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While browsing topics on Change.org, I noticed my pet, Global Health, had a comparatively low membership. After taking in all the memberships, I found Global Health actually boasts the second lowest membership of all 16 categories.
The lowest? Poverty in America
The highest? Animal Rights
Not that animals aren't important, but when it comes down to it, I'm going to have to say people are a bit more important.
Are there more oppressed animals in the U.S. than people? Or do today's activists just care more about animals than people? Or are animal rights easier to achieve than human rights?
There has been a surge of celebrity faced animal rights campaigns as of late. Why? Perhaps because it's a problem at which you actually can throw money and make it go away. Animals are easier to find homes for than are people. Animals cost less to feed. Animals need minimal healthcare. Animals are easier to love. No one accuses an animal for being homeless because it's lazy-- it's just cute.
I find this ranking rather alarming and find myself hoping this is not an accurate representation of today's activists. Hoping that someone in animal rights just had an incredibly effective campaign. Poverty is not just a phenomenon quarantined to developing areas. People in the United States die from poverty. Yet, according to the membership representation, this is the least important issue to Change.org's visitors with barely 20,000 members, while Animal Rights is going strong with over 67,000 members.
I'm glad people are making noise about important issues. All the issues represented by Change.org are important-- but some are arguably more important.
This isn't about animal rights, versus human rights. It rings to bigger issues: the conditioning of our society, who the leaders in advocacy are today, and what people do in the face of a difficult issue. Do they run to that which is "easy"?
Human rights are tough. They will not be easy. But that makes it that much more important.
5 comments:
Bravo.
Unfortunately, people flock to animal rights easier because they look down at their pet and begin to feel bad about the abuse that other animals take.
We as humans like to imagine that the worst possible outcomes will never happen to us personally. Its this lack of empathy that allows human rights campaigns to remain small in comparison to animal rights campaigns.
The best we can do is to continue to work to gain access to the minds of the "normal" middle class citizen, and convince them that this is not a problem isolated to a select few. It can happen to anyone at anytime. When this begins to happen, then we will begin to see a change in the priorities of activists.
I think the "lazy" view that you mention also definitely perpetuates the situation. Its an easy scapegoat.
Animal rights is popular because every decision you make, from diet to wardrobe, directly affects animals. It is almost the only activist category where YOU are the oppressor. YOU are the one buying the hamburger, going to the circus, and wearing that cool new leather jacket. People can make the decision right now to stop their participation in the abuses of Animal Rights.
While Human Rights is most certainty affected by our individual decisions, it is much harder to see. The power dynamics at play are much harder to understand, see , and change.
For example, I know that there are women in China being forced into abortions. I can protest this, but it is not as direct of an action as saving that estimated 60 farm animals a year from slaughter.
And let's not forget, Animal Rights is also fueled by the Environmental movement. The consumption of meat and factory farms might just be one of the biggest factors in Climate Change, which will affect people in developing countries at a disproportionate level. So in essence, Animal Rights are also Human Rights. :)
While attending environmental issue actions, it was always emphasized that the environmental movement and social justice movements are one in the same. I feel the same about AR and HR.
-ab
Also,
I really don't think animal rights is an issue you can throw money at and it goes away. Most issues in the AR realm have to do with humans and how and when we decide to use our power. For example, no matter how much money I give, I can't stop Proctor and Gamble from putting bleach in a bunnies' eye to see if their product harms it.
AR has less to do with finding companion animal's homes, and more with factory farming, animal testing, animals in entertainment, leather, euthanization of wild animals, destruction of habitats, etc.
Sorry for the long ramble, but I am very sad to always see and hear so much animosity between Animal Rights people and Human Rights people.
Perhaps, just perhaps, there is a link between the violence we see in slaughter houses and dog fighting rings and human rights abuses all over the world. Also check out the correlation between consumption of meat and world hunger.
These issues are not separate.
Peace,
-ab
Agreed. Well done, Lindsay.
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