When Progress Misleads: The hidden baseline problem in animal advocacy
When Progress Misleads: The hidden baseline problem in animal advocacy
Animal advocacy has undergone a remarkable transformation. What began in the 1970s as a largely grassroots movement grounded in moral persuasion has evolved into a highly professionalized sector, with sophisticated legal strategies, measurable outcomes, and significant institutional funding. By many conventional measures, this trajectory represents success. And yet, during the same period, the scale of harm has expanded dramatically. In the U.S. alone, roughly 9-10 billion land animals are slaughtered each year, the overwhelming majority raised in industrial systems. When institutions claim their work ‘benefits animals’ or advances ‘liberation’, what baseline are they using to measure that impact? LAProgressive: Earlier […]
Wayne Hsiung: They attacked a disabled grandma; here’s how we can make it backfire
Wayne Hsiung: They attacked a disabled grandma; here’s how we can make it backfire
Repression can feel terrifying and insurmountable. And that is precisely its goal: to scare people into inaction. But one of the secrets to successful social movement is that there is a way to make repression backfire. Indeed, from the Civil Rights Movement to Occupy Wall Street, effective movements have harnessed repression to bring attention to the injustice of a system. In these cases and others through history, it was the repression and not the activism directly that led to transformative change. We can do the same for animal rights if we keep these four things in mind as we confront […]
‘Free the Dogs’: Animal rights activists take protests over Ridglan Farms beagles to state Capitol
‘Free the Dogs’: Animal rights activists take protests over Ridglan Farms beagles to state Capitol
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the WisconsiCapitol building to ask the governor and state lawmakers to take notice of the situation at Ridglan Farms and force the release of the remaining 1,900 beagles in the facility. Activist Aidan Kankyoku said the governor needs to get involved. ‘This is a huge, unhinged situation right on Governor Evers’ doorstep, 30 minutes from the state Capitol. He needs to address this. He needs to break his silence’. MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL: Shouts of “free the dogs” rang out through the state Capitol on April 20 as protesters advocating on behalf of beagles at a […]
