Vystopic feelings are exacerbated when sharing disturbing images to educate others about the plights of animals and the hidden atrocities of the meat and dairy industries.
P. ELIZABETH ANDERSON: Global attention has only recently turned to the mental and emotional toll caused by the rampant spread of the novel coronavirus. COVID-19 is mandating many social restrictions, and the longer that humans worldwide are required to isolate and avoid physical contact, the greater the toll on mental health. Reports of emotional problems, contributing to divorce, domestic abuse, anxiety, and depression are beginning to emerge in the media. Immediate and fundamental survival is paramount, but an additional challenge for some people is to survive the pandemic in situations that already threatened their personal safety and mental health.
As we collectively consider individual human challenges to immediate and long-term survival, it is vital to acknowledge that mental health for some people is adversely affected by the knowledge that animals suffer egregiously at the hands of humans—and not just during large-scale disasters. These people despair because they feel surrounded by so many others who accept animal cruelty, specieism, and exploitation as the normal way of life.
Australian psychologist Clare Mann, based on her research and clinical experience, coined the term “vystopia” — vegan dystopia — to describe the emotional state that these feelings cause. Mann realized that many of her vegan clients had similar symptoms including grief, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. She asserts that these symptoms are directly related to their knowledge of animal suffering, which they feel powerless to alleviate. She explains that her clients’ feelings are the result of becoming aware of “the nature and extent of society’s systematized animal abuse”…
Vystopic feelings are exacerbated by the pervasiveness of images of slaughter and maltreatment of farmed animals. Those of us seeking to improve animals’ lives frequently face these images as we work to inform others about the plights of animals; we share disturbing images to educate others about the hidden atrocities of the meat and dairy industries, the egregious maltreatment of horses, and the desecration of wildlife and their habitats, among other animal-related injustices.
Facing these images, and the truths behind them, is difficult in the best of circumstances. Some activists ultimately discontinue their advocacy because of the inherent distress… Maintaining strong mental health is challenging during this pandemic; those of us dedicated to improving animals’ lives have an added layer of concerns, but we must each stay the course. Never has the cry of the voiceless been so loud. Animals need us now more than ever. SOURCE…
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