19 – Addressing Biases That Can HarmThe infliction of mental, emotional, and/or physical pain, suffering, or loss. Harm can occur intentionally or unintentionally and directly or indirectly. Someone can intentionally cause direct harm (e.g., punitively cutting a sheep's skin while shearing them) or unintentionally cause direct harm (e.g., your hand slips while shearing a sheep, causing an accidental wound on their skin). Likewise, someone can intentionally cause indirect harm (e.g., selling socks made from a sanctuary resident's wool and encouraging folks who purchase them to buy more products made from the wool of farmed sheep) or unintentionally cause indirect harm (e.g., selling socks made from a sanctuary resident's wool, which inadvertently perpetuates the idea that it is ok to commodify sheep for their wool). Farmed AnimalsA species or specific breed of animal that is raised by humans for the use of their bodies or what comes from their bodies. – The Open Sanctuary Podcast
Episode Notes
Community Education Specialist Andie Springirth and Executive Director Mckenzee Griffler discuss combatting biases that can harm farmed animals. Since much of human thinking, feeling, and behavior is guided by our biases, understanding biases that can negatively impact farmed animals is an important undertaking for animal sanctuaries. As communities that challenge the dominant treatment and sociocultural narrative of farmed animals on a daily basis, sanctuaries can utilize their unique learning spaces alongside a deeper understanding of bias to help folks (re)imagine more compassionate ways of understanding and being in relationship with farmed animals. In addition to exploring what biases are and how they develop, this episode highlights three actionable strategies sanctuaries can use to help folks who participate in their educational programming avoid and overcome biases that can negatively impact farmed animals.
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This Episode’s Referenced Open Sanctuary Project Resources:
Understanding Biases that Can Negatively Impact Farmed Animals and How to Help Folks Overcome Them
5 Ways to Combat Biases that Can Harm Farmed Animals Infographic
Episode Transcript
