{"id":778019,"date":"2025-04-08T10:23:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T14:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=778019"},"modified":"2025-04-08T11:25:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T15:25:38","slug":"human-supremacism-why-are-animal-rights-activists-still-the-orphans-of-the-left-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=778019","title":{"rendered":"Human Supremacism: Why are animal rights activists still the \u201corphans of the left\u201d?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Proponents of various social justice movements routinely express support for each other, but animal rights groups remain outside this circle of progressive solidarity. Part of the explanation is simple self-interest and inertia. There is, however, something deeper than self-interest and moral disengagement at work in the left\u2019s resistance to animal rights. A central philosophical pillar of left politics is 'humanism', the idea that humans are superior to animals. Embracing animal rights not only challenges people\u2019s identities and lifestyles, but also humanism. This is why animal rights activists have remained orphans of the left.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\n

WILL KYMLICKA:<\/strong> Proponents of various social justice movements routinely express support for each other \u2013 feminist organisations often show support for Black Lives Matter, or for immigrant rights, or gay rights \u2013 but animal rights groups remain outside this circle of progressive solidarity. As Aim\u00e9e Dowl notes, \u201cNone of the major feminist organisations in the United States devotes committee or internet space to or has polices dealing with animal rights issues\u201d. Indeed, as John Sanbonmatsu indicates, \u201cThe left with few exceptions has historically viewed human violence towards other beings with indifference.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This indifference has been a source of frustration and puzzlement to many animal rights activists. Part of the explanation is simple self-interest and inertia. The instrumentalisation of animals in our society makes possible a steady flow of pleasures \u2013 often very intimate pleasures relating to what we eat and wear \u2013 that are central to people\u2019s identity. So even when people realise that the treatment of animals in our society is morally suspect, they employ various techniques of \u201cmoral disengagement\u201d to look away from the issue.<\/em><\/p>\n

There is, however, something deeper than self-interest and moral disengagement at work in the left\u2019s resistance to animal rights. Embracing animal rights would challenge not only people\u2019s identities and lifestyles, but also a central philosophical pillar of left politics: its \u201chumanism\u201d… Humanism here is the idea that the value of humanity consists precisely in its difference from animality. It is because we are different from, and superior to, animals that we have inherent worth and are owed basic rights… This is why animal rights activists have remained orphans of the left. SOURCE…<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED VIDEO:<\/strong><\/p>\n