Abolitionism

1205: 

The very idea of putting another human into slavery is abhorrent but we do it to animals without a second thought.  We empathise with other humans because they’re just like us, but animals aren’t anything like us, so we don’t see them as individuals, we only see them collectively.  Each one is simply part of a whole and not much more.  They’re furniture - either beautiful to look at or useful, but of no importance beyond that.  An animal doesn’t even have a soul, or so we say!

         

We’re so used to seeing animals in paddocks in the countryside or in cages at the zoo (both animal prisons) that we see it as normal, needing no further thought. In fact we equate the countryside scene and zoo ‘exhibits’ with places that are fun to go to. Kids love to see the animals. They ask to go. Adults won’t tell them there’s anything wrong with these places. Is it any wonder that abolitionism has to exist, to prick our consciences concerning these imprisoned animals?

         

In some ways our attitudes have been high-jacked - our thoughts are no longer our own, they’re formed for us by those who want our custom for their highly dubious practices. It’s rather frightening to think that almost all adults in every country of the world (and this includes our mothers, friends, doctors, our teachers, priests, politicians and just about everyone) have lost touch with their very souls, since each person’s attitude has been manipulated by vested interests.

         

It’s come to this - we accept the worst thing imaginable - the torture and murder of animals. We accept it as being okay. But, in reality, it’s rather like thinking child-molesting is okay when everyone knows it’s a crime.

Animals-in-slavery number twice that of humans. They’re our slaves. We’re used to that idea, until we sit down and try to imagine a human being deliberately hurting even one them. Wow! Actually involved in the slaughter of one innocent animal – none of us could do it in cold blood. And yet we are willing to appoint a proxy to do that very thing for us, so that we can eat the dead creature.

But to say this is to denigrate virtually everyone on Earth. So unusual is this accusation that it makes me simply seem angry with the world, as if I’m standing in the middle of a hundred thousand football fans and shouting at them, “Football stinks”.

         

What Animal Rights advocates are saying looks like one

gigantic insult, levelled at the hugest number of people imaginable.

         

So, I’m trying to turn that around by saying, “Yes, it’s wrong, it’s all so unnecessary. The enslaving and abuse of animals ought to stop ...”, but I know this won’t go down too well with very many people. So, I must come up with something more optimistic – perhaps I can put it another way.

The meat-eating, zoo-visiting, ethically-challenged person is a mix. In many ways, not necessarily in the same way, we are all a mix. It’s not about who is better than the other, it’s just that we each have sensitivities in different areas, and those who’re sensitive to the animals’ plight might be less sensitive in some other areas. None of us can afford to be smug.