WAIW | Our Heroes Are Problematic
TW: Some of the links contained within this post involve discussions around rape, abuse, and ableism.
It was far too hot today for me to have any sort of real adventure during my last bit of time in Thailand, but I still wanted to do an episode for my Where Am I Wednesday series on the YouTube channel.
Unfortunately, my inspiration for a topic came from this article about a rather terrible statement that Peter Singer made in regard to a recent case in the United States. Not surprisingly, this isn’t the first time that Singer has been in the news or a hot topic online, but given the recent withdrawal of a certain other outspoken (and equally, if not more, offensive) vegan community celebrity, now seemed like a good time to question just why it is that we haven’t found better people to represent the community?
Are we that desperate for leaders that we’re willing to ignore their questionable views on any number of topics outside of animal rights? Personally, and this should come as no surprise to those of you reading this blog, I think there’s more to consider than just the animals when promoting someone’s ideas. Along with that, I know for certain that we have plenty of other people out there doing amazing work for the animals (including humans), and would love to see them get half the attention some of our so-called heroes have received.
So, what does it take for you to walk away from the crowd? How much can you defend someone’s statements until they’ve crossed the line? Finally, when history looks back on your decisions, do you think you’re going to be on the right side?
