By Kimberly Locke - KMBWolf@aol.com
Vandalism, harassment, death threats. More and more
people are associating these words with animal rights activism. And who
can blame them?
In Massachusetts, two young adults were arrested for
criminal harassment, extortion, and stalking. They allegedly threatened
to burn down the victim’s home, vandalized his home with red paint, and
threatened his life if he did not quit his job. The victim was the
mid-level manager for Marsh USA, an international insurance brokerage
firm believed to do business with Huntingdon Life Sciences.
In New Jersey, an animal rights activist was arrested
and charged with possession of an illegal weapon. She allegedly
threatened a rodeo representative with an electric prod.
The stories go on. And with such stories, society is
seeing animal rights activists as vandals, harassers, and even worse,
terrorists.
Is this how we want the animal rights movement to be
seen as? Acts of terrorism? Activists striving for animal rights are
[allegedly] threatening people, blowing up labs, and destroying
property. All this does is fuel society with hatred for animal rights
activists.
Animal rights activism is just that. Fighting for the
rights of animals. But don’t forget, humans are animals too.
Violence is not the way. Not at all. When we are
fighting for animal rights, we are ideally fighting for peace between
the human and non-human animals. That cannot be won with red paint,
explosives, or death threats. It can only be won with education and
compassion.
What we all must remember is that we as individuals
didn’t always know what we know now. Some of us became animal rights
activists earlier than others. Can you remember a time when you ate
meat, wore leather, fished, or squashed bugs? You weren’t stupid, or
hateful, or even evil. You were uneducated.
And that is what the rest of society is. Uneducated. How
many times have you heard people say "I didn’t know that!" when you tell
them about puppy mills, slaughterhouses, or fur ranches? We cannot get
mad at or hate people merely because they don’t know. It is far more
important to educate.
So what can we do? Here are just a few things that can
greatly help the animal rights movement:
-- Pass out informative flyers and brochures
-- Patiently and politely tell people why you don’t eat meat/wear fur/go
to circuses
-- Tell people that you don’t shop at certain stores because they sell
furs
-- Wear shirts, buttons, hats, etc with animal rights slogans
-- Inform family members and friends about the health hazards of meat,
and that you want them to become vegetarian so you will have them around
longer
-- Write letters to newspapers about upcoming events, like the circus or
rodeo
-- Send e-cards with animal rights slogans and messages, like those at
www.fund.org
-- Write to members of the government, telling about the horrors of
factory farms or pet mills
-- Carry fur-cards, cards with an anti-fur message, with you and leave
them at ATMs or on the bus
-- Tell people why you buy cruelty-free products
-- For gifts, bake vegan goodies, or make a cruelty-free baskets full of
lotions and soaps
-- At family gatherings, bring a vegan entrée that everyone can enjoy,
and be prepared to be asked for the recipe
-- Write to companies telling them why you won’t buy their products
until they stop animal testing
-- Start a petition
The pacifistic way is the only way we can succeed with
our cause. We are fighting to stop violence on animals. We cannot forget
that humans are animals, too.
Go on to Compassion
For Animals Action Symposium
Return to 29 December 2002 Issue
Return to Newsletters
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