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I didn't say that caretaking is exploitation; it's not exploitation to operate an animal sanctuary, or to donate money to an animal sanctuary. I said very specifically: owning an animal for the purpose of companionship is exploitation.
Exploitation and harm are not the same thing. You can't cancel out exploitation by doing "good things". And we have to be extremely careful when we take it upon ourselves to decide what is good and bad for another, and impose life consequences on that individual.
How can you tell it's exploitation? Well, consider that you have a certain budget, and you decide that either you are going to donate it to a shelter, or you're going to adopt an animal yourself. Which one seems more personally appealing? It's having an animal in your life that loves you, right? (Lets say so, for discussion.)
Even though a shelter could support more animals with the same amount of money, it's still less appealing than owning an animal. Because you're personally getting something out of owning the pet. If you can't get what you want without an animal, then definitionally you need to exploit the animal to get what you want.
Once you are getting something out of it, everything changes in your brain. As a vegan, you know how easy it is to lie to yourself and convince yourself that monstrous atrocity is actually no big deal. It also changes the dynamic. Are your own emotional needs going to come up for example when you are trying to make end of life decisions, for example? Are you going to be able to put the needs of the animal above your own needs in every situation when you are emotionally dependent on the animal? Are you even going to realize if you fail to?
The emotional difference between owning a pet and providing sanctuary is relevant and important. Veganism doesn't merely protect animals, it protects animals FROM US. It also protects US from our latent carnism that seeks to engage in self-deceit and excuse the terrible things (or even just the less than principled things) we do. A vegan who wants to help strays and abandoned farm animals should donate their time and money to a shelter. It's a great way to have a chance to interact with animals in a way that is most compatible with veganism.
And if you really really really want a pet... do it. Veganism isn't the final word on what is right and wrong. Your personal philosophy can come to the conclusion that you are doing the right thing. But both integrity and the safety of the animal require that you recognize that you are stepping outside your veganism, and it is no longer keeping you or your loved ones safe.
Thanks for the quick and thoughtful reply, I appreciate it! I'm interested in discussing this further, I'll reply inline, if I don't mention something you may assume that I agree with you or that I'm happy to concede the point for the sake of discussion
I disagree with that - for example, I think you'd agree that birdwatching isn't exploitative, right? For me, exploitation is when you put your own needs/wants before the needs/wants of an animal. Just simply gaining some benefit from an interaction with an animal isn't necessarily exploitative - though it certainly can be, and often is.
To your broader point, it sounds to me like you're kind of scared of yourself, like you don't trust your own abilities to discern right from wrong. I completely understand that perspective, because I have issues with feeling that way about myself sometimes too.
Your points about emotion clouding our judgment and not necessarily always putting the interests of the animal before our own is well made, but it kind of assumes that the staff at the animal shelter would be somehow more resistant to this issue. It's like you're offloading the ethical burden of having to make decisions for an animal's wellbeing to someone else and assuming that they'll handle it better than you will - an assumption which, frankly, is probably wrong.
I get the vibe that you want to live as closely aligned with your values as possible, which results in a kind of pathological avoidance of responsibility - we can't get it wrong/make a mistake if we just choose not to take any action.
But the reality is that, as vegans, we're far better than average at being able to provide a loving, caring home for animals than most. Shelters have limited space, staffing and resources, and while I agree from a utilitarian perspective that the money you'd spend on housing one animal would do more good if it was allocated to shelters, it doesn't make the selfish choice inherently exploitative, I don't think.
Anyways, not criticising you at all, I trust you know what's best for you, but I'm still very skeptical that acting as a guardian for an animal is inherently non-vegan.
You're lying to yourself. Take care.
Sorry, just saw your edit - I'm genuinely not working backwards from a conclusion, I'm trying to explore the issue with you, when you replied with your original terse comment I assumed I had touched a nerve so I backed off, but I'm genuinely not sure where I'm going wrong, if you can help me understand your position, I'd genuinely really appreciate it.