Great piece! I love this idea "we can also show how other animals can thrive if they are free."
I have been writing about the connection between pleasure, consent and freedom. If we fully embrace consent - for every body, and in all aspects of life - we increase pleasure potential exponentially. By taking ownership of our own pleasure and happiness, while not violating others, we can attain freedom for all - including ourselves, i.e. "self interest." :-) I would love to hear your thoughts on this pleasure angle.
Hi Sadie, thanks for sharing your ideas. We think these are values-based frames that could really resonate with certain audiences. We believe most of us are wired to derive pleasure from others' pleasure - it's why smiling and laughter can be contagious, and many humans love to see other animals playing and having fun. It's why so many of the Dodo videos go viral. We're empathetic beings who are also wired to feel others' pain, which is why so many of us turn away from images of cruelty and suffering. We also think the idea of consent and freedom are powerful, and wrapped up with the broader idea of dignity. We hope the writing goes well!
Another deeply insightful take from ATT (I also highly recommend ATT's article challenging the command to "Go Vegan").
One question: how do we know that sharing qualities of animal joy and unique qualities is useful for building empathy? I fear a backfire effect of sharing something about a species' intelligence that doesnt reach somebody on a deep level ie "chickens can play video games" triggering a dismissive reaction from the viewer like "oh well, that was probably a limited study and it was probably a very very simple game".
On the other hand, I once had a friend tell me she heard that sows sing to their piglets and that she had stopped eating pigs. That is probably a good example of empathy building, although I dont know how factual it is.
We found that messages which emphasised animal abilities, the many ways they are like us, as well as their unique individuality, does indeed foster greater empathy and support for their freedom.
Backfire effects will inevitably happen (especially amongst those towards the active opposition end of the spectrum of allies). Each message will have a different impact on every individual - but the overall effect of raising awareness of their unique qualities and seems to be a positive one.
Thanks for sharing that example - it definitely resonates with the findings of our research.
Great article! Will keep this in mind for future posts!
Great piece! I love this idea "we can also show how other animals can thrive if they are free."
I have been writing about the connection between pleasure, consent and freedom. If we fully embrace consent - for every body, and in all aspects of life - we increase pleasure potential exponentially. By taking ownership of our own pleasure and happiness, while not violating others, we can attain freedom for all - including ourselves, i.e. "self interest." :-) I would love to hear your thoughts on this pleasure angle.
Hi Sadie, thanks for sharing your ideas. We think these are values-based frames that could really resonate with certain audiences. We believe most of us are wired to derive pleasure from others' pleasure - it's why smiling and laughter can be contagious, and many humans love to see other animals playing and having fun. It's why so many of the Dodo videos go viral. We're empathetic beings who are also wired to feel others' pain, which is why so many of us turn away from images of cruelty and suffering. We also think the idea of consent and freedom are powerful, and wrapped up with the broader idea of dignity. We hope the writing goes well!
Another deeply insightful take from ATT (I also highly recommend ATT's article challenging the command to "Go Vegan").
One question: how do we know that sharing qualities of animal joy and unique qualities is useful for building empathy? I fear a backfire effect of sharing something about a species' intelligence that doesnt reach somebody on a deep level ie "chickens can play video games" triggering a dismissive reaction from the viewer like "oh well, that was probably a limited study and it was probably a very very simple game".
On the other hand, I once had a friend tell me she heard that sows sing to their piglets and that she had stopped eating pigs. That is probably a good example of empathy building, although I dont know how factual it is.
Thanks for the kind feedback. That is a really great question! Our thinking is based on some of the message testing research we have done (https://animalthinktank.org.uk/narrative/narrative-research/).
We found that messages which emphasised animal abilities, the many ways they are like us, as well as their unique individuality, does indeed foster greater empathy and support for their freedom.
Backfire effects will inevitably happen (especially amongst those towards the active opposition end of the spectrum of allies). Each message will have a different impact on every individual - but the overall effect of raising awareness of their unique qualities and seems to be a positive one.
Thanks for sharing that example - it definitely resonates with the findings of our research.
That makes a lot of sense. It is another great article...I've been sharing it with many people. Thank you for the helpful insights!