1. ANIMALS & SOCIETY Corey Lee Wrenn, M.S. Colorado State University corey.wrenn@gmail.com www.coreyleewrenn.com

2. Learning Objectives  What is speciesism?  How are our relationships with other animals socially constructed?  How does discrimination against animals intersect with that against humans?

3. 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?

5. WHAT IS SPECIESISM?

6. 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

7. 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

8. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF HUMAN-NONHUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

9. The Social Construction of Species  Who do we hate? Who do we love?

10. The Social Construction of Species  Who do we ignore? Who do we save?

11. The Social Construction of Species  Who deserves rights?

12. The Social Construction of Species  Who do we eat? Who do we pet?

13.  “Species” is an arbitrary human- constructed 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 The Social Construction of Species

14. Speciesism and Language  Human/Animal dichotomy  Objectifying language  Derogatory language maintains oppression

15. 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

16. 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

17. Institutionalized Discrimination  Dairy  Eggs  Preserved skin  Sheep’s hair  “Fur”  Entertainment  Companionship  Vivisection

18. INTERSECTIONS OF OPPRESSION

19. 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.

20. 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

22. Intersections with Race/Ethnicity  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 Breeze Harper

23.  Upton Sinclair (1906) – The Jungle  Eric Schlosser (2001) – Fast Food Nation Intersections with Class

24.  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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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)

29. Social Movements  A number of movements have emerged to address these complex social problems  Animal rights movement  Environmental jmovement  Veganism, vegetarianism, and food justice

30. Summary  Species Matters  Species is socially constructed  Species discrimination is institutional ... And it is intersectional corey.wrenn@gmail.com www.coreyleewrenn.com http://www.asanet.org/sectionanimals/animals.cfm