Um…!

"We’ll answer all of those concerns, !

but first let’s look at some !intersections among speciesism!

and other forms of oppression….

Why should you care about animals? Because you are already in relationships with animals, and to not care is callousness. Most likely, your relationships with animals —including those you eat or otherwise use— are violent relationships inconsistent with your own values. "What about food deserts? While it is not true that a vegan diet is necessarily more expensive than a meat-based diet, it certainly is the case that many people do not have access to the fruits, vegetables, and bulk grains and legumes that make it cheap to be vegan. We all should be working to make sure everybody has access to healthy vegan food and working against the corporate welfare that artificially deflates the prices of cheeseburgers and chicken wings. But, whether or not somebody else can afford to be vegan is not relevant to whether or not you will choose to be in violent relationships with nonhuman animals. "Isn’t it elitist to worry about animal rights? Not at all! It certainly is true that people who are not scrambling to survive have more mental bandwidth to devote to the liberation of others, but compassion for animals and support for animal rights are not confined to to any one race or class. In the USA, about 1/3 of the population supports full rights for animals, and there is some poll data showing support for animal rights to be strongest among women of color. The proportion of African Americans who are vegan is nearly double the proportion of whites who are vegan. "This is not to say that the organized animal rights movement doesn’t have work to do to become more diverse and more connected to other justice movements. But remember that this is the only activist movement made up of beings other than those for whom the movement advocates. Do not confuse the failings of animal rights activists with the legitimate interests of animals themselves. Like everybody else, animal rights activists may be hubristic or clueless, but that does not mean the cause is unjust. "The good news is that bringing yourself into right relationship with nonhuman animals offers benefits that include a clearer conscience, a smaller environmental footprint, and a renewed feeling of connection with fellow ecosystem participants. For activists, the bonus is that thinking carefully about speciesism leads to insights about the intersecting mechanics of systems of oppression and greater likelihood of success in bringing about a world of peace, plenty, and freedom for everybody. ""

People in

food deserts

can’t affo

rd to be

vegan!

Why should I

care about

animals?

Isn’t it elitist to worry about animal rights?

Intersecting Ideologies""Ableism"When asked how they justify human hegemony over nonhuman animals, most people resort to ableism: “We have capabilities they don’t have, and so we may exploit them, incarcerate them, and control their reproduction.” In so doing, they implicitly endorse the notion that those with different cognitive, physical, or communicative abilities are lessor beings. "Racism"Speciesism relies upon the presumption that those who are genetically closer to oneself are inherently superior while those who are genetically more distant are inherently inferior, and therefore may be justly exploited, dispossessed or otherwise treated with disregard. This same claim is an essential element of racism. When people of color and other subordinated groups are treated “like animals,” this demonstrates that speciesism is foundational to other forms of oppression, providing rationales and practices that are inevitably extended to people. "Sexism"Women and animals, along with land, have historically been seen as the rightful property of husbands Both women and animals have historically been considered less intelligent and closer to nature than men. Tactics like objectification, ridicule, and forced reproduction are used to control and exploit both women and animals. Spectacles like cockfighting and stereotyped cartoon animals aid in the social construction of gender. "Homo/transphobia"Diversity of sexual orientation and gender expression (not to mention family construction and child rearing) is part of our evolutionary heritage as animals. The notion that nonhuman animals are mere automatons, intent on reproduction at all costs, not only reduces them to objects but also provides fuel for the false claim that only heterosexual monogamy within a gender binary is “natural." "Capitalism"Cows were the first “capital” — the term actually refers to the heads of captive animals. Even more so than with workers, the labor and suffering of animals disappear into commodities. When you eat “bacon” or buy “leather,” you participate in the reduction of someone to something. "Ecocide"Animal farming accounts for more greenhouse gasses than any other economic sector. But the connections between animal exploitation and environmental despoliation go beyond global warming, both being rooted in speciesism — the notion that one species is so separate and special that its members may justly use all others as objects.

Reverberating Repercussions""Callousness"From animal agriculture to zoos, practices that exploit animals foster callousness — the ability to behave in ways that are hurtful without feeling remorse. This capacity is key to all of the ways that people exploit and otherwise hurt each other. "Estrangement"Speciesism relies on a radical separation between people and the rest of the planet. Besides leaving everybody a little lonely, this fosters alienation of all kinds and also facilitates all of our environmental crises. "Heedlessness"Most people just don’t think about the suffering caused by their uses of animals. They know that the bird who was killed and cut up to make their chicken wings must have suffered, and perhaps they would feel bad about that if they thought about it, but they just don’t think about it. Many people practice this habit of just not thinking at least three times a day, thereby becoming adept at ignoring the consequences of their choices. "Exceptionalism"“American exceptionalism” begins at breakfast, with bacon and eggs. The idea that the USA is unique among nations, and therefore may dominate everybody else, has the same structure as the belief that humans are unique among animals and therefore may dominate everybody else. In a fitting reflection of that parity, exceptionally high meat, dairy, and egg consumption in the USA both depletes and pollutes resources at an exceptional rate. "Reprocentrism"Like capitalism, every use of animals requires incessant reproduction. The notion that everyone ought to reproduce, deeply rooted in speciesist ideas about animals, helps to drive worldwide overpopulation while simultaneously belittling those who choose childlessness. "Invisibility"Animals are invisible to people who consume the commodities into which their labor, bodies, and (in the case of vivisection) torture have disappeared. Similarly, species privilege seems so “natural” as to be invisible. Both the invisibility of privilege and the disappearing of suffering into commodities are key features of social injustices. "Violent Relationships"Every day, people who eat or otherwise use animals are party to relationships characterized by injurious power and control. The habits of belief and behavior upon which such violent relationships rely are inconsistent with the values of peace, freedom, and equality.