Transcript here - Corey Lee Wrenn, Ph.D.

Corey Lee Wrenn, M.S.
Colorado State University
[email protected]
www.coreyleewrenn.com
ANIMALS & SOCIETY
Learning Objectives



What is speciesism?
How are our relationships with other animals
socially constructed?
How does discrimination against animals intersect
with that against humans?
As We Proceed…



Keep in mind the nonhuman(s) in your life
How might the social world impact them?
What role do they play in your social world?
WHAT IS SPECIESISM?
Speciesism
A failure, in attitude or
practice, to accord any
nonhuman being equal
consideration and respect
 Discrimination against the
interests of other animals
that is institutionalized

Speciesism and Sociology



Why should sociologists care?
Nonhumans are integral to human
society
Nonhumans are the largest minority in
our society
 Nonhumans
are sentient
 Nonhumans are exploited in similar ways

Human oppression and nonhuman
oppression are entangled
THE SOCIAL
CONSTRUCTION OF
HUMAN-NONHUMAN
RELATIONSHIPS
The Social Construction of Species

Who do we hate? Who do we love?
The Social Construction of Species

Who do we ignore? Who do we save?
The Social Construction of Species

Who deserves rights?
The Social Construction of Species

Who do we eat? Who do we pet?
The Social Construction of Species

“Species” is an arbitrary humanconstructed distinction


Humans discriminate based on a
hierarchy of worth
Worth based on human-oriented
values which maintain humanness
as the normal & privileged identity
Intelligence
 Language
 Rationality
 Physical appearance

Speciesism and Language
Human/Animal dichotomy
 Objectifying language
 Derogatory language maintains
oppression

Speciesism and Objectification


Nonhumans are not recognized as persons, but
rather commodities, things, and property
We literally buy and sell them, their body parts,
their excrements, and their labor
Institutionalized Discrimination

65 billion animals killed worldwide in 2011
 Not
including fish and animals used for their
labor, skin, hair, eggs, or dairy (FAO 2013)
 This is This is a rise of 8 billion animals since
2009

Over 10 billion of these animals are
American
Institutionalized Discrimination
Dairy
 Eggs
 Preserved skin
 Sheep’s hair
 “Fur”
 Entertainment
 Companionship
 Vivisection

INTERSECTIONS OF
OPPRESSION
Speciesism and the Economy
Our exploitation of nonhumans (and other
minorities) is linked to our economic mode
of production
 Capitalism has exacerbated oppression
 Oppression of nonhumans is entangled
with the oppression of women, people of
color, etc.

Intersections with Gender



Meat eating is linked to
masculinity
Concern for nonhumans &
vegetarianism linked to
femininity
Objectification and
sexualization of both women
and nonhumans
Carol J. Adams
Intersections with Race/Ethnicity



Breeze Harper


Diets based on Nonhuman Animals reflect
colonization of nonwhite bodies
Food deserts and accessibility
Animal rights and veganism as a “white
thing”
White privilege in the nonhuman rights
movement
Ethical issues with “cruelty-free” food
Intersections with Class


Upton Sinclair (1906)
– The Jungle
Eric Schlosser (2001)
– Fast Food Nation
Intersections with Class

Slaughterhouse work is dirty, nasty, and
dangerous
 Emotionally
draining
 Presence of slaughterhouses linked to increased
violence in community
Occupation with the highest turnover rate
 Workforce is disproportionately comprised of
minorities and immigrants

Intersections with Class
Animal products traditionally associated with
wealth & prestige
 Now healthy eating is increasingly linked to the
wealthy
 Medical research warns of consuming
Nonhuman Animal products

Environmental Injustice


The disproportionate burden on people of color
and the poor
Rural areas often targeted

Poor

Smaller populations

Low political power

Proximity to industrial agriculture
Nonhuman Animal Production


Nonhuman animal production the largest
contributor to greenhouse gas emissions
(51%)
Animal agriculture usurps over 50% of US
water; 70-80% of grains
Nonhuman Animal Production

Desertification

Deforestation

Rising temperatures

Rising sea levels

Melting icecaps

Water scarcity and depletion

Water pollution and eutrophication

Land erosion and sedimentation

Reduced biodiversity

Introduction of non-native species

Release of antibiotics, hormones, and ectoparasitides

Release of antibiotic-resistant and pathogenic bacteria

Release and accumulation of heavy metals and organic pollutants

Increased disease risk
(United Nations)
Social Movements

A number of movements have emerged to
address these complex social problems
 Animal
rights movement
 Environmental jmovement
 Veganism, vegetarianism, and food justice
[email protected]
Summary
www.coreyleewrenn.com
http://www.asanet.org/sectionanimals/animals.cfm
Species Matters
Species is socially constructed
Species discrimination is
institutional
. . . And it is intersectional
