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Micro-Landscapes of the Anthropocene

The Human-Animal

The division between human and animal is one that we are socialised to accept from a very young age. More than visual, we are taught that animals are property, play things, sources of entertainment, and somehow deserving of whatever way they may be treated. There are, of course, huge social movements to try and unlearn these fundamental beliefs that frankly, most of us don't even notice because they are so deeply embedded in our culture until perhaps we see a video or images of animal cruelty. This dualism is standard in western society.

Val Plumwood in her work Dualism: the Logic of Colonisation, discusses the danger of constructing a human identity that somehow sits outside of nature, and also how western dualism's ability to separate humans even further in and out of accepted class is a major basis for forms of oppression. This can very easily be seen in standards of treatment of animals for food, entertainment or labour. This is oppression. And this is accepted.

I've always found it very interesting when people generally seem much more ready and/or willing to engage with animal rights issues under a few specific circumstances; the first is when they see videos or images that disallow them to claim ignorance - seeing animals in pain or suffering. It is not secret that these animal rights' abuses occur. But seeing it creates immediacy and this weird empathy that humans weren't lacking they were just ignoring. Not even just physical pain or distress, but mental or emotional anguish as well. Such as dolphins who display mania in sea parks, or monkeys who display PTSD in war torn countries.

Another is when animals are able to display "intelligence". Animals are the result of millions of years of evolution and demonstrate behaviours and features that we still can't logically explain or analyse and they survive their whole lives without human interaction, assistance, support, guidance. They have intelligence. But when we see videos of whales playing games, Gorillas signing to communicate, even parrots learning complete sentences, these animals are suddenly easier to empathise with? It's like humans value humanity, and in this intense and historical othering, we have evolved socially to only respect sameness (ie when teh other can display human traits).

Gorillas and apes are an interesting area in terms of animal rights and this dualism because we are constantly learning and seeing them display these humanistic behaviours. They are so close to this dualistic boundary that sometimes, they nearly cross over into the human. Seeing them in their natural habitat can be honestly very confronting because of how "relatable" much of their behaviour can be.

Breaking down this western dualism between man and animal needs to begin with an understanding of this other as important/useful despite not being "human". I think with increased attention and effort in this area, we are very close to reaching the Human-Animal - a creature who can be appreciated in both the "human" and "animal" realm as native or wanted.

I greatly enjoyed this video of mountain gorillas playing in Rwanda. And this article outlining the danger that human viruses pose to native gorilla populations speaks volumes of the uselessness of these dualisms.

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As mankind I feel that many people come to see animals as inferior to us. That is why they are looked down upon and treated the way they are. People are simply not capable of empathising with animals immediately, some people fail to empathise with other humans. I don't think it is entirely due to our upbringing or the world around us that so much causes us to treat animals in such a bad way, but that some people do not take the time to think about how similar some animals may seem to us. That is the reason why videos that show animal behaviour mirroring that of humans or similar pains resonate with people so much more. It is simply the easiest way to reveal to people what they may never have pondered. It is a possibility that if this was more widespread and taught within schools it may close the gap between human and animal, but we may never know until the day that happens.
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1. The Human-Animal The division between human and animal is one that we are socialised to accept from a very young age. More than visual, we are taught that animals are property, play things, sources of entertainment, and somehow deserving of whatever way they may be treated. There are, of course, huge social movements to try and unlearn these fundamental beliefs that frankly, most of us don't even notice because they are so deeply embedded in our culture until perhaps we see a video or images of animal cruelty. This dualism is standard in western society.
  
  Val Plumwood in her work Dualism: the Logic of Colonisation, discusses the danger of constructing a human identity that somehow sits outside of nature, and also how western dualism's ability to separate humans even further in and out of accepted class is a major basis for forms of oppression. This can very easily be seen in standards of treatment of animals for food, entertainment or labour. This is oppression. And this is accepted.
  
  I've always found it very interesting when people generally seem much more ready and/or willing to engage with animal rights issues under a few specific circumstances; the first is when they see videos or images that disallow them to claim ignorance - seeing animals in pain or suffering. It is not secret that these animal rights' abuses occur. But seeing it creates immediacy and this weird empathy that humans weren't lacking they were just ignoring. Not even just physical pain or distress, but mental or emotional anguish as well. Such as dolphins who display mania in sea parks, or monkeys who display PTSD in war torn countries.
  
  Another is when animals are able to display "intelligence". Animals are the result of millions of years of evolution and demonstrate behaviours and features that we still can't logically explain or analyse and they survive their whole lives without human interaction, assistance, support, guidance. They have intelligence. But when we see videos of whales playing games, Gorillas signing to communicate, even parrots learning complete sentences, these animals are suddenly easier to empathise with? It's like humans value humanity, and in this intense and historical othering, we have evolved socially to only respect sameness (ie when teh other can display human traits).
  
  Gorillas and apes are an interesting area in terms of animal rights and this dualism because we are constantly learning and seeing them display these humanistic behaviours. They are so close to this dualistic boundary that sometimes, they nearly cross over into the human. Seeing them in their natural habitat can be honestly very confronting because of how "relatable" much of their behaviour can be.
  
  Breaking down this western dualism between man and animal needs to begin with an understanding of this other as important/useful despite not being "human". I think with increased attention and effort in this area, we are very close to reaching the Human-Animal - a creature who can be appreciated in both the "human" and "animal" realm as native or wanted.
  
  I greatly enjoyed this video of mountain gorillas playing in Rwanda. And this article outlining the danger that human viruses pose to native gorilla populations speaks volumes of the uselessness of these dualisms.