Following a recent Forum discussion at the end of 2013, I was given this letter by Grade 12 Diego Encarnacion, the eloquent voice of the 'antis' in this debate. For those not aware, Veggie Wednesdays are a recent initiative of LEAF GC and Student Council and occur at the moment twice a month. On these days Sodexo only offers vegetarian options at the Canteen and Cafe. This new initiative is just one of the many on-going campaigns by these student-led groups to drive the College toward adopting more sustainable practices so we start "living rather than laminating" our College Mission and Values. Meat-free days are a common feature of many US and UK University campuses and corporations and despite the well-documented ecological, health and ethical arguments for reducing our meat-intake, this policy has caused controversy and met with sometimes fierce resistance. This debate is very healthy however, and very much in the spirit of an enlightened education, so well done, Diego for making the case against and getting us all to think. Read Diego's open letter below and also my response. Comment is free - so get engaged, tell us what you think...but only if you read first!
MEATLESS WEDNESDAY- corrupting what it means to ‘do good’?
by Diego Encarnacion encar7430@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg
To whomever reads this, I do not, by any means, wish to diminish the reputation of LEAF GC at all; I am grateful for their presence and their undeniable impact on UWC. Perhaps one of the most influential GCs in the school that actually does make a consistent effort to change the world for the better, my faith in them remains steadfast and optimistic. However, I do wish to address a certain one of their practices that I fail to construe as a perfectly morally acceptable practice. Of course, if there is a practice by a GC that causes controversy or even mere doubt amongst us, it is essential that we discuss this properly, arriving to a consensus that resonates with us all.
What I refer to is Meatless Wednesday, and although LEAF’s intentions are good, I believe that there is a problem with denying people the choice of what to eat. Yes, the reduction of meat consumption in our school does benefit the environment- the very thing LEAF endeavors to protect. But the cost, I believe, is a bit of our freedom. A cost that is just too precious to pay. A small part of our freedom I admit, but that’s besides the point. Let me explain why.
One of the things that makes UWC a truly fascinating place is the relatively outstanding commitment students have to global and local service. I cannot live a week in this school without bumping into someone doing something good for someone or something in need- focus days, bake-sales, student-run shows and all sorts of other fundraising activities plague campus life. This is what makes the GC system work: people actively choose to do things that help others. It is neither the sum of the money raised, nor the number of pamphlets printed, that makes the GC system wonderful. Instead, it is the fact that these are regular students, giving up their time and investing their efforts into what they believe. The students don’t have to do what they do, but they do it anyway, out of love and passion.
But what if you take this element of choice out of the picture? Then, I must argue, you loose the entire essence of charity. The essence of doing something good, the essence of wanting to make a difference. Because now, whether or not a person ‘wants’ to make a difference is rendered irrelevant. That is exactly what happens when LEAF GC enforces rules (of sorts) on what we may and may not eat. By forcing people not to eat meat, we are no longer choosing to make a difference, but being forced to make a difference. The ‘difference’ is still there, but the attitude we foster towards that difference is completely different. This is toxic to what it means to do good. Take, for example, a bake sale aiming its funds towards disaster relief. If someone chooses to buy a cupcake from the stall, then that’s great- the buyer chose to make a difference, and he did. But if the sellers of the cupcakes go around the canteen forcing others to buy their products, then that, is blasphemy. Even if the seller tries to justify forcing others to buy his cupcakes by saying that it is “going to a good cause” and “only for one day”, that does not excuse this action from being a blatant defiance of freedom. No one is forced to participate in a sponsored silence, or a bake sale, or a community fair, and no one should be- it is their choice, and their freedom that must be respected.
I know I am stirring up quite the case for something that only occurs on a monthly basis, but that is beside the point. The fact that our freedom, even something as trivial as the freedom of a carnivorous diet, has been taken away, does not sit well with me at all. We can’t force others to buy from our bake sales nor attend our talent shows nor give generously to our focus days, and we can’t tell each other what to eat. It undermines the very meaning of what it is to do good if we don’t even choose to do the good in the first place. I wish to hear a change in the future of LEAF GC’s Meatless Wednesdays, as I believe that wrongdoing. To whomever reads this: how do you justify Meatless Wednesday after taking my concerns into consideration? If you do indeed justify yourselves, I look forward to hearing it. I’m merely curious.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Diego
A response to Diego, from Nathan Hunt, Teacher.
Dear Diego,
Many thanks for your letter. Without trying to sound patronising (occupational hazard in teaching), it's great that you remain engaged in intellectual and ethical debate despite the academic pressures of grade 12. That you are willing to go one step further than most by bothering to put your opinions in a developed written argument and circulate it, is further evidence of the sort of commitment we'd love to see from all in our community. My arguments have been partly based on those made by other stalwarts of the engaged student body (Ishaan, Troels, Nina, Nicole, Eva, Naomi) so due credit to them also. Would be unethical of me to plagiarise!
Of course, your engagement doesn't unfortunately stop you from being wrong. There are good reasons to debate this issue and freedom of choice is one of them, but in this instance there is no loss of freedom, only choice. Veggie Wednesdays does not enforce a 'No Meat on Campus' policy. That would certainly be a restriction of freedom (although potentially justified - we can debate that another time). Students are free to bring in packed lunches with meat and fish - many do; senior students are free to go out to lunch and eat meat - many do; senior students are free to order meat-based food in - some do. What students cannot do on those two days a month is buy meat from just the most convenient source - Sodexo on campus. There are a range of rules in place about who can eat what and when on campus (think coffee, alcohol, peanuts, lunchtimes, eating areas, sodas, etc, etc), but there is no rule on any day that says you cannot eat meat; there is only less choice of ways to eat meat on Veggie Wednesdays. And this is not a technicality of language - bringing in a chicken sandwich, left-over pepperoni pizza, or a salmon bento box, is a very simple option for those with no privileges to leave the campus. By avoiding the very long queues for the pasta pesto I saw last Veggie Wednesday, I'd also argue that a meat-based lunch might be more convenient, not less, if you have always restricted your choice to Sodexo. It seems Diego, that it is you that is limiting your freedom, no-one else.
You also argue that by 'forcing' people to eat vegetarian food you are taking away some of the joy, the 'essence of charity'. Leaving aside the fact that I have shown that nobody has forced you to eat vegetarian food - eating meat remains a very viable option on Veggie wednesdays - I understand your point. As a CAS supervisor I am very aware of the problem of students having to demonstrate a commitment to service to fulfil CAS requirements conflicts entirely with the spirit of service. This will remain an ongoing debate, just as much as the issue of forcing students to take exams conflicts with the ideals of developing self-motivated, independent learners. No easy resolutions exist. However I would argue that the College has to make ethical decisions for all its community otherwise it does not fulfil its own Mission Statement. From the Curriculum to the Focus Days to rules about behaviour and the High School Ethos, the College makes a myriad of ethical choices that affect all in the community at the 'expense' of individual freedom. The College itself wants to make a stand for what it believes in as it is more than a collection of individual aspirations. Yes, I can understand how this top-down decision-making sits uneasily with some of those who it most affects, however, at least with Veggie Wednesdays, this is a student decision, made by a democratically-elected Student Council and campaigned for by a student-led group as part of a student-led GC executive. For once the kids have made the decision, not the adults…so in this case you have more freedom than with other College ethical policies - you can exercise it by not voting-in ethically-minded students to the Council. In fact I believe the council even extended the principle of democratic freedom by carrying out a referendum on the issue in different parts of the school. Of all the things you have to do to oblige UWCSEA's strong ethical code, this is the one where you have most freedom.
And of course you don't have to do it anyway.
So once again thanks for raising an important issue and attacking the principles rather than the personalities - this is much appreciated. The Veggie Wednesdays policy raises many other issues as well as freedom and I'd welcome the chance to debate on these. You could have questioned the arguments about Impact, Ecology, Hypocrisy, Diet, and other Ethical problems. Unfortunately this time you chose the issue of Freedom. Diego, you are free to eat meat on Veggie Wednesdays. I did. I had left-over Pepperoni Pizza last time. Sorry Veggie friends, it just seemed more ethical not to waste it.
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