Monday, June 2, 2014

Being superior

1070:

Humans have always been advantage-takers and inferior-bashers, whether in the name of racism, speciesism or religious superiority. In particular circumstances, we are hardwired in favour of separation and inequality. It is so much easier to exploit animals if we think they are inferior to us.

Just look at the way most of us treat new people who are different to us, by practising ‘separation’ on them. We don’t admit to this, and in fact we might even appear benevolent or compassionate to show off our liberal credentials. But in our private feelings we still practise separation, to mark our difference between us and them. We do the same thing with animals, in the belief that they are ‘brutish’ and insensitive to pain. This allows us to exploit them and feel no pity for them.
           

Separation-beliefs are integral to hierarchical systems – if we are on top of the pile we consider certain humans and absolutely all animals as inferiors, allowing a markedly different treatment from that we lavish on ‘nearest and dearest’. We often show more respect for our companion animals at home than the human next door; but we show far less respect for wild animals and zero respect for the animals we eat.

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