Here’s one small step you can take for a better world. When talking about animals, ditch the “it.” Our culture helps us distance ourselves from nonhuman animals and reinforce the idea that they are our property and/or objects to do with as we wish by referring to them as “it.” When you’re talking with others about animals, be mindful about saying “she” or “he” – even when you don’t know the animal’s gender. Modeling even such a tiny message can make a collective difference. If you're an educator or parent, you can further explore the power of words and language with activities such as Word Power.
~ Marsha
Like our blog? Please share it with others, comment, and/or subscribe to the RSS feed.
2 comments:
Just to shamelessly self-promote a little: I wrote a post recently about this very issue, with a brief guide to how to tell males and females apart in some common North American animals: http://helikonios.wordpress.com/2011/07/16/overcoming-the-dogsmurf-problem/
Hi, Heliconia,
Thanks for sharing your post about "he" being the prominent gender given to most animals (and Smurfs). This adds another layer of consideration to how we view the world.
Peace,
Marsha
Post a Comment