Critical Animal St. by Nuria Almiron
Routledge, 2024
Animal Suffering and Public Relations conducts an ethical assessment of public relations, mainly ... more Animal Suffering and Public Relations conducts an ethical assessment of public relations, mainly persuasive communication and lobbying, as deployed by some of the main businesses involved in the animal-industrial complex—the industries participating in the systematic and institutionalised exploitation of animals.
Animal advocacy is a complex phenomenon. As a social movement encompassing diverse moral stances ... more Animal advocacy is a complex phenomenon. As a social movement encompassing diverse moral stances and lifestyle choices, veganism and vegetarianism (veg*) are at its core, and animal testing raises as a notably contentious issue within its members. This paper addresses this critical topic. Employing data from an international quantitative survey conducted between June and July 2021, our research explores how ethical vegans and vegetarians responded during the COVID-19 crisis. By comparing the experiences and choices between the two groups, we aimed to understand the variances in attitudes and behaviors in the face of an ethical dilemma, highlighting the interplay between personal beliefs and social pressures in times of a health crisis. Our findings reveal stark contrasts in how vegans and vegetarians navigated the pandemic; vegans displayed less conformity yet experienced a significant compromise of their ethical values, particularly in their overwhelming acceptance of vaccination. This study enhances the field of veg* research and social movement studies by exploring how a social crisis shapes members' behaviors and perspectives. Our findings also contribute to a better understanding of the challenges and prejudices that a minority group such as vegans may face and how they cope with the pressure to go against the mainstream at a time when society is polarized by a single discourse that goes against their moral values.
Illusory authenticity: Negotiating compassion in animal experimentation discourse
Discourse Studies, 2024
Society’s compassion towards nonhuman animals used in experimentation has grown exponentially. Th... more Society’s compassion towards nonhuman animals used in experimentation has grown exponentially. This paper adopts critical discourse analysis to examine how the animal experimentation industry negotiates this societal moral response. To this end, the discourse of the largest animal experimentation interest group in Spain has been studied. Our findings show that the industry, as represented by this interest group, does not negotiate compassion with authenticity but rather creates an illusion of it through opportunistic lexical choices and suppressions, including contradictions and incongruities. We conclude by defining such a discourse as illusory authenticity, a discourse with which the industry conveniently frames itself as altruistic and concerned about animal suffering while at the same time discouraging the public’s cultivation of compassion towards nonhuman animal suffering. This is done by means of perpetuating a logic that frames nonhuman animals as inferior beings whose existence is at the service of humanity.
https://repositori.upf.edu/handle/10230/59611
Editorial Dykinson, 2021
La comunicación del cambio climático, una herramienta ante el gran desafío
Methaodos, 2022
This paper departs from a critical animal studies perspective-that is a perspective critical with... more This paper departs from a critical animal studies perspective-that is a perspective critical with speciesist anthropocentrism-in order to problematize public relations by industries harming other animals. To this end, it reviews the ethical and theoretical frameworks raised by critical public relations in order to adopt a critical stance towards what we call here "lobbying against compassion"-the practice of public relations, mainly lobbying, to justify the exploitation of nonhuman animals by some industries. We first examine the role of compassion as a strong motivator for prosocial behaviours as discussed by philosophy and social psychology. Second, we examine compassion towards animals from the lens of public relations and communication. Third, we conduct a literature review to identify the ethical frameworks raised by previous critical public relations literature, which can also be used to justify the cultivation of compassion toward other animals. Finally, we argue that an ethics of persuasion that incorporates compassion towards the suffering of other animals-and therefore avoids endorsing animal suffering-is unavoidable for public relations theory and practice to be ethically reinforced.
Brill, 2021
Edited by Natalie Khazaal & Núria Almiron (https://brill.com/view/title/58839)
The contributor... more Edited by Natalie Khazaal & Núria Almiron (https://brill.com/view/title/58839)
The contributors of Like an Animal challenge most fundamental concepts in the fields of racism, dehumanization, borders, displacement, and refugees that rest on the assumption of humanism. They show how we can bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice at the border. The goal of this interdisciplinary collection is twofold. First, to invite border/migration studies to consider a broader social justice perspective that includes nonhuman animals. Second, to start a discussion if nonhumans maybe refugees of a kind and how humans can address nonhumans’ interests and needs from the perspective of addressing refugee issues. As capitalism and the climate crisis are taking a catastrophic toll on the planet, this timely volume exposes the alternative origins of violence that lie at the heart of the planet’s destruction.
Brill, 2021
Chapter in ‘Like an Animal.’ Critical Animal Studies Approaches to Borders, Displacement, and Oth... more Chapter in ‘Like an Animal.’ Critical Animal Studies Approaches to Borders, Displacement, and Othering, edited by Natalie Khazaal & Núria Almiron, pp. 47–71. Leiden: Brill. (https://brill.com/view/title/58839)
Núria Almiron reflects on the solidarity toward displaced humans and nonhumans from the perspective of communication ethics. The author examines Lillie Chouliaraky’s theory of an ethics of irony, which refers to the insincere stance that media and communication promote toward distant suffering. This examination is used to reflect on how the ethical discussion of the representation of distant human suffering—as in the case of migrants and refugees—is strongly shaped by the human-nonhuman binary. The discussion includes much of the criticisms raised against the political economy producing this binary, yet it fails to problematize it. Since racism and speciesism are intertwined, failing to critically address the binary limits the analysis and reinforces the root problem: the structural violence of the world system. The chapter argues that the discussion of the ethics of representing human distant suffering is incomplete, and even counterproductive, without a critical interspecies gaze.
Ramon Llull Journal of Applied Ethics, 2021
Media and communication ethics have been evolving in response to historical events that are shapi... more Media and communication ethics have been evolving in response to historical events that are shaping communication practices. This has led to an increasing questioning of the Western-white-patriarchaldominant canon and to the vindication of a more inclusive media and communication ethics. Yet the ethical discussions in the field have been systematically carried out from an anthropocentric-speciesist approach, that is, one which restricts ethical claims to the human species alone. Following the recent work of Clifford G. Christians, this paper claims that the pursuit of a global and inclusive media and communication ethics can only be successfully achieved within a non-speciesist framework. We argue that, under scrutiny, Christians' case for a "human-centered" communication ethics, when taken consistently, sets the case for a cosmopolitan justice between the species. In practice, this amounts to media and communication ethics listening to what comes from the horse's mouth
Public Relations Inquiry, 2021
In this paper we argue that adopting critical animal studies perspectives in critical public rela... more In this paper we argue that adopting critical animal studies perspectives in critical public relations can not only be very fruitful, but that it is also a necessity if the aims of the latter are to be achieved. To this end, this text introduces the challenges and opportunities that the field of critical animal studies brings to critical public relations studies. First, a short explanation of what critical animal studies is and why it can contribute to critical public relations studies is provided. Then the main fields of research where this contribution can be most relevant are discussed, including ethics, discourse studies and political economy. The final aim of this theoretical paper is to expand research within the field of critical public relations by including a critical animal studies approach. Eventually, the authors suggest that embracing the animal standpoint in critical public relations is an essential step to furthering the study of power, hegemony, ideology, propaganda or social change and to accomplishing the emancipatory role of research. (postprint here: http://hdl.handle.net/10230/47682)
Estudios Sobre El Mensaje Periodístico, 2021
[ES] La agricultura animal es una actividad con un gran impacto medioambiental, incluida la emisi... more [ES] La agricultura animal es una actividad con un gran impacto medioambiental, incluida la emisión de gases de efecto invernadero a la atmósfera, y que implica un grave dilema ético por la explotación de decenas de miles de millones de animales no humanos. Los medios de comunicación son una pieza clave para impulsar la acción climática. Es responsabilidad de los medios informar sobre las causas de la crisis climática y cómo enfrentarla. Esta investigación analiza la representación que hace la prensa española entre 2013 y 2019 del impacto climático de la agricultura animal. Para ello se ha utilizado una metodología cuantitativa basada en la teoría del framing, con encuadres construidos a partir de investigaciones anteriores. Los resultados muestran que la prensa española ha infrarrepresentado el papel de la agricultura animal en el cambio climático, no otorgándole suficiente visibilidad, que buena parte de las soluciones que los periódicos aportan no se ajusta al contexto de emergencia climática y que estas presentan con más frecuencia rasgos carnistas que encuadres en defensa de los animales no humanos, todo lo cual supone un freno a la acción ético-climática.
[EN] The animal agriculture industry has extensive environmental impacts, releasing greenhouse gas emissions while also constituting a serious ethical dilemma due to the exploitation of billions of nonhuman animals. In this respect, media are a key piece for climatic action. It is a responsibility of media to report on the causes of the climate crisis and on its solutions. This research analyses the Spanish press coverage of the climatic impacts caused by the animal agriculture during the period of 2013-2019. To do so, a quantitative methodology based on framing theory has been applied, including frames developed through the examination of previous research. The results of this study show that the Spanish press has underrepresented the role that animal agriculture plays in climate change – not allocating enough attention to it –, that many of the proposed solutions do not correspond with the current context of climatic urgency, and that they present carnist traits more frequently than frames in defence of nonhuman animals. All this involves hindering future ethical and climatic action.
Frontiers in Communication, 2020
In spite of the well-documented links between global warming and the animal-based diet, human die... more In spite of the well-documented links between global warming and the animal-based diet, human dietary choices have been only timidly problematized by legacy media in the recent decades. Research on news reporting of the connection between the animal-based diet and climate change shows a clear coverage deficit in traditional journalism. In order to reflect on the reasons for this failure, this paper discusses moral anthropocentrism as the human-supremacist moral stance at the roots of mainstream ethics and the climate crisis. Accordingly, the animal-based food taboo is defined here as our reluctance not only to change but to even discuss changing our food habits, a strong evidence that moral anthropocentrism is not addressed as a problem, which amounts to a type of denial. Through a literature review conducted on the most relevant comparative studies of deontological codes, this paper shows that codes of journalism do not escape moral anthropocentrism, and thus contribute to prevent journalists from stressing the relevant role diet plays in our ethics and sustainability efforts. The paper ends by suggesting ways to expand and update media ethics and deontological codes in journalism to dismantle both the taboo and the moral anthropocentric stance it is based on.
Meatsplaining: The Meat Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial (Chapter title: Nonhuman animal labour and transformative Dialogue: (Re)Worlding Meat)
Sydney University Press , 2020
The animal agriculture industry, like other profit-driven industries, aggressively seeks to shiel... more The animal agriculture industry, like other profit-driven industries, aggressively seeks to shield itself from public scrutiny. To that end, it uses a distinct set of rhetorical strategies to deflect criticism. These tactics are fundamental to modern animal agriculture but have long evaded critical analysis. In this collection, academic and activist contributors investigate the many forms of denialism perpetuated by the animal agriculture industry. What strategies does the industry use to avoid questions about its inhumane treatment of animals and its impact on the environment and public health? What narratives, myths and fantasies does it promote to sustain its image in the public imagination?
‘powerful, timely and essential’ – David Nibert, author of Animal Oppression and Human Violence: Domesecration, Capitalism, and Global Conflict
‘Meatsplaining equips us to identify the lies at the heart of animal agriculture. It’s an excellent and timely compilation on an exceedingly vexing problem.’ – Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat and Burger
‘Meatsplaining is the first book to give an apt name to the animal agriculture industry’s relentless campaign of disinformation and denialism … Written in a clear, lively, and accessible style, Meatsplaining will surely educate the public about the horrors of animal agriculture.’ – Marc Bekoff, author of The Animals’ Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age
‘Cruelty thrives in secrecy, and the meat industry is highly skilled at concealing the routine abuse and misery that flourishes on modern farms. Meatsplaining cuts through the spin, and exposes the meat industry's massive PR machine. It explores how Big Meat uses language, obfuscation, and denial to misdirect the public's attention away from its commodification of sentient animals, environmental devastation, and the looming health crisis caused by eating animals. This book is a must-read for animal advocates, and anyone else who no longer wants to be lied to.’ – Camille Labchuk, Executive Director, Animal Justice
‘This book … provides a necessary corrective to the fantasy world created by meat industry propaganda. As we grapple with a global zoonotic pandemic and biodiversity crisis, it is urgent for us to … start thinking clearly about who and what is on our plates.’ – John Sorenson, Brock University
Greening Animal Defense? Examining Whether Appealing to Climate Change and the Environment Is an Effective Advocacy Strategy to Reduce Oppression of Nonhumans (2019)
American Behavioral Scientist, 2019
Animal advocates are uncertain about whether it is effective to use environmental or climate chan... more Animal advocates are uncertain about whether it is effective to use environmental or climate change messages emphasizing the impact on global warming of factory farming along with, or even in place of, more radical and ideological messages emphasizing justice, abolition, and cruelty toward other animals. Particularly, the real, long-term effectiveness of environment-based arguments in general, and climate change arguments in particular, is unclear. This article attempts to contribute to this discussion by examining some of the reasons that best support or refute the use of an environmental frame for the defense of nonhuman animals from a nonspeciesist and abolitionist perspective. The conclusion is that there are strong arguments for both stances, though, at least for long-term behavioral change, the use of green arguments seems to have more drawbacks.
European Journal of Communication , 2018
Critical and communication studies have traditionally neglected the oppression conducted by human... more Critical and communication studies have traditionally neglected the oppression conducted by humans towards other animals. However, our (mis)treatment of other animals is the result of public consent supported by a morally speciesist-anthropocentric system of values. Speciesism or anthroparchy, as much as any other mainstream ideologies, feed the media and at the same time are perpetuated by them. The goal of this paper is to remedy this neglect by introducing the subdiscipline of Critical Animal and Media Studies (CAMS). CAMS takes inspiration both from critical animal studies, which is so far the most consolidated critical field of research in the social sciences addressing our exploitation of other animals, and the normative-moral stance rooted in the cornerstones of traditional critical media studies. The authors argue that the CAMS approach is an unavoidable step forward for critical media and communication studies to engage with the expanded circle of concerns of contemporary ethical thinking.
Animal Oppression and Capitalism, 2017
Scientists tell us that orcas have inhabited the planet's oceans for at least 6 million years— pr... more Scientists tell us that orcas have inhabited the planet's oceans for at least 6 million years— probably longer since they belong to the oceanic dolphin family, which first appeared around 11 million years ago. Considering that the genus homo is only about 2.8 million years old and modern humans, homo sapiens, emerged around 200,000 years ago— almost yesterday in geologic time—orcas have had much more time to evolve than humans. In fact, if we assess evolution in intelligence without referring to human-centered criteria (i.e., not only based on human senses and the capacity of abstract thought), then cetaceans in general and orcas in particular would rank as more evolved sentient beings than humans in some important aspects. According to Dr. Lori Marino (2011, 115), a leading researcher in whale and dolphin brain anatomy, the brains of these species have evolved " along a different neuroanatomical trajectory, providing an example of an alternative evolutionary route to complex intelligence on earth. ". This, in short, means that if self-serving views of intelligence (designed to put humans on top) are discarded, cetaceans show how intelligence—and thus the capacity of feelings, emotions and suffering—can be displayed in different, fascinating ways. Nowadays, the Orcinus orca is second only to humans (and possibly the common rat) as the most widely distributed mammal on Earth. They can be found in all oceans from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas—widely considered evidence of the success of the species, since this expanded habitat means a huge capacity to adapt to very different natural conditions. As in the case of humans, this adaption to the natural environment has additionally produced different orca cultures, which are mostly defined by food and communication. Depending on the area where they live, different groups of orcas have developed different diets, including fish and/or mammal prey (Ford, et al. 2011) and different hunting practices, including very creative group techniques (Neiwert 2015). Furthermore, each distinct population has its own dialect, that is to say, a set of stereotyped calls they use to communicate with one another (Morton 2004). All of these traits are cultural because they are learned, passed down over the generations, and refined over time. This may seem basic compared to the behavior developed by humans in relation to diet and communication, yet this could well be a human delusion. The complexity of orca societies may be something that humans lack the cognitive capacity to truly understand, since it is based on brain capacities that we ourselves are missing. The most important of these, to our knowledge, is their echolocation ability—the kind of sonar orcas use to communicate and see, defined by some as a genuine sixth sense. Dolphin-family echolocation—an ability that bats also share to some extent—puts orcas among the most acoustically sophisticated animals on the planet, since it not only helps them hear sounds or detect the presence of objects, but it also produces clear and detailed visions of objects that go beyond mere vision, allowing them to see inside things (Marino et al 2007;
American Behavioral Scientist, 2016
The entire span of animal research from captivity to death causes immense suffering for hundreds ... more The entire span of animal research from captivity to death causes immense suffering for hundreds of millions of nonhuman animals every year. Their suffering also disturbs the public, which is increasingly aware—due to animal advocacy, scientists' testaments, and growing direct evidence—that animals' use in biomedical research is more a matter of tradition than any proven superiority of vivisection over other modes of experimentation. Yet in response, the vivisection industrial complex lobbies against animal welfare regulation and animal rights activism. This article discusses how the political economy of the vivisection industry supports the speciesist business of animal testing by mimicking the language of animal welfare to increasingly obstruct the public's compassion. During a 2011 experiment conducted by international researchers, seven healthy cats were anesthetized for tracheal intubation, ligation of the carotid arteries, and decerebration. After the decerebration, that is, the surgical removal of a portion of the cat's brain (in this case the mammillary bodies, a section of the hypothalamus), the cats were considered to have complete lack of sentience and anesthesia was discontinued. Two hours later, experiments were initiated. A middorsal incision exposed the cats' spinal cord, where electrodes were inserted into their paravertebral muscles. Since postmammillary decerebrated cats are unable to stand or step by themselves, their head and upper trunk were secured with an apparatus fixed on their back while a motorized treadmill was located under their hind limbs. Electrical shocks were applied through the electrodes, and the cats' forced locomotor reaction was compared with the locomotor behavior of four noninjured cats also forced to step on a motorized treadmill. The results showed that decerebrated cats are able to step on a moving treadmill belt when their spinal cord is electrically stimulated and backs secured. Because of the deep brain lesion produced on the cats, researchers concluded that spinal circuits might play a relevant role in postural control during stepping (Musienko et al., 2012). This was not news. Previous studies had already reported that electrical shocks cause decerebrated cats to generate step-like movements. Regardless, the researchers
"The Political Economy Behind the Oppression of Other Animals. Interest and influence" (2016)
Critical Animal and Media Studies, 2016
In July 2010 the Parliament of Catalonia banned bull ghting following a pop- ular legislative ini... more In July 2010 the Parliament of Catalonia banned bull ghting following a pop- ular legislative initiative signed by 180,000 citizens under the leadership of the platform PROU (Catalan for ‘Enough’). Catalonia was the second auton- omous region of Spain to pass such a law—the Canary Islands had already done so in 1991—yet the Catalan ban is worth mentioning because it was the result of a wholly grassroots lobbying movement to end this cruel tradition. The petition was only the most visible step in a long and brilliant advocacy campaign conducted by a coalition of animal rights groups on behalf of a large majority of Catalan citizens who did not approve of bull ghting for animal welfare and animal rights reasons (and who had had ‘Enough’ of it). A great victory of ethics, this case also re ects an essential political economy truth with regard to social consent on nonhuman animal abuse.
"The Convergence of Two Critical Approaches" (2016)
Critical Animal and Media Studies, 2016
This book aims to put the speciesism debate and the treatment of non-human animals on the agenda ... more This book aims to put the speciesism debate and the treatment of non-human animals on the agenda of critical media studies and to put media studies on the agenda of animal ethics researchers. Contributors examine the convergence of media and animal ethics from theoretical, philosophical, discursive, social constructionist, and political economic perspectives. The book is divided into three sections: foundations, representation, and responsibility, outlining the different disciplinary approaches’ application to media studies and covering how non-human animals, and the relationship between humans and non-humans, are represented by the mass media, concluding with suggestions for how the media, as a major producer of cultural norms and values related to non-human animals and how we treat them, might improve such representations.
Journalism Studies, 2016
Recent developments in the ideology of speciesism (meaning bias against members of other animal s... more Recent developments in the ideology of speciesism (meaning bias against members of other animal species) within the media deserve analysis. Such discussion is important because speciesism is a major ethical concern. Nonhuman animals suffer massive harm within the industrial farming complex, confined throughout their lives and a high proportion killed while still infants or juveniles. The joint efforts of material institutions, cultural narratives and embodied affects conceal this from the public. As research on this topic is scarce, this study aims to provide tools to improve the quality of journalism regarding ethical issues that concern our relationship with nonhuman animals. We hope to help to formulate an emerging critical animal studies perspective on journalism studies. This article explores the role of news media in constructing perceptions of nonhumans used for food and their treatment. We compare 60 articles from The New York Times (United States) and El País (Spain) over a two-year time frame (2011–2013) using a critical discourse analysis. Our results show that, while both newspapers play a major role in concealing the nonhumans' cruel reality, a distinction can be drawn between the crude speciesism of El País and the camouflaged, more deceptive style of The New York Times.
Journalism Studies Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription infor... more Journalism Studies Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: Recent developments in the ideology of speciesism (meaning bias against members of other animal species) within the media deserve analysis. Such discussion is important because speciesism is a major ethical concern. Nonhuman animals suffer massive harm within the industrial farming complex, confined throughout their lives and a high proportion killed while still infants or juveniles. The joint efforts of material institutions, cultural narratives and embodied affects conceal this from the public. As research on this topic is scarce, this study aims to provide tools to improve the quality of journalism regarding ethical issues that concern our relationship with nonhuman animals. We hope to help to formulate an emerging critical animal studies perspective on journalism studies. This article explores the role of news media in constructing perceptions of nonhumans used for food and their treatment. We compare 60 articles from The New York Times (United States) and El País (Spain) over a two-year time frame (2011–2013) using a critical discourse analysis. Our results show that, while both newspapers play a major role in concealing the nonhumans' cruel reality, a distinction can be drawn between the crude speciesism of El País and the camouflaged, more deceptive style of The New York Times.
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Critical Animal St. by Nuria Almiron
https://repositori.upf.edu/handle/10230/59611
The contributors of Like an Animal challenge most fundamental concepts in the fields of racism, dehumanization, borders, displacement, and refugees that rest on the assumption of humanism. They show how we can bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice at the border. The goal of this interdisciplinary collection is twofold. First, to invite border/migration studies to consider a broader social justice perspective that includes nonhuman animals. Second, to start a discussion if nonhumans maybe refugees of a kind and how humans can address nonhumans’ interests and needs from the perspective of addressing refugee issues. As capitalism and the climate crisis are taking a catastrophic toll on the planet, this timely volume exposes the alternative origins of violence that lie at the heart of the planet’s destruction.
Núria Almiron reflects on the solidarity toward displaced humans and nonhumans from the perspective of communication ethics. The author examines Lillie Chouliaraky’s theory of an ethics of irony, which refers to the insincere stance that media and communication promote toward distant suffering. This examination is used to reflect on how the ethical discussion of the representation of distant human suffering—as in the case of migrants and refugees—is strongly shaped by the human-nonhuman binary. The discussion includes much of the criticisms raised against the political economy producing this binary, yet it fails to problematize it. Since racism and speciesism are intertwined, failing to critically address the binary limits the analysis and reinforces the root problem: the structural violence of the world system. The chapter argues that the discussion of the ethics of representing human distant suffering is incomplete, and even counterproductive, without a critical interspecies gaze.
[EN] The animal agriculture industry has extensive environmental impacts, releasing greenhouse gas emissions while also constituting a serious ethical dilemma due to the exploitation of billions of nonhuman animals. In this respect, media are a key piece for climatic action. It is a responsibility of media to report on the causes of the climate crisis and on its solutions. This research analyses the Spanish press coverage of the climatic impacts caused by the animal agriculture during the period of 2013-2019. To do so, a quantitative methodology based on framing theory has been applied, including frames developed through the examination of previous research. The results of this study show that the Spanish press has underrepresented the role that animal agriculture plays in climate change – not allocating enough attention to it –, that many of the proposed solutions do not correspond with the current context of climatic urgency, and that they present carnist traits more frequently than frames in defence of nonhuman animals. All this involves hindering future ethical and climatic action.
‘powerful, timely and essential’ – David Nibert, author of Animal Oppression and Human Violence: Domesecration, Capitalism, and Global Conflict
‘Meatsplaining equips us to identify the lies at the heart of animal agriculture. It’s an excellent and timely compilation on an exceedingly vexing problem.’ – Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat and Burger
‘Meatsplaining is the first book to give an apt name to the animal agriculture industry’s relentless campaign of disinformation and denialism … Written in a clear, lively, and accessible style, Meatsplaining will surely educate the public about the horrors of animal agriculture.’ – Marc Bekoff, author of The Animals’ Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age
‘Cruelty thrives in secrecy, and the meat industry is highly skilled at concealing the routine abuse and misery that flourishes on modern farms. Meatsplaining cuts through the spin, and exposes the meat industry's massive PR machine. It explores how Big Meat uses language, obfuscation, and denial to misdirect the public's attention away from its commodification of sentient animals, environmental devastation, and the looming health crisis caused by eating animals. This book is a must-read for animal advocates, and anyone else who no longer wants to be lied to.’ – Camille Labchuk, Executive Director, Animal Justice
‘This book … provides a necessary corrective to the fantasy world created by meat industry propaganda. As we grapple with a global zoonotic pandemic and biodiversity crisis, it is urgent for us to … start thinking clearly about who and what is on our plates.’ – John Sorenson, Brock University