Animal - rights Quote by Peter cox
![“Writer Brigid Brophy exposes [their motives] with great precision: "Whenever people say 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add 'We must be realistic,' they mean they are going to make money out of it. These slogans have a long history…” quote by Peter cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b64/peter-cox-178822_animal-rights_writer-brigid-brophy-exposes-their-motiv_2401321.jpg)
““Writer Brigid Brophy exposes [their motives] with great precision: "Whenever people say 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add 'We must be realistic,' they mean they are going to make money out of it. These slogans have a long history. After being used to justify slave traders, ruthless industrialists, and contractors who had found that the most economically 'realistic' method of cleaning a chimney was to force a small child to climb it, they have now been passed on, like an heirloom, to the factory farmers. 'We mustn't be sentimental' tries to persuade us that factory farming isn't, in fact, cruel. It implies that the whole problem had been invented by our sloppy imaginations.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera, 1984
The quote criticizes how appeals to “realism” and anti‑sentimentality are used to mask cruelty and profit‑driven exploitation, especially in factory farming.
In simple terms: People use “realism” to hide cruelty and make money.
Key Takeaway
Question rhetoric that disguises exploitation.
Themes
ethics
power
animal rights
Mood
critical
concerned
Type
analytical
provocative
When to use this quote
- activism
- consumer choices
- policy advocacy
Key Concepts
moral philosophy
political rhetoric
Practical Applications
- public awareness
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you recognize when “realism” is a cover for cruelty?
- What alternatives to sentimentalism can guide humane decisions?
A Different Perspective
The slogans can oversimplify complex issues and ignore systemic factors.
![“I ain’t everybody, and I can’t stand it. It’s awful to be tied up so. And grub comes too easy – I don’t take no interest in vittles, that way. […] Looky-here, Tom, being rich ain’t what it’s cracked out to be. It’s just worry and worry, and sweat and sweat, and a-wishing you was dead all the time…” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/884/mark-twain-22_fear_i-ain-t-everybody-and-i-can-t-stand-it-i_1303975.jpg)
