A n i m a l W r i t e s ©
sm
The official ANIMAL
RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Established 1997
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Issue # 11/30/03
Publisher ~ Susan
Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Journalists ~ Greg Lawson -
ParkStRanger@aol.com
~ Michelle Rivera - MichelleRivera1@aol.com
~ Dr. Steve Best -
sbest1@elp.rr.com
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ English and Speciesism by Joan Dunayer
2 ~ Sabina Application Deadline Dec. 15
3 ~ What Went Wrong? by Robert Cohen
4 ~ Job Opportunities
5 ~ Stop State Laws Labeling Animal Rights and Eco-Activists as Terrorists
6 ~ Fly by Jim Willis
7 ~ Memorable Quote
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`
~1~
English and Speciesism
By Joan Dunayer
From "English Today" - Vol. 19, No 1 (2003)
Cambridge University Press
Standard English usage perpetuates speciesism, which is
the failure to accord nonhuman animals equal consideration and respect. Like
racism or sexism, speciesism is a form of prejudice sustained in part by
biased, misleading words. However, whereas racist slurs rightly elicit censure,
people regularly use, and fail to notice, speciesist language. Unlike sexist
language, speciesist language remains socially acceptable even to people who
view themselves as progressive. Speciesism pervades our language, from
scholarly jargon to street slang. Considered in relation to the plight of
nonhuman beings, the words of feminist poet Adrienne Rich express a terrible absolute:
"This is the oppressor's language."
Speciesist usage denigrates or discounts nonhuman animals. For example, terming
nonhumans "it" erases their gender and groups them with inanimate
things. Referring to them as "something" (rather than
"someone") obliterates their sentience and individuality. Pure
speciesism leads people to call a brain-dead human "who" but a
conscious pig "that" or "which."
Current usage promotes a false dichotomy between humans and nonhumans. Separate
lexicons suggest opposite behaviors and attributes. We eat, but other animals
feed. A woman is pregnant or nurses her babies; a nonhuman mammal gestates or
lactates. A dead human is a corpse, a dead nonhuman a carcass or meat.
Everyday speech denies human-nonhuman kinship. We aren't animals, primates, or
apes. When we do admit to being animals, we label other animals
"lower" or "subhuman." Dictionary definitions of man
exaggerate human uniqueness and present characteristics typical of humans (such
as verbal ability) as marks of superiority, especially superior intelligence.
Nonhuman-animal epithets insult humans by invoking contempt for other species:
rat, worm, viper, goose. The very word animal conveys opprobrium. Human, in
contrast, signifies everything worthy. Like the remark that a woman has
"the mind of a man," the comment that a nonhuman is "almost
human" is assumed to be praise. Both condescend.
While boasting of "human kindness," our species treats nonhumans with
extreme injustice and cruelty. Directly or indirectly, most humans routinely
participate in needless harm to other animals, especially their captivity and
slaughter. Whereas true vegetarianism (veganism) promotes human health and
longevity, consumption of animal-derived food correlates with life-threatening
conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and hardening of the arteries. Still,
our language suggests that humans must eat products from nonhuman bodies. As if
we possessed a carnivore's teeth and digestive tract, thoughtless cliché places
us "at the top of the food chain."
To speciesists, needless killing is murder only if the victim is human. In
animal "farming" and numerous other forms of institutionalized
speciesism, nonhuman animals literally are slaves: they're held in servitude as
property. But few people speak of nonhuman "enslavement."
Many who readily condemn human victimization as "heinous" or
"evil" regard moralistic language as sensational or overly emotional
when it is applied to atrocities against nonhumans. They prefer to couch
nonhuman exploitation and murder in culinary, recreational, or other
nonmoralistic terms. That way they avoid acknowledging immorality. Among
others, Nazi vivisectors used the quantitative language of experimentation for
human, as well as nonhuman, vivisection.
Slaveholders have used the economic language of farming for nonhuman and
human enslavement. Why is such morally detached language considered offensive
and grotesque only with regard to the human victims?
The media rarely acknowledge nonhuman suffering. Only human misfortune garners
strong words like tragic and terrible. When thousands of U.S. cattle, left in
the blazing sun on parched land, die from heat and lack of water, reporters
note the losses "suffered" by their enslavers.
Belittling words minimize nonhuman suffering and death. As expressed in a New
York magazine caption, antivivisectionists "oppose testing on any
creature-even a mouse." The word even ranks a mouse below humans in
sensitivity and importance. There's no reason to believe that mice experience
deprivation and pain less sharply than we do or value their lives less, but our
language removes them from moral consideration. Who cares if millions of mice
and rats are vivisected each year? They're "only rodents." What does
it matter if billions of chickens live in misery until they die in pain and
fear? They're "just chickens."
In speciesism's fictitious world, nonhumans willingly participate in their own
victimization. They "give" their lives in vivisection and the food
industry.
Further belying victimization, the language of speciesist exploitation renders
living animals mindless and lifeless. They're "crops,"
"stock," hunting "trophies," and vivisection
"tools."
Category labels born of exploitation imply that nonhuman beings exist for our
use. Furbearer tags a nonhuman person a potential pelt. Circus animal suggests
some natural category containing hoop-jumping tigers and dancing bears,
nonhumans of a "circus" type. The verbal trick makes deprivation and
coercion disappear.
Evil gathers euphemisms. Over millennia, speciesism has compiled a hefty
volume. Wildlife management sanctions the bureaucratized killing of free-living
nonhumans. Leather and pork serve as comfortable code for skin and flesh.
Domestication softens captivity, subjugation, and forced breeding.
Positive words glamorize humans' ruthless genetic manipulation of other
species. Horses inbred for racing are "thoroughbreds." However
afflicted with disabilities, dogs inbred for human pleasure and use are
"purebreds," while the fittest mixed-breed dogs are
"mongrels" and "mutts."
With complimentary self-description, humans exonerate themselves of wrongdoing.
Food-industry enslavement and slaughter cause suffering and death of colossal
magnitude. Yet, consumers of flesh, eggs, and nonhuman milk count themselves
among "animal lovers."
Currently, misleading language legitimizes and conceals the institutionalized
abuse of nonhuman animals. With honest, unbiased words, we can grant them the
freedom and respect that are rightfully theirs.
<><><><><>
Joan Dunayer is a writer whose publications include articles on language and
animal rights. Her work has appeared in journals, magazines, college English
textbooks, and anthologies. A former college English instructor, she has
master's degrees in English education, English literature, and psychology. She
is the author of Animal Equality: Language and Liberation (Derwood, Maryland:
Ryce Publishing, 2001), the first book on speciesism and language.
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~2~
Sabina Application Deadline is Dec 15
On April 1, 1999, FARM announced establishment of the
Sabina Fund to fund grassroots projects promoting a plant-based diet and
publicizing the devastating impacts of animal agriculture. The Fund honors the
memory of FARM President Alex Hershaft's mother, Sabina, who passed away on
February 14, 1996.
Sabina Fund projects must be innovative and reduce animal consumption in your
community. The guidelines for applying are on the FARM website. The application
Deadline is Dec. 15, 2003. Email sabina@farmusa.org if you have any questions.
For application guidelines see: http://www.farmusa.org/sabina.htm
- Kelcey Meadows, Director of Membershipp and Donor Relations, FARM
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~3~
What Went Wrong?
By Robert Cohen - www.notmilk.com
When my close friend, Richard Grubman, died from Crohn's disease,
and left behind two sons, Michael and Ethan, it was too late to ask "What
went wrong?"
http://www.notmilk.com/c.html
When my friend, Spiro Nickles, suffered a heart attack in front of his
children, and died in his living room, it was too late to ask "What went
wrong?"
http://www.notmilk.com/h.html
When my college housemate, Didi Fuller, died from breast cancer, it was too
late to ask "What went wrong?"
http://www.notmilk.com/b.html
When my friend and neighbor and mother of four children was diagnosed with
leukemia, it was too late to ask "What went wrong?"
http://www.notmilk.com/leukemia.html
When my father had a stroke, it was not too late to ask "What went
wrong?"
http://notmilk.com/forum/1012.html
When my mother was diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes, it was not too late to ask
"What went wrong?"
http://www.notmilk.com/d.html
When mom was later diagnosed with anemia, it was again not too late to ask
"What went wrong?"
http://www.notmilk.com/i.html
Mom and Dad have recovered, dairy-free. A lifetime of dairy use contributed to
their conditions, but both of my parents are now in their mid-eighties, and are
remarkably healthy. I have no doubt that their dietary choices have contributed
to their current state of good health. Mom and Dad live in the same town as I
do. I visit often, and each time I do, I am impressed by the large bowls of
fresh fruit that I see on the kitchen counter. There is no longer ice cream in
the freezer. Neither is there yogurt in the fridge. Mom now drinks soymilk.
Health and disease are most certainly linked to diet. There are good and bad
foods, just as there are good and bad fuels. Burn gas in your furnace, and few
residues are left. Burn marshmallows, and it will become an internal mess. Burn
high octane gas in your car's engine, and it runs smoothly. Burn kerosene, and
you'll soon need an overhaul.
No additive known to humankind will negate the effects of a poor fuel. No
vitamins or supplements will negate the effects of bad food.
Prevention is surely the best medicine.
In the case of disease, it's not necessarily what you eat that prevents
illness. It's what you should not eat that causes or prevents disease.
Compassion to animals means not abusing them. Compassion to animals means not
eating them, nor drinking their body fluids. Compassion to animals ultimately
results in compassion to one's own body, for their flesh and milk are filthy,
inefficient fuels that were not designed for human consumption.
Saturated animal fats, cholesterol, and sulphur-based amino acids in animal
proteins challenge our digestive and cardiovascular systems. Concentrated
dioxins, pesticides, and antibiotics in the bodies of cows, pigs, and chickens
make those of us at the top of the food chain depositories for dangerous
chemical residues.
Humankind's biggest curse: milk and dairy products. These are the dirtiest
burning fuels with which the adult body contends. Milk and dairy products
represent forty percent of the average American diet. Residues from milk,
cheese, and other dairy products include intact allergenic proteins and
powerful bovine growth hormones that have been identified as key factors in the
progression of a vast array of human diseases.
My dear friend and webmaster, Dave Rietz has died from prostate cancer, and it
is too late to ask "What went wrong?"
http://notmilk.com/wm.html
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~4~
Job Opportunities
DOMESTIC ANIMAL ISSUES OPPORTUNITIES - If you would like
to put your skills to work making a difference for animals, consider joining
PETA’s team of committed staff members at our international headquarters in the
Oceanside community of Norfolk, Virginia. Our Domestic Animals Issues &
Abuse Department is recruiting for a variety of positions. We are currently in
need of an Animal Sheltering Advisor, Cruelty Caseworker, Project Coordinator,
SNIP Program Assistant, Community Animal Project Assistant, and North Carolina
Project Coordinator. Enjoy the personal satisfaction of meaningful work. Submit
your resume and cover letter to PETA’s Human Resources Department today. For
more information or to see a complete job description for each position, please
visit www.peta.org. You may send your resume and cover letter to: PETA Attn:
Human Resources, 501 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; fax to 757-628-0789; or
e-mail to jobopenings@peta.org.
YOUTH OUTREACH COORDINATOR – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
seeks a youth outreach coordinator to inspire teenage and college students to
get active for animals by coordinating and promoting events, appearances,
demonstrations, and PETA programs aimed at that age group and to work toward
changing high school and college students’ attitudes and behavior toward
animals by sharing PETA’s message with them. Thorough knowledge of animal
rights issues and youth culture is required as well as previous activist
experience. Candidate must have an outgoing, energetic, and personable manner
as well as proven experience in planning successful events. Must also have the
willingness to travel often. Competitive benefits package offered. Please send
resume with cover letter to PETA, Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front Street,
Norfolk, VA 23510; fax to 757-628-0789; or e-mail to jobopenings@peta.org.
CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR (INTERNATIONAL GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGNS) – People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeks an experienced candidate to manage
and coordinate PETA’s campaigns work with animal rights activists throughout
the country. The candidate must have activist experience, a thorough knowledge
of animal rights issues, an outgoing and personable manner, and the ability and
willingness to travel often. Must also have a degree in a related field or
relevant experience. PETA offers a competitive benefits package. Rewarding
work. Send cover letter and resume to PETA, Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front
Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; fax to 757-628-0789; or e-mail to
jobopenings@peta.org.
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT OPPORTUNITIES – If you would like to put your creative
skills to work making a difference for animals, consider joining PETA’s team of
committed staff members at our international headquarters in the Oceanside
community of Norfolk, Virginia. Our Production Department is recruiting for a
variety of positions. We are currently looking for the following: Online Marketing
Coordinator, Production Manager, Senior Web Designer, Web Assistant, Web
Designer, and Web Project Manager. Enjoy the personal satisfaction of
meaningful work. Submit your resume and cover letter to PETA’s Human Resources
Department today. For more information or to see a complete job description for
each position, please visit www.peta.org. You may send your resume and cover
letter to: PETA Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; fax
to 757-628-0789; or e-mail to jobopenings@peta.org.
Kim DeWester
Human Resources Specialist
The PETA Foundation
Tel: 757-622-7382, ext. 1404
Fax: 757-628-0789
KimberlyD@fsap.org
www.peta.org
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~5~
Stop State Laws
Labeling Animal Rights & Eco-Activists as Terrorists
From Diana Artemis -
artemisd123@hotmail.com
The animal- and eco-rights movements already are in the
crosshairs of the Bush administration. The savvy U.S. Sportsmens Alliance
http://www.ussportsmen.org/interactive/features/Read1.cfm?ID=32
has set up a lobbying group, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
to cozy up with Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft and Homeland Security czar Tom
Ridge. They are using this alliance to label any groups opposed to their
business interests as "terrorists" in order to strip them of their
citizenship and assets.
"Model" legislation has been introduced in OHIO, OREGON, MISSOURI AND
PENNSYLVANIA by ALEC and legislation has ALREADY PASSED in OKLAHOMA. Residents
of these states are asked to call their state senators and
representatives/delegates to state their opposition to these bills. It would be
even better if you schedule an appointment to meet with them or their staff to
discuss why these bills spell the end to our free society.
EVERYONE with contacts at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other
groups who fight for civil rights are asked to call and discuss a strategy to
oppose the Neo-Nazi tactics of freedom-hating groups like ALEC.
This is serious, people. The organizations we belong to are under attack which
means they need us to speak up and contact our officials. There's nobody else
who's going to do this for you, me and the organizations we care about. We're
the last line of defense for the animals and the groups who are still able to
speak up on their behalf.
See the article below for more details.
TERRORIST TACTICS
State Law Would Pin the T-Word on Animal-Rights and Eco Protesters
The Village Voice, Ginger Adams Otis, November 12 - 18, 2003
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0346/otis.php
More than fur would fly when animal rights activists and, perhaps,
environmental groups mount protests in New York, under a new law proposed by an
upstate legislator: Protesters would be considered "terrorists."
New York is one of several states currently considering legislation that could
define certain animal rights and environmental groups as terrorist
organizations. The sponsor of the bill, Assembly Member Richard Smith, a
Democrat from the Buffalo suburb of Blasdell, says it was written to curtail
the activities of extremists who "bomb research labs and torch ski
camps." Opponents of the bill point out that much of the wording of bill
A4884 (and a companion bill in the state senate) was lifted directly from
language created by the American Legislative Exchange Council, an influential
conservative D.C. lobby.
ALEC's model legislation, drawn up by its "Homeland Security Working
Group," is called the Animal and Ecological Terrorist Act, and it
ostensibly focuses solely on groups like Earth Liberation Front and Animal
Liberation Front, which have attacked homes and development projects that
threatened the habitat of several species. But more mainstream groups, such as
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), are also targeted by ALEC
as a "threat," and the bill would back that up with severe action.
For activists, the danger lies in how A4884 defines "terrorist"
organizations, as "any association, organization, entity, coalition, or
combination of two or more persons with the primary or incidental purpose of
supporting any politically motivated activity through intimidation, coercion,
fear, or other means." Activist groups fear that lawful dissent, such as
demonstrations, letter-writing campaigns, and leafleting, might fall into any
one of those categories, particularly the catchall phrase "other
means." The bill also seeks to prohibit people from gathering photographic
or videotaped evidence of illegal or harmful activities, effectively shutting
down the camcorders and other tools used by 21st-century protesters.
Additionally, the bill calls for the creation of a state-run website where
people convicted of "eco-terrorism or animal-rights terrorism" would
be identified with photographs and stigmatized, much as states do with child
molesters.
Some version of the bill may make it to the general assembly floor, perhaps not
until 2004, but PETA takes it seriously. "There are already numerous laws
on the books to prosecute activists who cross the line, like trespassing,
breaking and entering, and burglary," says PETA general counsel Jeffrey
Kerr. "This bill is clearly aimed at stifling opposition to animal and
environmental exploitation by
companies that make a living from it."
Assemblyman Smith insists that the bill doesn't threaten First Amendment
rights. "My bill in no way aims to stop picketing or leafleting," he
says, "but there are some radicals out there who consistently brag that
they've started fires and destroyed property, and they've got to be penalized.
Those radicals are the ones I'm looking for."
Other states considering the legislation are Ohio, Oregon, Missouri, and
Pennsylvania. Oklahoma enacted such a bill last spring, but similar legislation
introduced in Texas recently died in committee. In New York, ALEC established a
beachhead through the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, one of several powerful
pro-hunting groups active in upstate areas. ALEC, says spokesman Bob Adams,
talked about the legislation with the hunting lobby, and Smith says the hunters
talked about it with him.
Kerr and other lawyers contend that the animal- and eco-rights movements
already are in the crosshairs of the Bush administration. At the moment all
eyes are on Greenpeace, which ran afoul of the Department of Justice last year
after two activists boarded a boat carrying wood that Greenpeace says was
illegally exported from the Amazon and hung banners over the side that read
"President Bush: Stop Illegal Logging." For that act, Greenpeace has
been charged with violating an obscure and ancient "sailormongering"
law that prohibits unauthorized persons from boarding a boat before it's
moored.
And when it comes to proposed laws like the one being considered in New York,
ALEC has the administration's ear. Its annual meeting this past July in D.C.
drew such speakers as Vice President Dick Cheney and Homeland Security czar Tom
Ridge. The group gave Cheney its Thomas Jefferson Freedom Award, praising him
for his "commitment" to "individual liberty." Cheney told
the gathering of more than 2,000 legislators and others, "We will not wait
in false comfort while terrorists plot against innocent Americans. We will not
permit outlaw states and terror groups to join forces in a deadly alliance that
could threaten the lives of millions of Americans."
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~6~
Fly!
Copyright Jim Willis 2003
http://www.crean.com/jimwillis
Fly, though your wings are broken,
Dance, though your feet may ache,
Smile, though your heart is breaking,
Give, though some only take.
Ask, though you dread the answers,
Tell, though the news is bad,
Move, though your limbs are heavy,
Shine in the midst of sad.
Care, though the most uncaring,
smirk, when they see your pain,
Run, even though you're weary,
Dry, in a sea of rain.
Heal, though in the healing,
festers an open wound,
Cure, although the curing
contains a sense of doom.
Believe, while among the faithless,
Faith, in the face of doubt,
Cheer, while among the doubters,
delve in, when you could bail out.
Embrace, where there is no hugging,
Show, though they may not see,
See, where the blind go begging,
Be, when they will not be.
Live, while they fade around you,
Laugh, when there is no joke,
Believe, while assailed by troubles,
Breathe, when you think you'll choke.
Succeed, even when they scorn you,
Rise up, with no comrade in sight,
Win, without thought of victory,
Pray for bright blessings on the blight.
Cry, when the spirits move you,
Compassion, though it makes no sense,
Weigh all elements around you,
build a bridge, or erect a fence.
Safe, though the price of safety,
is grief over some things not done,
Give, because in the giving,
emerges an enlightened one.
Speak for those without voices,
Champion the innocent lot,
Fly, though your wings are broken,
Teach what you were never taught.
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~7~
Memorable Quote
"I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore
that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me
do it now, let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way
again." ~Erienne de Grellet
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online
P O Box 7053
Tampa, Fl 33673-7053
http://www.oocities.org/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal
Rights Online=-
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
(Permission granted to quote/forward/reprint/repost this newsletter In
whole or in part with credit given to EnglandGal@aol.com)
* Please forward this to a friend whom you think
might be interested in subscribing to our newsletter.
* ARO gratefully accepts and considers articles
for publication
from subscribers on veg*anism and animal issues.
Send submissions to JJswans@aol.com
** Fair Use Notice**
This document may contain copyrighted material, use of which has not been
specifically authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that this not-for-profit,
educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the copyrighted material
(as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law). If you wish to use
this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you
must obtain permission from the copyright owner.