Intersectionality and Animal Rights: Part 1

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Comment by Kath Worsfold on February 1, 2012 at 10:39

I have a question about the homeless man who was photographed talking on his cellphone, and apparently people were enraged. Why? Without a home, he certainly wouldn't have a landline, and a cellphone is a necessity of life in that case. I hate cellphones, but as a necessary evil, I bought a prepay cellphone last month for $29 - certainly not a "luxury" item. With rents starting at around $200 to $250 per week, it's a no-brainer.

As for some people objecting that having vegan catering at a conference was in some way marginalising indigenous people and black people, or something. Huh? She lost me there. Was it an Animal Rights conference? If so, the catering MUST be vegan. I would not even participate in the conference if it was not.

ALL people can eat vegan food, and it's cruelty free. Only some would want meat, hopefully very few. What if someone from a cannibalistic tribe (there are still some: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism ) wanted to come to the conference? Would it be culturally insensitive not to include some human meat - "long pig", in the meals catered? Come on - give me a break!

Comment by olly stearn on January 31, 2012 at 2:19

personaly i try to get everyone to go vegan or will talk to anyone about veganism, and outher social justice issues.

a problem i have come up against while tallking to people form outher socila justice movements about animla rights and vegansim is that they say it is unreasonobal to expect everyone to be the perfect person or advocate. that is that if the advocusy comunity all at the same time campagned against all social injustices then most people would simply reject then lot as it seems wayyy to much to be handling. i think there is soemthing in that and it is worth differnt movements haveing an elemt of autonomy. what i mean by that is it is probablya  good thing if movements targeting different social injustices can target people that are in some way more disposed to that particular issue. better to have someone educated and acting in acordance with say a feminist ideal and not an animal rights ideal than to have them reject them both and everythign els because they are confrounted with a totlay united movement and think its all just a bit too much. however at the same time i think there is great benefit for all social justice movements to, to an extnet, support and educate each outher. i think it this is done at the right leval then the total change we can implement in individuals and society will be higher than if all the differnet movements act in isolation form one anouther or are toatly united.

i dont think that we need to disuade people from racist and sexist thinking all the tiem when we are doing advocusy, for the reasons stated above, but i do think it should make up an element of ar advocusy. this inter movement related education is i think particualy good for the animla rights movement. this is becasue, it seems to me, outher movements are generaly a lot stronger than we are and so it is a big source to tap in to. however i think this is likly to be relitivley hard for that reason. there is more benefit for us to form aliances with outher movements than there is for them to form them with us.

as to wich comes first i think i agree parltey with you. while there may be some sort of arguemtn to say that one particualr issue is more pressing and so should get the attention of the whole advocusy comunity, i dont think this has much relevance for what anyone should be telling people they should advocate for or against. say AR is the most morally pressing social justice issue if all advocates form different issues were to only do AR then the total amount of AR advocusy might go up a bit but not, i dont think, to nearly the same extent to whitch outher movemetns whould decrease. this is because generlay people seem to get involved in movements that they have soem sort of atachement to and that mean somethign to them and so would not be motivated to be active in outher movements. peoples passions are a good way of dividing them up amoung movements to get the most done. also obviouls ya cant force peole to advocate anything!

thanks :)

Comment by Richard McMahan on January 30, 2012 at 12:50

The people that frequent my life indulge in the activities I've mentioned. They also hold the illogical moral references as to the usual stereotypical (racist/ sexist thinking).
Am I to now to include dissuading people from racist/sexist thinking along with my efforts to end animal suffering?
Which comes first?
With this coupling, I am no longer an animal advocate. The rights of oppressed hominids are weighing in on the issue as well!
I am an advocate for animals. There are many working smartly for humans. So for me, I will only give such a response, to only those who are look looking for such a response.

Comment by olly stearn on January 30, 2012 at 4:47

thanks all, i thought this video was a bit of a find. 

Richard im not sure i understand your comment? would like to tho :) 

Comment by Richard McMahan on January 28, 2012 at 13:36

Apparently I'm the only advocate trying to get strip club, "I'll hit on anything", porn loving, republican voting, god fearing, inexpensive prostitute's are great, racist in private, openly homophobic people, to go vegan. 

And now this.

I'll do it, but I expect to be pummeled.

  

Comment by Carolyn Bailey on January 28, 2012 at 12:37

Great video, thanks, Olly! 

Katrina is great. We're very lucky to have someone like her in Australia.
I think this video was from the Animal Activist's Forum this year, and I expect it was probably the stand out presentation of the entire weekend.