Why are AR and cultural sensitivity pitted against each other?

[Guest guest]

I just read the discussion about dog meat. Why are animal rights and

cultural sensivity so often pitted against one another? The powers that be

have often been able to rely on the natural tendency of minorities to go

against each other than to fight those who hold the real power. Let's not

play that game -- we do not have to choose between one or the other. We can

choose to be both culturally sensitive and to fight for animal rights.

 

First, why is this racist? Whatever the intentions, the outcome of the

campaign, especially Brigitte Bardot's involvement, seems to have made this

a case of cultural pride inside of S. Korea. According to the article that

started this thread, a group of 167 prominent Koreans wrote

 

" We in Korea do not understand the snail-eating, horse meat-eating

Westerners.

Nonetheless, we neither criticize those who enjoy such an unusual diet

nor do

we demand that they stop eating it.''

 

They wouldn't be able to respond in this way if France were a vegan country,

of course, which is part of the point. This is seen not as a campaign for

animal rights, since French citizens eat all kinds of animals, but as France

(and other Western nations) imposing their will on S. Korea (and other Asian

nations).

 

How do we be culturally sensitive and fight for animal rights? Listing the

treatment of dogs isn't a problem in a petition if other ills are mentioned.

Maybe we should circulate a petition asking the United States to outlaw beef

before next month's Winter Olympics in honor of the international community.

Maybe we should talk to PETA and Bardot about combining it with the dog

petition, or better yet, the petition should be amended to include all

animals and include all countries hosting Olympic games, World Cups, etc.

from now on.

 

Jen

 

P.S. Ironically, according to an LA Times article, this is a PETA campaign,

and PETA's main goal is reforming the ways animals are slaughtered, not in

changing the diet of Koreans. Unfortunately, this isn't the message that is

being heard at all. Even if it were, it's only non-racist/nationalist if

PETA also targets other nations. I guess going after McDonald's and Burger

King count for something, but they're companies (albeit huge ones), not

countries.

 

The times article:

 

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-000001648jan07.story?coll=

la-headlines-frontpage

[Guest guest]

Thank you for this. I completely do not understand the anti-dogmeat push

coming from Western countries and it reeks of cultural bias to me. In

Western culture dogs are seen as cute and as pets and therefore it is

considered an afront to eat them. But I don't see eating a dog as any

worse as eating a cow, horse, or rabbit. It's no better either, but why

focus so hard on it?

 

Years ago I got some literature from an animal rights group on this issue.

They described how many Korean families raise and eat dog. The dog is

treated like a pet and cared for lovingly and well. It is killed without

warning and very quickly. I don't eat meat myself, but if you're going to

do it, I honestly can not think of a better way. Is this really worse than

keeping animals in crowded feed lots in abysmal conditions?

 

My guess is that the groups pushing this agenda are doing so to bring more

people into the animal rights movement. This is a worthy cause of course

and it is a way to get meat eaters to start thinking about animal welfare,

and it brings in much needed funds. It's also easier to take on the

culture of a people halfway around the world than it is to take on the

heart of American agriculture and animal husbandry (with similar things for

the groups based in Europe).

 

Unfortunately, this approach alienates a lot of people and makes animal

rights folks to appear to be eurocentric do-gooders who want to impose

their cultural standards on the rest of the world. If the method worked,

the groups might not care how they were percieved. But, as we can see, it

isn't working.

 

Cyndi

 

--

_____________________________

" There's nothing wrong with me. Maybe there's Cyndi Norman

something wrong with the universe. " (ST:TNG) cyndi

http://www.tikvah.com/

_________________ Owner of the Immune Website & Lists http://www.immuneweb.org/

[Guest guest]

Hello All,

 

Just thought I'd weigh in with a couple of quick points.

 

Most importantly, I think talking about dogs and cats being eaten in Korea

is an important tool in getting more people *here* in the United States (and

in Canada, Europe, and other places where dogs & cats are kept as

companions) to *think* about animals being eaten, and to ultimately go

vegetarian. Of the many bumper stickers on my car, the one that elicits the

most responses is the one from Farm Sanctuary that reads, " If you love

animals called pets, why do you eat animals called dinner? " The fact that

people in other cultures *do* eat the animals whom we, in the west, view as

possessing inherent value, forces a gestalt shift for the people that love

dogs & cats, but eat pigs and cows and chickens. It opens the door for

self-examination, which is so critical.

 

I've met a lot of people who don't seem bothered by the idea of slaughtered

cows, pigs, or chickens, but are forced to pause and re-evaluate their ideas

when they see, read, or hear about cats and dogs being slaughtered. The

idea, as I read it, is that people are not entirely without compassion for

animals. They *do* have compassion (for the most part), in the west, for

dogs and cats. As such, this is our gateway through which we can introduce

ideas of compassion for all animals. So, scrutinizing dog/cat eating in

South East Asia isn't so much, to me, about what people do in certain

countries in Asia. It's about the potential of what we can get people to do

here.

 

Regarding Brigitte Bardot, she is racist, stupid, and not the best

spokesperson for our cause. But, she was instrumental in helping to stop the

slaughter of whitecoat seal pups off the coast of Newfoundland. She also has

a genuine love for animals (spurred on, interestingly, by her feeling

exploited by men and the sexist film culture that made her famous - there

was a *really* interesting interview with Bardot in one of the early

Animals' Voice magazines), great passion for the cause, and resources to

further her concern for animals.

 

Finally, regarding the reference made to large groups (like PETA) focussing

on dog meat in Korea, I can't speak with any authority on groups like HSUS,

IFAW, or any of those other large groups. However, regarding PETA:

 

(i) PETA is an international organization, with offices in the U.S.,

Germany, India, and the U.K., so it's not surprising that PETA should tackle

issues concerning animal protectionism in other countries; and (more

importantly),

 

(ii) PETA's veg campaign coming out of the U.S. is almost entirely focussed

on the U.S. and Canada. The biggest PETA veg campaigns of late have been the

string of campaigns against major fast food restaurants (McD's, Burger King,

Wendy's), the Milk Suckers stuff, outreach to religious communities (with

the publication of two new booklets on Christianity & Veg*ism and Judaism &

Veg*ism), aggressive promotion of the Veggie Starter Kit (order one for your

friends for free by calling: 1-888-VEG-FOOD), an assortment of Thanksgiving

campaigns (it's hard to charge PETA with going after the " easy " issues like

Korean dog meat when they go after sacred American institutions like

Thanksgiving!) including vegan turkey donations to homeless shelters across

the country, two major investigations this past year of incredibly egregious

cruelty on two different pig farms, and so on. Of course, Carla is

absolutely right in charging that PETA continues to churn out the annoying

sexist crap - no apologies from me on that front! *groan*

 

Cheers,

Alka

 

 

 

 

 

 

>

> jennyw [jennyw]

> Friday, January 11, 2002 3:32 PM

>

> Why are AR and cultural sensitivity pitted against

> each other?

>

>

> I just read the discussion about dog meat. Why are animal rights and

> cultural sensivity so often pitted against one another? The

> powers that be

> have often been able to rely on the natural tendency of

> minorities to go

> against each other than to fight those who hold the real

> power. Let's not

> play that game -- we do not have to choose between one or the

> other. We can

> choose to be both culturally sensitive and to fight for animal rights.

>

> First, why is this racist? Whatever the intentions, the

> outcome of the

> campaign, especially Brigitte Bardot's involvement, seems to

> have made this

> a case of cultural pride inside of S. Korea. According to the

> article that

> started this thread, a group of 167 prominent Koreans wrote

>

> " We in Korea do not understand the snail-eating, horse meat-eating

> Westerners.

> Nonetheless, we neither criticize those who enjoy such an

> unusual diet

> nor do

> we demand that they stop eating it.''

>

> They wouldn't be able to respond in this way if France were a

> vegan country,

> of course, which is part of the point. This is seen not as a

> campaign for

> animal rights, since French citizens eat all kinds of

> animals, but as France

> (and other Western nations) imposing their will on S. Korea

> (and other Asian

> nations).

>

> How do we be culturally sensitive and fight for animal

> rights? Listing the

> treatment of dogs isn't a problem in a petition if other ills

> are mentioned.

> Maybe we should circulate a petition asking the United States

> to outlaw beef

> before next month's Winter Olympics in honor of the

> international community.

> Maybe we should talk to PETA and Bardot about combining it

> with the dog

> petition, or better yet, the petition should be amended to include all

> animals and include all countries hosting Olympic games,

> World Cups, etc.

> from now on.

>

> Jen

>

> P.S. Ironically, according to an LA Times article, this is a

> PETA campaign,

> and PETA's main goal is reforming the ways animals are

> slaughtered, not in

> changing the diet of Koreans. Unfortunately, this isn't the

> message that is

> being heard at all. Even if it were, it's only

> non-racist/nationalist if

> PETA also targets other nations. I guess going after

> McDonald's and Burger

> King count for something, but they're companies (albeit huge

> ones), not

> countries.

>

> The times article:

>

> http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-000001648jan

07.story?coll=

la-headlines-frontpage

 

 

 

 

 

 

----------------------------

*Tell a friend about ! Help our online veg community grow!

 

*To , send an e-mail to: -

 

*To share a message with the group, members may send an email to:

 

 

*To from the group, send an e-mail to:

-

 

*If you have questions about the list, please contact Tammy & Chris, list

admins, at -owner

 

*