In previous blog entries I have written about (animal) person hood and the risk associated therewith. Most recently I stumbled upon the works of photograph Jo Anne McArthur or at least as it is described in
freefromharm.org You can read the article here. I will however quote a part of the article for the purposes of the article in this blog:
Can you imagine creating a strong emotional bond with an animal to the point where it becomes counterproductive to the very aims of the enterprise because you consider the animal as an individual? Can one actually afford to walk that path? Yes probably but then for a very short period of time and then concluding that what you are about to undertake is absolutely necessary. That the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Asking for person hood is the beginning of the end for both industries and probably much more.
Most of us go to the grocery store to purchase food such as meat, eggs, dairy products, bread, fruits and vegetables. Likewise for drugs at the drug store. We did not have to do a single thing, except for earning money, to take advantage of these benefits. Actually we take them for granted. I did not have to raise an animal, take care of its health, grow it up to an adult stage, provide it with food and shelter, slaughter it, remove its intestines, cut it into pieces etc. And the same stands for all of our other food habits, the medications we take and so many other things we enjoy on a daily basis. Most of us wouldn't even know nor have the most basics skills it takes to be able to do these things I just mentioned.
I actually happen to agree with the web site's title 'free from harm'. May we humans be free from the harm that these people call upon us with the greatest sense of conviction and rightfulness! I for one will blissfully ignore them, go to my supermarket to buy my steak and take my animal tested pills. May those involved in or with animal use industries be free from harm and harassment such as this and this.
freefromharm.org You can read the article here. I will however quote a part of the article for the purposes of the article in this blog:
I happened to have worked in or with at least two domains where animal use and breeding prevail, namely agriculture and life science research for medical advancement. From as far as I can tell there is no one in either industry that takes pleasure in exposing animals to painful procedures. That doesn't take away the fact that it remains necessary.the really important theme running through the We Animals project: Each individual animal that McArthur encounters and photographs on her journeys is a someone rather than a something. That may seem like a matter of semantics to some, but the difference is truly a paradigm shift in our relationship with other species. A something is to us an object. But a someone is a person, an individual. The beauty and genius behind McArthur’s work is how she portrays animals in our society that have been objectified to show that actually they are individuals whose individuality has simply been erased from our consciousness. Her images compel us to reconnect to who they truly are—individuals.
Can you imagine creating a strong emotional bond with an animal to the point where it becomes counterproductive to the very aims of the enterprise because you consider the animal as an individual? Can one actually afford to walk that path? Yes probably but then for a very short period of time and then concluding that what you are about to undertake is absolutely necessary. That the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Asking for person hood is the beginning of the end for both industries and probably much more.
Most of us go to the grocery store to purchase food such as meat, eggs, dairy products, bread, fruits and vegetables. Likewise for drugs at the drug store. We did not have to do a single thing, except for earning money, to take advantage of these benefits. Actually we take them for granted. I did not have to raise an animal, take care of its health, grow it up to an adult stage, provide it with food and shelter, slaughter it, remove its intestines, cut it into pieces etc. And the same stands for all of our other food habits, the medications we take and so many other things we enjoy on a daily basis. Most of us wouldn't even know nor have the most basics skills it takes to be able to do these things I just mentioned.
I actually happen to agree with the web site's title 'free from harm'. May we humans be free from the harm that these people call upon us with the greatest sense of conviction and rightfulness! I for one will blissfully ignore them, go to my supermarket to buy my steak and take my animal tested pills. May those involved in or with animal use industries be free from harm and harassment such as this and this.
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