Speciesism
What is speciesism?
Have you ever wondered how someone can be moved to tears by a news story about an abused dog, but not be affected by eating a bucket of chicken wings that caused several birds to suffer and die? And why some people think it's okay to eat pigs, but that it's grotesque to eat dogs?
The reason for this is speciesism. Speciesism is a misguided belief that one species is more important than another. You may be familiar with terms like racism and sexism, which discriminate on the basis of ethnicity or gender. Similarly, speciesism is the term for discrimination on the basis of species. Many people don't know they are speciesist because the thinking is deeply rooted in our society - but speciesism has many negative consequences.
How speciesism affects us
From a young age, most humans are conditioned to regard certain species as worthy of care and compassion and others as unworthy - all based on arbitrary human preferences. Consciously or unconsciously, parents, teachers, the media and other influences send children a message that puppies and kittens are "friends", cows and chickens are "food", and rats and mice are "pests". Most children are also taught that the wants, needs and interests of humans always trump the wants, needs and interests of all other species.
As a result, we learn to ignore our conscience, which tells us that it is wrong to mistreat others. We convince ourselves that we have the "right" to lock animals up in laboratories, experiment on them and kill them because it might help people. We tell ourselves it's okay to eat ice cream made from cow's milk because our desire for dessert outweighs a mother's right to nurse and care for her calf. That it's okay to steal sheep's wool for sweaters and scarves and duck feathers for pillows. That it is acceptable to keep orcas in barren tanks for profit and "entertainment", and that the pleasure we get from throwing a baited hook into the water to catch fish means more than the pain inflicted on them when they are pierced in the lip and moved into an environment where they cannot breathe. Humans use speciesism to try to justify every conceivable form of cruelty.
In his seminal book Animal Liberation, philosopher Peter Singer defines speciesism as "a prejudice or bias in favour of members of one's own species and against members of other species". But it is also speciesist to treat the life of one animal as more valuable than that of another. A particularly disturbing example of this is when animal shelters hold fundraisers to help dogs and cats by serving meat from cows, pigs or chickens. It makes as much sense as running over a kindergarten class on your way to volunteer at a senior centre.
What can we do?
All animals deserve equal attention, regardless of what humans think of them. Although most of us have been steeped in speciesism throughout our lives, we can - and must - overcome this destructive mindset.
We can start right now by changing the way we talk about other species. Animals are thinking and feeling creatures - so we shouldn't refer to them in the same way we refer to inanimate objects like old chairs or boots. Instead of calling an animal "it", use "he" or "she". And we can avoid using sayings that are derogatory to other species or make light of their suffering.
Rejecting speciesism also means looking objectively at our personal choices and changing those that harm animals. One of the best places to start is by expressing our disapproval of animal testing by only buying products that have not been tested on animals and by only donating to charities that never fund or carry out animal testing. Removing animal foods from our plates by going vegan is also fundamental, and Dyrenes Alliance has plenty of resources to help us - just sign up for our 22-day vegan challenge, VeganChallenge. When we start to see other species as compassionate beings and individuals, we won't want to exploit them for their skin, fur, down or wool, so we'll choose animal-free clothing, just as we'll entertain ourselves in humane ways instead of being patrons of circuses and zoos.
It's time to recognise that all sentient beings deserve to be treated with respect and compassion. We can reject speciesism and act with integrity and consistency towards all living beings, and the first step is to recognise that all animals have the right to live without being exploited by humans.
"If I could get everyone in the world to see one movie, I would get them to see EARTHLINGS."
- Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation
EARTHLINGS is a 2005 documentary about humanity's total dependence on animals for economic purposes. The film is divided into five chapters (pets, food, clothing, entertainment and scientific research) and is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, with music by Moby, and written, produced and directed by Shaun Monson.