The Dark Side of Animal Rights

Be careful which activist organizations you support, many are not what they claim, and few do real good.

Recently an article came out online confirming what many of us had stated about PETA for a while, they operate high kill shelters. The reason for them having kept this hidden as long as they could is the very reason they created the bandwagon they charge people to ride.

As many people know, fame and fortune are like crack, highly addictive, and it destroys who you are. PETA has been addicted to fame and fortune for many years now, enjoying the power to make or break businesses and the perks these corporations pay for protection from their merry band of protestors.

Another common reason people will create bandwagons with the guise of helping is a bloodlust, their love of violence has made Sea Shepherds the prime example of this. Nothing short of terrorists seeking an excuse to intimidate and bully with violence and death.

Sea Shepherds are throwing out the rest of the ocean to offer one species a short lived reprise from being hunted, and to do this they attack ships, sinking them, full of toxic materials. The killing of humans to accomplish their misguided mission aside; the oceans are the most important environment on the planet, without their ecosystem, we all die, as in all animals.

Sure, life will continue on in spite of all animal life being absent, and eventually new animals will evolve to take our places, but is this worth the price of driving everything else extinct? Greenpeace was once like Sea Shepherds, but they grew up and thought about their mission more objectively, then corrected their methods.

Greenpeace now does great work, producing slow, steady, and lasting results. Violence only begets violence, and they have realized that causing harm will only drive the demand for the products based on animal suffering.

Humane Society, RSPCA, and many small time groups work with the governments and law enforcement, while protecting what they can. These groups need our support most, they do not ask for more than needed and care little about the fame.

So how do you know if an activist group is good on their word? This often appears to be a daunting task, but it's pretty simple most of the time. Talk to their supporters; if the supporters seem excessively fanatical or defensive, chances are they are a bad organization.

By asking tough questions like what policies the group endorses and which agencies they work with, you can learn a lot, especially if they offer only vague platitudes or slogans. The lack of solid answers is a red flag, they are likely looking for attention, instead of solutions.

You should also ask to see the financial records, true activists are against hiding these; the records will show what actions they have taken for, or against, their cause. The financial records will offer another very important bit of information, who backs the organization.

Most people will not know exactly what to look for here, so I will offer a quick rule of thumb. Look for any company that sells food, clothing, or cosmetics. Key words are any feel good labels like organic and all natural.

Both organic and all natural labels are scams, they will often use misinformation and bully tactics to break the competition, and they usually care nothing for the environment or animals. Those topics require far more explanation than I have time for now.

If they deal with domestic companions; ask how many adoptions they have helped with in the last year, the Humane Society loves to give this number, and it shows they are more interested in saving lives, even at the cost of a few pennies. Many of these organizations only exist because of donations, and often they will ask for foods, medicines, or other necessities instead of money.

Please, support animal rights, and do so by supporting organizations that do not harm animals.