Thank you so much for another exemplary article—with great calls to action at the end! I discontinued working on animal welfare campaigns because I seem to have an aching need for authenticity; I struggled with the inner conflict of having to mask my real thoughts. However, it’s important like you said to not mistake this difference for moral superiority. I appreciate that other humans are more well-suited for certain types of political work than I am. I am so excited by an article like what you’ve written here, because it suggests that perhaps we can embrace our natural strengths while also celebrating the gifts of others. My personality can’t sustain various types of admirable work that I see other advocates doing so well, but for those of us who feel lost or like we don’t fit in with the animal movement, surely we can find our own unique roles with which to contribute.
I wonder if you have any thoughts you can share on the conflicts surrounding funding. Your article is excellent at addressing the general division people feel because of ideological differences and different organizations, by providing a unifying theory of change. Lately I’ve just been seeing how much the controversy over funds can exacerbate the dividedness.
In theory, is there a certain percentage of donor dollars that would ideally go towards more inside-game vs. outside-game approaches? Some folks in the animal movement feel upset that big welfare campaigns are getting more funding than their more obviously abolition-aligned efforts. In fact, it may be worsening their impression of effective altruism as a whole… there’s also “EA vs. anti-EA” going on. I’m hopeful to see how each of these overlapping conflicts can lead to greater harmony in the future.
Hi Aidan,
Thank you so much for another exemplary article—with great calls to action at the end! I discontinued working on animal welfare campaigns because I seem to have an aching need for authenticity; I struggled with the inner conflict of having to mask my real thoughts. However, it’s important like you said to not mistake this difference for moral superiority. I appreciate that other humans are more well-suited for certain types of political work than I am. I am so excited by an article like what you’ve written here, because it suggests that perhaps we can embrace our natural strengths while also celebrating the gifts of others. My personality can’t sustain various types of admirable work that I see other advocates doing so well, but for those of us who feel lost or like we don’t fit in with the animal movement, surely we can find our own unique roles with which to contribute.
I wonder if you have any thoughts you can share on the conflicts surrounding funding. Your article is excellent at addressing the general division people feel because of ideological differences and different organizations, by providing a unifying theory of change. Lately I’ve just been seeing how much the controversy over funds can exacerbate the dividedness.
In theory, is there a certain percentage of donor dollars that would ideally go towards more inside-game vs. outside-game approaches? Some folks in the animal movement feel upset that big welfare campaigns are getting more funding than their more obviously abolition-aligned efforts. In fact, it may be worsening their impression of effective altruism as a whole… there’s also “EA vs. anti-EA” going on. I’m hopeful to see how each of these overlapping conflicts can lead to greater harmony in the future.