In a world of information overload and attention spans measured in sound bites, it is increasingly difficult to discuss complex (aka “real”) issues in any serious way.Īnimal rightists don’t want us to see this side of nature. The frenetic pace of modern news cycles clearly favours sensationalism and emotions, the stuff of animal-activist campaigning. So what have I learned in more than 30 years of studying and sparring with the animal-rights movement? Here are 10 important lessons, most of which have implications far beyond the debate about fur.ġ. In that capacity I directed the industry’s “Fur Is Green” campaign and, more recently, the first full-fledged North American information program under the “Truth About Fur” banner. I had the opportunity to put theory into practice when I was asked to serve as executive vice-president of the Fur Council of Canada.
My message was that people working with animals should speak out about what they do, so the media and public can hear both (or, rather, the many) sides of these complex issues. I was invited to speak with cattle, chicken and hog producers, medical researchers, science teachers, and many others. Now, suddenly, I was thrust into a quickly escalating battle. While I was brought up in a Canadian fur manufacturing family, the emerging “animal rights” debate was only one story among many. Until then, my interests as a freelance writer had ranged widely, although curiosity about different people and cultures was often a unifying theme: from promoting the cause of Tibetan refugees to exploring the mystical world of Hassidic Jews. The publication of Second Nature changed my life. First published by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in 1985, this was the first serious critique – and is still one of the very few – of the animal-rights movement from an environmental and human-rights perspective. Thirty years! The other day I suddenly realised that this is the 30th anniversary of the publication my book Second Nature: The Animal-Rights Controversy.
This review seeks to introduce the major issues raised by the authors of the essays in Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? and to commend Best and Nocella for their valuable contribution to the body of animal rights theory and practice.The author (standing right) with leaders of the Aboriginal Trappers Federation at their founding meeting, not long after Second Nature was published, in 1985. If, on the other hand, we conclude that these actions are not in the best interests of the animals or our movement, we at least owe it to our animal rights colleagues to honestly evaluate and consider their arguments, and to avoid the simplistic stereotypes that splinter the animal rights movement. Nevertheless, if the philosophical and tactical arguments in favor of the ALF and other groups are sound, we owe it to the animals and to our profession to ensure that legal barriers to effective and moral animal rights activism are vigorously contested.
This collection of essays from over 25 activists and academics represents the first major inquiry into the theoretical questions surrounding direct action.Īttorneys, judges, legal academics, law students, and other legal professionals are, for obvious reasons, considered a world away from this aspect of animal liberation. The field of animal law should be ready to grapple with the thorny legal, ethical, and strategic questions that Best and Nocella’s anthology raises. If this clash expands, as it almost certainly will, the role of lawyers, lobbyists, and animal rights professionals will grow in importance. In Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? Steven Best refers to this upsurge in the legal crackdown on animal rights direct action as "the escalating battle between activists and the corporate-state complex." His new anthology, co-edited with Anthony Nocella, is a long overdue foray into the ethical and tactical issues surrounding the "direct action" wing of the animal liberation movement, including the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), SHAC activists, and the open rescues of groups like Compassion Over Killing and Mercy for Animals. This book review seeks to introduce the major issues raised by the authors of the essays in "Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?" and to commend Best and Nocella for their valuable contribution to the body of animal rights theory and practice.ĭocuments: jouranimallawvol1_p151.pdf (139.33 KB)
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