You have probably heard someone calling others a rat, a chicken, or a pig.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a prominent animal rights group, now wants people to stop using animal words as insults as doing so degrades animals by attaching negative human attributes to them.
“Words can create a more inclusive world, or perpetuate oppression,” PETA wrote on Twitter.
“Calling someone an animal as an insult reinforces the myth that humans are superior to other animals & justified in violating them.
“Stand up for justice by rejecting supremacist language.”
PETA added: “Anti-animal slurs degrade animals by applying negative human traits to certain species. Perpetuating the idea that animals are sly, dirty, or heartless desensitises the public and normalises violence against other animals.
“Speciesist language isn’t just harmful, but it is also inaccurate. Pigs, for instance, are intelligent, lead complex social lives, and show empathy for other pigs in distress. Snakes are clever, have family relationships, and prefer to associate with their relatives.
“PETA urges everyone who believes in equality and justice to take a look at their personal beliefs and the language they use, and break free of this outdated mindset that denigrates other animals. Always be kind and consider not using insults at all.”
PETA’s Twitter post quickly went viral, with one person commenting: “If humans didn’t have such a superiority complex and was content to live with nature/animals instead of conquering/enslaving it, we would avoid most problems facing us today.”
Another wrote: “My biggest pet peeve is when humans act as if other living beings are inferior to them. When really, humans are the only beings destroying the only environment that will support our existence, so we are likely not as intelligent as we would like to think.”
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