410 - Sacred Cows and Slaughterhouses (The Individual, the Community and Social Action)

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Episode #410 - Sacred Cows and Slaughterhouses (The Individual, the Community and Social Action)

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⌚ Sun 11 May 2008  ☻Cecil Andrews, Peter Young

Download Hour1 Download Hour2This week on the program two provocative talks that address, in different ways, the role of individuals in tackling change that of necessity takes on two of our society's central beliefs - the glorification of work and the sanctity of property.

In our first hour, Cecil Andrews gives an entertaining talk about living the 'slow life'. It begins by telling how she saw a man eating his cereal while he was driving, as a way in to question the accepted realities of US society. Is this how we should be living? Are people afraid of changing from the high stress, fast-paced consumer lifestyle? Why do 80% of US citizens believe that if they work hard, they can get rich? What has happened to US community? The conclusion of her talk offers personal suggestions about how we as individuals or communities can start to make a difference and transition to more healthy lifestyles. Our second hour is a challenging talk by Peter Young, who served 2 years in prison on charges of 'animal enterprise terrorism', because he was freeing animals from fur farms. He tells how he was radicalized by his experience in a slaughterhouse, what he did, and why. He describes who the judicial authorities branded him as an 'eco-terrorist', then a misdemeanor, now a felony. He describes his prison experiences. Demonised by the authorities, he was jailed with murderers and treated as a high risk, violent prisoner by the authorities, he received a lot of support from animal rights protesters, and was treated with great respect by the other prisoners because he was seen as a 'stand-up', someone who stood up for his beliefs.
Thanks to Alex Smith for the Cecil Andrews recording, courtesy of Necessary Voices
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