A Vegan Vigilante.
A voice who refuses to be silenced. An approach that puts equality first. A supporter of abolitionism. An anti-speciesist with a profound respect for all sentient beings.
A Vegan Warrior who we are deeply inspired by: Jason King.
Everyone has his or her own reason and moment of truth that leads them toward veganism, each reason and moment uniquely inspiring in its own way…
Jason’s reason is political and is rooted in utmost equality; it’s grounded in ethics and in accepting ALL animals as equal beings (to humans). His path toward veganism is rooted in the fight against SPECIESISM.
MEET JASON
“What guides me is not what I put in my mouth, but it’s what comes out of my mouth and what I do with my activism… and activism is everything.”
– Jason King
Five years ago, Jason co-founded Animal Liberation Alliance London (ALA London), a “vegan abolitionist group that seeks to end speciesism and exploitation of non-humans through social justice and vegan advocacy.”
Jason is also the co-organizer of the Toronto March to Close Down All Slaughterhouses, which drew a crowd of 800 marchers this year, all of whom gathered to help push the cause of normalizing activism for non-humans. Jason explains the importance of the March, which originated in Paris, France:
“[It’s] a march that brings people together of all stripes… We come together as citizens demanding the end of animal slaughter… The march says that we have to end slaughter because it is the most effective way to end the exploitation and harm done to 90% of the animals that we use. And so we ask citizens to come together, on one day a year, and march and demand that slaughter stops, that includes fish slaughterhouses, as well as factory farms slaughterhouses, and even just the mom and pop operations down the road. It all has to stop.”
The fact that he consumes a plant-based diet is only relevant, says Jason, “because 90% of the animals we exploit and use happen to be for food. If we were all plant-based, I would still be a vegan because I would still have to fight other issues where we are using and exploiting animals.” Thus, Jason is not concerned with turning everyone vegan… Rather, he is concerned with encouraging everyone to become anti-speciesists.
WHAT IS SPECIESISM?
Speciesism favours certain species over others.
Peter Singer, a professor of bioethics at Princeton University known for popularizing the term speciesism, told The New York Times: “Speciesism is an attitude of bias against a being because of the species to which it belongs.”
Speciesist discrimination favours certain sentient beings over others. For example, society tends to favour humans over animals, and furthermore, dogs and cats over cows and pigs—the latter of which are popular to consume while the former are cared for as house pets.
Taking the levels of speciesism further, Veganism.com informs: “The most common manifestation of speciesist discrimination is moral anthropocentrism, which is the devaluation of the interests of those who don’t belong to the human species.”
JASON’S FIGHT AGAINST SPECIESISM
Jason believes wholeheartedly that we cannot treat any living, sentient being—be they human or animal—with different levels of respect because ALL living beings deserve the same deference, adoration, and esteem.
“Since there is no polite way to exploit a human,” says Jason, “there’s no way to exploit another sentient being who is a human’s equal.” Thus, the abolitionists point of view: “since you can’t do it right, and since there is no possible way to do it right, then you just don’t do it at all.”
Jason continues, drawing attention to discrimination felt by animals:
“Liberation from racism, sexism, ableism… all those harmful “isms” that we have to deal with in our society, all these oppressions, are founded and rooted in speciesism. And until we deal with speciesism, we are not going to make gains in any realm of dealing with each other.”
THANK YOU, JASON
At Plant Matter Kitchen, we support Jason’s cause and other endeavours that help better the life, dignity, and well-being of animals.
Speciesism is a philosophy we all strive to combat, and we thank Jason for transforming this belief into action and teaching us about the movement toward respect for ALL sentient beings.
His work is priceless, his approach is relentless, and his dedication to the cause is absolute.
Thank you, Jason, for your work, your commitment, and shining light on the platform to abolish speciesism.
MORE INFO
Check out our VIDEO for more on Jason’s approach to veganism and fight against oppressive speciesism.
If you’re interested in learning more about speciesism, check out:
- Joan Dunayer’s book “Speciesism”
- Jay Quigley’s TEDx Talk “Ending the suffering of billions: overcoming speciesism”
- “Speciesism: The Movie,” directed by Mark Devries
