According to the news, we are being sucked into a war. That is only partly true; we have been in a kind of war for a long time. A war against everything that breathes, whether it is oxygen or CO2.

Sexism is as old as the world. Unfortunately, animal abuse has also existed for quite a few years. War is described as an armed struggle between at least two parties. I find that definition somewhat limited.
The government has been trying to push us towards animal products for years. The Dutch Nutrition Centre, the Health Council, and Nutri-Score collaborate to promote the delusion that animal proteins are healthy and that we must watch out for carbohydrates. The result is that hospitals are full of people with largely preventable diseases. At least, that is the result for humans. The animals in livestock farming are the forgotten victims; they are unfree from birth to death, and according to the Dutch “Christian” party CDA, that is how God intended it.
Evil functions in our society by making everyone complicit. Most people I know eat meat daily. A disgusting habit as far as I’m concerned, but they like it. Besides meat being tasty, they consider it normal, necessary, and natural. That is because they have heard from a young age that “that is the way it is.” Indeed, this is not an opinion: eating meat and animal excrements is still the norm by government order and culturally.

The system works like this: Government-subsidised livestock farmers (national/EU) keep animals, acting as a sort of animal dictators. The communication regarding this is unanimous: “Livestock farmers are good to their animals.”

After milking or rearing, the animals go to hitmen. They put an end to the animals’ nascent lives and cut them into pieces that don’t look so scary.

The consumer eats the meat, etc., and is now complicit in murder.

Vegans criticise this, but that is criticism towards people who consider themselves nice people (and often are in many respects). The question is whether the criticism is systemic criticism or criticism of individuals, but it has become clear to me that people often take systemic criticism personally.
Because meat eaters now feel uncomfortable, they have to dismiss vegans as unkind, extreme people in order to straighten things out in their heads.

Once every few months, we get to vote. That creates the illusion that we have a say in how we live our lives. In reality, however, we are led by powers that most people are unaware of. Of course, we have a government that makes decisions, but those decisions are fueled by thousands of lobbyists. And we all watch the same news, which does not affect the status quo.
There is a war going on against animals. One that has been going on for years. That war could also lead to our downfall. There has also been a war going on against certain groups of people for years. We still live in a patriarchy. As long as wars that do not fall under narrow definitions are not concluded with a peace agreement, there will always be wars like the one started now by Trump. As long as we do not become better people, we will not raise better sons, and men will continue to be drawn to dictatorship.
It is not enough to be a kind person within the current culture. Every aspect of our culture must be questioned, and people will have to be honest about whether animals in livestock farming truly had a good life and whether their human cravings justify a hitman ending innocent animal lives in their name.

Non-human animals should have rights. It is of vital importance to acknowledge this.
The idea that it is acceptable to kill humans for raw materials, or because of fictitious national borders, arises because people are not taught respect for other life forms from a young age. This must change. The doctrine in which we are allowed to exploit animals lies at the root of much misery. It can change. The consumer is in charge here. The easiest form of activism is putting peanut butter on one’s bread instead of Parma ham.