Action for Animals Austin

I just finished reading Bob Torres' 2007 book Making A Killing: The Political Economy of Animal Rights and wanted to share what I learned.  I was familiar with Bob from the podcast VeganFreak Radio, an often snarky but always entertaining review of the current state of human-animal relations.

Bob Torres is (or at least was at the time) assistant professor of sociology at St. Lawrence University.  While the book is not overly long (only 185 pages) the style is, for lack of a better word, academic.  In other words, it is not a breezy read.  Still, I found a lot to like about it.

Torres uses social anarchism as a point of reference for explaining why domination of animals by humans is so easy for society to accept.  Next, he details what he finds lacking in the the current incarnation of the animal welfare / animal rights movement today.  Finally, he provides a blueprint for how a different, integrative approach based on individual action can produce meaningful, lasting change.

While some of his ideas are certain to be controversial (he has no love for mainstream national animal welfare organizations, nor for the fashionable consumerism of the liberal/green movement), he makes some great points that I think will resonate with many people.

Torres places the struggle for animal liberation in the larger context of human struggles for freedom from oppression throughout history.  In other words, recognizing the interests of animals is no different than recognizing the interests of people of color, women, homosexuals -- any group that has experienced injustice for no other reason than simply being an "other."

After 100 or so pages of (sometimes tedious) theory, he rewards the reader with his answer to the question that everybody is by this point waiting to ask, "If current efforts are so ineffective, what should we do instead?"

His answer is pretty simple, really:

• Recognize that racism, sexism, speciesism, etc. all spring from the same well and that to effectively fight the exploitation of animals you have to understand and reject all forms of oppression (against humans and animals) -- and vice versa.
• Contribute your unique skills and talents to the struggle -- everybody has something to offer.
• Commit to taking action as an individual.  Reject the notion that activism is better left to professionals.
• Live your ideals.  Stop taking part in the exploitation of animals on any level -- for food, entertainment, clothing, etc.

I find Torres' call for individual action to be most compelling.  It is easy to feel like some problems are bigger than we can comprehend and that the solutions should be left to those who appear more qualified.  However, once you get past the initial learning curve, the problems and their solutions become remarkably simple.

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