Aug 29, 2009 (5 days ago)

Hypocrisy and Francione’s Falsification of Ahimsa

by Camille Marino

“Who will educate the educators?” -Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

While Gary Francione preaches the tenets of Ahimsa and nonviolence to his vegan
abolitionist followers, the teacher himself has abandoned the core principle of
“do no harm” and provides a glaringly flawed moral example for his faithful flock
of followers.

Ahimsa is one of the most ancient ideals in human ethics. According to one
comprehensive definition:

“Ahimsa or non-injury, of course, implies non-killing. But, non-injury is not

merely non-killing. In its comprehensive meaning, Ahimsa or non-injury means
entire abstinence from causing any pain or harm whatsoever to any living creature,
either by thought, word, or deed. Non-injury requires a harmless mind, mouth, and
hand. Ahimsa is not mere negative non-injury. It is positive, cosmic love. It is
the development of a mental attitude in which hatred is replaced by love. Ahimsa
is true sacrifice. Ahimsa is forgiveness. Ahimsa is Sakti (power). Ahimsa is true
strength.”

As a non-speciesist outlook, Ahimsa is an ideal and practice of love, compassion,

and nonviolence. Ahimsa urges people to avoid causing any pain or harm whatsoever
to any living creature, human or nonhuman, and typically was conjoined to an
ethical vegetarianism.

Interpreted broadly, we can in all fairness to the original principles of Jainism

and to Buddhism as well state that ahimsa entails not causing harm to others
either by deed. Indeed, if ahimsa is linked to the ideal of “right speech,” as
part of the Buddhist scheme of the “eight-fold way,” then the ethical and
enlightened life requires that we weigh our words as well as our deed. It demands
realization that we can harm, injure, or be violent to others in our language and
not only our actions.

Some of Gary Francione’s followers may be well-intentioned individuals who

genuinely seek to create a peaceful world, one where nonhuman animals no longer
suffer at the hands of an exploitative society. But anyone who reads their
postings on blogs, chat forums, Facebook, and elsewhere, cannot but be taken aback
by the yawning gulf between theory and practice, and notice the glaring
hypocrisies emanating from these self-appointed lords of moral correctness.
Consider just a small sample of how these loving pacifists practice right speech
in their dens of hypocrisy and when not posturing in the public realm.

“They have medication for that”Michelle Marcus (responding to Francione’s charge

that Steve Best and I are clinically insane)

“Go get [Best in the debate] Gary!”

“It is …probable that [Best] is not playing with a full deck, has a couple
pistons misfiring upstairs, is not the sharpest knife in the block” (Chris Lies)
“How about: dumb as a bag of rocks”. (Teresa Olsen)

“I just want to add while we’re on the subject of cretins, Eric Marcus is on my
list of top ten quasi-animal rights dufoids of all time.” (Teresa Olsen)

“Steve Best’s approach …is …like that of a Hitler Youth rally …Steve Best wants
blind followers… [he] is the grand manipulator using a smoke screen of histrionics
in order to manipulate by emotion.” Gloomy Vegan

Only one contributor practiced the principle of right speech: “Friendly suggestion
to everyone: there’s no need for insults, especially terms like “stupid,” “dumb,”
and other ableist terms. Let’s treat each other respectfully regardless of
disagreement” (Brandon Becker)

Now, where is all this anger and violence coming from? Who is setting the lead,
model, and example? Who is the teacher of these pretenders to ahimsa? The leader
of this cult, of course, is none other than Professor Gary Francione.

And so what example does the Teacher offer the students? Surely these violent
pacifists have strayed from his noble lead? Or, rather, are they following the
Teacher all too studiously, and has the Teacher corrupted the students, as he
defiles and corrupts the ideals that provide the glue for his lily-white,
privileged, bourgeois vegan empire?

While Gary Francione espouses nonviolent rhetoric couched in clichés and slogans,
his words are empty and his behavior is violent and injurious to others. Here –
beneath the façade of peace, love, compassion, and ahimsa, is the REAL Francione,
and I quote him verbatim from his slanderous attacks on me, Steve Best, Anthony
Marr, and others, from his Facebook blog and other communications:

“Marino is angry & insane. She promotes violence and I want none of that.”

“Best only wants to debate me to boost his own ego.”

“Now you [Best] are whining and complaining because poor Marr has done sooooooo
much work to set up the show and now you’re happy to have a crowd of people
participate.

“If you think I have breached a contract with Marr, sue me.”

“That’s controversial. I don’t want to get into it.”

“I have written to Best to tell him that if he ever changes his mind (again), I
will be pleased to have a debate as long as he agrees to try to behave like an
adult.”

“Go away little man [Best]. Go away.”

“Best promotes violence. He is one tough fellow!”

“Frankly [Best], I am bewildered as to why you think you derive any benefit from
having someone as obviously unbalanced as Marino be your mouthpiece. But that’s
your decision.”

“Marino and her friends advocate violence against anyone who is not vegan.
Frankly, I believe that these people are not only mistaken morally but are
insane.”
“The people I know who do fostering work do more in a day to help animals than
these self-absorbed blowhards who do nothing but juvenile chest pounding and heavy
breathing … I guess it’s not nearly as much fun because you don’t have to wear a
balaclava if you go and adopt and you also incur a responsibility. You have to
take care of someone. You can’t just release animals and then go party.”

Among other things, we see in the Prince of Peace blatantly manifest the following
qualities:

* Arrogance
* Condescension
* Insincerity
* Dogmatic and fearful of debate and disagreement
* Authoritarianism and a fundamentalist and theological outlook impervious and
hostile to criticism
* Dangerous and delusional megalomania (Hitler and/or Napoleonic Complex)
* Hostile personal attacks
* Violent aggression toward anyone who dares to disagree with him
* Mockery of agreements and principled behavior
* A troubled, turbulent, angry outlook anything but calm and contemplative

Francione is a fake and charlatan. This is not compassion. This is not love. This
is not understanding. This is not sincere communication. This is not Jainism. This
is not ahimsa. This is not Donald Watson. This is not Gandhi.

Rather, the Teacher embodies a malignant form of hatred, hostility, aggression,

and verbal violence wholly devoid of love. In fact, Francione and his pacifist ilk
have so deeply internalized the bellicose temperament and mindset of
“civilization” that they are unable even to recognize it, as it lies obscured
behind a thick rhetorical fog of abstract good will. Perhaps others can confirm my
own observation that these “pacifists” are some of the ugliest and the most
disagreeable people one can encounter in the feculent cesspool of humanity, and
digital communication brings out the worst elements of their repressed natures.

Anyone who has challenged Francione and/or his followers knows what it is to be
slimed. They know what it is to be bullied, coerced, threatened, maligned, mocked,
scorned, slandered, and vilified. They know what it is like to incur the wrath of
the Teacher, and subsequently his countless minions all down the command chain,
who dutifully kick heretics off their blog rolls and email lists, sometimes so
brutally and maliciously, as in the case of Joan Dunayer, that they damage, delay,
or destroy effective animal rights advocates. Francione leaves some of his
students in a state of paralysis and fear; they want to challenge his simplistic
one-dimensional views, but they fear his wrath and the subsequent treatment in the
Franciombe community as a pariah and “untouchable”.

Consider the statements above; contemplate the exchange between Francione and Marr
linked here. And let it be clear to all those with eyes: The Emperor Has No
Clothes.

Part II, tomorrow

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