Anti-speciesism: “Thinking that animals are inferior and we can use them solely because they were born with features such as fur or feathers instead of human skin is an irrational and unfair prejudice towards other species, known as speciesism. Speciesism overlooks our sameness – sentience – and as with racism and sexism, those without power suffer so that someone else can gain.”  Quoted from this article. This article is interesting even though it doesn’t use the word speciesism.

Vision: Please picture this with me…

Anti-speciesmism is a value we live out in gentle ways.  For example, if someone uses a saying or word that is demeaning to animals, we lovingly encourage the person to observe their action–either on the spot, or later. Since we use communication tools such as nonviolent communication where we do our best to connect with each other rather than criticize or put down, this becomes a lovely opportunity to use our tool.

We’ve also come up with a funny phrase to say if someone makes a spiciest comment. We easily laugh at ourselves because sometimes the tragedy of how we were brought up and are surrounded by a spaciest society just hurts too much.

We have special gatherings where we focus on appreciating non-human animals– those in our midst,  ones we know personally, and ones we have heard about.  We tell stories to celebrate non-human animals, and immerse ourselves in the idea that non-human animals can be smarter, more loving, and creative than people. We are learning to acquire the best qualities of non-human animals as we look at them with eyes of attentiveness and focus.

Visualizing a world where humans and non-human animals is really helpful. We also write books, plays, do skits, children’s stories, and paint pictures about the amazing qualities of non-human animals in order to share this gift of knowing with others.

In our outreach, we have found the most amazing ways of introducing speciesism to people by showing them without a doubt that their beloved pet has the same feelings as pigs, cows and chickens. Now, with our technique, people are seeing eating meat as the same as eating their favorite pet! Our focus on this project has yielded millions of converts to veganism.

As we continue to educate ourselves and immerse ourselves in a culture where all animals are cherished, and extend that to plants, trees, rocks and insects, we treat each other with even more tenderness. We are learning to see all beings as equally valuable, and this helps us greatly as we put forth our message of healthy values based community which is spreading like wildfire.

Resources:

Anti-speciesism Website: Their goal is: The end of discrimination against other species. Another quote that is powerful is, “The question is not, “Can they reason? nor Can they talk? but Can they suffer?” Jeremy Bentham. I appreciate the couple who started the website when they state, “Some vegetarians and vegans adopt a holier than thou attitude and look down on “less enlightened” people. We find this attitude to be elitist, exclusive, extremist and as a matter of fact it is even speciesist. There was a time when we weren’t vegan, so we know that we’re not perfect, therefore we don’t expect perfection in others. In addition, it’s easier to discuss things with people if you keep it friendly.”Jer

Should Animal Advocates Focus On Anti-speciesism, Not Veganism: I am not convinced that this statement and the premise of this article is true, but at the same time, this article covers aspects of anti-speciesim very thorough. This kind of question can be discussed on our community.  Read the article here. 

Video: This two minute video helps define speciesism and might turn many into vegans.

Racism comes from speciesism?
“From thirty years as a full-time animal advocate and long study of connections between abuse of nonhuman animals and human misery, I think there is a root cause of racism that must be addressed, and it isn’t just inveterate racists perpetuating hatred and invidious distinctions. Rather, the Animal-Abuse Revolution1, animal-abuse culture, and speciesist ideologies generated to rationalize them preceded and laid the mental groundwork for racism.” Check this article out.

 

My story:

When I first heard and understood the word anti-speciesist in 2018, about a year ago from this writing on Sept. 17, 2019, I immediately resonated with the concept because of my experience at age 17, in 1972.

I was watching the television program Lassie which is about a dog and the boy Timmy who is intelligent, intuitive, heroic and always helping people and other animals.  All of a sudden a lightbulb went off in my head. “Lassie is kind and innocent. Cows are, too. The majority of humans are not near as kind and innocent as a lot of dogs and cows. I don’t eat humans–who are not kind and innocent–so I definitely should not eat animals, who are kind and innocent.

Maybe it helped that I had a gift for logic in order to come to this conclusion. Logic was my easiest class in college and I got an A+. Perhaps my disillusionment with people was becoming stronger. My sister, who I loved to emulate, was a vegetarian. The consciousness of nonviolence in 1972 was spreading.

I was reluctant to give up fish and other seafood entirely, until a year later when I realized that there is a possibility that these animals suffer as well. I couldn’t take any chances.

If I had known how cows and chickens suffering in the dairy and egg industry, I would have become vegan instead of vegetarian. Unfortunately, the favorite recipe book I found had tons of cheese in all the recipes.

About 3 years ago as of this writing, in 2016, I met a woman who talked about nature and how arrogant it is for humans to think we are better than nature, which includes animals. Her words struck a chord in me. Somehow I had not made the connection that not only should I not eat innocent animals, but should realize that animals are equal or better than humans in so many ways. This lead me into the field of being a passionate animal rights activist.

Now, I realize that the best way I can embody the value of anti-speciesism is to live in a community that upholds that value, and find ways to share this concept that are truly effective. The other possibility is that we can adopt ways that others have found to work.

When I watched this episode of Lassie, just now, I noticed a lot of speciesism.  I also felt concerned about how animals may have been mistreated in the making of the show. However, the memory of watching Lassie came back to me and I felt appreciative of Lassie, and this show’s contribution to my life.