individuality, respect, and more on criticism

With so much discussion of criticism on the blog lately, I have been thinking about the “free pass” that some individuals and organizations seek to obtain for their (unintentially or intentionally) oppressive work.  A recent post on The Vegan Ideal highlights this concept: a “humorous” video called “Cooking with Trannies” received extensive criticism (from both Dani and commenters on their and other blogs) for its derogatory use of the word “tranny.”  In response, people were quick to wave the “But it was scripted by a trans man!” flag, as if a member of an oppressed group could not possibly take an action that would oppress other members of the same group.

This reminded me of an interview I read last year with Ingrid Newkirk of PETA.  The interviewer mentioned the extensive criticism of PETA’s use of female nudity in its media and outreach work, and Newkirk responded, “it’s rubbish because the organization is run by a woman” as if because she wasn’t personally offended or oppressed by the actions, no one else identifying as a female could possibly be offended.

I think it’s incredibly important to recognize and respect the different backgrounds from which we all come as activists.  Too often, I have found that we’re asked to present a unified front at the expense of our own experiences; “for the good of the animals,” we’re told, we have to ignore other issues or steamroll our own discomfort with an idea or action.  I absolutely love the tagline on the Vegans of Color blog: “because we don’t have the luxury of being single-issue.”  I appreciate those bloggers’ willingness to view the world — and take actions accordingly — through a lens that attempts to be conscious of the individual experiences of both the people who are doing the talking and the people to whom they are talking.  I am trying to let that principle guide all that I do.

I also find the “but I’m a _____” defense to be particularly important when discussing animal oppression.  Proponents of animal exploitation will never be able to say, “But I’m a steer, and I am totally fine with being sent to slaughter,” which should make it all that much more obvious to the world that we DON’T know what is “best” for these animals.  Since we are never able to obtain their consent, it is never appopriate for human animals to use other animals for our own purposes.  Because, frankly, the idea that animals would gladly, smilingly march to their deaths (trigger warning) is appalling and ridiculous.