#gimme a soapbox motherfucker ive always got a speech prepared

[rhysintherain]

humans can only clothe themselves with animal organs! dogs are only socially fulfilled by humans! im very smart!

You don't appear to be, but I guess everyone's entitled to their (idiot) opinions...

Anyway, this gives me a good excuse to summarise why I have a problem with animal rights movements, namely the fact that they have absolutely no respect for humans.

You clowns feel like it's morally correct to troll people on the internet because we disagree with you (you obviously know it's not, otherwise why hide your username?) You think bullying, marginalising, and threatening violence against people is okay if it means you prove your point, even in the face of mountains of evidence that demonstrates how wrong you are.

The people who advocate for an end to all forms of animal 'exploitation', by and large, aren't people who interact with animals on a daily basis. They're not people who are directly involved in the care of farm animals, the protection of wildlife, or the training and breeding of pets. They're not people who have ever hunted grouse, butchered a pig, or tanned a moose hide. That level of removal from interspecies relationships leads to a lot of unrealistic and absolutely false beliefs about animals and how we engage with them.

Take the people who claim you grind up bees to get honey, or who believe shearing a sheep and skinning a sheep are the same thing (with wasn't a fringe idea, that was put forward by PETA). It's easy to prove these extreme examples false, but lots of people still believe them. How many other things do you not understand about animals because you've never been close enough to them to learn? How many more lies is your cause selling you to gain support, that you don't know better than to believe?

And what's the best way to drum up unquestioning support from people who don't know better? You make them angry.

That unjustified rage, fuelled by pictures of cute baby animals and graphic gore, is usually directed at people who are already marginalised.

I've heard animal rights extremists suggest that independent farmers (my family included) should be sentenced to life in prison for owning and managing livestock.

I've read articles flippantly suggesting that Inuit communities above the arctic circle, living below the poverty line, should be forced to ship vegetables thousands of kilometers (using fossil fuels) at great expense, because their health and ability to afford basic necessities is less important than the lives of a few sustainably hunted seals.

I've watched protesters screaming slurs hold signs that called for Indigenous people to be hunted for sport over a legal, humanely undertaken, and culturally vital whale hunt. That hunt was postponed several times, because extremists (who claimed they were there to preserve life) tried to capsize sea canoes full of people.

It takes almost nothing to push the animal rights movement to violent racism, class warfare, and abuses of human rights. Where does that hatred come from? How can you care about any kind of life when you meet the concerns of human beings who tell you you're hurting them with dehumanising mental gymnastics and vicious attacks?

So why should I indulge this bullshit? Why would I trust the opinions of people who who have no experience with animals over my own lived experience? Why would I care what your lot think, when you'd happily let people I care about die to uphold your faulty belief that humans are somehow better than nature and can opt out of our relationships with other species on a whim?

If anyone wants sources they can ask for them off anon. Otherwise google it like a big kid. It takes literally 30 seconds to verify that animal rights extremists do more harm (to people and animals) than good.