WELCOME TO PETOV
WHAT IS THE PETOV?
The question of 'rights', their naturalness, and their desert has been a question debated over by philosophers for a long time. And, through extensive research on these philosophical hypotheses, mostly through viewing Crash Course Philosophy, and through ethical introspection and intuition, we at PETOV have had the startling realisation that we, as this planet's dominant species, have stripped away the rights of an entire kingdom of organisms.
Plants, my friends, plants, and with regards to this movement, more specifically, vegetables.
The PETOV stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Vegetables. We are not to be confused with another similarly named group called PETV, who suggest that vegetable diets should be replaced by entirely carnivorous ones. We at PETOV do not support such barbarian attitudes and we have deep respect for the animal rights organisations around the world, including PETA, from whom our name is inspired.
Our goal is to change the way we, as a species, think of and use vegetables and plants in our daily lives, and establish the respect and care these marvels of nature deserve.
WHY VEGETABLES?
The human diet, through its various stages of evolution has, for long, been subject to religion and culture. However, almost all cultures and religions dictate a near absolute freedom in the consumption of plant life, while animal life is often considered sacred and its killing sinful.
Fast forward to the modern age, and we have a wave of liberalism sweeping through society and we are just beginning to understand the faults in our discriminatory and unethical practices that have been carried through from time immemorial. Civil rights movements, the Black Lives Matter movement, feminist movements, (demand for proper bowel movement,) all have left their mark on our society, all having several thousands of supporters worldwide.
A most contentious issue has been the struggle for animal rights. The way animals are heinously exploited for their products and turned into clothing or food is, indeed, heinous. However, the animal rights activists have a solid base for their work in the PETA and are gradually garnering even more support for their activism.
However, in all these movements, one thing that has sadly been left unexplored is our unethical exploitation of plant life. There are movements to save the environment, yes, but all of these look at the matter from a humanistic perspective and do not probe into the systems that are in place, biologically and sociologically, that propagate the objectification of plants.
But if we are fighting for the rights of plants, why vegetables?
Well, in there, unfortunately, we had to bow to the need for recognisability. Since PETA is popularly recognised mainly for their activism against non-vegetarianism, we needed to establish our identity through gastronomical association, and hence, vegetables. We are against the "eating" of anything that has life, or has, at one point been living or been part of a living organism with the idea that it is 'meant' to be our food, but also their utilisation in self-interest (the GMO scandal was an outrage!).
The exploitation of plants has been prevalent since the beginning of the Proterozoic eon, just like predation, and the exploitation of animals by other animals started in the Phanerozoic eon. Both these sins were later combined by omnivores. Even before genus Homo came into the scene, our ancestors had been feeding on plant and animal based life, and except for the plants themselves which produce their own food via photosynthesis, almost all other animals are, even now, heterotrophic and dependent on other animals or plants for sustenance.
But since humans are the only organism who have a distinct ethical compass, it is only we who have any responsibility for what we do. How can we stand in the light of progress and not take action?
Tradition, however, does not help. From our birth we have been desensitised to the consumption of plant life. Everything, from our books to our films to our mythologies normalise the murder, for it is murder, of plants for personal benefit. Moreover, lacking any opposition, the insidious crime has spread its roots and grown so strong, so ubiquitous, that we ignore it altogether and do not care to think critically about what is right and what is not, and instead Revere it as being 'monastic' ( being vegan that is).
As you can thus see, we have everything going against us: evolution, tradition, culture, people, a ridiculous premise, an absolute lack of subtlety, our personal hypocrisy (hey, we all need some fibre), and so much of speciesist and kingdomist privilege that we can't even begin to comprehend. It's an uphill task that we've undertaken.
A most contentious issue has been the struggle for animal rights. The way animals are heinously exploited for their products and turned into clothing or food is, indeed, heinous. However, the animal rights activists have a solid base for their work in the PETA and are gradually garnering even more support for their activism.
However, in all these movements, one thing that has sadly been left unexplored is our unethical exploitation of plant life. There are movements to save the environment, yes, but all of these look at the matter from a humanistic perspective and do not probe into the systems that are in place, biologically and sociologically, that propagate the objectification of plants.
But if we are fighting for the rights of plants, why vegetables?
Well, in there, unfortunately, we had to bow to the need for recognisability. Since PETA is popularly recognised mainly for their activism against non-vegetarianism, we needed to establish our identity through gastronomical association, and hence, vegetables. We are against the "eating" of anything that has life, or has, at one point been living or been part of a living organism with the idea that it is 'meant' to be our food, but also their utilisation in self-interest (the GMO scandal was an outrage!).
HOW BIG IS THE ISSUE?
The exploitation of plants has been prevalent since the beginning of the Proterozoic eon, just like predation, and the exploitation of animals by other animals started in the Phanerozoic eon. Both these sins were later combined by omnivores. Even before genus Homo came into the scene, our ancestors had been feeding on plant and animal based life, and except for the plants themselves which produce their own food via photosynthesis, almost all other animals are, even now, heterotrophic and dependent on other animals or plants for sustenance.
But since humans are the only organism who have a distinct ethical compass, it is only we who have any responsibility for what we do. How can we stand in the light of progress and not take action?
Tradition, however, does not help. From our birth we have been desensitised to the consumption of plant life. Everything, from our books to our films to our mythologies normalise the murder, for it is murder, of plants for personal benefit. Moreover, lacking any opposition, the insidious crime has spread its roots and grown so strong, so ubiquitous, that we ignore it altogether and do not care to think critically about what is right and what is not, and instead Revere it as being 'monastic' ( being vegan that is).
As you can thus see, we have everything going against us: evolution, tradition, culture, people, a ridiculous premise, an absolute lack of subtlety, our personal hypocrisy (hey, we all need some fibre), and so much of speciesist and kingdomist privilege that we can't even begin to comprehend. It's an uphill task that we've undertaken.
WHAT DO WE DO?
As of now, we are still a very small organisation with merely three members. However, we are actively trying to spread awareness about the issue on social media. It will be six months before we can monetise this blog, and until then, our organisation will be literally broke. If you can, please suggest ways we can expand our operation and engage in more real-life activism.
As of now, we are still a very small organisation with merely three members. However, we are actively trying to spread awareness about the issue on social media. It will be six months before we can monetise this blog, and until then, our organisation will be literally broke. If you can, please suggest ways we can expand our operation and engage in more real-life activism.
- The PETOV stands for those who can't stand for themselves (they don't have muscles. Or legs. So they can't stand, you see...)
- The PETOV shall fight for the rights of those who can't fight for themselves.
- The PETOV stands for those oppressed by evolution and society.
- The PETOV demands equal rights for plants and animals.
Our main goal is to wipe the vegetable off the plates of all humans and make them realise that it is a crime against morality to eat. As is evident, our cause is 'deep rooted'.
Join us in our crusade against inglorious ingestion of vegetables! Please share the page and support our cause.
Follow us on Facebook at People for Vegetables
Follow us on Facebook at People for Vegetables
(Psst... if you want to know why you should care, read our next two articles: The Revolution is On and Sentience and Sauce. They'll go live when the text is linked)
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