How To Spot an Animal Social Justice Warrior

There's something happening in the animal world, something sticky and kind of ugly, and we need to talk about it.

You learn to spot patterns when you've been around long enough, trends that start in one area but quickly pick up steam in your own neck of the woods. And that, my friends, is what I'm bringing up today: the emerging trend of the Social Justice Warrior, and how that relates to people in pet care.

I think it's pretty clear that I am a big proponent of animal advocacy, from the first blogathons to my work with hospice and this very site, which I've written for seven years now in an attempt to keep an open dialogue on important pet topics. I am a huge fan of people who work so very hard and selflessly to make a difference, and this is not who I am speaking of today.

I have also seen a less pleasant side of people, those who use their issue of choice as a shield to build up their own ego and bludgeon others, often at the expense of those very people who are trying to improve the world for others, while tarnishing their own cause by association.

What is an animal social justice warrior, exactly?

While the term "social justice warrior" started gaining momentum with the Gamergate brouhaha specifically in reference to progressive views and speech, the prevailing wisdom is that the term has evolved to encompass a wide array of armchair activists who care less about outcomes and more about dogpiles. No one has specifically defined what it means in our sphere, so I'm just going to go ahead and do it right here.

It matters to us, as animal welfare advocates, healthcare providers, and educators, because we're often the ones being targeted. Here's what I've observed, over and over:

• It starts from a good place.

Most of the time, people start on a course of advocacy for an issue they truly believe in: maybe it's ear cropping, or vaccine safety, or feral cat rescue. Good topics that good people can get behind, which is why it is so hard to call them out. But then something goes sideways.

• Facts become less important than emotion as time goes on and the ‘army' grows.

As momentum builds with a social justice warrior's campaign, enemies are identified and the followers are called upon to ‘take them down' on social media, which can be annoying for a large pharmaceutical company but devastating for a small business owner or individual. Sometimes it's very hard to dispute the ugliness of the original offense (like the guy who killed Cecil the Lion), but other times the dogpile results in something far worse than the original problem: people losing jobs, people erroneously identified as child predators. By the time the error is identified, the damage has been done.

• Methods are as important as ideas.

When a social justice warrior really gets going, they often work to recruit others to the cause. Sometimes those people demur, not because they disagree with the original idea, but because the seek and destroy tactics make them uncomfortable. They become the enemy. There is no allowance to exist in parallel.

• There is no room for discussion.

This is when you know the game is over, so to speak. Are you allowed to point out an erroneous fact? No. Question a topic? No. At this point, the social justice warrior's ego has become more important than the actual topic at hand, and no amount of reasoning will change their mind. In fact, it only makes them dig their heels in more. You've just given them one more ‘enemy' to bounce off of.

What does this mean for you, the pet lovers of the world?

If you're the owner of a small business, rescue, or work with an organization, you may find yourself in the crosshairs for some or other perceived wrong. I'll talk about what does and doesn't seem to help in another post, because it's happening more and more.

How to Spot an Animal Social Justice Warrior

But even you, the general audience out there on the web, has a role to play in this. Before joining a cause or supporting an advocate, ask yourself this:

• How do they respond to constructive criticism? With acknowledgment, or anger?
• Do they have a revolving door of bullies who they claim are always trying to silence them? Do they ever talk to someone with an opposing view in a respectful dialogue?
• How do they encourage action? Do they link to legitimate organizations doing real world work, or is it limited to online petitions, reviews, and Facebook arguments?
• What emotions are they playing to? When you look at their page, do you feel empowered to make a positive difference, or just angry at the world?

If you think this is about one person, you're wrong. I can't even point to any one in particular because the truth is, there are too many to list. People like this don't help the causes, they hurt them. They make animal advocates look bad, incapable of compromise, cooperation, and nuance. Be aware, and ask yourself what the real goals are before liking, sharing, or sending money. Real advocacy exists, but this isn't it.

We still have lots of work to do, but this isn't the way to do it.