--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thus far, our responsibility for how we…" description: "\"“Thus far, our responsibility for how we treat chickens and allow them to be treated in our culture is dismissed with blistering rhetoric designed to s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70a/karen-davis-42997_animal-rights_thus-far-our-responsibility-for-how-we-t_341874.jpg" --- # Thus far, our responsibility for how we treat chickens and… ![“Thus far, our responsibility for how we treat chickens and allow them to be treated in our culture is dismissed with blistering rhetoric designed to silence objection: “How the hell can you compare the feelings of a hen with those of a human being?” One answer is, by looking at her. It does not…” quote by Karen Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70a/karen-davis-42997_animal-rights_thus-far-our-responsibility-for-how-we-t_341874.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70a/karen-davis-42997_animal-rights_thus-far-our-responsibility-for-how-we-t_341874.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70a/karen-davis-42997_animal-rights_thus-far-our-responsibility-for-how-we-t_341874.jpg) > ““Thus far, our responsibility for how we treat chickens and allow them to be treated in our culture is dismissed with blistering rhetoric designed to silence objection: “How the hell can you compare the feelings of a hen with those of a human being?” One answer is, by looking at her. It does not take special insight or credentials to see that a hen confined in a battery cage is suffering, or to imagine what her feelings must be compared with those of a hen ranging outside in the grass and sunlight. We are told that we humans are capable of knowing just about anything that we want to know—except, ironically, what it feels like to be one of our victims. We are told we are being “emotional” if we care about a chicken and grieve over a chicken’s plight. However, it is not “emotion” that is really under attack, but the vicarious emotions of pity, sympathy, compassion, sorrow, and indignity on behalf of the victim, a fellow creature—emotions that undermine business as usual. By contrast, such “manly” emotions as patriotism, pride, conquest, and mastery are encouraged.”” [Karen Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We dismiss animal suffering with rhetoric, while human emotions like pity are suppressed, yet those emotions are vital for moral progress. **In simple terms:** People ignore animal pain and label caring as emotional. Key Takeaway Acknowledge animal suffering and trust compassionate feelings. Themes ethics animal rights empathy cultural critique Mood thoughtful concerned Type ethical activist When to use this quote - dietary choices - legislation - activism - education Key Concepts moral philosophy social psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does your culture treat animal pain? - What role should empathy play in policy? A Different Perspective Compassion can be seen as weakness in profit-driven cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [“One simple test of the claim that the pleasure in the world outweighs the pain…is to compare the feelings of an animal that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/schopenhauer-arthur/one-simple-test-of-the-claim-that-the-pleasure-in-the-world-outweighs/) [Schopenhauer Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/schopenhauer-arthur/) > [“Especially when it comes to animals used for food, humanity’s reasoning power and concern about fairness plummets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-davis/especially-when-it-comes-to-animals-used-for-food-humanity-s/) [Karen Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-davis/) > [“The future of wildlife and the habitat that they depend on is being destroyed. 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Commercial laying hens are not bred for their flesh, but when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-davis/more-laying-hens-are-slaughtered-in-the-united-states-than-cattle-or/) [Karen Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-davis/) > [“Genetic selection for early egg production, to reduce time and money 'wasted' on feeding and housing unproductive birds for six months, results in eggs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-davis/genetic-selection-for-early-egg-production-to-reduce-time-and-money/) [Karen Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-davis/) > [“The idea that human beings cannot logically recognize suffering in a chicken, or draw meaningful conclusions about how a human would react to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-davis/the-idea-that-human-beings-cannot-logically-recognize-suffering-in-a/) [Karen Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-davis/) > [“Especially when it comes to animals used for food, humanity’s reasoning power and concern about fairness plummets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-davis/especially-when-it-comes-to-animals-used-for-food-humanity-s/) [Karen Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-davis/) > [“I am a battery hen. 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They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [I think I could always live with animals. The more you're around people, the more you love animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-think-i-could-always-live-with-animals-the-more-you-re-around/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [“Poor animals, how jealously they guard their bodies, for to us is merely an evening’s meal, but to them is life itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-casey-brennan/poor-animals-how-jealously-they-guard-their-bodies-for-to-us-is/) T. Casey Brennan > [My life is a tsunami of inspirations. Number one is that I really do just love my BBQ. I mean it's the sustenance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/my-life-is-a-tsunami-of-inspirations-number-one-is-that-i-really-do/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [Humans — who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals — have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/humans-who-enslave-castrate-experiment-on-and-fillet-other-animals/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitri-merejkowski/the-time-will-come-when-men-such-as-i-will-look-upon-the-murder-of/) Dimitri Merejkowski > [It won't ruin our movement if someone gets killed in an animal rights action. It's going to happen sooner or later. The Animal Liberation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-vlasak/it-won-t-ruin-our-movement-if-someone-gets-killed-in-an-animal-rights/) [Jerry Vlasak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-vlasak/) > [The Bible's emphasis is on the good treatment of animals, and not just the forbidding of cruel treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-bible-s-emphasis-is-on-the-good-treatment-of-animals-and-not-just/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“The future of wildlife and the habitat that they depend on is being destroyed. It is time to make nature and all the beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-oxton/the-future-of-wildlife-and-the-habitat-that-they-depend-on-is-being/) [Paul Oxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-oxton/) > [“Who’s gonna bring the wild animals some hope? If we don’t love them the way they are..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/who-s-gonna-bring-the-wild-animals-some-hope-if-we-don-t-love-them/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [An old philosopher said to Monsieur Coignard, a Reverend Father: 'You are a pig!' To which Abad Coignard answered: 'You flatter me, sir. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/an-old-philosopher-said-to-monsieur-coignard-a-reverend-father-you/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) Browse all 631 Animal - rights quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Thus far, our responsibility for how we treat chickens and allow them to be treated in our culture is dismissed with blistering rhetoric designed to silence objection: “How the hell can you compare the feelings of a hen with those of a human being?” One answer is, by looking at her. 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