Angry protests can’t solve real problems
The advocacy group Direct Action Everywhere is yet another example of the dangers that can arise when fanaticism overwhelms common sense. Recent demonstrations in San Francisco resulting in the arrest of Wayne Hsiung, the movement’s co- founder, helped to demonstrate how counterproductive aggressive demonstrations can be. This is especially the case when the arrest occurred during a “rescue mission” targeting local merchants who had not violated state or federal law.
In fact, Direct Action Everywhere has become known as a movement that antagonizes and harasses politicians such as Bernie Sanders, farms, ranches, and even sports teams, such as the Los Angeles Dodgers. Furthermore, its actions have done very little good for the animals it claims to adore to such an unhealthy degree. Perhaps most amusingly, the movement claims to be seeking a “Species Equality Act,” an act that would “create a system of global citizenship to give animals representation in trans- national, trans- ecological governance.”
It takes very little thought to realize how foolish such a goal is. How could one find out the opinion of say, a chicken, on such weighty questions. This is another example of the way these disruptive movements promote unrealistic ideals.
After all, citizenship comes with responsibilities, and what responsibilities will one give to a cow or a chicken? Such demands are the ranting of a movement that is quite divorced from the reality of these questions. In fact, like every other group that has let fanaticism inform their vision of the world, Direct Action Everywhere is unable to use even the simplest logic when evaluating their goals.
Most domestic animals are no less the tools of mankind than the hammers and levers used by our ancestors were. Thousands of years of selective breeding have irrecoverably transformed our domestic animals, to the point where many of them would be unable to survive in the wild. These changes were not made for the animal’s benefit, but for the benefit of mankind. To demand freedom from mankind would essentially mean turning these animals loose into the wild, where they would swiftly die. For this reason, the question of what will be done with these animals is one that these organizations are seldom prepared to answer in any realistic form. More specifically, groups such as Direct Action Everywhere, by indiscriminately targeting all farms, make it easier for both the public and the farm industry to ignore them. Since their objective is the destruction of these industries, there is no need to ever attempt to meet them halfway. If anything, this benefits those businesses that might otherwise find themselves scrutinized for their treatment of animals, as this group’s hysterical claims lead the rest of society to ignore even credible claims. Like PETA, Direct Action Everywhere is a gadfly that will ultimately have little impact on the larger world, its ranting ignored as the rest of society goes about its business. Groups holding such a fanatical stance have almost universally found themselves passed over by society, and Direct Action Everywhere will prove to be no exception. Finally, there is the fact that movements like this always assume that there is no “other side” to the argument. They divide the world into true believers and those heretics who must be forced onto the one true path. These groups are often unable to make any real changes for the simple fact that they are unable to recognize that real changes require compromise and engagement, rather than simply attempting to scream every other group into submission.
The good news is that these demonstrations have had no impact on the diet of America and the world. One can still enjoy a steak or hamburger, and the patrons enjoying their meals at local restaurants seem to have little difficulty reconciling their dining practices with their morality.
However much Direct Action Everywhere might rant and however much moral pleasure they might derive from their demonstrations, their movement is having little impact, save among those who are already true believers.
For anyone seeking to change the world, Direct Action Everywhere presents a cautionary tale. Self- congratulatory rants and assaults on businesses may do much for the individual’s self- esteem; but will do little to provide realistic solutions to the world’s problems. As full of sound and fury as these groups are, they will ultimately be eclipsed by those groups willing to work with others, rather than demand their unilateral compliance to an unrealistic dream.