Are We Leaving the Individual Behind?: The role of ‘animal storytelling’ in the animal rights movement
Animal storytelling is an outreach technique that addresses the harm done to animals by industries on a personal level. It revolves around sharing the story of a specific, named animal (a victim), as part of the global movement to recognize animal personhood. Studies have shown people undervalue the scale of a problem when presented with statistics. Showing individuals turns numbers into faces. My Octopus Teacher is an interesting example. The Dodo is based on telling stories about animals, usually those that were rescued. Organizations such as DxE have been able to tell stories of farmed animals, such as that of Lily and Lizzie, the pigs they rescued. The animal rights movement is currently a story-less movement, and we should strive to make it a story-full one.
RONEN BAR: The identifiable victim effect is a psychological phenomenon that describes how people are more likely to offer help or feel empathy when presented with a specific, identifiable individual in need, rather than a larger, anonymous group. When victims are given names, faces, or personal stories, it becomes easier for them to relate…
Animal storytelling is a narrative approach (or outreach technique) that addresses the harm done to animals by industries on a personal level. It revolves around sharing the story of a specific, named animal (a victim), as part of the global movement to recognize animal personhood…
Studies have shown that this is also the case for farmed animals, and that this effect can be limited to a single-identifiable victim (i.e., the singularity effect, the phenomenon where people are more motivated to help a single victim than a group of victims, even when the group is small). Identifying a victim can be seen as a solution to scope insensitivity; people undervalue the scale of a problem when presented with statistics. That insight is the basis of storytelling—showing individuals turns numbers into faces, which forms the foundation of how the media tell stories and how the educational system approaches learning…
The depersonalization of individuals is evident not only in the lack of stories but also in the way we talk about animals in large numbers. This is quite apparent when thinking about environmental terminology, which often highlights the insentient (e.g., trees and rivers) and hides the sentient (e.g., monkeys and squirrels)…
When individual stories of animals are told, they seem to have a significant effect. My Octopus Teacher is an interesting example; the most amazing thing about it is that nothing dramatic happens in this movie—nothing that you wouldn’t expect, no twist. Just a guy coming back again and again to visit the same individual animal. The Dodo is based on telling stories about animals, usually those that were rescued, sometimes also farmed animals. Organizations such as DXE have been able to tell stories of farmed animals, such as that of Lily and Lizzie, the pigs they rescued. However, when I look at our movement as a whole, this individual focused strategy seems quite uncommon. Animal Think Tank’s messaging guide also includes the need to tell the stories of individuals (like Esther the Wonder Pig)…
The depersonalization of individuals is evident not only in the lack of stories but also in the way we talk about animals in large numbers. This is quite apparent when thinking about environmental terminology, which often highlights the insentient (e.g., trees and rivers) and hides the sentient (e.g., monkeys and squirrels)…
Even animal rights activists say things like “the meat industry is causing deforestation,” but they almost never say “the meat industry is killing monkeys and squirrels.” Who are the animals that had their homes burned to “free” space for cow grazing? What did they like? Who did they love? How were they like?…
The mass extermination of wild animals has no face, no story, hidden behind concepts like environmental destruction and climate crisis. More than 300 million monkeys lost their lives from deforestation in the 90s in a massive primate genocide. The term “wild animal genocide” focuses on the tragedy of the mass of individuals, highlighting them, unlike a term such as “habitat loss,” which obscures them…
Another way to approach animal storytelling is through undercover investigations. Sentient, the non-profit I manage, created a tool that enables advocates to bear witness to animals, usually during their last day alive, via the “Camera On Animal” tool—a small, camouflaged cellular camera affixed to the backs of animals, allowing for a more nuanced look at their experiences…
One of these stories is the story of Tom. Tom was calf number 4702. I followed him for seven hours with a tiny camera attached to his body. Unlike other animals, who often appear fearful with heads down, Tom is notably curious and self-assured; his head is always held high. He playfully swings his tail and brushes his back, occasionally obscuring the camera… Through live cameras placed on animals during their last day alive, we saw many animals—cows, sheep, and pigs—putting their heads on each other, perhaps finding comfort in doing so…
The animal rights movement is currently a story-less movement, and we should strive to make it a story-full one. We should put the spotlight on individual animals… Storytelling by activists across different parts of the world will create iconic, canonical stories of individual victims—whether from factory farming or wild animal genocide—that will gain widespread attention and help change the discourse about human-animal relationships. SOURCE…
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