It is much the same with horses, whales, and dolphins - or any other privileged species ...

It is much the same with horses, whales, and dolphins - or any other "privileged species." However, that privilege reveals the strength of cultural norms while, at the same time, simply speaks of different use traditions.

Some cultures use dogs as companion animals, hunters, racers, family members, living ornaments, items for "show" - but they are not generally used as food. Other cultures see dogs as "livestock."  ~  Dr. Roger Yates  

I subscribe to Vegan Society co-founder, Donald Watson's notion that ...

I subscribe to Vegan Society co-founder Donald Watson’s notion that people have to be “ripened” to new ideas – just as they had to be “ripened” to the new idea of veganism. I therefore believe that people are quite capable to taking on board the idea that nonhuman animals are rightholders. The fact that people may be rather befuddled by the terms “animals rights” and “animal rights violations” merely suggests to me that we have not used that language nearly enough, and we are failing in our “ripening” duties.  ~  Dr. Roger Yates  

If we are going to have a dynamic movement, capable of building coalitions and ...

If we are going to have a dynamic movement, capable of building coalitions and bridges with other movements and struggles, we need theories that can get us there. We can’t merely mimic the past, or our distorted white-dominated interpretation of the past, if we are going to get there. This isn’t that I think abolition or liberation are dirty terms, I just don’t think much of what is presented under their names is worthy of the title. ~ Dylan Powell

In a nutshell, there are many species who are killed in the millions annually and who ...

In a nutshell, there are many species who are killed in the millions annually and who suffer horribly, simply because humans deem these species to be overpopulated.  Such as kangaroos, rabbits, mice, and others in Australia, and deer, wild boars, prairie dogs and others in the U.S., and so on around the planet.  I believe that for these species, and individuals who number literally in the billions, chemical sterilization would be a blessing. ~ Alex Pacheco

Humans who were enslaved favored the view of abolitionists over those who ...

Humans who were enslaved favored the view of abolitionists over those who advocated simply for reforms, and I’ve got to believe that if other animals could express a preference they would say the same thing. Reforms, always a problem in terms of significance and enforcement, are likely to undermine critique and activism ~ Professor David Nibert

I suppose what was so very surprising about moving from a wannabe critic of ...

I suppose what was so very surprising about moving from a wannabe critic of “animal rights” to an active proponent is that a rather simple piece of literature, with a clear argument and some accompanying graphic photos instantly instigated an internal tumult that I was completely unprepared for. ~ Alex Melonas

In the 90s, the trans liberation movement took off, and during that time ...

In the 90s, the trans liberation movement took off, and during that time you could see the change in media coverage of trans (transsexual, transgendered, transsexed) people from complete disrespect/parody to more respectful, to the point that the latter became more accepted and nasty articles are the exception rather than the rule. I hope that the more veganism, animal rights, speciesism and human privilege gets exposure in the mainstream media, the more people will eventually engage with the issues and have an epiphany! ~ Katrina Fox

I say if you believe as a knowledgeable, moral and ethical person that there is injustice ...

I say if you believe as a knowledgeable, moral and ethical person that there is injustice in the law then you need to speak up. ~ Professor Steve Garlick

I am not saying that you should not engage in peaceful demonstrations at a circus ...

I am not saying that you should not engage in peaceful demonstrations at a circus or whatever; I am just saying that you ought to be distributing literature and educating people about why ALL animal use is unjustifiable. Using an event like a circus as a focal point for vegan education is not necessarily a bad idea. As a general matter, however, I see single-issue campaigns as problematic, whether they are regulatory (making practice X more "humane") or whether they purport to be "bans" or prohibitions. They convey the impression that some forms of exploitation are worse than others and confuses people ~ Gary Francione

If the animal rights movement was stripped of its male rights language ...

If the animal rights movement was stripped of its male rights language, its mainly male leaders and the sexist approach of some of the promotional material, what would we have? We would have to acknowledge that it is largely a movement of women who care about animals. ~ Carol Adams

If we look at planet Earth today, there is no doubt that ...

If we look at planet Earth today, there is no doubt that the Earth will survive, but, in the direction we're going right now, there is a real question of whether the human species will survive ~ Howard Lyman

I do not support "humane" animal products, and speak out as best I can against them ...

I do not support “humane” animal products, and speak out as best I can against them, both in writing, and in the lectures I give – there are invariably people who have a friend who has chickens as pets and want to know if it’s OK to eat their eggs,  for example. Even in these situations, I tell them I feel that there is institutionalized violence – it is a form of himsa (violence) to believe that one “owns” another living being.  If the friend “owns” the hen, she (the hen) is being confined against her will, and is not able to live her life as she did for millennia in the jungles of southeast Asia, and is in an artificial, manipulated, inherently abusive environment. Even the most apparently benign situation, if there’s ownership and money involved, are exploitive, in my opinion, and that’s the perspective I express. ~ Dr. Will Tuttle

I just remind other people that I'm no different than they are ...

I just remind [other people] that I'm no different than they are, and that they already carry the capacity for taking equality seriously within them. For example, they most likely would hate to see cats and dogs exploited. All they have to do is extend that same concern to all other sentient beings ~ Minku Sharma

A commitment to the well-being of all sentience has far-reaching implications for ..

A commitment to the well-being of all sentience has far-reaching implications for humans and non-humans alike - ranging from the abolition of factory-farming and closure of the death factories to compassionate – and systematic - intervention in the  living world. A commitment to the well-being of all sentience also – I’d argue - entails adopting a cruelty-free vegan lifestyle. ~ Dave Pearce

Asking someone to stop eating animals and animal products isn't simply asking for ...

Asking someone to stop eating animals and animal products isn’t simply asking for a change of behavior; if it were truly that simple we’d live in a very different world. It’s asking for a shift of consciousness. ~ Dr. Melanie Joy

Creating a better world for humans also creates the conditions where ...

Creating a better world for humans also creates the conditions where animal liberation can prosper. We fit into that struggle wherever we have the courage to join it, but it is also far past time that we see the politics of these other struggles brought into our own. I see a lot of my comrades having backwards attitudes and behaviors. We will become better animal liberationists by becoming better people in general.  Learn about the struggles of others, lose your own prejudices, and fight injustice wherever you see it. ~ Josh Harper

When I see some of the bitterness and judging and finger pointing among ...

When I see some of the bitterness and judging and finger pointing among animal activists, I think, “Man, the movement needs UNITY just as much as the world does” ~ Shaun Monson

I would like to say now that the rest of my life, I am absolutely committed to ...

I would like to say now that the rest of my life, I am absolutely committed to the fact that no animal has to die for me to live. It is the most heartwarming thing that has ever happened to me ~ Howard Lyman.

Personally I find the idea of in vitro meat revolting - even though ...

Personally I find the idea of in vitro meat revolting - even though its potential mass-production is cruelty-free. But I worry that moral argument and antispeciesist advocacy alone aren’t going to outlaw factory farming and the death factories. For you can’t argue effectively against moral apathy – and let’s face it, most people are morally apathetic most of the time. Fortunately, most people aren’t actively malevolent either. So when in vitro meat products are available at the price and tastiness of traditional products, I predict the majority of people will choose the cruelty-free option – and feel good about themselves for doing so. ~ David Pearce

I try to never believe that anyone is a "lost cause." Ten years ago ...

I try to never believe that anyone is a "lost cause." Ten years ago, I wasn't vegan. I said to my vegan friends that I am a lost cause. So, if I can go from that to where I am now, no one's a lost cause ~ Minku Sharma