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| | | Introduction | |
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< | "Humans are more important than animals." "We have more important problems to deal with than animals." "Who cares about animals, what's the big deal? You people are crazy." These are some of the most common criticisms levied at animal groups. Are they true? And more importantly, does it matter? Even if they are true, where does that leave us? | >
> | "Humans are more important than animals." "We have more important problems to deal with than animals." "Who cares about animals, what's the big deal? You people are crazy." These are some of the most common criticisms levied at animal advocates. Are they true? And more importantly, does it matter? Even if they are true, where does that leave us? | | | Section I | | | The Human Cost | |
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< | This is just one of many examples of how animals affect our lives. Most people initially envision companion animals-- dogs, cats, etc. But they don't realize the many ways our relationships with these animals affect us; numerous studies have linked animal cruelty to child abuse, domestic violence and elder abuse, the FBI has linked animal cruelty and serial killers, and the American Psychiatric Association uses animal cruelty as a main factor in determining conduct disorder. But it's not just pets. Factory farming of cows, pigs and chickens have profound effects on humans and our environment. These farms are a leading cause of groundwater pollution, air pollution, soil degradation, limited water supplies, and global warming. They also affect humans directly, through loss of local farms/jobs, increased cancer rates, various disease outbreaks, and antibiotic resistance. Factory farming even affects the real concern at dinnertime: taste. | >
> | This is just one of many examples of how animals affect our lives. When animals come up, most people initially envision companion animals-- dogs, cats, etc. But they don't realize the many ways our relationships with these animals affect us; numerous studies have linked animal cruelty to child abuse, domestic violence and elder abuse, the FBI has linked animal cruelty and serial killers, and the American Psychiatric Association uses animal cruelty as a main factor in determining conduct disorder. But it's not just pets. Factory farming of cows, pigs and chickens have profound effects on humans and our environment. These farms are a leading cause of groundwater pollution, air pollution, soil degradation, limited water supplies, and global warming. They also affect humans directly, through loss of local farms/jobs, increased cancer rates, various disease outbreaks, and antibiotic resistance. Factory farming even affects the real concern at dinnertime: taste. | | | | |
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< | In economics-speak, these are what we call 'externalities.' Like any other big business selling a product, low prices are all that matters. In the meantime, society as a whole suffers the costs which corporations need not bear, because we are too busy worrying about profit-margins to notice our own suffering. This probably happens because of sheer ignorance of these costs, as the trend in animal industries from livelihood to business has made these processes invisible to most people. | >
> | In economics-speak, these are called 'externalities.' Like any other big business selling a product, we are convinced low prices are all that matters. In the meantime, society as a whole suffers the costs which corporations need not bear, because we are too busy 'protecting' our animal industries to notice our own suffering. This probably happens in part because of sheer ignorance of these costs, as the trend in animal industries from livelihood to business has made these processes invisible to most people. | | | Section II
Animals and the Law | |
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< | So why does law need to live here? The most obvious reason is animals cannot protect themselves or control how we use them. Like many other areas of law restricting or controlling our actions, we essentially must protect us from ourselves. The old paradigm was to use resources until nearly or completely extinct (be it dodos or oil), but we've come to realize that this is not sustainable. Thus, the law is necessary as a brake to the over-consumption of resources unique to the human species, a brake we can fine-tune as we begin to understand the relationship between humans, animals and the earth. In fact, the commercialization of animal industries alone is enough to warrant regulation and legal restraints. Many corporations seek to impose as many costs on others while retaining most of the benefits, and the law is an important tool to monitor and minimize these costs, or at least redistribute them back to their creators. Like any other practitioners operating on the edge of acceptability, 'animal' lawyers continue to nibble at the edges, slowly breaking down barriers of misunderstanding and reigning in the practices which eventually damage us all. | >
> | So why does law need to live here? The most obvious reason is animals cannot protect themselves or control how we use them. Like many other areas of law restricting or controlling our actions, we essentially must protect us from ourselves. The old paradigm was to use resources until nearly or completely extinct (be it dodos or oil), but we've come to realize that this is not sustainable. Thus, the law is necessary as a brake to the over-consumption of resources unique to the human species, a brake we can fine-tune as we begin to understand the relationship between humans, animals and the earth.
In fact, the commercialization of animal industries alone is enough to warrant regulation and legal restraints. Many corporations seek to impose as many costs on others while retaining most of the benefits, and the law is an important tool to monitor and minimize these costs, or at least redistribute them back to their creators. Despite often daunting legal and political odds against them, 'animal' lawyers continue to nibble at the edges, slowly breaking down barriers of misunderstanding and reigning in the practices which harm us all. | | | Animals and Morality | | | Conclusion | |
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< | "Humans are more important than animals." Ok, fine. Let's worry about how animals affect us then. See above. "We have more important problems to deal with than animals." That doesn't make it not a problem. So for the few who choose to solve it, we might try to appreciate their efforts. "Who cares about animals, what's the big deal? You people are crazy." One may disagree with an organization's tactics, but strategies to solve a problem are different than the necessity to do so. The facts laid out above are not meant to change anybody's habits or make them support a cause. This is no appeal to the 'thinking man,' and anyways a single video on an animal groups' website is probably infinitely more effective than all the facts in the world. The point is that our relationships with animals have widespread effects which cannot be ignored by everyone, and we should think twice before we deride or laugh at those who choose to see-- they might just be doing us all a favor. | >
> | "Humans are more important than animals." Ok, fine. Let's worry about how animals affect us then. See above. "We have more important problems to deal with than animals." That doesn't make it not a problem. So for the few who choose to solve it, we might try to appreciate their work. "Who cares about animals, what's the big deal? You people are crazy." The 'crazy' probably comes from disagreeing with some organization's tactics, but strategies to solve a problem are different than the necessity to do so. The facts laid out above are not meant to change anybody's habits or make them support a cause. This is no appeal to the 'thinking man,' and anyways a single video on an animal groups' website is probably infinitely more effective than all the facts in the world. The point is that our relationships with animals have widespread effects which cannot be ignored by everyone, and we should think twice before we write off those who choose to see-- they might just be doing us all a favor. | | |
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