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updated: 4/5/16
The "mission and core purpose" of the University of Texas at Austin is" to transform lives for the benefit of society through the core values of learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity and responsibility."
Born Free
http://www.youtube.com/v/1qBK4RRpouQ&hl=en&fs=1&
Born free, as free as the wind blows
As free as the grass grows
Born free to follow your heart
Live free and beauty surrounds you
The world still astounds you
Each time you look at a star
Stay free, where no walls divide you
You're free as the roaring tide
So there's no need to hide
Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
'cause you're born free
(Stay free, where no walls divide you)
You're free as the roaring tide
So there's no need to hide
Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
'cause you're born free
TODAY'S GOALS:
Understand the role of philosophy in ethics generally and advancing animal rights specifically; become aware of the advantages and disadvantages of analogies such as that between the Holocaust and slaughterhouses.
[2A2] ETHICS [ The second goal of the required leadership/ethics flag courses -- learn to make real-life ethical choices -- is closely related to the core purpose of the University of Texas, to transform lives for the benefit of society. It is also one of the basic education requirements of U.T.: "have experience in thinking about moral and ethical problems." Our ethics goals are
[2A2a] To experience by analogy a little of ethical dilemma presented by Anti-Semitism, especially the Holocaust.
[2A2b] To experience by analogy a little of ethical dilemma presented by racism, especially slavery.
[2A2c] To experience more directly the ethical dilemmas presented by speciesism, especially cruelty to animals.
[2A2d] To become aware of real-life ethical choices made daily by all of us involving cruelty to animals.
[2A2e] To return to the traditional college goals of developing character and conscience.
[2A2f] To practice replacing fear and greed with love, compassion, tolerance, and the sympathetic imagination.
TODAY'S ACTIVITIES:Einstein quote:
A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) Source: Mathematical Circles
NEW DASS IMAGERY focused on sending light and love, PRECEDED BY RELAXATION AND MINDFULNESS GUIDED IMAGERY
4-5 Speciesism, Sexism, and Racism: Best and Worst 1st half of alphabet;, quiz, discussion of blogs
1. Let us remember that to those with a master mentality, there is often very little difference between one victim and the next.
SNAKE: The reality of a person who is in a master mentality cannot and will not distinguish between who their victims are, as there is no need to do so. All that is needed to be in a master mentality is an idea and belief that you are above the object of your subjugation. And once you are convinced that you are inherently better than the object(s) of your subjugation, there is no need to separate and distinguish the victims. They are all the same, that is, they are all inferior to you and thus, cruelties between different sets of victims take the same shape and form, such as between slaves and animals. So, in the same way that slave owners were in denial about the immorality of having and mistreating slaves (because in their minds they were right to do so) animal eaters today are also in denial about the immorality of eating, killing, and mistreating animals.
CAT connects to previous topic: This explanation- which divided the world into intellectually superior meat eaters and inferior plant eaters- accounted for the conquering of other cultures by the English:" (1155)
It is interesting to think about how conquering countries saw those who don't eat meat to be lesser people. Those people who adhere to a different diet are seen as mentally incompetent because they don't "take advantage" of the animals in their land. The English were called "beef-eaters" and so they, of course, were meat eaters. It is interesting that the lack of eating beef was a reason the British saw the people of India to be inferior, and also a reason why the people of India rebelled against the British in the end. Eating meat can be seen as something a more cruel country would do and as such, they could associate it with power. While today, a group of peoples' diet would not determine if they would be conquered by another country, it could lead to a difference in communication between the cultures.
SNAKE LOOKING BACK TO SUSTAINABILITY READINGS: "Resultingly, earnest vegetarians become trapped by this worldview, and while they think that all that is necessary to make converts to vegetarianism is to point out the numerous problems meat eating causes - ill health, death of animals, ecological spoilage - they do not perceive that in a meat-eating culture non of this really matters." (1185)
The reason that the logic that vegetarians use to be vegetarians does not really matter in a meat-eating culture, and probably will not so long as we humans do not recognize the shortcomings of human psychology, is that people usually do not scrutinize their own behavior, and in this instance their own meat eating. And so, any attempt to get a meat to truly understand why someone has become vegetarianism by the same means that got that vegetarian to convert into being a vegetarian, will be futile. They just will not see anything wrong with ill-health, death and torture of animals, and environmental spoilage because that will go against and shatter their reality which consists of eating meat. The information will either be ignored, go in through one ear and out the other, twisted to fit a rationalized state of mind that convinces the person why they are right, or will be seen in a very light manner because they don't think they can make a difference. All these psychological and socially conditioned factors are the road blocks and hurdles that will keep someone from realizing that meat eating may not be the best lifestyle for themselves, the animals involved, and the planet.
LOOKING AHEAD: DOLPHIN: "Currently, each year in the United States alone, at least 30 million non-human animals die at the hands of scientists and laboratory technicians, and in breeding facilities which service our nations laboratories." (1170)
When I read this quote, I felt down because I was one of those people who contributed to the deaths of the non-human animals. I have worked in a few research labs as an undergraduate researcher. The labs that I have worked in primarily focused on fish and their behavior. As a newcomer to the lab, I was in charge of feeding the fish and cleaning their tanks so I grew fond of them. Eventually I started conducting trails on them with experiments such as mate choice and numerosity. I can't help but think that these fishes in our lab have one purpose and it is to run experiments on and produce results. The good thing about the labs that I was in was that we did not euthanize our fish after we finished conducting our trials. The only times I had to euthanize a fish was when the fish had a tumor growing on it and we were not able to use it in the trials. Even then, it was a hard thing to do for me. Knowing that this fish has a disease so we kill it instead of trying to treat it. It also saddens me that these fish do not have normal lives, they are just kept in small fish tanks throughout their life. The fishes that we use are endemic to Lake Tanganyika of Africa. Lake Tanganyika is considered one of the most diverse places in the world. To strip these social animals of their freedom is heartbreaking. Although I feel like there are some pros and cons for animal testing, I am so glad the labs that I have worked in focuses on their social and learned behavior rather than modifying them. I believe that animals should not be killed after their trials. They should be released back into the wild.
This is of an image of the fish that we use in our experiments. The species is called Astatotilapia burtoni. They are very beautiful and social animals. It saddens me that the fish in our lab are confined and isolated in small tanks. They have emotions too.
RED FOX: While domesticated animals are supposed to be treasured all the more due to their short life span, stock animals are viewed as assets that need to be seized of every possible contribution that can be squeezed out of their miserable existences before their clocks run out. They are born and live only to aid the human race to the fullest extent of their abilities.
When looking at stock animals from this perspective, I am reminded hauntingly of slavery. In that system, African Americans - who were not defined as human - were born, bred, and raised to offer every part of their existence to white Americans. They lived solely for the benefit of their white counterparts; their lives were worth only the services they had to offer. Like stock animals, many were also chained right after birth, confined to inhumane conditions, beaten and abused, and died unnaturally young. In both cases, it is "an enterprise without end, self-regenerating," living beings whose entire lives are committed to the wants of a domineering group, whose existence knows no self-worth and who understands no reality outside of servitude. If, in the world of today, the lives of pets are to be treasured and valued while stock animals serve only the purpose of providing for others, then it is disturbingly harmonious to the world of a shameful past, in which the lives of whites were to be respected and valued while slaves existed solely so there would be someone to come when their masters called.cf.
RED FOX "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites or women for men," (1158).
This quote touches on an important lesson that we the citizens of the earth have had to learn over and over again since the beginning of existence - that other beings do not exist only to please us. Unfortunately, that lesson is learned only in hindsight and only after countless injustices have been allowed to occur and only despite the fact that it is a lesson that has been repeatedly presented to us on many different occasions in many different circumstances that have already occurred, that are currently occurring, and that will continue to occur. It seems that we can never learn this lesson enough times. We learned that Native Americans do not exist to pave the way for us only after we spent centuries massacring their people, we learned that African Americans do not exist to serve us only after lifetimes of defining them as owned property, we are learning that women do not exist to please the wants of men after having subjected them to the command of their male counterparts and in some ways and in some locations, still treating them like an afterthought in the idea of human worth, and we have yet to learn that the existence of other species is not to provide comfort for the existence of our own.
PANTHER: "By eliminating the oppression of animals from the fabric of our culture, we begin to undermine some of the psychological structures inherent in a society which seems to create and foster masters. With a philosophy of universal respect for others' lives, treating anyone- human or non-human- in a cruel manner begins to be unthinkable" (1161).
So many of the isms we struggle with in today's society stem from hatred. Although within the last few centuries man has begun to challenge oppression and inequality in a variety of contexts, there are still mountains to climb. The idea of slavery has been present since the very beginnings of history. And while we have begun to challenge the morality of mastery, we have done so on a very individual basis. Is it wrong to own a slave, yes or no? Is it wrong to oppress the poor, yer or no? Is it wrong to discriminate against women, yes or no? Against the LGBTQ community, yes or no? Is it wrong to slaughter cattle, yes or no?
We look at the issues as individual platform. Instead of considering slavery, racism, feminism, homophobia, and speciesism we have created terms to distinguish one form of hatred from the other. But hatred is hated. And as long as one of these so-called isms exists so too will all of the rest. In order to eradicate these social structures we must first eliminate the philosophy of mastery and egotism, replacing this with a philosophy of respect, love, and empathy for all beings, not only those who resemble ourselves.
2. "In Rape of the Wild (1989) ecofeminists Andree Collard and Joyce Contrucci remark that women who wear fur unwittingly adopt the 'identity of prey' and so participate in their own degradation." 788
3. "Adrienne Rich's words of feminist insight express a terrible absolute: 'this is the oppressor's language'." 788
4. In An Intelligent Woman's Guide to Dirty Words, Ruth Todasco (1973) identifies 'Woman as Animal' as a major category of 'patriarchal epithets'." 786
5. Meat's recognizable message includes association with the male role . . . including the idea that the end justifies the means, the objectification of other beings is a necessary part of life, and that violence can and should be masked. These are all a part of the sexual politics of meat."
KOALA 4). "Meat's recognizable message includes association with the male role; its meaning recurs within a fixed gender system; the coherence it achieves as a meaningful item of food arises from patriarchal attitudes including the idea that the end justifies the means, that the objectification of other beings is a necessary pat of life, and that violence can and should be masked." (page 1185) -Unfortunately, gender roles are assigned from the moment we are born, and it is not right. If society determines a child's role in society based on their "assigned" gender identity, it only leaves room for inequality and discrimination. (Our gender identity is not determined just by our sex organs, btw!!) For such reason, there exists gender stereotypes that pervades US culture. The ideas and beliefs of masculinity and femininity are often associated as extremes. Words commonly used to associate masculinity are: non-emotional, independent, strong and assertive. For femininity, on the other hand, words like emotional, clingy, sexually submissive, and graceful are frequently thrown around. The way men and women are portrayed in meat-advertisements are absolutely shocking. They tend to not only assert a male's "macho" complex, but also diminish a woman's status in society as merely a an objectifying meal they can drool over. It's disgusting. How can we allow these cultural associations to psychologically dictate the way we behave in society? How can we put an end to these sexist messages that only perpetuate a hyper sexualized Victorian-era gender roles and also benefit the meat industry?
DEER + RED PANDA: ""Assuming meat to be food for men and consequently vegetables to be food for women carries significant political consequences.
In essence, because meat eating is a measure of a virile culture and individual, our society equates vegetarianism with emasculation and femininity." 1185
DEER: Instances of the equation of vegetarianism with emasculation can be seen every day in our culture, especially in Texas. According to an article in Forbes magazine, "Of course, there's nothing intrinsically male about meat, by which, to be entirely clear, we refer to "mammal muscle". Nonetheless, through a series of studies that took place in the US and Britain, the researchers at four American universities found a strong metaphorical connection in the Western psyche between meats, especially steaks and hamburgers, and masculinity. Consequently then, they assert that the male aversion to ordering anything vegetarian off a menu is a result of not wanting to seem, well, wimpy." (http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2012/06/05/the-truth-of-why-manly-men-order-steak-and-wimps-order-salad/#571e6b681c00) Fortunately, I think this perception is beginning to change in northern parts of the country. Vegetarian restaurants are becoming more popular with both men and women, vegetarians and meat eaters alike.
RED PANDA: This author presents a conceptualization of vegetarianism very prevalent in Western culture. This patriarchal culture associates masculinity with superiority, value, strength, and social acceptance. Consequently, femininity is linked with weakness, helplessness, frailness, and social undesirability. Therefore, "feminine" practices are deemed unfavorable and typically only socially acceptable for women. Carnivorism and vegetarianism fall into this pattern. Before I did not fully understand the origins behind the carvivorism's assigned masculine nature and vegetarianism's perceived feminine nature, but this passage provided great insight. Not only does it demonstrate why eating habits have been gendered, but brings to light the consequences of it. Beforehand I wondered why the concept of vegetarianism (not just the practice) is socially unpopular, and now it is clear that its "femininity" is a contributing factor. Men want to be seen as strong and burly, identities that would be compromised by practicing vegetarianism. Women are more able to participate in a diet consisting of mainly vegetables and fruits without social stigma. These gendered biases of the vegetarian diet inhibit its growth as a political movement and discourage people, both men and women, converting to vegetarianism. We need to reshape the image of veganism and vegetarianism. If anything, the ability to overcome the most primal desires and adopt a restrictive diet should be seen as vastly empowering.
6. "At a rally in San Francisco protesting the use of animals in research, Alameda County supervisor John George said, 'My people were the first _ laboratory animals in America'." 70
7. Richard Wright, renowned author of Native Son, worked as a menial laborer in what he would only identify as 'one of the largest and wealthiest hospitals in Chicago'. In this excerpt from his essay "The Man Who Went to Chicago" he gives us a glimpse into his reaction to his experiences there: 'Each Saturday morning I assisted a doctor in slitting the vocal cords of a fresh batch of dogs"
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KOALA ON ALICE WALKER: I find Alice Walker an important figure within the animal rights community, (even though I am unsure if she was a vegan or not). Back in 2009, she released a poem called "La Vaca" and dedicated it to a person who was trying to eat meat: Link
8. "As we talked of freedom and justice for all, we sat down to steaks. I am eating misery, I thought, as I took the first bite. And spit it out."
9. It was a look so piercing, so full of grief, a look so human, I almost laughed (I felt too sad to cry) to think there are people who do not know that animals suffer. People like me who have forgotten, and daily forget, all that animals try to tell us.
10. But most disturbing of all, in Blue's large brown eyes was a new look, more painful than the look of despair: the look of disgust with human beings, with life; the look of hatred.
LOOKING AHEAD:
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EXTRA CREDIT 8-12 points for proof of interaction with animals; Cow on Campus! SARA Sanctuary is coming to Campus again with animals! This time they will be bringing Chloe the cow, Tinkerbell and Hercules the goats, Larry the dog...and HOPEFULLY some baby calves!!! When? Wednesday, April 6th 10am - 4pm Where? East Mall
RESEARCH ANIMALS SECTION BEGINS (CF. POTTER): MUST BRING BOOK AND READ IT ALL
4-7 Fowler 1; must bring book or -10: Best and Worst 2nd half of alphabet;quiz, discussion of blogs
4-10 P2 Animal Shelter
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FEELING STRESSED?Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, once wrote, "to allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times.
More than that, it is cooperation with violence. The frenzy of the activist neutralizes his work for peace. It destroys her own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of his own work because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful."
One interpretation: The fear of failure and the need to get things done create this downward spiral of the spirit. To break this "circle of violence" we must step back, reflect, meditate. While at rest we may be able to see things anew, which will increase our "fruitfulness at work" and at home.
“Stress Recess” Stressed by papers? Tests? Relationship issues? For these and other stressors, take a few minutes to check out a new interactive website called “Stress Recess” at http://www.cmhc.utexas.edu/stressrecess, a component of the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center. This site is loaded with videos, animation, video games, body scans, quizzes, clickable charts and graphics and practical information tailored to YOU. Learn what causes stress, signs of stress and—most importantly---what you can do to manage stress in healthy ways!
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