Racism and Animal Rights.
Anarchist. | 16.03.2011 20:03 | Animal Liberation | Anti-racism
From time to time people are going to have to challenge racist behaviour in pretty much any movement, and the animal rights movement is no different. The same can be said for any other sort of discrimination.
Open and unashamed racism has to be challenged. A recent instance of a person using racist language to make a point (I don't know the specifics but the issue remains) was heavily criticised from people within the animal rights movement and justifiably so.
The presence of people who expound this viewpoint are not welcome within the movement. Of course, people do change their minds, many of us went from eating meat and supporting a horrific industry to openly opposing it. For many of us we have been fortunate to have a supportive movement and environment in which to do this.
Further to this, a gathering is essentially a place where supportive people can get together and discuss aspects of campaigning. Thus, a gathering is no place to welcome people who have displayed racist behaviour and who have not seemingly overtly repented to any degree after the incident(s) that took place.
It is not unusual for there to be racist arguments for animal exploitation and abuse. For example, one often heard, is the appalling manner in which animals are killed through halal slaughter. This is a totally reasonable thing to suggest, as it happens to be true. However, the fact that the very people standing outside kfc concerning themselves all of a sudden over the welfare of chickens, like the abhorrent English Defence League have been noted doing, because they wish to continue to harrass muslim people, whilst having absolutely no understanding of the manner in which they themselves support the rampant abuse and torture of animals, is a clearcut example of how certain groups try to utilise sympathy for animals in their bid to further marginalise and discriminate against a certain group of people.
Scapegoating Jewish people, muslims, hindus, people from china because of the shocking footage of fur production does not tackle the real issues at stake, instead it excuses a persons lack of critical understanding. To generalise that there are people throughout the world across all boundaries that abhorr unnecessary suffering to animals is reasonable. And it is not unreasonable to suggest that there are also people who deliberately seek to unnecessarily harm animals for sport, food, entertainment situated throughout the world as well.
The presence of people who expound this viewpoint are not welcome within the movement. Of course, people do change their minds, many of us went from eating meat and supporting a horrific industry to openly opposing it. For many of us we have been fortunate to have a supportive movement and environment in which to do this.
Further to this, a gathering is essentially a place where supportive people can get together and discuss aspects of campaigning. Thus, a gathering is no place to welcome people who have displayed racist behaviour and who have not seemingly overtly repented to any degree after the incident(s) that took place.
It is not unusual for there to be racist arguments for animal exploitation and abuse. For example, one often heard, is the appalling manner in which animals are killed through halal slaughter. This is a totally reasonable thing to suggest, as it happens to be true. However, the fact that the very people standing outside kfc concerning themselves all of a sudden over the welfare of chickens, like the abhorrent English Defence League have been noted doing, because they wish to continue to harrass muslim people, whilst having absolutely no understanding of the manner in which they themselves support the rampant abuse and torture of animals, is a clearcut example of how certain groups try to utilise sympathy for animals in their bid to further marginalise and discriminate against a certain group of people.
Scapegoating Jewish people, muslims, hindus, people from china because of the shocking footage of fur production does not tackle the real issues at stake, instead it excuses a persons lack of critical understanding. To generalise that there are people throughout the world across all boundaries that abhorr unnecessary suffering to animals is reasonable. And it is not unreasonable to suggest that there are also people who deliberately seek to unnecessarily harm animals for sport, food, entertainment situated throughout the world as well.
Anarchist.
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