Home / Political objections / Anti-racism, anti-ableism and the fight against other discrimination
"Comparing speciesism to racism or ableism is offensive; they are different things."
Anti-racism, anti-ableism and the fight against other discrimination: the principle
Do not give less weight to someone's interests because of a trait that does not change how much they can be harmed, such as race, disability, origin or appearance.
Why excluding animals contradicts the principle
- The comparison is not between victims but between structures of reasoning: in every case, a trait irrelevant to the harm is used to discount interests (A10, A24).
- Ableism and speciesism share a criterion: treating cognitive ability as the measure of worth. Authors such as Sunaura Taylor, who lives with a disability, discuss this link in Beasts of Burden.
- Each struggle has its own history and its own victims, and none needs to be diluted. But the principle that sustains them does not stop at the species line.
The strongest counter-reply
The most serious version says these comparisons have been used to animalize and dehumanize human groups, and should therefore be avoided.
The answer
The caution is fair, and the argument for animals stands without analogies (L7). But the problem with dehumanization was always treating someone as if they did not matter; the consistent answer is that no one who feels should be treated that way.
See also
L7 Comparing animal farming to slavery or the Holocaust is offensive.A24 Species is biology, race is a social constructA11 It's normal for humans to be rational.A10 They're just animals.