Animal Cruelty in Factory Farms, the Clothing Trade, Laboratories, and the Entertainment Industry

Animal rights is the viewpoint that animals have rights corresponding to the way humans do. Animal cruelty is a worldwide social problem that is multidimensional. Animals are generally abused in four major areas: factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry (PETA.org). Factories often conceal their harmful acts to avoid animal welfare laws imposed by the government. In a household, people isolate or physically abuse their animals, which can also be linked to family abuse. Laboratories experiment on animals for products and treatments, but animals are faced with frightening conditions for long periods often killing those experimented on. In entertainment, animals suffer after being domesticated for our amusement in the forms of media, amusement parks, or facilities (McPhedran). With the help of animal rights activist groups, animal cruelty is conflicted with ideology that animals are titled to their own lives—free of suffering.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a social movement organization that was established in order to defend rights for animals. Their claim is that animal abuse needs to be stopped universally. There are over 3 million PETA members and supporters that belong to this organization. Using a condensing symbol, PETA constituents believe in the slogan, “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way” (PETA.org).

This organization was founded in 1980 by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. (PETA.org). In 1981, PETA became involved with its first case study that caught the attention of the public. In Silver Spring, Maryland there was an investigation about the experiments being conducted in t...

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...tionable because their harsh approach often alienates those whose help they need. They tend to portray all people and corporations to be evil, mass murderers. As a result of these comparisons, people are often reluctant to work with a group that is so severely against them. There are other effective and non-controversial ways to stop abuse and reform the issues that stem from animal abuse. Through better animal cruelty laws, that are strictly enforced and regulated, there will be a better chance to defend animal rights.

Works Cited

Best, Joel. Social Problems. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2013. Print.

McPhedran, Samara. "Animal abuse, family violence, and child wellbeing: A review." Journal of Family Violence 24.1 (2009): 41-52.

Plous, Scott. "An attitude survey of animal rights activists." Psychological Science 2.3 (1991): 194-196.