furyofvissarion (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
furyofvissarion) wrote2008-03-06 09:24 pm
furyofvissarion) wrote2008-03-06 09:24 pm
Entry tags:
(no subject)
The Longest Struggle: Animal Advocacy from Pythagoras to PETA - Norm Phelps. In this very readable book, Phelps covers animal advocacy from ancient times on forward. I liked learning about pro-animal traditions in early forms of religions like Christianity & Judaism in particular; I'm sure this is useful knowledge to have. I kind of wanted the book to focus more heavily on modern-day activism, but that's my own interest particularly.
I was disappointed to see Phelps arguing for welfarist reforms--such as the successful campaign to have McDonald's only use birds from suppliers with 72 square inches of space per bird--as important steps towards animal rights. Apparently such reforms, Phelps argues, "forc[es] people to think of animals as sentient, sensitive indivudals whose wellbeing matters. This paves the way for more far-reaching reforms in the future, and ultimately for abolition." I don't think so. Check the many recent articles about "happy meat," which cite long-time vegetarians returning to a slaughterhouse-based diet, because they think it's "okay" now, what with "free-range" birds & stuff. This does not sound like people who are moving closer to recognizing that animals have a right not to be used by people at all, does it?
In addition, Phelps likes PETA, saying despite criticism, "it's hard to argue with success, and PETA is far and away the most successful cutting-edge animal rights organization in the world." I suppose our definitions of success might differ; I'm not convinced that PETA doesn't alienate as many people as it recruits. Anyway, the historical parts of this book are quite good; I was just disappointed to see, at the end, Phelps promoting these bizarre myths about welfarism.
Aftershock: Confronting Trauma in a Violent World: A Guide for Activists and Their Allies - pattrice jones. Part of the reason I haven't read this book before was because I wondered if maybe it was more applicable to activists who routinely do dangerous/illegal things, which I don't. I was glad to be wrong, though, & found the book an emotional & important read.
jones talks a lot about how many of us today are living in a world where we want to shut down our emotions or ignore them or just not connect w/them, & how this is really unhealthy for all of us, not just activists. She also emphasizes how taking care of our mental health is vital for activists--not a distraction or an indulgence or an embarrassment, like is often implied or stated outright. What really hit me about this is the realization that maybe the reason I don't do more activist stuff is b/c I've been struggling w/depression for the majority of my life. Duh, right? But I think most activists feel like they could always be doing more, & feel guilty if they take a day off to go to the beach or stay in bed reading a trashy novel or something. That's a problematic sort of guilt in itself, but then add in the drain that mental health problems produces, & the belief that you ought to just work through them for the cause & you're not suffering anything compared to whoever you're advocating for, &... yeah. What a mess.
The book also offers specific tips for activists, their allies, their communities, & therapists. I think this book has a lot to offer non-activists too, in talking about how we deal, or don't deal, with emotions.
The one place where I feel jones is off-base is when she says that an increasing number of young women, "having learned what happens to girls in today's world--are literally turning themselves into men to protect themselves from violation." At first I thought, surely she's not talking about trans men, maybe she means girls dressing up as men to gain mobility & freedom that women don't have, but as a method of survival not related to a self-identity change? But a note for the chapter says that "[o]nce very rare, female-to-male sex changes have become so common that there's a slang term for those who have gone through the process: FTM." Okay. I'm not trans myself. But from what I understand from my trans male friends & from my own reading, they're not transitioning out of a sense of threat about being female, but because they understand themselves to be male! I mean, becoming a trans man very often has its own risks as far as safety in public. And what about MTFs, then? What argument for their transitions?
Anyway, that was the only bizarre & sour note in the book, & I hope that it alone won't put people off reading it (it really did my head in to see that, though).
Poppy Done to Death - Charlaine Harris. Another Aurora Teagarden mystery. As far as I can tell, it follows on from the last one I read, although I don't really care anymore. Mostly fun, but Roe's personal conservativeness (regarding mutually non-exclusive marriages, & also her squeamishness @ the idea of proposing to someone herself) did wear down after a while--it really permeates this book in particular due to the plot (her promiscuous sister-in-law is murdered, & Roe spends a lot of time tut-tutting about Poppy's behavior).
I was disappointed to see Phelps arguing for welfarist reforms--such as the successful campaign to have McDonald's only use birds from suppliers with 72 square inches of space per bird--as important steps towards animal rights. Apparently such reforms, Phelps argues, "forc[es] people to think of animals as sentient, sensitive indivudals whose wellbeing matters. This paves the way for more far-reaching reforms in the future, and ultimately for abolition." I don't think so. Check the many recent articles about "happy meat," which cite long-time vegetarians returning to a slaughterhouse-based diet, because they think it's "okay" now, what with "free-range" birds & stuff. This does not sound like people who are moving closer to recognizing that animals have a right not to be used by people at all, does it?
In addition, Phelps likes PETA, saying despite criticism, "it's hard to argue with success, and PETA is far and away the most successful cutting-edge animal rights organization in the world." I suppose our definitions of success might differ; I'm not convinced that PETA doesn't alienate as many people as it recruits. Anyway, the historical parts of this book are quite good; I was just disappointed to see, at the end, Phelps promoting these bizarre myths about welfarism.
Aftershock: Confronting Trauma in a Violent World: A Guide for Activists and Their Allies - pattrice jones. Part of the reason I haven't read this book before was because I wondered if maybe it was more applicable to activists who routinely do dangerous/illegal things, which I don't. I was glad to be wrong, though, & found the book an emotional & important read.
jones talks a lot about how many of us today are living in a world where we want to shut down our emotions or ignore them or just not connect w/them, & how this is really unhealthy for all of us, not just activists. She also emphasizes how taking care of our mental health is vital for activists--not a distraction or an indulgence or an embarrassment, like is often implied or stated outright. What really hit me about this is the realization that maybe the reason I don't do more activist stuff is b/c I've been struggling w/depression for the majority of my life. Duh, right? But I think most activists feel like they could always be doing more, & feel guilty if they take a day off to go to the beach or stay in bed reading a trashy novel or something. That's a problematic sort of guilt in itself, but then add in the drain that mental health problems produces, & the belief that you ought to just work through them for the cause & you're not suffering anything compared to whoever you're advocating for, &... yeah. What a mess.
The book also offers specific tips for activists, their allies, their communities, & therapists. I think this book has a lot to offer non-activists too, in talking about how we deal, or don't deal, with emotions.
The one place where I feel jones is off-base is when she says that an increasing number of young women, "having learned what happens to girls in today's world--are literally turning themselves into men to protect themselves from violation." At first I thought, surely she's not talking about trans men, maybe she means girls dressing up as men to gain mobility & freedom that women don't have, but as a method of survival not related to a self-identity change? But a note for the chapter says that "[o]nce very rare, female-to-male sex changes have become so common that there's a slang term for those who have gone through the process: FTM." Okay. I'm not trans myself. But from what I understand from my trans male friends & from my own reading, they're not transitioning out of a sense of threat about being female, but because they understand themselves to be male! I mean, becoming a trans man very often has its own risks as far as safety in public. And what about MTFs, then? What argument for their transitions?
Anyway, that was the only bizarre & sour note in the book, & I hope that it alone won't put people off reading it (it really did my head in to see that, though).
Poppy Done to Death - Charlaine Harris. Another Aurora Teagarden mystery. As far as I can tell, it follows on from the last one I read, although I don't really care anymore. Mostly fun, but Roe's personal conservativeness (regarding mutually non-exclusive marriages, & also her squeamishness @ the idea of proposing to someone herself) did wear down after a while--it really permeates this book in particular due to the plot (her promiscuous sister-in-law is murdered, & Roe spends a lot of time tut-tutting about Poppy's behavior).