JOAQUIN PHOENIX WINS OSCAR, DELIVERING ELOQUENT SPEECH ON ANIMAL RIGHTS, IDENTIFYING INJUSTICE IN DAIRY PRODUCTION AND ALL FORMS OF OPPRESSION

What a beautiful and powerful night for our animal rights community, vegans and everyone who could feel the power of Joaquin’s passionate delivery to be inclusive in the rights of all beings. Everyone was exhilarated and so thrilled that he used this platform to the millions in speaking up for babies and mothers in the dairy industry and so much more! Do you realize how many people attending and watching the Oscars have no idea how milk is produced?! This was so empowering on so many levels:

JOAQUIN: Hi. What’s up? Hi. God, I’m full of so much gratitude now. I do not feel elevated above any of my fellow nominees or anyone in this room, because we share the same love – that’s the love of film. And this form of expression has given me the most extraordinary life. I don’t know where I’d be without it.

But I think the greatest gift that it’s given me, and many people in [this industry] is the opportunity to use our voice for the voiceless. I’ve been thinking about some of the distressing issues that we’ve been facing collectively.

I think at times we feel or are made to feel that we champion different causes. But for me, I see commonality. I think, whether we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice.

We’re talking about the fight against the belief that one nation, one people, one race, one gender, one species, has the right to dominate, use and control another with impunity.

I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world. Many of us are guilty of an egocentric world view, and we believe that we’re the centre of the universe. We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakeable. Then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.

We fear the idea of personal change, because we think we need to sacrifice something; to give something up. But human beings at our best are so creative and inventive, and we can create, develop and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and the environment.

I have been a scoundrel all my life, I’ve been selfish. I’ve been cruel at times, hard to work with, and I’m grateful that so many of you in this room have given me a second chance. I think that’s when we’re at our best: when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for our past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow. When we educate each other; when we guide each other to redemption.
When he was 17, my brother [River] wrote this lyric. He said: “run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.”

https://youtu.be/87zXvSCmSYk
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Joaquin also used his power in getting the Golden Globes to make its menu entirely vegan. Including other award ceremonies following suit; the Critics Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the BAFTAS, where all menus were vegan. The Oscar’s nominee luncheon was vegan and 70 percent of the Governor’s Ball this evening is plant-based.

While in London for the BAFTA Awards he attended an animal rights protest lead by Animal Equality, an Animal Rights organization his fiancée, Mara Rooney is also involved with. And after his SAG Award, Joaquin made it directly to Animal Save/Pig Save Vigil in Los Angeles, including a recent arrest in Washington, D.C. for a climate protest lead by Jane Fonda.

His role in the “Joker” is to be much applauded, he played the role of Arthur Fleck someone who was deemed an outcast by society, is put on medications by a social worker for depression, when suddenly the government ended help for those afflicted with mental illness; he then started to feel empowered by leading others in their fights against injustice by our cruel system, that lacks empathy for the poor and downtrodden. A must see film.

We congratulate and honor you Joaquin, for your much deserved award for your incredible acting in the “Joker,” and to someone who has so much talent and conviction to make the world a better place for the animals with such loving kindness and showing the world that we take animal rights seriously as the fastest growing social justice movement in the world. Thank you from the heart from all of us.

Comments

  1. Beautiful speech. He is genuine human being so proud of him God Bless you.

    1. Author

      Elizabeth, absolutely perfectly compassionate beautiful speech indeed! I’m so proud of him too. God bless you and all the animals and Joaquin!

  2. I think he is amazing. I hope he will continue to campaign for animal welfare and that millions will followz

  3. I think he is amazing. I hope he will continue to campaign for animal welfare and that millions will follow.

    1. Author

      Sandra, he is amazing, and yes he did that calf and mama rescue too! What an amazing human he is. May the millions begin to awaken indeed, thanks for commenting!

  4. I love this guy for speaking out so much for these poor defenceless animalsx

  5. Joaquin and Jane, thanks to both of you for your positive example, particularly in standing up for what is right: climate action and animal advocacy. Together, change will come. It is difficult during this irrational era in US Government, to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is there. Keep inspiring those around you, it goes a long way toward preventing discouragement, and realizing that what we do matters.

    1. Author

      Lorna, absolutely! It may seem like forever to change, but when we have an example like Joaquin showing the world what compassion looks like, it certainly gives us a lot of hope and inspiration for a better world for the animals and environment! Thank you Lorna!

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