This is (Part 6) of the publication "Black Vegans' Vision Of Total Liberation Poised To Shape Our Future."

Deception - Unmasking the strategy behind the Triad of Deceit, whose tactics are to conceal, mislead, and numb. Central to the essence of oppression is exerting control and stripping away an individual's power to challenge it. The intricate web of oppressive systems' tactics — hiding, lying, and desensitizing — isn't merely about protecting industries or quelling dissent. It's about systematically robbing individuals of their autonomy to make informed decisions.

When observed closely, oppression follows this predictable sequence designed to distort reality and suppress autonomy. Initially, the strategy is to hide the truth. If and when the truth becomes too evident to conceal, the next step is to lie about it. And in cases where the lie can no longer mask the truth, the system attempts to desensitize people to the unsettling realities before them. By design, the outcome is the denial of choice. 

Diet aside, it's estimated that the average adult makes about 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day. How you make your decisions matters. Universal oppression operates across an indiscriminate landscape to systematically deceive and deny individuals their autonomy and fundamental human right to informed choice. And, the terrain of oppression is expansive, occupying every corner of decision-making we aim to explore, whether that's our food system, healthcare, local/global politics, social justice, conflicts and war, climate, education, personal finance, or more seemingly inconsequential decisions like what clothes to wear, where to shop, what to watch, or the music we listen to. In all cases, the sequence of deception is identical. 

This understanding elicits a fundamental question for us all. Are your choices your own? Or is someone choosing for you? Do you even know?

Let's delve into each tactic within the sequence:

1.) Hide the Truth:

The first line of defense in maintaining an oppressive system is concealing its atrocities. In the shadows, unpalatable truths can persist without public scrutiny. 

Over a quarter billion animals are killed every day. What's more unfathomable is that the number doesn't include sea animals, mainly because the volume of fish and other seafood and "byproduct" killed is so enormous it is challenging to measure with any certainty. Many assume it easily overshadows land animal slaughter manifold. As inconceivable as it may be, it is not a stretch of math to project a billion animals collectively being killed every day behind closed doors. Their living conditions are unimaginable, often subjected to cramped spaces where they cannot move around freely and endure painful seedless pain, illness, and suffering. In a system whose only concern is profit, there is little to no regard for their well-being. Slaughtering practices are often horrific and excruciating. We're not talking about being shot or euthanized, which is also an atrocity. Still, more often, a system of slaughter at scale such methods would be far less efficient to conduct the types of mass execution needed to satisfy the system. So, instead, mass numbers of animals are starved, gassed, suffocated, dismembered, boiled alive, or even sent through machine grinders alive, etc.

By keeping these grim realities shrouded in secrecy, individuals remain blissfully ignorant, making it easier to keep them disconnected from the implications of their choices. By strategically keeping these harsh realities hidden from public sight, people are denied the knowledge needed to make conscious choices. The saying, "If slaughterhouses had glass walls..." underscores the power of transparency. While not everyone may turn vegan upon seeing these grim realities, the transparency arms individuals with the information they need to determine how that knowledge will impact their choices. 

In the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood the profound power of visibility. He knew capturing the brutalities and aggressions against Black people on camera would make the truth inescapable. The broadcasting of these horrors provided the masses with undeniable evidence of systemic oppression, galvanizing support and catalyzing change. Just as MLK leveraged the truth to combat racial oppression, revealing the hidden atrocities of the animal industry is crucial to arming people with knowledge to challenge these systems.

2.) Lie About The Truth: 

When the truth starts peeking through the veils, the system often resorts to blatant lies, preying on the public's lack of information. Usually, a clear-cut falsehood is all it takes, as people generally lack the background or context to recognize the deceit.

However, when a simple lie won't suffice, misinformation and disinformation become the tools of choice. Misinformation involves the accidental spread of false or misleading information, often due to ignorance or error. Disinformation, conversely, is a deliberate attempt to mislead through the distribution of false narratives.

For instance, "humane washing" in the animal industry is a prime example of such disinformation. Terms like "free range" might evoke images of animals basking in open pastures. Still, in many cases, it means only slightly better conditions than the appalling industry standard. Another misleading representation is the idyllic image of "family-farmed" animals. These operations pretend to be the antithesis of industrial animal farming. However, the reality is that many family farms, constrained by economic pressures, employ practices that are distressing for the animals, with conditions similar to more extensive industrial operations.

Moreover, when these tactics don't provide enough cover, and the facts are undeniable, they resort to a more insidious method: DARVO. This acronym stands for Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender. It's a tactic used to sidestep responsibility and project blame onto others, creating confusion and making it difficult for the truth to gain traction. A typical example of this can be found in the arguments surrounding wildlife population control. For instance...

This assertion reverses the roles, painting humans as the potential victims of an overpopulated deer world, thereby justifying hunting. In doing so, the real issues — such as habitat destruction or human encroachment on natural landscapes — are obscured, and the blame deftly shifts.

3.) Desensitizing The Truth: 

Lastly, when the truth breaks through the web of lies, the strategy shifts to making the grotesque seem ordinary - Pivot to normalization, where the grim reality wraps itself in the garb of the mundane or even the joyful. Milk cartons depict cheerful cows in pastures, BBQ joints have playful pigs as mascots, and commercials turn the act of insect extermination into a celebration. This numbing strategy seeks to ensure that even when faced with reality, individuals are conditioned not to question or feel discomfort. Through cheerful imagery and clever marketing, the public is conditioned to see, but not truly register, the reality. The goal is to make the disturbing commonplace, ensuring that even when faced with the raw truth, there's no spark of questioning or discomfort.

The calculated sequence of hide, lie, and desensitize isn't just about suppressing dissent. It's about robbing individuals of the ability to make truly informed decisions. The heart of the matter is choice. The series of manipulative tactics is not about ensuring everyone makes the same decision but rather about robbing them of the information needed to decide for themselves. Not everyone will turn vegan or vegetarian when presented with the unabridged truth. But that's the essence of individual choice. It's not about uniformity but about having the agency to decide. And when systems actively keep truths hidden, distort facts, and dull sensitivities, they're not just protecting their interests — they are usurping the fundamental human right to informed choice. This systematic denial of choice is the core of systemic oppression.

Continue Reading The Full Publication:  "Black Vegans' Vision Of Total Liberation Poised To Shape Our Future."

This is (Part 6) of the above series - All posts in the series can be read here: Black Vegan Blog Series