Speciesism is the difference in treatment of individual beings since they are from a different biological category. For this example, they are a different species. Animals are judged off of these species, and they become specimens, they do not maintain their autonomy as an individual. There is a focus on the membership or non-membership of a particular group, and, for example, with animals being treated in a Speciesist way, there is discrimination and the animals are often harshly treated. I do not agree with Speciesism. It is hard to avoid it in this day and age. Dogs and cats are said to be a particular way based off of species.
Even now, it can be considered Speciesist to have pets. I have three pets, a fish, snake and iguana. All of my pets are in approved containers for their size and species (a little larger in fact) but they are still contained. This is considered a form of enslavement, and it is certainly Speciesist. You would not see humans put in cages and kept as “pets.” Certainly it is Speciesism that is present when my mom has milk goats and milks them, putting them to work, taking away their kids and keeping them contained. Of course, for many animals, they would not be able to survive in the wild or in the conditions of the weather. However, some people do cruel things to their animals, sometimes for the human’s comfort and sometimes for other reasons.
Animals are given lower quality food most of the time. They are often not fed as well, or with as much variety as humans. Some animals work and have to work very hard, such as dogs and horses. Some animals are trained regularly and go through strict regimens. Some animals may be contained or caged. Others may be physically abused. They may be provided limited space, inappropriate living conditions, lighting or food. Leather, wool, lanolin, eggs, honey, milk, meat and more are all examples of goods made from animals or animal ‘slavery.’ People often justify striking and yelling at animals. They are not considered intelligent. In many cases, they do not think animals have souls, or that the souls or intellect of animals are not as “important” or respectable as humans. Animals have all sorts of stereotypes that are mentioned on page 9 of the text. They can be used as insults to animals or to humans.
Animals that may be treated differently are dogs, cats, horses, birds, reptiles, fish and more. Dogs are used for a variety of uses. In some places, they may be treated quite harshly. They may have ears or tails docked. They may be abused, even intentionally sometimes, to create guard dogs. They may be for transportation, hunting, eventing or more. Birds such as chickens are kept in substandard conditions in many areas. Sometimes, their legs are cut off so they cannot move around. Sometimes the tips of their beaks are cut off, or their spurs removed.
Horse are treated roughly sometimes. They are used as transportation and to move heavy objects and to move things where other vehicles may not work. They sometimes have their body manipulated as well, such as tail docking. Cats are given less health care on the average compared to dogs, though because it doesn’t cost as much, they may go to the clinic for some reasons. They are also declawed. Cats are used by psychologists to monitor human emotional reactions, because their emotional repertoire is close to our own. So, when you hurt a cat, we KNOW it has emotional repercussions. Fish are given limited resources and space. Reptiles may be given inappropriate living conditions and inadequate lighting.
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