As an animal activist who tries very hard not to rub my beliefs in peoples' faces, I'm sick and tired of the entire group of us being referred to as "radicals" by the media. When the media refers to us this way, it becomes very easy to write the entire movement off instead of giving our opinion a chance. I'm aware that PETA and groups like them are in large part responsible for this point of view, (because apparently throwing paint on a fur coat is more shocking than skinning an animal alive to make it) but when it comes down to it, what is it that we're doing that's so radical? From talking to people who don't share my views on animal rights, it seems to me that most of these people think we're so radical because to them it's radical to even compare animals to humans in the first place. In fact, some people will tell you that they're down right offended at any type of comparison of human suffering to animals at all.
An example of this occurred in light of the tragic Norway slayings of 2012, where singer Morrissey made a comment that "although these killings were tragic, that they were nothing in comparison to the murders of millions of animals by fast-food chains". Now of course, to call the murders of children "nothing" is a bit much, but why exactly was everyone so offended by this? Would there have been the same reaction if he had compared the Norway attacks with the millions of innocent children slain in the Middle East? No, because it's offensive to even suggest that the suffering of animals is in the same league as the suffering of humans, even if that suffering dwarfs that of humans in sheer numbers alone. Another reason this issue was so blown out of proportion was because every article reporting on it names him a radical right off the bat, painting him into some sort of cartoon character instead of a human being who may have a valid point.
What people choose not to acknowledge is that maybe we are so sure that animals don't feel as much as we do simply because we can't relate to their suffering as we can to that of our own species. Luckily, as society progresses, more and more people are opening their eyes to the sentience of animals. It wasn't too long ago after all that most people believed that animals could not feel pain, but anyone who understands science now understands that this wouldn't make any sense, or they must, considering that people are now spending thousands of dollars on their own pets to prevent them from feeling the pain that 100 years ago wouldn't have been acknowledged.
So what can we do? We can speak up for ourselves as average, every day human beings who understand that we are not the only living thing on this earth deserving of happiness simply because we were born this way. People relate best to other people, and we can use this to our advantage. Do not be a caricature. Ask questions and see if the answers you receive make logical sense. Do not be accusatory. Do not be spiteful. Just be human, for the animals.
