Every human needs to be respected. So does every other animal. So respectfully, if you support any of these practices, then you need to see just what it is you are perpetuating. Prefaced with respect, you can pass this along to your friends. If you say you are concerned with cruelty, they will respect you unless they do not care about cruelty, which would seem to border on sociopathy. The highest forms of friendship involve a mutual concern with justice. Any human's discomfort watching these is endlessly outweighed by the routine sufferings of the animals depicted. These films are short but their significance is enduring. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. If so, then these motion pictures are worth millions of words. Still, it is unfortunate that one can "see" these films without seeing. That is, one can, in a speciesist manner, view the animals as objects and remain unmoved, or else try to see things from their standpoints and be affected appropriately. That is, honestly. And yes, these films are sufficiently representative of reality to be taken seriously. They are part of the reason why the North American public trusts indications from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) more than, for example, the "animal farm" corporations or their mouthpieces. Please reflect deeply on the truth as you find it, and do so with all of the goodness in your heart. It is time now to jump from the clean sweep of language to the gritty realities that must be faced if ever they are to be overcome, as rightly they must:
Even if you are not directly implicated in the above abuses, it is up to those who are not to mount such an opposition as to end all animal abuses, including those pertaining to humans. If you engage in or support speciesist practices, then please be aware that people just like you need to change if speciesism itself is to be substantially ended as is the present goal with racism and sexism. Pain is pain, no matter the species of the sufferer. Still, do not overly associate these films with "animal rights." These shorts depict conditions that violate animal rights. Portrayals of animal rights would show, for example, peaceful animal sanctuaries where animals are honoured residents. These shorts have tremendous "conversion potential" as activist experience shows. That is because they are often the best way of getting a sense of the realities of speciesism. Actually, one's own experience might only provide glimpses which film-makers typically go way beyond.
I hope this listing will be useful to pass around
or to link to for its easy access, selection out of so many
possible films to view, and coverage of so many aspects of
routine forms of animal abuse. I extend a special thanks to
PETA, also gratefully acknowledging ISPCA and HSI, for
providing these films to the public for their edification and
towards the liberation of all who might find emancipation to be
significant.
