“How to End Injustice Everywhere” by Dr. Melanie Joy (vegan), Part 2 of 2

“When we look at carnism as an example, the way that we learn to think of farmed animals and to treat farmed animals is nonrelational. We don’t honor their dignity as beings who deserve respect and who have a right to occupy space on this planet, a right to their lives, a right to their bodies. If we want to end injustice, we have to change the way we relate, the way that we think.” Dr. Joy explores why injustice toward animal-people is often excluded from mainstream discussions of oppression. “This is largely because animals are considered so low on the hierarchy of moral worth. There’s a multitrillion-dollar global industry based on profiting off their exploitation.”

Dr. Joy reflects on the one core message she hopes readers take from “How to End Injustice Everywhere.” “How do we take on climate change, and carnism, and animal exploitation, speciesism, poverty, systemic racism, and so on? If we see all of these problems as somehow separate, it can really feel overwhelming. But when we recognize that they are all connected because they are all manifestations of these dysfunctional ways of relating, that can be a little bit of a relief.” Dr. Joy’s 2025 novel, “A Half-Hearted Death Wish,” explores themes of justice, connection, and empathy rooted in her core values of compassion and awareness. “When people realize that building relational skills really, really helps to transform our lives, transform the world, reconnect with our naturally compassionate selves, and help create a better, more compassionate world in the process, life gets better.”