Language contains ideology. The labeling of the butchered flesh of a pig as 'pork' or that of a cow as 'beef' reduces pigs and cows to 'meat' – a consumable product – and in turn conditions us to overlook their moral worth. Resultantly, our language promotes the unthinking objectification of nonhuman bodies.
LOUIS GOUGH: Language is the primary tool through which we express ourselves – our emotions, our thoughts, our interpretations of reality. Yet the language available to us influences what we can express and, more fundamentally, what we can think.
For example, the level of moral consideration granted to nonhuman animals is typically determined by the assumed strength of their subjective experience – that is, their assumed degree of sentience. However, those labelled “food animals” are impulsively deemed less subjectively aware, less able to experience pain, and less morally significant. Researchers conclude that this labeling influences what we think, with the finding holding true regardless of whether the research participants consumer the species in question or not.
In this way, language contains ideology. The labeling of the butchered flesh of a pig as “pork” or that of a cow as “beef” reduces pigs and cows to “meat” – a consumable product – and in turn conditions us to overlook their moral worth… Resultantly, our language promotes the unthinking objectification of nonhuman bodies…
By doing so, we are overlooking the individuality of cows – their personalities, preferences, relationships, their sentience – and as a result we contribute to the acceptance of their objectification as commercial products in the first place.
The conventional terms available in a particular society both reflect and perpetuate the conventional views of said society. And the conventional view in Western society is that of “anthropocentrism” – or, “speciesism” – which perceives humanity to be separate and superior to other animals. Why else would being called an “animal” be offensive?…
To view reality through the conceptual lens of anthropocentrism is to be blind to the immeasurable complexity of the world, the unfathomable individuality of other-than-human subjective experiences, and ultimately to be deluded by our own arrogance and ignorance…
Existing vegans will know through experience that rejecting nonhuman animal exploitation has a significant impact on the way we understand and speak about other animals and the “products” made from them. “Meat,” “leather,” and “fur” become the severed flesh and skins of abused captives; “dairy” becomes stolen nourishment denied to a baby; “eggs” the result of unrelenting exploitation of female anatomy… Instead of “livestock,” “wildlife,” “pests,” or “rodents,” nonhuman animals become fellow earthlings, kin, companions, and awe-inspiring co-inhabitants with an equal right to the land, life, and autonomy…
Becoming aware of the ideology contained within our language can only expand our awareness, it can only remove blinkers and thus broaden our perspectives beyond the conventional perspective pushed upon us. By refusing to overlook the individuality of other animals, we can appreciate more fully the wondrous complexity of all life on this planet and our humble position within it. SOURCE…
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