"Every 60 seconds a species dies out. Each minute counts."
"You see a dog, he sees a home."
"Fashion claims more victims than you think."
"God loves the birds and invented trees. Men loves the birds and invented cages."
"Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game."
The Story
Animal cruelty is gathering awareness. In fact, these are the top animal charities of 2015. While the country may never completely eradicate animal cruelty, strong organizations are gathering to establish something of a "cruelty-free culture." The powerful mixture of ideas combined with compelling rhetoric that derive from the resilient voices of animal activists have made the concept of animal rights gain attention - attention from both those who support and those who do not. Nevertheless, animal rights activists have achieved their goal due to the strategic rhetorical devices that are intertwined within billboards, commercials, protests, and much more. The rhetoric might turn thousands away, but it also might be just the right amount of persuasion to convince citizens to go vegan, cruelty-free, organic, etc.
On a personal level, the rhetoric of animal rights made an impact in my own life. While browsing Facebook one morning, I came across a video on animal testing. It intrigued me because I have always been skeptical about such brutality inflicted upon animals, therefore I hit "play" on the video and I watched - rather, I watched what I could. I was not able to make it past 30 seconds, but 30 seconds was all it took. The video was inundated with graphic images of innocent animals being injected, abused, violated, beaten, stricken.... Such a powerful video made me question my own actions. Why should I support this? From that point on, I decided to make a lifestyle change: I would not use any cosmetic/beauty products tested on animals ever again. While I am still working on transitioning, 90% of the products I use today are completely organic and cruelty-free (still trying to find CF deodorant, sunscreen, toothpaste...) I'm not going to lie, it hasn't been easy. I owned a large portion of high-end makeup brands that all tested on animals which was worth approximately $150. However, I am proud of my decision and my refusal to support companies that test on animals. The organization of PETA has a certified list of companies that do and do not test on animals, and I have been closely abiding by the lists everyday. The reason I am telling you this story is because this lifestyle change was my inspiration for this final project, and I want to prove to you all the strength that the rhetoric retains.
On a personal level, the rhetoric of animal rights made an impact in my own life. While browsing Facebook one morning, I came across a video on animal testing. It intrigued me because I have always been skeptical about such brutality inflicted upon animals, therefore I hit "play" on the video and I watched - rather, I watched what I could. I was not able to make it past 30 seconds, but 30 seconds was all it took. The video was inundated with graphic images of innocent animals being injected, abused, violated, beaten, stricken.... Such a powerful video made me question my own actions. Why should I support this? From that point on, I decided to make a lifestyle change: I would not use any cosmetic/beauty products tested on animals ever again. While I am still working on transitioning, 90% of the products I use today are completely organic and cruelty-free (still trying to find CF deodorant, sunscreen, toothpaste...) I'm not going to lie, it hasn't been easy. I owned a large portion of high-end makeup brands that all tested on animals which was worth approximately $150. However, I am proud of my decision and my refusal to support companies that test on animals. The organization of PETA has a certified list of companies that do and do not test on animals, and I have been closely abiding by the lists everyday. The reason I am telling you this story is because this lifestyle change was my inspiration for this final project, and I want to prove to you all the strength that the rhetoric retains.