Retro Active Compassion: Lifelong Vegetarians

Martha with Paul & Linda McCartney

What Is It Like To Be Vegetarian For Decades?
Being a vegetarian (or a vegan) is not a new, unique, special concept. Plenty of people throughout history have been 100% vegetarian. It's neither complicated, nor difficult. Here is an incomplete list of people of renown who've been vegetarians throughout history; while lengthy, I immediately see some missing.

I've been 100% vegetarian, and then vegan, for a solid lifetime at this point––despite the fact that no one immediately around me has been. It's not a lifestyle I acquired from or consistently shared with anyone. Good thing I was never concerned with 'fitting in' and never gave the alienation aspect much thought. I'd always had a live and let live, free-will attitude, so I was never too concerned with other people's choices. Nor were they with mine, since I never really talked about it.

Being a vegetarian was never a 'phase' or a decision, it's just who I am and I never felt like it was a big deal. However, if one were to 'calculate' the number of lives spared by my dietary choices, being a vegetarian/vegan in itself can be a rather significant animal rights contribution (approximately 4,700 beings designated as 'farm animals' have been spared in my case.)

The vegetarian McCartney family on their farm in the 1970's

I feel increasingly discomforted that, given our access to information and exposure to what goes on in the sadistic meat and dairy industries, more people are not becoming vegetarian/vegan (and at a faster rate.) This global love of animal flesh, en masse, supports monstrous industries and a human obsession with 'culture' and 'traditions'. Not reality, not truth.

Entire cultures throughout human history have lived as vegetarians. Longtime vegetarian and animal rights activist Mary Tyler Moore once said she believes a meat-free diet will sooner or later be the norm. "It may take a while,” she told Time magazine. "But there will probably come a time when we look back and say, 'Good Lord, do you believe that in the 20th century and early part of the 21st, people were still eating animals?'"

Animal rights activist/lifelong vegetarian Mary Tyler Moore

Hard to believe we're no closer to this eventuality now than back when MTM said it. Her past optimism is similar to mine during my 20's, and we share the same beliefs. But my optimism has waned in recent years. Today, apathy and ignorance are inexcusable. People consciously choose cruelty when they have other choices. Which is unsettling for me, personally. 

Think to how long ago The Smiths recorded 'Meat Is Murder'. Morrissey has been an impressive pioneer, speaking out on the topic of this exploitative behavior without fail, while others haven't. 

The Smiths, Meat Is Murder; Morrissey has been consistent

The reason these outdated behaviors, ones entirely lacking respect for the nature and the lives of our fellows, have continued––and even expanded to outlandish, mass proportions––is that there are bullying industries out there who want to profit from the choices people are willing to make.

Paul & Linda McCartney, lifelong vegetarians/animal rights activists

All anyone really needs to do to make a big difference is to stop supporting those industries immediately. And to say something about it. Live and let live (and free will) applies to all species. So I do talk about it these days. I stayed quiet for a very long time. 

Paul McCartney continues to share the compassionate message

I'll take this one out with lifelong vegetarian and animal rights activist Paul McCartney with his co-veggie, Linda McCartney––who together raised anti-fur/anti-cruelty fashion designer Stella McCartney.

Greed Slaughters Innocents: Haunting Tragedy of Badfinger Still Resonates

Heartbreaking Plight of Badfinger, Not Unlike That of Other Exploited Animals

Innocents who suffered terribly for the sins of those in power, Badfinger were like factory farm animals of the music industry in the 1970's. This footage (below) is deeply sad if you look closely. They are so pale. There is no joy behind their eyes. Here was the first group to be signed by Apple Records, until Stan Polley tricked them into leaving and ruined them. They were incredibly respected by their peers, for years. And yet, they appear to be embarrassed on camera. It's the look of poverty.

They were working on recordings at a country home where this promotional footage was filmed. At the time when this was shot, they couldn't afford much food, let alone spiffy clothes. They certainly don't look like hit-making rock stars, although they very much were. They seem weak as they play their instruments. And they are painfully shy in the exterior shots. 

Theirs is the darkest 'behind the music' nightmare story. These sensitive, gentle artists did not put up a fight or make their struggles public. They were so young. They had hit records. They should have been enjoying their success. Their records sold big, and made a few greedy people plenty of money. There's so much joy in their 'power-pop' song, 'No Matter What'. 

The band was trapped into evil contracts by abusive management. And no one helped them. There were those who could have helped them. (People knew, but kept quiet, kept living their good lives.) Those who knew (Macca? Lennon? Nillson?) must have carried plenty of guilt for after sweet, talented Pete Ham killed himself, following years of this trouble. Pete Ham felt responsible for his bandmates and worried that he couldn't take care of his little family financially, all whilst he had hits on the radio.

Imagine hearing your chart-topping songs everywhere –– even one that became a 'standard', recorded 200+ times by other artists, 'Without You' –– and being too poor to buy a pint at the pub. They were famous rock stars unable to afford to care for their loved ones. Meanwhile, their contemporaries partied, rode around in limos and wasted all their money. The two guys from Swansea and two from Wales who made up Badfinger were trapped in music industry hell. Tom Evans took the same distressing route of departure some time after Ham.

This is so-called 'humanity'. Those in power (i.e. Big AG –– and in the case of Badfinger, evil Stan Polley) take advantage of those who are gentle. The ones who should be defended, and protected. Not slaughtered. Human greed is a serial killer as every industry proves. The fact that we live in a world in which sadistic factory farms, canned hunting farms, fur farms, etc. are legal is beyond disturbing.

Meanwhile, the blissfully ignorant choose to remain blind to all of this suffering. Apathy helps maintain the cycle of cruelty. There is no difference which species suffers quietly. It's always tragic, always preventable. One only has to look to see.

Badfinger is the band that died for all the sins of the music industry. Just one industry in this sick, twisted world filled with humans who destroy one another –– and more troubling, humans choosing to destroy the lives of all other species.

Cats In Films (Year Of the Cat) -- VIDEO

I'm someone who is generally considered a 'cat person'. I would take it farther, however, in that I respect all species equally; I am entirely against speciesism. But yes, I am a cat person.

After seeing 'Inside Llewyn Davis' last month, and falling deeply for Ulysses the cat who I consider the hero of that Coen brothers film, I had an inkling to piece together a (hopefully) beautiful and especially respectful tribute to cats who've appeared in films. I immediately knew I'd want to use Al Stewart's song 'The Year Of The Cat'. As a music-and-film-driven videographer who loves cats, and also loves that particular song, this was all an inevitability.

After gathering all the media I could find, I created the video over the course of a few days. I wasn't entirely satisfied when it was completed last Sunday. But I waited, then shared the video on my social media channels on Monday. This video meant a great deal to me, so I asked and practically pleaded (for the first time, ever) for friends to watch and share. A few did and I was appreciative for their support of my efforts (as this sort of 'super-cut' video does take some effort!)

By Tuesday afternoon, I noticed the views were creeping up slightly. And faster. I found out Tuesday night that the video had been posted on Neatorama, which was a wonderful surprise. By Wednesday, in the early afternoon, I discovered that Slate.com had picked it up as well (via Neatorama.) An even bigger surprise. I'm happy the video has gotten some traction since it was meant to be seen and enjoyed by other like-minded cat lovers. I hope it might even instill a sense of respect for all species, somehow.

Here is my celebratory tribute to cats in films –– 'Cats In Films (Year Of The Cat)'.