Essay Example on Social Activism: Taking Action for Essential Causes in Society

Social Activism is an intention action taken towards something is passionate about or something that someone considers sacred and should be preserved, protected or liberated. Social activism is taken up in various forms and to support multiple essential things in our society. For example; war on drugs, women empowerment, environmental conservation, racial biases prevention and animal brutality prevention among other fundamental motivations.

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Once an individual or a group of people decides to become vocal on the issues that they are projecting and they start campaigning towards their conservations, preservations or maintenance then they are called activists or a group of people sharing the same motivations and goals is referred to as a social activist group. The following essay, therefore, seeks to talk about People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), organization and explain how they fit as a social activist group and what they stand for and support.

PETA is an American based animal social activist group that was founded by Ingrik Newkirk in 1980, Ingrid is also the current president of the organization. The organization's primary focus is the preservation of animals and the reduction of animal cruelty. Therefore the organization which is a non-profit organization is focused on trying to create a middle ground for human beings and animals by campaigning that both human beings and animals do share equal rights as they are all animal species, a plight that is most of the time not received positively by a majority of people especially the meat lovers.

The activist group runs by the slogan, "Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way," and hence they believe that human beings need to be a little gentler and more humane when they are handling animals. Their primary campaigns are mainly based around four significant complaints. First and foremost, the group condemns the use of animals as guinea pigs and the performance of all sorts of experiments on animals in the name of science. As a taboo that has come to be adapted in the science world, so many scientists usually test on animals, whether they are testing out new drugs or conducting behavioral experiments. They typically check on the animals to verify the success or failure of their innovations. However, some of these animals tested on always end up dying or developing all kinds of abnormalities something that is highly condemned by the PETA group (Mika, 2006).

Secondly, the group also condemns the use of animals as food and they instead advocate for a more vegan society another thing that is highly opposed by people because human beings have become accustomed to eating all sorts of meat and they believe that meat from animals comes with all kinds of benefits. Thirdly the group also campaigns against the killing of animals for their fir that is the use of animal products in the clothing industry. So many designer outfits are obtained from animals' products for example leather clothes or fur coats. PETA highly opposes this.

Fourthly the group also condemns the use of animals for entertainment for example how animals are caged in zoos or used as amusement in the circus shows. Furthermore, the group also campaigns against the cruel killing of animals that are considered pests such as rodents, bugs or even snakes. PETA argues that all these animals are equal to human beings and that every animal should be respected and should be anyway be harmed for the benefit of, but instead, people should strive to preserve these animals.

PETA is considered as the most abundant animal social activist group having over 400 employees and over 6.5 million members and supporters from all over the world, who stand behind the group's standings and help them in their campaigns towards protecting animals. PETA has several resources that make it a very successful activist group, including members who are their most valued resource as without people backing your cause then most of the time it would end up failing. The organization also receives monetary finding from well-wishers, members, and supporters who share the same goal and motivation as PETA which is to ensure that every animal is protected and it is not mistreated in any way.

PETA, as discussed above, is mainly focused on ensuring that animal rights are upheld and protected and they do this by participating in various activities or by doing various things. First of all, they liaise with government agencies to impose fines and arrest people who violate the laws put in place regarding animal protection. PETA also promotes a vegan way of life by encouraging people to shift from meat-based foods and moving to other natural grown foods and food products. They also initiate media campaigns against specific companies or industries which they believe are seriously violating animal rights or those companies that disregard entirely aby respect for animals.

Furthermore, they send their investigators into laboratories and test labs to investigate the extent of violation of animals in the name of experiments and they expose such laboratories on their websites and also on social media. The group additionally openly rebukes the consumption of animal meat, and they even put up television commercials demonizing the act and highly discouraging animal brutality. PETA has had its fair share of criticism from people who do not share their beliefs, but the organization remains unshaken in their pursuit for justice and their goal which is to guarantee that every animal on earth is protected.

References

Mika, M. (2006). Framing the issue: Religion, secular ethics and the case of animal rights mobilization. Social Forces, 85(2), 915-941.