Pattice Jones: Intersections of Oppression: Speciesism/Misogyny/Racism/Heterosexism

Commonalities of Oppression by Pattrice Jones

Honoring Rocco

Pittsburgh PA is grieving the loss of Rocco, a K-9 police dog who was recently stabbed to death during an arrest. A funeral was held in the city for Rocco, complete with a bagpipe procession and full dress blues. Over 1200 people attended to pay respect to him.

Prima facie this outpouring of grief seems like a victory for nonhuman rights. After all, it is extremely rare that nonhumans are paid tribute to in such a manner. My remarks that follow are in no way intended to convey disrespect toward Rocco or anyone grieving for him. 

When I heard about Rocco, I found myself asking a lot of questions. What is it that makes Rocco different from the billions of nonhumans who suffer violent deaths at the hands of humans? Was Rocco different because he was trained by humans to perform tasks for humans that helped save humans? Is it the bond Rocco shared with his partner? Why do we pay such homage to one nonhuman while, at the same time, overlooking the suffering and death of billions of others? What is it that makes Rocco's murderer any more guilty than anyone else who kills a nonhuman?

The short answer is species bias, or speciesism. In all of our dealings with nonhumans there is a presumption that we matter more. Since Rocco served us in a way that seemed to honor this prejudice, he was given a hero's burial. But all nonhumans who die at the hands of humans are serving humans in one way or another. How they are honored, or more commonly forgotten, is calculated within the parameters of speciesism. 

I don't believe Rocco's funeral is a victory for nonhumans. In fact, I think that in the long run it only exemplifies anthropocentric norms. Was Rocco a hero? Perhaps. But honoring him shouldn't be about his service to humans. Honoring Rocco should be about his inherent value as a being whose life (like countless others) matters.

The most common response I've been hearing in discussions about Rocco is that this sort of fanfare is held for all police officers. Well, that's not entirely true, but even if it is true on occasion, those formal funerals certainly aren't as well publicized. The fact that Rocco is a dog is what makes it "newsworthy." In any case, the whole thing reminds me of the fanfare that is staged for soldiers killed in the middle east. No fanfares are being held for the civilians that are being killed. It's a hurrah for the military, not the actual soldiers. It's all about who matters more according to the powers that be. Iraqi civilians matter less than U.S. soldiers and "beef" cattle matter less than a K-9 police dog.

Just like Rocco, billions of nonhumans are violently slaughtered by humans. They are murdered by criminally backed packing house workers. Their funerals consist of unceremonial "processing" and "packaging."

Their headstones are plates and forks. Their graves are our stomachs. I am glad Rocco was honored! What a beautiful example of human - nonhuman kinship. It is the lesson of this kinship we need to take away from his tragic death and begin to honor all of our nonhuman brothers and sisters. Thank you Rocco!

You Didn't Call Him, "It': Star Trek TNG - The Measure of a Man

This episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Measure of a Man succinctly captures the basic positions of the ongoing struggle to defend non-human beings.  

And here is a link to an academic paper I wrote on this topic. I Believe in Data.

Prosecutor Riker's Arguments

The Defense: Picard's Arguments

Veganism, Boycotts and Broad Based Political Acton

There are a wide range of views about how to best advance the cause of non-human animals. One of the most widely accepted views is that of veganism as a boycott. As Corey Wrenn points out in the video below, veganism is by definition a boycott. The idea is that if we reduce or end the demand for non-human animal products, we will end the exploitation and slaughter of non-human animals. 

Theoretically this seems correct, but in reality it is a much more complicated issue. In addition to all of the very good points that Ms. Wrenn makes; e.g. that supply side economics thwarts boycotts. Brian Luke succinctly points to this reality in his book, Brutal: Manhood and the Exploitation of Animals:

[T]he idea that animal defense requires controlling individual behavior, as if animal exploitation arises from an innate willingness to take advantage of other species, ignores the taming of compassion and outrage that proceeds every day as an integral part of the business of exploiting animals. In this society people are domesticated, trained through external rewards and punishments, through myths and lies, through instilled fear and ignorance, to disconnect from animals, especially those animals designated as "game," "livestock," or "guinea pigs." So animal liberation is not so much a taming of ourselves as it is a refusal to be tamed in support of anthropocentrism.   

David Nibert describes how carnism expanded exponentially with supply side economics, in Animal Oppression and Human Violence: Domesecration, Capitalism, and Global Conflict (Critical Perspectives on Animals):

The profit-minded push for increased consumption of domesecrated animal products by producers of feed grains was compounded by the growth of the retail “meat,”“dairy,” and “egg” industries and the rise of fast-food companies. Achieving large increases in the sale of their products required considerable ideological manipulation of the populace by armies of social-engineering experts who generated, with state support, ubiquitous advertisements and educational programs designed to increase human consumption of domesecrated animals—campaigns disproportionately directed at children. 

That said, it's important to emphasize the point that Ms. Wrenn makes that veganism is a powerful political statement in and of itself, and that going vegan (if at all possible) is a necessary foundation of building a strong political movement. 

A successful boycott demands a broad political movement and building a broad political movement demands veganism as its foundation. It is an historical fact that successful boycotts necessarily include broad political backing. Veganism does not have that backing... yet. Veganism is essential and necessary, but alone isn't sufficient. We must not become complacent, believing that going vegan, and convincing others to do so, will solve the problem. The profit motive and corporations that profit from animal products have a very powerful voice. Strategies to reduce corporate power and their campaigns to increase demand are critical in advancing the cause of non-human and human animals.

Objectification: Attempts to Deanimalize Sentient Beings: Campaign by the Kansas City Pork Association

To sell more pig corpses for profit, the Kansas City Pork Association has launched a campaign that pokes "fun" at those of us who are trying to build a more sustainable world, and squelches empathy by likening piglets to plant seeds. This horrific campaign is just one of the many campaigns of its kind. There is nothing humorous about these ads or the ideas they promote. The same kinds of tactics were used to promote racism, sexism and Nazism. Pigs are not food and they are not plants or things. They are sentient beings who value their lives. Degrading them is simply a way to objectify and deanimalize them much the same way that some humans are dehumanized. The end goal is the same; the exploitation and oppression of living beings in the name of profit, domination and power.

And this image was on their Facebook page.

Plants don't enjoy belly rubs!!!

OMG!! There's Horse Meat in My Cow Meat!!!!

....and this is worse than cow, pig, sheep, turkey, chicken, dog, deer, cat, rabbit, squirrel or fish meat etc, HOW???!!??? This meme is misleading, but the fact that people are disturbed enough by the idea for it to become one reveals how insane eating one species and "loving" another is....

“You end up at the back of the grocery store, near the meat counter. Displayed before you are all the wares of the butcher’s trade, all the prime cuts of meat. On the left are the T-bone steaks; to the right is all the ground beef. In front of you are some ribs; next to them are some chicken breasts. On the corner of the display is the lobster tank, where, out of the dozens in it, you can pick out your own lobster to take home. You look at this sight, with people picking their way through all these products, figuring out which will make the best dinner. And suddenly, the scene in front of you shifts. No longer are you seeing normal products of everyday existence. In front of you is the violent reality of animal flesh on display: the bones, fat, muscles, and tissue of beings who were once alive but who have been slaughtered for the parts of their body. This scene overtakes you, and suddenly you tear up. Grief, sadness, and shock overwhelm you, perhaps only for a second. And for a moment you mourn, you mourn for all the nameless animals in front of you." - 

 See more at: http://freefromharm.org/featured-articles/will-hold-you-in-my-arms-must-see-tribute-animal-victims/#sthash.0z2ixdFw.dpuf

An Extremely Powerful Vigil for the Victims of Speciesism.

Original Link Here