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By Jon Hochschartner
Recently I’ve offered what I see to be mild criticism of excesses in the application of intersectionality in the animal rights movement. For this, people have made various negative insinuations about my character, dug into my writing — dating back to college — in search of problematic material, and had my writing removed from publications where it was scheduled to appear. Most recently, I had a column bumped from the Earth First! Journal.
Here’s a little background. On August 23, an article of mine was posted on the North American Animal Liberation Press Office website. In the text, I used the backlash against anti-speciesist writer Will Potter, who offered tepid critique of a particular Black Lives Matter action, as an example of intersectionality run amok. Following reports of protestors at the Ferguson anniversary protests carrying a pig’s head, Potter tweeted, “Violent cops aren’t ‘pigs.’ Pigs are intelligent and compassionate. Not props for media stunts.” Another relatively high-profile anti-speciesist immediately took Potter to task for this, suggesting Potter was ‘tone policing’ the Black Lives Matter movement and racist for doing so. After recounting this chain of events, which are all too common on social media, I compared the calling out of Potter to the “you’re-either-with-us-or-against-us” logic that leftists justifiably lampooned when it was invoked by the likes of George W. Bush. I pointed out one could support a struggle while offering criticism, which shouldn’t have to be said but apparently does.
I can only reiterate what I’ve said previously. I support intersectionality. So far as anyone knows me in the animal-rights movement, it’s for my articles seeking dialogue with the socialist left. But for a certain segment of intersectional animalists, it seems intersectionality only goes one way, with anti-speciesist writers and activists gaining recognition primarily based on the degree to which they minimize animal issues in the face of human ones, and criticize others for doing so inadequately. This doesn’t help animals. And if we truly believe the premise of intersectionality, that all oppression and exploitation is connected, it doesn’t help humans. It’s posturing. Let’s do our part as anti-speciesists and make sure animals get a place on the leftist agenda. Because no one else will but us.
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1 comment
In a judeo.christian nation human rights do not intersect with animal liberation. They exist on two separate planes… With the hierarchy created by dominion, human rights are always on a higher level than animal rights, even the right to remain free from slaughter.
Animal liberation takes strange turns when linked to human politics – Hardline leftist heroes such as derrick jensen see hunting as the solution to factory farms. I have confronted hard line picketing leftists who when questioned about animal rights, tell me with great fury that human rights come first, as if I were trying to overturn the mission.
The artificial construct of intersectionality, linking the left to an animal rights agenda along with a human rights agenda, is forced and makes little sense within the construct of biblical dominion in a largely Christian nation:
Genesis 9:1-3 “The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.'”
Human rights are defended by the left, but it does not follow that animal rights are, at least not in a judeo.christian culture.
If we insist on intersectionality, then one must acknowledge that in India it is the most conservation elements of society that regularly favors animal rights… including recent bans on cow slaughter in the state of Maharashtra and the banning of all slaughter in the city of Palitana, Gujarat, home to many sacred jain temples. On the other hand, it is the liberals seeking to emulate the west and the left who consistently see meat consumption as positive. What then are we to make of this correlation?
The only way to end animal suffering is to opt out of the judeo.christian tradition, where the genesis mandate legitimizes violence to animals. One of my readers, acknowledged as much…
Ruth, you don’t have to sell me. That’s why I’m not Christian. I practice yoga, lean to the Dalai Lama and practice loving kindness.
Would love to go and preferably volunteer at the SOS sanctuary in India. India is a spiritual home to me. Connected to the land.
Namaste,
It is the value of AHIMSA which opens the door to compassion, which is not a function of political persuasion, but a deep seeded belief in reverence for life.