Exploitation

Profiting From Inexperience and Naivety

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Its been nearly two years since I wrote the article, Shh. Don’t talk about the elephant in the room, where I discussed the obvious lack of training that people are getting within the animal advocacy movement.

Unfortunately for the animals, nothing seems to have changed with regards to the animal groups doing any sort of training for their volunteers or members.

That is, except for an organisational psychologist who is a relatively new vegan and is running a series of workshops titled “Skills For Conversations That Matter”.

Whilst I do think it is great that someone has taken the initiative where all the other organisations haven’t, I am concerned that this person is charging for the event, and rather exorbitantly too.

The price for the Brisbane event is currently $156.00 if you pay in full or $195.00 in installments, blatantly exploiting those who may be on a budget or limited income.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that the training should be given away freely, if it is of value. Training of any kind that will help people promote veganism and ending the use of other animals is surely of value.

I just have concerns that this event may be more set up to benefit the presenter than the animals or those who attend.

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“Ag-Gag”: Scaremongering or Legitimate Concerns

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Ag-gag. Scaremongering or legitimate concern
Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A little over two months ago I wrote a piece saying that as far as I was concerned, I believed that so-called ‘ag-gag’ laws would be the best thing that could happen to the animal advocacy movement as it would change the focus from treatment to use of other animals.

Since then, more and more ‘animal advocates’ have started to fly the anti ‘ag-gag’ flag.

Even though they are starting to sound like chicken little with their endless preaching of doom and gloom the reality of things is more then a little different to what we are being told.

Sure the media and politicians are branding talk of draft bills as ag-gag, though that hardly means that they are. We all know that sensationalism is what the media thrives on, and politicians only respond to that which will get them votes and time in the media.

That being said, and understanding that both sides will say whatever will get them the most publicity, it is time to sort out fact from fiction

Activists Are Not A Law Unto Themselves.

First and foremost, we need to realise that those new laws have come about because ‘activists’ are ignoring the laws that we currently have.

Despite whatever altruistic reasons are being given for breaking the law, the law is still broken.

If these people are willing to break the law with trespass and property damage to get incriminating evidence, where will they draw the line?

On the other side of the coin, seeing as digital piracy is another issue that is gaining attention, I am sure that these activists wouldn’t mind if a farmer broke in a placed a camera above the area where they use their computer to ensure that have purchased the correct licenses for the software they are using.

After all, fair is fair.

Disregard For Animal Safety

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Animals On Show

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Please indulge me with this hypothetical for a moment.

Let’s say that the time is 50,60 or even 100 years ago.

The female human is thought of as an object that the males of the species can do with as he wants.

Females are readily kept in cages, denied access to education, socialisation and forced to perform tasks against they wouldn’t normally do through behaviour modification.

Let’s also say that there is a growing movement that wants females to be treated and considered as equals.

How would they go about achieving this?

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The Speciesist Nature Of Animal Advocacy

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3345Have you noticed how it is becoming more and more popular and acceptable to ‘advocate’ for a particular animal at the expense of another?

We see it most weekends at our local supermarkets/hardware store where a Save The ‘X’ group is having a sausage sizzle to raise funds for their designated animal.

Unfortunately for the animals, these types of campaigns aren’t only reserved for those ‘small’ groups that don’t know any better.

Animals Australia does it with their Make It Possible campaign, and their continual focus on land based food animals who are kept in factory farms, show total disregard for those animals raised for research or aquatic animals raised in aquaculture.

The Animal Liberation franchise does it in nearly everything that they do.

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Open Letter to Angus Taylor, Member for Hume – New South Wales

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Dear Mr Taylor,

I am writing this letter to you out of concern over comments that you have made regarding the actions the alleged extreme animal rights group Aussie Farms, and its operations director, Mr Chris Delforce.

You have said that because Mr Delforce has the view that animal agriculture shouldn’t exist that he is un-Australian and their behavior is unacceptable.

Well Mr Taylor, just like Mr Delforce, I am also of the belief that animal agriculture doesn’t have a place in the modern Australian farming landscape.

Does this also make me un-Australian?

Mr Taylor, whilst the actions of Mr Delforce and Aussie Farms may get the approval of some within the animal advocacy movement, I personally believe that they are actually setting the movement back, and making it harder for those of us who want to have a legitimate discussion about the use of other animals. In fact, the recent piece that I wrote regarding this appeared in the same publication as your comments, some 2 days earlier.

What really concerns me about your comments Mr Taylor is that as a Federal Member of Parliament for the seat of Hume, you are supposed to the people’s representative in Canberra. Not an industry representative as you appear to be.

Mr Taylor, please understand that like Mr Delforce, I will do whatever it take to shut down animal agriculture, an industry that I believe to be archaic and out-dated.

Though unlike Mr Delforce, I will do it within the confines of the law. So please do not tar us all with the same brush.

Mr Taylor, you have said that you have worked hard to understand where the animal welfare lobby comes from, though have you taken any time to understand where the ‘animal rights’ lobby comes from?

Remember they are two totally separate groups with different views and goals.

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Chickadee Magazine. An Objective Review

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Post by Animal Liberation Queensland.

Have you got a copy of Animal Liberation Queensland’s Chickadee ‘magazine’ yet?
The ‘magazine’ that is aimed at ‘tween’ females to promote awareness of sentience in animals, and help inform young consumers of ways in which they can make compassionate choices for animals every day.

Whilst Animals liberation Queensland is supposedly an organisation that aims to remove our speciesist view of other animals, they are more than well known for their sexist attitude and views towards humans.

Does anyone remember their ‘Beef-Eating Blokes’ image or the use of females in cages at a circus protest?

Unfortunately, this ‘magazine’ is no different.

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Week In Review. Sunday 13 July 2014

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Here are some of the interesting animal related things that have happened in the past week and a bit. Passengers Injured in Horse-Drawn Carriage Crash Last Monday, 14 people riding in a horse drawn carriage in the Queensland town of Longreach were injured when the horses leading the carriage were spooked. The carriage ran off … Read more