Emerging Courageous Online Magazine - Stories
Rights For
Animals?
©Shell 2001
http://www.theanimalspirit.com
"Well, I have a boring day job, but I'm also an animal rights
activist."
Blank stare.
"Oh, that's nice. I see my friend over there. Nice to meet you!"
...end of conversation.
I've had many different reactions from people when I tell them I'm an animal
rights activist. The above scenario is the most common. People don't know what
to say to the lady who wants animals to have rights. After all, I look so
normal!
One thing I often hear people say is that animal rights activists are selfish
and try to force other people to do things.
In response to that statement, I ask this: Is it selfish to fight for the rights
of voiceless, sentient beings who are tortured, abused, exploited, and killed on
a daily basis? Or is it selfish to fight for the right to keep on torturing,
abusing, exploiting, and killing voiceless sentient beings on a daily basis?
I cannot speak for all animal rights activists, but as for myself, I'm a very
private, quiet person. I don't scream and curse in people's faces or throw red
paint on fur coats. I talk to people who will listen, I answer questions that
people ask, and I protest against what I believe to be wrong. Slowly I reach
people, one at a time. In turn, those who I have reached spread the message and
reach others.
I have nothing to gain, except some free time and peace of mind, from nonhuman
animals gaining basic rights. If this fight was over, I could spend more time
with my family and more time doing things I enjoy. Believe it or not, I don't
enjoy being an animal rights activist. I'd rather spend my spare time reading or
just relaxing. Standing in a parking lot handing out leaflets is not my idea of
a good time. There is nothing particularly fun about writing letters on behalf
of a cat that was set on fire by some bored kids. I don't get much pleasure
finding homes for one domesticated animal after another, going broke in the
process, while some people continue to breed more of these animals. I don't
enjoy smelling the corpses of animals, knowing how those animals became dinner.
I hate lying awake at night thinking of the animals in laboratories who are
alone and scared.
But what about children? If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I'd be
one rich activist. Why worry about animals in labs and farm animals becoming
dinner when children are suffering? If adults were allowed to torture, abuse,
exploit, and kill children on a daily basis, I would fight for their rights too.
After all, I fight for voiceless animals. But children are protected by law.
Yes, laws are broken, but society makes those who break these laws against
children pay for their crime. In a court case which dealt with a dog who was
murdered, the murderer was sentenced to read the "Lassie" books. Can
you imagine the murderer of a child being sentenced to read "Mary Poppins?"
It wouldn't happen.
Some final thoughts:
Just because a person has the power to do something, doesn't mean it's right.
The human species is protected by laws, and the strong are not allowed to take
advantage of the weak. Now we need to extend those laws to protect other species
as well.
We need to stop discriminating against certain species just because it was what
we were taught to do. People tend to become outraged when something horrible
happens to a dog or cat. As an animal rights activist, all I'm trying to do is
extend that outrage to include other animals, such as monkeys, deer, cows, pigs,
chickens, rats, etc.
I'm not an extra special person. I don't have any remarkable qualities. I didn't
come out of the womb vegan. At one time, I ate meat and dairy and wore leather.
But I have come to the conclusion that it is not right to hug your cat while
eating a cow. And I'm trying my hardest to help others come to that conclusion
also -- one person at a time.