It sounds like you're having fun at the film festival. Sorry I haven't been commenting much lately--I'm in hermit mode, and I know you don't have a lot of online time, so I've been quiet.
"Your Mommy Kills Animals" sounds really interesting to me, though if it's defining PETA as an animal welfare rather than animal rights group, I'm a little confused about the definitions it is using. In the U.S., anyway, "animal welfare" groups have traditionally been organizations like the Humane Society, that work to get laws passed to ensure decent treatment of pets and other domestic animals, but which don't take stances on animal rights issues like meat eating, factory farming, wearing fur, hunting, etc. Animal rights organizations oppose all those things, and PETA in particular has a history of being quite confrontational (though not violent) on issues like wearing fur and animal experimentation. I believe PETA activists used to throw red paint on people wearing fur, for example, though in the past decade or so they've mostly limited themselves to ad campaigns like "I'd rather go naked than wear fur." (http://www.furisdead.com/history.asp)
I had heard a little bit about groups like the Animal Liberation front, that did more direct actions like sabotaging labs where animal experimentation was performed, but I'd like to hear more about this, so I'm very interested in the film. I'm especially interested to see how the documentarians define "animal rights" and "animal welfare," since if they're defining PETA as animal welfare, I guess I've been using that term incorrectly.
You are too correct about the ways that domestic terrorism laws in the U.S. have been used to target certain kinds of political activism. (Direct action environmental groups have also been a big target).
no subject
"Your Mommy Kills Animals" sounds really interesting to me, though if it's defining PETA as an animal welfare rather than animal rights group, I'm a little confused about the definitions it is using. In the U.S., anyway, "animal welfare" groups have traditionally been organizations like the Humane Society, that work to get laws passed to ensure decent treatment of pets and other domestic animals, but which don't take stances on animal rights issues like meat eating, factory farming, wearing fur, hunting, etc. Animal rights organizations oppose all those things, and PETA in particular has a history of being quite confrontational (though not violent) on issues like wearing fur and animal experimentation. I believe PETA activists used to throw red paint on people wearing fur, for example, though in the past decade or so they've mostly limited themselves to ad campaigns like "I'd rather go naked than wear fur." (http://www.furisdead.com/history.asp)
I had heard a little bit about groups like the Animal Liberation front, that did more direct actions like sabotaging labs where animal experimentation was performed, but I'd like to hear more about this, so I'm very interested in the film. I'm especially interested to see how the documentarians define "animal rights" and "animal welfare," since if they're defining PETA as animal welfare, I guess I've been using that term incorrectly.
You are too correct about the ways that domestic terrorism laws in the U.S. have been used to target certain kinds of political activism. (Direct action environmental groups have also been a big target).