Values

Antifascist

Antispeciesist

The Oread Collective opposes speciesism.

Speciesism – the discrimination against another based entirely on their membership in a species – enables cruelty and exploitation on a scale without historical precedent.

We recognise that the moral value of a sentient being is not dependent on their species.

To be antispeciesist does not mean that we are “not speciesist”. Antispeciesism means to recognise and understand our own speciesist biases and tendencies which arise inevitably from existing in a structurally speciesist culture.

Even if we could be “not speciesist”, that alone would be insufficient to undermine the systems of violence which we massively inflict upon other animals, including pets, farmed animals, and wildlife.

Antispeciesism means active resistance to systemic speciesism.

Pluralistic

We recognise that different interests and points of view can be valid. We believe that peaceful co-existence can be achieved through mutual understanding.

We believe a diversity of perspectives strengthens our ability to understand injustice, to reach our allies, to creatively solve problems.

We value active participation, regardless of background. Pluralism means accepting that others may hold a different position, that their opinion is influenced by their circumstances and history. Listening respectfully to all perspectives helps us grow.

The Oread Collective is pluralistic.

Antiwar

The Oread Collective opposes warfare.

The stockpiling of weapons brings us closer to a global catastrophe.

Aggressive military campaigns cost lives, damage ecological systems, and destroy infrastructure.

The non-human victims of war have been consistently ignored by historians. The number of other animals that have been killed is unknown and possibly not countable, but we believe it to be at least equal to the number of human victims.

Antisupremacist

Supremacism underlies many other forms of discrimination.

Supremacism is the belief that some sentient beings are morally above others and/or have a right to dominate others.

Supremacism is insidious, and takes many forms. Common forms of supremacism in our culture are male supremacism, white supremacism, ableist supremacism.

Human supremacism, the belief that other animals are ours to use and/or of lesser moral value, has enabled mass animal cruelty in the form of factory farming as well as ongoing colonialist expansion into the homelands of wildlife.

In general, the holder of the supremacist belief is a member of their favoured group, but this is not always the case.

The Oread Collective opposes supremacism.

Alterglobalist

We don’t oppose globalisation: we believe that a connected world can benefit everyone.

But we oppose the currently-dominant form of globalisation which prioritises resource extraction over environmental conservation, human or animal exploitation over labour protections, the rights for corporations to cross borders over people.

Globalisation should be for everyone, not just for the profit of international corporations.

The Oread Collective supports fair trade, labour rights, and climate justice. We support the right of everyone to cross borders as they please. No one is illegal.

Antiqueermisia

Where a “phobia” is an irrational fear, a “misia” means a hatred.

We chose this word to establish that there isn’t any form of hatred toward our queer companions.

We will always be allies to gay, bi- or pansexual, asexual, transgender, intersex, genderqueer, genderfree, and other non-conforming individuals.

While we understand fears can be difficult to overcome, even internalised, we do not tolerate hatred.

The Oread Collective opposes queermisia.

Anticolonialist

Environmentalist

The Earth’s temperature is rising. Wildfires are choking entire regions, floods are destroying coastal communities, species are going extinct, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more extreme.

The Oread Collective demands immediate action to conserve our natural resources, defend habitats, and return our ecosystems to their balance.

Climate action requires an immediate end to fossil fuel use, industrial fishing, and animal agriculture.

Antiableist

Ableism is the prejucide against others on the basis of a difference of ability. This difference might be perceived or real; we recognise that one’s inherent worth is not connected to their abilities.

For that inherent dignity to be fully realised requires that all have the same access to information, justice, transportation, and public spaces; that all have their basic needs met, regardless of what those needs are.

The Oread Collective supports inclusion, accessibility, and respect for all. We are strengthened by our diversity.

Sentientist

Oreads support universal rights – for humans as actively as for other animals.

We prefer to avoid the terms “human rights” and “humanism”, because in practice, rather than including all social justice struggles, they can be used to erase the suffering of non-humans.

In fact, it is the very appearance of inclusivity that can make these terms harmful – here is a term that summarises all injustices, provided that our line of concern stops with the human species.

Whether somebody deserve basic rights and dignity does not depend on their species any more than it depends on their race, gender, appearance, ability, or class. Rather it depends on their sentience – their capacity to experience the world.

In other words, any creature capable of feeling pleasure deserves to; any capable of knowing harm has a right to be free of it.

The Oread Collective supports rights and dignity for all sentient beings.

Nonviolence

Oreads do not advocate violence to resolve disputes, nor do we advocate retribution.

There is historical evidence that non-violent activism has a higher rate of success than activism which incorporates violence.

But non-violence is not merely a tactic, it is a moral value.

To use violence to achieve a political goal is to legitimise violence as a means to an end.

Feminist

Gender inequality is still present in our communities.

Gender-based violence is widespread, as is its apologia.

Women are under-represented in leadership of nearly all institutions. This includes corporations, governments, and non-profit groups, and continues despite the fact that women often perform most of the necessary work.

Patriarchical power structures hurt everyone, not only women. The idealistic standards imposed by hegemonic masculinity underlies many unjust forms of discrimination principally faced by men, including prison violence, war, and male loneliness.

Nobody should be limited by or harmed for their gender. These limitations exist to divide us, to frustrate our attempts at co-operation, so that we can be more readily exploited by those who have power over people of any and all genders.

The Oread Collective supports liberation for women.

Antiracist

The Oread Collective opposes racism.

We know that the value of a person is not related to their outward appearance, whether that means skin colour, place of origin, or language(s) spoken.

To be antiracist does not mean that we are “not racist”. Antiracism means to recognise and understand our own racist biases and tendencies which arise inevitably from existing in a structurally racist culture.

Even if we could be “not racist”, that alone would be insufficient to undermine the systems of violence which disproportionally affect racialised people.

Antiracism means active resistance to systemic racism.