What is your opinion of animal rights activists?

That it must only be done in accordance to rules and regulations.

That it shouldn’t interfere with other’s personal freedom.

That there are many type of activists and some of the activists themselves are potentially hypocrite and discriminating (like how people protect dog from being eaten while appearing non chalant when chicken is consumed, or even for extremists who own cats and purchase cat food).

And that they’ll lose their novelty, and possibly, fanatism, once plant activists have introduced themselves in the competition.

Totally agree. I’m a big animal lover but I don’t do militant anything. Sharing information or educating others that show interest is one thing, but some animal rights people/groups are just plain fanatic. Extremist anything equals automatic loss of credibility.
I love geese and boycott down products and foie gras but I’m not going into restaurants and making a scene if they have foie gras on the menu.

From my observation, some animal activists seem to have negative attitude towards human, and it seems to me that they use animal rights as another way to justify their attitude. I agree with you that animal activists are extremists, but there are also people who distort the true purpose of animal protection for their personal cause like the ones I mentioned. Not to mention there are people who can care less about animals and use the “animal rights” as an aid for something else.

It depends on how effective they are.

I think action is justified on behalf of endangered and abused animals, plants, humans, and the planet’s overall health. But if it’s not effective, or backfires, then that’s counter-productive. Of course, it’s hard to assess the overall effects, since they come in different types and the world is complicated.

PETA has both raised public awareness, and created a lot of people who hate them and others by extension.

If I become dictator of a power with military supremacy, though, expect me to threaten and follow up with force on all humans threatening other species with extinction, or ecosystems with destruction, or abusing non-humans. But only if I’m sure I can be effective about it, and not cause more harm than good. I’ll probably need technologically superior aliens to have that be a good idea.

But within the law, there are still ways. Peaceful, or otherwise. I like the Black Mambas, for example. If merely elected president, I would back them up.

They’re necessary and useful as a visible conscience of the society.

I do not really have a problem with militant action.
Remember, that the colonies had a civil war over it.

“Rights” are a human construct. They can only be granted to, and understood, by humans.

This lover of animals is irked by the so called animal rights set. They humanize animals and go to unrealistic extremes when defining what is animal cruelty.

The PETA idiots recently stated that the shearing of sheep was cruelty. No dumbass, NOT shearing sheep is cruel.

The animal rights nuts had a hissyfit about the horse carriages in Central Park.

They have griped about sled dogs. Anyone that has spent time near these animals can clearly see that they love what they do.

Stupid lazy pandas. Has anyone considered that they might not care to exist anymore?

I don’t like zoos, I’m glad to hear that Sea World is phasing out their orca program. Those involved in dogfighting and the like should be held accountable.

Animal protein is vital in the development and maintenance of the humor center of the human brain.

“Save a horse, ride an activist.”

Everybody needs to be passionate about something. It helps make the world a better place. But when they insist that everyone must be as passionate about their passion as they are, it gets annoying.

@SecondHandStoke I agree to a degree, but, the carriage horse thing is a big deal, many of those horses are forced to work long hours in all sorts of extreme weather, they are housed in cramped high rise stables in small stalls and many collapse in their traces and have been hit by cars. I’m a horse person and trust me, many of these carriage horses are seriously neglected and mistreated. Advocacy for humane treatment and conditions is not the same as militant insanity, like considering shearing sheep to be inhumane. Domestic sheep have been bred to grow extremely thick fleece and since humans have tweaked these animals genetics we need to keep them comfortable, no doubt.

Wild breeds of sheep naturally shed a lot of their wool and most live in harsh, cold climates where they do not require human intervention because they are carrying around 150lbs. of wool in 100 degree weather.

I think the issue with the sheep shearing is that it’s done so roughly and quickly that the sheep’s skin often gets cut in the process.

There’s also some tail docking or something where they cut something off without using anesthesia

I think most of them are wackadoodles.

@jca True, rough handling is not good. Poor sheepies. I know they dock tails because of matted poo and birthing in the Ewes.