First off, I have mentioned that I am a "vegetarian" so it is probably already clear that I am a supporter of Animal Rights. I am also a supporter of PeTA despite the bad press they get, they are essentially fighting for a cause I believe in while I am busy focussing on other causes I believe in (for example, gay rights.)
Most of the controversy surrounding PeTA is that they use shock tactics to grab peoples attention. I do not advocate this, but at the same time it was what brought me into the fold so to speak, I am glad of what some consider 'harsh' techniques as I would otherwise still be eating meat. In western society we do not like to think about what happens to out food before it reaches our mouths, so people are naturally defensive, uncomfortable and often offended when PeTA release videos expressing the horrors of battery farmed chickens and dog fighting (please watch those videos, they are made for this reason) because it forces them to admit that what they are eating, what is so delicious that they couldn't possibly live a life without eating might have lived such a horrific and torturous life. People think that PeTA exists to convert the whole planet to vegans, but this isn't the case, they do a lot of work with aforementioned anti-dog fighting campaigns and ad's encouraging people to spay and neuter their pets, as well as the adverts discouraging the use of real Fur in the fashion industry which you might have seen around town. Animal rights activists have been demonised in popular culture as people who waste their atention on animals when children are being abused, and women, and the elderly. People assume that because a human rights cause is considered more worthy of their time, they are somehow wrong for focusing on animals. Just typing that statement makes me think of how stupid it is, societies exist for these kinds of activism because it is where the individuals passions lies. Obviously the rights of animals is going to be considered less important than the rights of people, but you can't force someone to feel passionately about something, they are going to fight for what they believe in and thats that, you might as well fight for a worthwhile cause in any case (rather than fighting for 'white power' or a 'supreme god', right?)
To be honest, I suppose I am talking to the wrong crowd, if you are reading this then chances are you have been following the blog and know that my hearts going to be in the right place, so there is little chance of you disagreeing that animals need to be given the same right to life as we have. I believe that as a 'higher species' it is out duty to follow our conscience, to understand that our guilt is what makes us human, and gives us the right to use the term 'dominant species of earth'. While it may be our 'natural animal instinct' to eat meat, and even animals eat other animals, and we have been doing since the year dot and other such arguments; it is an exercise of our humanity to abstain. If you argue that even animals eat other animals and it is therefore ok for us to do so, and you also agree that animals don't have the same rights as humans, are those terms not in direct contradiction? we are allowed to be animalistic, but animals cannot be humanistic?..
Ok this has degenerated very quickly into a rant, so I am going to love you and leave you, have fun everyone! (and try to eat less meat)
