Discourses of Discord: Animal Activism and Moral Judgement

Abstract

This article explores discourses surrounding animal activism with reference to a moral judgement continuum. The analysis categorises animal activism in terms of discrete, yet overlapping, frames of ‘good’ animal activism and ‘bad’ animal activism. Different types of activism elicit different responses from the media, the general public and farmers alike. Where activism that condemns animal-based industries in their entirety are often subject to collective condemnation, activism that sheds light on specific instances of animal mistreatment often receives widespread support—including from farmers themselves. Another variable that shapes responses to animal activism by farmers and that has tangible impacts on their perceptions and actions is where farmers are situated in regard to economic vulnerability and social resilience. In this article, we delineate the complexities surrounding the welfare-rights and vulnerable-resilient variables by engaging with empirical examples derived from the Australian context. Animal activism is all too often framed in reductive and polarising ways. This article sheds light on the importance of more fluid analyses of complicated issues.