Hi! As feminists and activists working for social justice, are you unknowingly perpetuating the corporate global patriarchy that oppreses all of us?
Here is an article about the source of "dominionism" the rule of "might makes right" on which the *entire* world is run; from abusive goverments to abusive spouses to schoolyard bullys. You may reprint it if you like. Elaine Charkowski
Dominionism is the current global social system maintained by fear and brute force. Its ethic is "might makes right." In his book, An Unnatural Order-Uncovering the Roots of our Domination of Nature and Each Other, Jim Mason analyzes the ancient roots of dominionism and its impact on modern society.
When humans were hunter-gatherers, they saw themselves as part of the natural world where every being had a spirit and was sacred. When hunters killed an animal, they performed rituals of thanks and apology to the animal's spirit.
Dominionism began roughly 10,000 years ago when humans shifted to agriculture and animal husbandry. They deforested, plowed and forced the earth to yield and enslaved animals for food, transportation and forced labor. **In order to exploit animals without remorse, humans had to devalue them by saying they had no souls. That way they could classify animals as "lower" beings not deserving compassion. This set the stage for humans to devalue and dominate each other, giving rise to slavery, homophobia, sexism, warfare and many other sources of human misery.
(*Richard Lewinsohn, author of "Animals Men and Myths" said the corral was the first concentration camp and the rope around an animal's leg the first shackle.)
Today, animal torture is commonplace and morally accepted in our society. Animals in factory farms endure life-long suffering and die agonizing deaths. People buy and eat meat from these concentration camps without compassion for the murdered beings they consume - or for slaughterhouse workers , **mostly poor men and women of color***, who must kill animals all day long thanks to *our* culturally induced taste for meat.
For example, hens are crammed into filthy cages where they can barely move and suffer their entire lives. They never see the sun, walk, stretch their wings or breathe breath fresh air. Each hen is slaughtered by being hung by her feet from a conveyor belt on her way to the knife. Often, the blade misses her throat and she is dragged, fully conscious, through scalding water to remove her feathers.
(*Like animals, we are used as mere resources by those with more power such as dictators, greedy corporations and abusive spouses.)
Globally, women, minorities and men lacking wealth and power occupy the lower rungs of the hierarchy closer to the animals and are exploited by people with the most power. The bondage equipment of pornography such as cattle prods, dog collars, chains and ropes also recalls the domination of animals. So does calling women "bitches" and "chicks."
****Thus, we are *all* morally challenged. How can we expect humane treatment from people who abuse their power over us if we abuse our power over helples animals? Consider the bitter irony of women,minorities and all who work for social justice who perpetuate the worldview that justifies their domination - by eating meat and exploiting animals!.
Alice Walker who wrote "The Color Purple," made the connection between racism, sexism and animal suffering when she visited a factory farm. She said, "I can never not know that the chicken I saw is a sister." How can a society, numb to the suffering of helpless birds and animals, feel compassion toward other humans? Compassion cannot be selective.
"An injury to one is an injury to all!" was the slogan of early union organizers who fought for worker's rights by welcoming women, immigrants and minorities to join their struggle. Now we must widen our circle of compassion to include animals.
Compassion is our only defense against a brave new world of "new and improved" war weapons and the potential horror of genetically engineered human-animal hybrids bred for organs and slave labor.
Fortunately, many human and animal rights groups have made the connection between animal cruelty and human suffering and are working tirelessly to end dominionism.
Will you be the one whose compassion tips the balance toward a new world where the suffering caused by dominionism exists only in history books?
Check out Elaine's web site, The Feminist Agenda.