movement that looks like the world we're envisioning

from making a killing: the political economy of animal rights by bob torres [ak press, 2007], which i very highly recommend as a nuanced analysis and criticism (but also a source of tactical ideas!) for both the animal rights "movement" which oftentimes ignores and actually works against struggles for the elimination of injustice and oppression, and for leftist thought and movement which as a rule stays away from any questioning of the domination and exploitation of animals (and a cartesian view of nature) by humans. this book should be required reading for anyone concerned at all with ethics and anti-oppression movement:

We live over animals in a condition of abject hierarchy and domination; as our property, we exploit animals as commodities and for the production of commodities. Though this dynamic has its roots further back in our history than the advent of modern capitalism, it is clear that the overall thrust and intensity of capital relations have promoted the deepening and extensification of this exploitative system. Considering this, fighting against animal exploitation means symultaneously struggling against the dominant and oppressive dynamics of our culture and economy at all levels of the social order. Only then can we begin to overcome the commodification and property status of animals and the exploitation of humans that lies at the core of our society.

If the problem of human dominance is so deeply entrenched, so much a part of us and our interactions with each other and the rest of the ecosystem, how will we effectively challenge it? How will we build a movement that begins to break down not only human domination over humans, but also human domination over animals? As our commodities and property, animals live under us in a strict hierarchy, in as state of might-makes-right in which even our most minor interest justifies their death and suffering. This relation is emblematic of how we related to the rest of the ecosystem; we not only dominate animals, we dominate nature.

If nothing else, the way we dominate animals illustrates our vast desire to dominate, in a larger sense, as human societies.

If we are going to struggle against this domination and hierarchy, we need movements of people who take these points seriously, who are committed to structuring their relations with one another along more cooperative lines, and who are willing to begin thinking seriously about activism that looks like the world we're envisioning. It cannot be enough to simply hope that any means are acceptable and justifiable if we believe that the ends matter -- this is precisely the kind of thinking that got Marxist states and movements into trouble to begin with. Any movement for justice must itself be just. Any movement that challenges hierarchy must, itself, refuse to participate in the pointless hierarchies that have plagued our social order for so long. Moreover, our movements must be integrative; no longer can we suffer the divisions that have defined our activism for so long. We need a single and effective movement for justice at all levels of the social order. We cannot afford to be "activismists"* simply deriving our righteousness from activism for the sake of activism itself. Instead, we need effective and in-depth analysis to drive our activism so that we can enact real and meaningful changes int he world -- changes that do more than simply make us feel better about being active.

MOVING FORWARD
We're not apt to find the most creative, interesting, and vital activism in a world where activism equals giving people money, where we rely on violence, or where organizations must rely on "winnable" campaigns to keep the money rolling in. [...] I have several ideas which could be applied to better the animal rights movement in the long run, and help it seek affinity with other movements for justice. Many of these ideas draw upon the notion that we must model a movement that looks like the world we want to live in. This is important, for we will never overcome the current domination of animals and the ecosystem unless we are able to overcome the domination that we exercise over one another.

x VEGANISM MUST BE A BASELINE x
...
x ANYONE CAN BE AN ACTIVIST x
...
x WORK IN CONSENSUS-BASED AFFINITY GROUPS x
...
x BE INTEGRATIVE AND REACH OUT x
...
x ESCHEW THE BIG GROUPS; STOP WORSHIPING IDOLS; START ASKING QUESTIONS x
...
x USE THE INTERNET x

Footnote:

* Liza Featherstone, Doug Henwood, Christian Parenti. "'Action Will Be Taken:' Left Anti-Intellectualism and Its Discontens" leftbusinessobserver.com/Action.html.

that's just a couple out of a thousand of great parts in this book!

ps: in romanian, i recommend the "pentru animale" and "pentru oameni" texts on the new and improved site of the romanian vegetarian society.