The idea that immigrants from non-Western backgrounds consume companion animals is not merely a cultural misunderstanding, it is a narrative deployed to dehumanize and marginalize those communities. It is deeply rooted in both racist and speciesist histories, and continues to reveal underlying prejudices that have long shaped societal attitudes towards both people and animals.
JESSICA SCOTT-REID: It was a moment in history that overshadowed the rest of the night. As we all know by now, during the recent 2024 U.S. presidential debate, Republican nominee Donald Trump claimed that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating pets, namely dogs and cats. The moment went viral, becoming arguably the most talked about soundbite of the evening… But why did this clear misinformation take such a strong hold of news cycle and social media threads? The answer lies in a deep history of racism, and a legacy of using animals and food as a means to create and maintain social divisions and hierarchies.
In many Western cultures, companion animals such as dogs and cats are typically seen as family members; eating them is viewed as abhorrent. Conversely, the consumption of other animals — cows, pigs, chickens — occurs en-masse and goes largely unquestioned.
This division of some animals as acceptable for consumption and others as unfit, immoral or even unclean, reflects both racist and speciesist hierarchies in our society. Speciesism is generally defined as discrimination or prejudice against individuals based on their species, supporting the belief that humans are superior to other animals, and that some animals are more worthy of protection from harm than others. This prejudice is generally based on arbitrary criteria – not unlike racism.
The practice of condemning non-white people for eating foods that are deemed by the majority of Western society as culturally inappropriate is nothing new. Dating back at least as far as colonialism, today’s racist pet-eating misinformation is rooted in narratives that position racially and ethnically marginalized communities as inferior and immoral.
Today, the idea that immigrants, particularly those from non-Western backgrounds, consume companion animals is not merely a cultural misunderstanding — it is a narrative deployed to dehumanize and marginalize those communities. It is deeply rooted in both racist and speciesist histories, and continues to reveal underlying prejudices that have long shaped societal attitudes towards both people and animals…
The goal in spreading such stereotypes, Anita Mannur, director of American University’s Asia, Pacific and Diaspora Studies program and other experts told The Washington Post, “is to portray newcomers as unfit for American society or invoke disgust toward them.” And one of the ways to “vilify Asian Americans” Mannur said, “was to cast them as ‘other’ through these imagined eating habits: that they were supposedly eaters of cats or dogs or rats”…
The viral claim that immigrants are consuming pets exposes more than just a moment of TV sensationalism; it unveils a persistent narrative rooted in centuries of racism and speciesism. This trope is so woven into the fabric of American history that it serves as a stark reminder of how easily misinformation can take hold, especially when it feeds into existing stereotypes and prejudices. SOURCE…
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