Blogversation Series - Animal Advocacy Strategies - Bruce Freidrich's Statement

Bruce Friedrich, Vice President of PETA: I believe that animal activism should involve applying the golden rule across the species barrier, asking ourselves this question: f I were a calf in a crate or a hen being starved for two weeks or crammed into a battery cage, how would I want a human animal rights activist to behave?

Kim:

I never understood the argument that you can't or shouldn't advocate simultaneously for improved conditions while pursuing abolition. Of course if a loved one was imprisoned, for instance, you would do everything in your power to advocate for their best possible treatment while in captivity, while you work for their release. The individual animals only want relief from their current situation, without concern for the status of all other animals under human exploitation - now or into the future. Failing to address their current suffering - under the guise of some strategic theory that may or may not lead to abolition - pretty much guarantees their continuing suffering in the near future.

As I've said before, I feel that demanding the reformation of current practices serves to shift attitudes, which will be necessary to achieve abolition. If the animals actually benefit from the reforms in the near future that would be a bonus. But it's not the only reason that we should pursue the reforms, which is an element that is often overlooked. Every welfare campaign that manages to infiltrate the public consciousness plants a seed of awareness and self-examination that allows vegan advocacy to be effective.


Gary:

Bruce asks us to follow the Golden Rule - to consider the plight of the inevitable animal prisoners of institutionalized oppression, who are fated to be killed, and try to at least relieve their suffering. The desire to suffer less is urgent, intense, and compelling.

One criticism of helping victims now is that if we reduce the severity of their suffering, the public will "feel better" about exploiting them. So - to paraphrase pattrice jones - let's not limit our consideration of possible strategies to either helping current victims or abolishing the institutions that commit the atrocities. Let's set our sights higher, and use our collective brainpower and creativity to devise ways and take actions to provide relief to animals now and in the forseeable future, and break down exploitiative habits and institutions, and sell the vegan solution as compellingly as possible.

For example, there's no reason why every welfare campaign can't include links to vegan recipes and health information, and be accompanied by frank talk about how killing for pleasure violates basic, widely-shared moral codes and how ending such exploitation has enormous possibilities for peace, harmony, health, and a much cleaner world.

(On a tangential note, I understand that the latest HSUS undercover investigation has resulted in a flood of emails to the group from people pledging to reduce or eliminate their meat and/or dairy intake. Let's capitalize on this spike of concern for farmed animals and newfound interest in vegetarianism, to inform the public that cruelty is pervasive throughout the meat, dairy, and egg industries, and then show them the "way out.")