The Right Kind of Activism: How chasing the single best strategy leaves the movement brittle
The Right Kind of Activism: How chasing the single best strategy leaves the movement brittle
Instead of a monoculture movement, we should be promoting a variety of theories of change that work under different conditions. Rather than competing with each other to prove who’s right and pick up volunteers, we can see ourselves as an ecosystem. Every organization has their strategy and our strategies complement each other. The more distinct the strategies, the better: a bunch of variants on street outreach is much less diverse than a group doing street outreach, another making social media content, and a third running grassroots protests. No matter what turns out to be effective, we’ll already be investing in it. […]
WHAT ARE WE BECOMING?: The animal protection movement needs a new question
WHAT ARE WE BECOMING?: The animal protection movement needs a new question
A person who has genuinely reckoned with what industrial civilization does to animals, and chosen to act differently, to whatever extent, is not merely kinder to animals. They are a more morally developed person, one who has extended the habits of empathy and honesty beyond the boundaries that convenience would draw. A civilization that extends genuine moral consideration to other species is not merely more compassionate. It is more fully human. EMMA SLAWINSKI: There’s a question worth asking at the end of conversations about animal protection, when the arguments have been made and the positions staked out: What do you think […]
‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’: New film has a talking octopus and a lot of heart
‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’: New film has a talking octopus and a lot of heart
The film ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ is the story of a widow who works at a local aquarium and finds joy again when she forms unlikely bonds with a giant Pacific octopus and a wayward young man who comes to town in search of family. Together, they uncover a mystery that will lead them to a life-changing discovery and restore their sense of wonder. TARA BENNETT: Not every bestselling novel should be made into a movie, because what works on the page doesn’t always translate to the screen. Take Shelby Van Pelt’s 2022 novel Remarkably Bright Creatures, which inherently has a high […]
