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When I was sixteen I attended my first animal rights conference. The event
was held in the summer in upstate New York, and since I had just became involved
in the animal rights movement earlier that year, I was excited to network with other
activists. The conference was held at a farm animal sanctuary and lasted for a whole
weekend. There was camping, farm tours, plenty of good vegan food, dancing at
night, and participants got to listen to a list of renowned animal rights speakers give
talks on everything from the cruelties of the fur industry to the health benefits of a
vegetable-based diet. While this was an exciting event for an early animal rights
activist, it soon illuminated one of the most debilitating issues regarding progressive
social movements.
I brought my parents to this event, and even though they didnt understand
everything about veganism and animal rights, they were becoming increasingly more
sympathetic to the cause. Back in the day my parents were hippies back who were
always involved in an array of leftist movements. My mom was more of a mainstream
liberalshe worked for the county Democrat party and was always engaging in
battles with the conservatives at her work.
Even though my moms beliefs shaped the way I grew up, I cite my dad as
having the strongest influence over my ideologies. My dad is a socialist union
carpenter who spent his youth burning money in protest outside a bank, defending
communism (its not that bad), and escaping the draft. He tells me how, when
growing up, his friends parents actually forbid their children to hang out with him
because of his radical views. Even now, many of my friends parents find my dad to
be strange and misguided. I can remember how my view of him changed over time
from hes totally insane, to whoa my dad is actually right! From a very young age,
my dad told me that Disney was evil and how he thought the song Its A Small
World After All smacked of Nazism; that God didnt exist; there was no good in
being rich and that college was basically just a way for rich families to do something
with their kids; and that America was not the gloriously humanitarian country as it
appeared to be.
Most importantly, my dad encouraged me to become involved in politics. He
told me that anything ignoring politics was basically pointlesswe all need to pay
attention to whats going on in the world. From here, I started to learn about issues
such as workers rights, anarchist theory, globalization, civil rights, feminism, world
peace and so on. I started to peruse the store Revolution Books in Cleveland and
soon became very acquainted with all things Leftist.
Somewhere along my journey into the political Left I decided to become a
vegetarian. I didnt see this as a political actI merely did it because I couldnt
understand why I was eating meat and having animals killed in my name when there
was a multitude of other foods to choice from. It was a year later, when I became
vegan, that the politics suddenly emerged. As I learned more about the dierent
animal industries, I saw how they were not unlike the other globalization mega-giants
I had been learning about. What really is the dierence between Tyson and Nike
besides the goods they peddle? Both companies are multi-million dollar behemoths
who employ poor labor standards (sweatshops and in slaughterhouses both make use
of cheap, immigrant labor). I started to see veganism not just as compatible with the
Left, but as an essential step in fighting against globalization and injustice.
I had not met many vegans when I made the switch at age sixteen so I was
excited to meet other vegans at the animal rights conference. I was still involved with
other issues, but animal rights had become my primary concern. I figured this was ok
as long as I tie it into all the other movements. I saw everything connected, and
when I went to this conference I figured other people would, too. This is when I
noticed the Big Drift that would serve as a source of frustration for years to come.
There was a speaker talking about the voting processhow we need to pay attention
to score-sheets to see how a candidate has voted on animal issues so we can cast the
appropriate ballot. He stressed that just because a candidate is a Democrat doesnt
make him/her friendly to animals.
When the speaker was done, one of the co-founders of the sanctuary
underscored those remarks by saying, You would be surprised how many
Republicans vote for animal-friendly legislation. We need to make sure that we vote
for the animals rather than vote along party lines. Anyone who is animal-friendly
deserves our vote, no matter what. This manifesto was followed by a round of
applause as attendees expressed their collective agreement: Yes, well vote for
anyone! Luckily, one of the attendees raised his hand to retort. I remember his
name was Ahmed, and he quickly became a friend of my dad after making this
remark: I have to disagree. We should not just vote for anyone! We need to take
other things into consideration, like a candidates foreign policies towards human
rights and globalization. Does it really help us if we elect a candidate who will help an
animal, but not a fellow human being?
This is an example of what I mean by the Big Driftwithin a given social
movement, members are unable to make connections between their issues and that
of another movement. The rhetoric runs along the lines of my movement first! and
members fail to place their issue into the larger picture. Of course, movements will
band together at times, but this is a rare and beautiful occasion. From what I have
noticed, there is a lot of movement-bashing by fellow activists, although the
bashing comes in the form of stepping on toes. At the conference, two very
prominent voices in the animal rights movement (ARM) were telling activists to put
their cause ahead of any other. The animals are whats important, is a phrase I
would often hear activists shout out.
National organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) have been known to enrage everyone from civil rights activists to feminists
while pursuing their animal rights agenda. And even though the ARM shares many
characteristics with traditional Leftist social movements (those of which I will discuss
later on), it is dicult to find any mention of ARM within Leftist discourse, except,
of course, when bashing. Take, for example, leftist renegade Michael Moore, who
in his book Dude, Where's My Country? blatantly says, Animals don't have rights. He
then oers this advice to ARM activists: And lay o carrying on about the milk, no
matter how bad it is for you. You just look like a dumbass if you go on national TV,
like PETA does, to argue that beer is better for the body than milk. This shit just
makes me wanna go kick my dog (192-193).
Now how can a Leftist who would otherwise agree with Moores main points
(fighting for workers rights, rallying against the Iraq war) attempt to reconcile their
belief in the ARM? Just because Moore doesnt agree with PETAs actions (who
does?!) doesnt mean he has to ridicule the movement by saying he wants to kick his
dog. Surely, Moore is not the definitive voice for the Left, but he is one of the most
vocal. And being vocal about ARM, either in opposition or solidarity to, is something
extremely rare within Leftist discourse. This prompts the question: How and why
does a social movement become marginalized and/or dismissed by fellow activists?
Nothing is more frustrating than being active in dierent movements yet
seeing the Big Drift come between the dierent, though very connected, issues.
Working with my college animal rights group, we notice that not many people, even
those we consider to be fellow Leftists who should have an open mind to the
suering of others, fail to take us seriously. The ARM is dismissed as some petty,
upper-middle class concern that isnt worthy of a persons time. Another member of
my college group explains his hardships in appealing his case to fellow Leftists. Day
after day, he would tell of the ridicule he would endure for being involved in such a
silly issue. He could see if the critics were conservatives, since their ideals are
opposite to the cause, but these people were all liberals.
Even though activists can only focus on one issue at a time, doesnt mean we
have to totally ignore and/or dismiss another fellow progressive movement. If nothing
else, this failure to connect is only harming progressive movements. We disconnect
group consciousness. An activist must have the sense that he/she is part of a group
with who he/she shares a particular concern. As many 60s activists would say, the
movement is a state of mind (Freeman 2). Individuals must share a strong sense of a
similar identity. And this is a concept that is easy to see in activists today that define
themselves through their cause, rather than anything else. This consciousness can
also be seen at work in The animals are whats important. Members are expected
to act in accordance with the movement, rather than through individual need. And in
turn, a movement must work to create consciousness. It must have a message that
members are more than willing to spread (Fight the Man!, Go Vegan!, Boycott
the Gap!). An elaborate ideology is embedded in these messages that often
specifies a problem, oers solutions, and attempts to justify a change from the status
quo (3).
Not all social movements are of the progressive Leftist variety. There are many
types of reactionary social movements which resist change and/or work to reinstate
an earlier social order, such as the Aryan Nation and the Right-to-Life movement
(Andersen 618-619). Of course, disconnections are going to exist between
progressive and reactionary movements, and this is understandable since theyre
fighting for opposite ideals. But, when a group of movements who seek relatively
similar ideals fail to connect, that is when it gets interesting. Im mostly concerned
with social change movements and how they interact with one another.
Movements can give the impression of having all members unified around a
single goal, but in reality, they are very diverse. A movement is a broad term for a
network of various groups that work toward a specific goal. Members establish
certain norms and often their own culture (or counterculture). The groups utilize a
variety of dierent tactics from reformism to radicalism. These dierences can lead
to tension with the various groups vying for dominance. Often the movement is
characterized by two or three of the most vocal groups, leaving the public perception
resting on a small percentage of the actual members.
There are four necessary elements needed for a movement to start: a
preexisting communication network, a preexisting grievance, a precipitating incident, and
the ability to mobilize (Andersen 620). Lets say theres a group of pissed-o people.
Now in order to form a movement, there needs to be a way for them to maintain
communication with one another. They must all have a perceived sense of injustice
and/or a strong desire for change. The next step is to have a triggering factor for
actionthe people need to have something (an event, for example) that pushed
them over the edge. Next they need the ability to mobilize. Mobilization is the way a
group secures people and resources for the movement. The most important aspect
for a group is the ability to collectively mobilize on the need for change. A movement
cannot move without a way to garner new support via members. Networks need to be
made between dierent groups from within, but should networks also be established
across movements? Should groups also seek out recruits from dierent movements?
One popular theory developed to answer questions about the emergence of
social movements is called the resource mobilization theory, and as its name implies,
it stresses the importance of group mobilization. Resource mobilization theory
focuses on how movements gain momentum by successfully garnering new resources
and/or making use of available resources. It also examines how they compete with
other movements, and the ways in which society often attempts to prevent all this
mobilization (Andersen 625). In the sociology textbook Sociology, Understanding a
Diverse Society, the authors stress the importance of interpersonal contacts as an
important resource group since they can provide a continuous supply of new
recruits, as well as money, knowledge, skills, and other kinds of assistance (625).
This theory also highlights the connections between dierent movements. The gay
and lesbian community, as an example, has used many of the strategies of the
violence against women movement in developing its own campaign to halt hate
crimes against gay men and lesbian women (625). Movements mobilize resources to
further their own cause, and since most are nonprofit, they are out for all the help
they can get. They need to involve more people to spread their message and to
recruit activists.
Most sociology books that Ive been reading have stressed the importance of
mobilization, but they have not researched the mobilization that may take place
between dierent movements. If communication networks and the availability of
resources are so crucial to the makings of a successful social movement, why is there
not much emphasis placed on the importance of pans-movement networking?
Admittedly, the research on this subject is there, but it isnt too easy to find. There is
a research paper examining social movements and network analysis through the
study of organizational aliations of 19th-century women reform leaders in New
York. The authors stress the power of networking. Since groups are advocating
alternative ideas that are not part of mainstream society, it is often hard to get heard
by the masses.
Because the ultimate success of an insurgent program is dependent on its
mobilization of broad support, such organizations must find avenues to introduce their
agendas into wider discourse. Because institutional routes are usually blocked, social
movement groups find allies among other insurgent groups (Rosenthal et al 1023).
basic argument of ARM, but he says the way ARM activists act has overshadowed
the righteousness of that agenda on face value. I wish it werent so, but it is (1). He
cites activists as having smug attitudes since they blatantly say they would rather
work for animals than people. Wise says, The misanthropy that seems to inform and
motivate such comments, and literally hundreds more I could mention, guarantees
that the otherwise valid principles upon which animal rights positions are often
grounded will remain unexamined, and unrecognized in policy (1). Why is the ARM
turning away potential recruits?
Wises article is based on the campaigns of PETAwitness again how a
national organizations tactics have overshadowed and led to the dismissal of the
whole movement. PETA angered many people with their Holocaust On Your Plate
campaign that was soon followed by Are Animals the New Slaves? These
campaigns, which were called insensitive by many, compared the treatment of
animals to Jewish people and African Americans. Many civil rights leaders boycotted
the campaign since they saw it indecent to compare African Americans to animals.
For a writer of race and class issues, Wise got upset, too. His frustration with the
tactics of PETA then leads into a further dismissal of the ARM. This is interesting
because he unleashes the stereotypes of the ARM. Wise says,
That PETA cant understand what it means for a black person to be compared to an animal,
given a history of having been thought of in exactly those terms, isnt the least bit shocking. After
all, the movement is perhaps the whitest of all progressive or radical movements on the planet, for
reasons owing to the privilege one must possess in order to focus on animal rights as opposed to, say,
surviving oneself from institutional oppression.
Perhaps if PETA activists had ever demonstrated a commitment to fighting racism and the
ongoing cruelty that humans face every day, they would find more sympathy from those who, for
reasons that are understandable given their own lives, view animal rights activism as the equivalent
of fiddling while Rome burns, rather than as a struggle for greater compassion for all (1).
From pulling out the stereotypes of ARM as a white movement, Wise makes
a great pointif PETA, and other ARM groups, would only stop bashing other
issues, they would gain more recruits since people would see ARM as the issue it
really is, one focused on compassion. The national ARM organizations are either
apolitical or insensitive to other issues, and since they are the ones grabbing the
spotlight, its no wonder the Left sees the ARM as petty. It seems that ARM has all
the things necessary for the making of a good movement except the ability to
mobilize the right people.
Many ARM activists are taking notice of this problem and are working to
make friends with other Leftist movements. Gary Francione, in an article he wrote
for the website animal-law.org, speaks of the Big Drift:
In my Animal Rights Commentary last week, I discussed how well-meaning people on the
left sometimes unfairly dismiss moral issues concerning animals or the environment by pointing to
the problems of people. These progressives claim that their concern for human problems somehow
excuses them form the obligation to examine morally their own meat eating, which rests on a
foundation of injustice toward nonhumans and degradation of the environment It is precisely this
segmentation and pigeonholing of morality that has frustrated eorts by the left to propose
something remotely resembling a unified social agenda. You know, the way that the right has
done (1).
Francione remarks that both ARM activists and Leftists are guilty of seeing
life in a single issue way, where people are likely to say My issue is animals.
Period. This type of thinking is very destructive to having a unified, successful
movement. As the NY Womens Reform report stated earlier, social movements
must form ties with other movements and groups. Francione hits the point home by
saying, As long as those who advocate for animal rights fail to understand the
connection between animal exploitation and other forms of social injustice, they will
continue to treat animal rights as a single issue matter, and will continue to alienate
the progressives who are natural allies (1). PETA should stop pissing o feminists
by using sexual imagery, and try to recruit them by showcasing the ARM as another
movement striving for equality, peace, and a better world.
When I first started doing research for this essay, I thought the main cause of
the Big Drift, or what Francione calls segmentation, was failure of fellow Leftists
to open their minds to another cause. I thought that they just didnt want to face the
ARM because it is an issue where you actually have to do something. You cant just say
youre against something abstractif youre in the ARM you eventually have to
change your diet, or risk being labeled a hypocrite. I thought many Leftists just
werent up for the challenge. This still could be true, but it is not the most important
factor.
Well, what does the ARM have in common with the Left? ARM activists
reject speciesism, which is the discrimination of someone based on their species
rather than capabilities. Speciesism is similar to racism and sexism in that it allows for
a dominant group to freely oppress a minority group based on a single characteristic.
ARM activists believe that animals should have one indelible rightthe right to be
free from unnecessary harm. Factory farming is seen as an unnecessary evilnot only
does it infringe on animals rights, it also is an extension of mega-conglomerate
corporate globalization. Eating a vegan diet uses less resources and is a rejection of
the exploitation of third world countries in order to obtain these resources. Eating
vegan may also fight hunger by using less resources and freeing up farmland that
would otherwise be used to grow feed for cattle. Corporate slaughterhouses are also
places of massive injustice. Often illegal labor is employed and workers get paid the
bare minimum wage with no compensation for injuries. The job also has a near 100%
turnover rate due to such unsafe conditions.
Instead of isolating one another, both (all) movements need to recognize their
similarities. While the bloated national organizations have yet failed to see this point,
there are many grassroots groups that are doing just that. The group Feminists for
Animal Rights argues for radical, sexual, and economic quality. Food Not Bombs is a
group of loosely based collectives that takes vegan food that otherwise would be
thrown away (often via dumpster), cooks with it, and serves it for free back to the
public. Their stated goal is to fight against hunger, among many things. Tompkins
County Swarm is touted as the voice for the countys progressive movements. At this
website, many organizations are able to connect and learn more about one another.
AK Press is an anarchist-run radical bookstore that sells books on everything from
feminism, anarchist theory, anti-fascism, labor, queer theory, prisons, and animal
rights/vegetarianism. The wide collection of ideas is very inspiring to methis is
what Ive been longing for since I was sixteen! In the article The American Left
Should Support Animal Rights: A Manifesto, the authors oer hope:
More and more, individuals are abandoning the bloated national organizations and
establishing small grassroots groups all across America. These groups are political, and their politics
are generally those of the left. They have come to understand that the movement must return to
its radical roots and recruit people who must work for a living into its ranks. They have come to
understand that a revolution such as the one we contemplate cannot be imposed from the top down,
but must come from the bottom up (1).
If we want to strive ahead and make actual social change, we need to stop
bashing our fellow activist-recruits and focus on our similarities. We need to ban
together as a collective unitsure, we have some dierences, but they dont
overshadow the fact that we want a world based on equality, justice, rights, and peace.
We need to make connections rather than fall victim to the Big Drift.
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