Animal Activism, or Extremism?

Many of today's animal activists are doing what their consciences are guiding them to do, but then there are some that are taking activism just a little too overboard.

Ok, I'm probably setting myself up here for some harsh critiques, but I must plead a disclaimer before continuing: Don't get me wrong, I LOVE animals and
I certainly wouldn't want to purposely hurt them in any way.

However, I rationally believe that there's a limit to how far people should project themselves into or personify animals. Insects included.

People like that just make me feel so guilty. Well, they try to. It gets really scary when they come in numbers, like a fanfare bible-thumper club. What would they do if they wouldn't have each other to cling to for moral support? And they're really clever little strategists at playing your conscience out to the point where they actually have you so conditioned to believe that you might need a counselor if you don't take their advice.

Somewhere and somehow, reality and pragmatism have totally become omitted - what should be significant - factors out of the equation.

Like the time I was holding a fly swatter in my hands to whack the spider on the wall, when suddenly I was told not to do that. I asked why? I received a whole sermon on how spiders are good luck for us. At first I smiled and proceeded to search for the spider that obviously had moved out of range of my fly swatter. The "insect activist" did not waste time in letting me know that what I was about to do was "cruel" and that I was showing a prime example of violence and that I should not lower, degrade or desecrate myself (all different words in different sentences) into such a "sub-human" species. I thought I heard a noise in my mind much the same way one hears that sound when a cartoon shakes its head. The strategy, no doubt, was guilt induction. And it wasn't working. I whacked the spider, picked it up with a kleenex then flushed it down the toilet. If this activist would have had their way, I would have really felt desecrated waking up one day with cobwebs all over the room and heaven only knows how many zillions of tiny other little spiders running around having a field day, thanks to one activist.

The irony is that I'm an animal activist myself. Yet, I feel that I must be tactful and realistic about it. I refuse to personify human emotions into creatures that have an IQ of zero. (Aww, that poor little amoeba). However, if I believe that the insect world can continue providing a food chain for much higher evolved organisms, can one less in the house make that much difference? Seriously, if logic is not enough, there's also common sense.

As I've stipulated in my disclaimer above, I'm all for animal activism but within reason and legality. There are animal activist campaigns that really push the parameters of what they're campaigning about, without taking their actions responsibly which lead them - consequentially - having to face court charges.

Some illegal tactics from animal rights extremist campaigns (just to mention a few) may include:

- flooding companies with emails, faxes and telephone calls in an attempt to disrupt the companies' business

- sending anonymous letters to the neighbours of targeted directors making false allegations that the individual is a pedophile

- sending packages to homes of targets containing offensive material e.g. used toilet paper, razor blades

- ordering goods and services in the name of the victim

- making late night 'home visits' which involve vandalising cars, smashing windows and spraying graffiti

- staging disruptive office invasions

- staging intimidatory protests at company premises and employees' homes

- using fake explosive devices

- assaults

With tactics as such, in the long run the whole purpose and concept behind their actions become ill-reputed. The result? No one listens.

Then there was the case of the activist who wanted to protect - of all things - eggs. Because they came from....chickens. And went on into an emphatic elaborate explanation as to how chickens are abused. Granted. They are. Well, realistically, not all of them. But she didn't stop in wanting to drive her point home with a final declaration: "Eggs are chicken periods!". Needless to mention, a futile desperate attempt in trying to disgust me.

However, she succeeded in perking my curiosity. I had to do a bit of research on this last part. Especially about eggs coming from - well - chicken periods. So I went to the Google search engine and put the obvious question: "Do eggs come from chicken periods?".

Somewhere, in the midst of my research, I stared in space and realized that I was trying to alleviate my guilt in eating eggs. I sighed.

A growing pang within me wanted to instruct her as to how many eggs are needed to produce essential vaccines for viruses threatening people's lives. Are we suppose to feel guilty over eating an "egg" when eggs contribute in saving higher organisms up the food-chain echelon? As well, with an ever increasing awareness over the foods we eat, great strides have been achieved in proper maintenance over hatcheries.

As with everything, there's a threshold as to how far one should go. Enough written. Let's "get crackin'" shall we?