August
2000
From
Vision to Video: Compassion in Action
The Satya Interview with James
LaVeck
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James LaVeck
is the producer of The Witness, the first of four documentaries
about animal advocates (see review by Lydon). He is the co-founder with
Jenny Stein of Tribe of Heart, a non-profit organization that promotes
humane education and the arts. LaVeck emerged momentarily from the overwhelmingly
positive response to The Witness to share his views on activism
and compassion, and his thoughts on the film.
What inspired you and Jenny Stein to found Tribe of Heart and to
conceive of the Animal People anthology?
When Jenny and I first started to work together almost ten years
ago, we had a vision of using the power of the arts to address some
of the most serious problems in society in a way that helped individuals
and also created community. Out of this process, Tribe of Heart was
born—first came the name, and shortly thereafter the mission,
to serve people and projects that awaken the harmony, wisdom, and joy
that
dwell in all beings. What inspired us then, and still does to this
day, is the idea of promoting compassionate living, which we see as
both
a philosophy and a way of life.
The Animal People anthology is the first major undertaking of our organization,
and the inspiration for it can be found in a pivotal experience that
happened to us four years ago. As long-time ethical vegetarians who
hadn’t previously been actively involved in promoting compassion
for animals, we were profoundly moved by a chance viewing of the HBO
documentary "Animals: To Love or Kill." Our first reaction
was one of despair, that this problem of animal suffering was so huge
that we couldn’t possibly do anything that would make an impact.
But eventually we began to realize that we had the skills and experience
to accomplish what the maker of that documentary had accomplished, in
effect to wake people up to this crisis. We saw a demand that needed
to be met—providing tools for educational purposes that would
foster compassion for both animals and people.
The mission statement of Tribe of Heart says that "one of the
central goals of the Animal People anthology is to draw attention to
the essential unity of the principles behind the human rights, animal
rights, environmental and peace movements." What do you consider
to be the unifying principles?
When we studied the underlying principles of the human rights, animal
rights, and environmental movements, what we saw was an essential unifying
principle, that of respect for life. Each life, whether that of a human,
an animal, or even of our planetary ecosystem as a whole, is something
unique and precious, and each of these social movements is in one way
or another asking us to understand, appreciate, and act with consideration
toward other beings, however they might differ from ourselves. What
we have in common, as people, as creatures living on planet earth, is
overwhelmingly more significant than what divides us from each other.
So these movements are asking us to let go of our attachment to our
often exaggerated sense of separateness and focus instead on the intricate
and amazing web of interconnections that bind us all together.
By integrating consideration of human rights and environmental issues
into our Animal People documentaries, we are building bridges to people
who have developed an understanding of how things are interconnected
in one area but are not yet aware of the interconnectedness of the
whole—for
example, how the mass mistreatment of animals is destroying the environment
or how the disparaging comments and personal attacks often directed
at animal rights advocates are practically identical, word for word,
with the attacks made on people who historically advocated for women’s
rights, gay rights, and civil rights. Once a person becomes aware of
such interconnections, setting a goal of developing compassion toward
all beings becomes natural.
What kinds of responses to The Witness have you seen—from animal
people and from those who were relatively unaware of the issues addressed
in the film?
Between July 1 and 16, 2000, The Witness was presented at three
national conferences: Animal Rights 2000 in McLean, VA; the Vegetarian
Summerfest in Asheville, NC; and the World Vegetarian Congress in Toronto,
Canada.
A total of 11 screenings were held, three of which were standing-room
only that were added to schedules in response to public demand. Through
these, approximately 1,000 people viewed The Witness. During the screenings,
many audience members expressed strong emotion, including both laughter
and tears. One of the most striking things we saw was the diversity
of people—ranging from eight years old to upwards of 75, representing
a number of nationalities and ethnic backgrounds—who came forward
to share their appreciation of The Witness. The documentary was also
embraced by people from all points on the philosophical spectrum with
regard to animal issues, from relative newcomers to long-time activists,
from those with an animal welfare focus to those more interested in
animal rights.
Many of those who saw The Witness seem to have been inspired to take
action in their own lives. One woman who attended a screening in Asheville—not
yet even a vegetarian at the time—after viewing The Witness told
her daughter, "That’s it. I’m a vegan. And I’m getting
rid of my leather purse and my leather couch right away." One
ten-year-old boy who told us he had not yet become a vegetarian asked
his vegetarian
mother to purchase the videotape so they could show it to friends and
family.
Those already more informed about animal issues seemed to feel that
The Witness made it much easier to express their values to people who
were unaware of these issues or even unsympathetic. One woman told
us
that she planned to show The Witness to her brother, who runs a meat
processing plant. Many individual activists and organizations expressed
an interest in emulating Eddie Lama’s street-level education efforts
by building or acquiring a Faunavision van.
More recently, I’ve been corresponding with a 12 year old boy
who is showing The Witness to his entire extended family. So far he
has
an aunt who is now going veggie, an uncle who is going to give up hunting,
and a couple of young cousins who are now really thinking about the
issues. It is great to think about what this might mean in his life,
to have found a way to work for positive change at 12.
In general, viewers seem to experience the documentary as a non-judgmental
presentation of one person’s story, a vehicle for uncovering a
secret that needs to be shared in order for the suffering to stop. Many
people have told of us of their plans to show The Witness to everyone
they know, including co-workers, family members, friends, and members
of their religious community. We’re happily surprised by how many
"non-animal people" wish to share The Witness with others,
as they are shocked by the horrendous cruelty inherent in the industries
it exposes that are part of day-to-day life in our society.
What are the next three volumes going to cover?
Volume two, Peaceable Kingdom, will address factory farming. It
will be a portrait of a group of people, many of whom came from a farming
background; we’ll also be meeting a lot of animals, learning about
their personalities and breaking through the stereotype that farm animals
are some kind of mass, undifferentiated thing. Volume three, Created
Equal, will examine vivisection with a particular focus on the great
apes. Volume four, Justice for All, will explore the relationship between
violence committed against animals and violence between humans.
The Witness will be screened at The Brooklyn Film Festival in
Manhattan on Saturday, September 9, at the Clearview Cinemas at 239
E. 59 St. For exact times, check the Brooklyn Film Festival website
at www.brooklynfilm.org
or call (212) 426-7674. To learn more about Tribe of Heart and the Animal
People Anthology or to order a VHS copy of The Witness ($20), visit
www.tribeofheart.org
or call (607) 275-0806.
James LaVeck on Role Models and the Future
There are many reasons why Eddie [Lama] is a good
role model. Eddie showed us a very fiercely compassionate man, a man
using his masculine energy in a very positive, loving way and that was
very striking for us just upon meeting him. It was something that we
wanted to share that this is a possible example for men, and for anybody,
not just Ivy League-educated people or those who grew up in wealthy
families. These were values that anybody could learn from.
The best, ultimate [outcome of this film] would be that everyone sees
[The Witness] and they see it because someone they know shared it with
them. We believe that all people have within themselves the capacity
to grow in their compassion for others. All people also have the capability
of encouraging that in the people around them, and that’s one of
the most meaningful activities that we can participate in on this journey
together. By giving our best to creating conditions that facilitate
the unfolding of compassion, particularly a conscious commitment to
cultivate compassion with one’s life, we’re really helping
ourselves, the other people we know, the animals, and the world.—Excerpt
from an interview with Marla Rose. Visit www.veganstreet.com
to read in its entirety.
