learn about the food they consume, only then can a conscious decision be made.
I am not perfect and never have claimed to be – what I have done is become responsible for the decisions in my life. I have taken the “blinders” off and am much more aware of what is going on around me. I have limited myself to ‘fast-food’ television as I believe it instills fear, anxiety and paranoia. I can only pass the information on that I have learned to those who are willing to listen and willing to ‘take the blinders off’. I am tired of being told that we must medicate the diseases that consuming these foods cause – this isn’t being proactive in our health, it’s creating a sick and diseased environment. I refuse to be part of a society that will not ask questions but believe that medication will fix their emotional and physical illnesses or that doesn’t hold big corporations and our governments accountable to the harm they are inflicted to our people, our animals and our environment.
I challenge you to TAKE OFF YOUR BLINDERS and really make the informed choices that you need to make and not have them made for your by our government or the corporations they protect. Here are some great websites to help you stay informed and to buy amazing products that are ethical.
People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals
Together, we can make the world a more positive one!
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 