Are animal rights activists mentally ill?

While searching out my next story for PoC, I came across the following “like” page on Facebook.

Rather than trying to explain the mentality of this group, I’ll post a few paragraphs here from the actual page.

“Animal Rights Activists are Mentally Ill and the DSM V Needs to Acknowledge it.The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is used to diagnose mental disorders.”

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders. It is used in the United States and in varying degrees around the world, by clinicians, researchers, psychiatric drug regulation agencies, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and policy makers.

Feel free to use information and notes seen on this page, this page is not just to fight for the DSM-V to acknowledge animal rights activists as mentally ill, but to also inform and educate those being targeted by animal rights activist profiles and pages on Facebook. Do not be intimidated by them, I am here to help educate Facebook users under attack. I am with you.”

The page was started sometime in 2012, and there are many posts comparing animal rights advocates as mentally ill with a cult-like mentality.

There’s one comment by the page administrator I’d like to discuss. Not because I agree with it, but because I can see some truth in it.

“The goal they are trying to achieve is unattainable, the methods they employ are illegal, their sense of reality is warped. That about covers it. I also am appalled at the hate, the desire to harm children and the obsession with genitals and dead animal images.”

I don’t agree with the warped sense of reality, but I do know there are some sick individuals out there who will threaten the life of anyone who abuses an animal. I’m talking death threats, website hacking, and hateful comments that could land that person into more trouble legally than the person who actually harmed/killed the animal.

I’ve had two articles pulled by Examiner when I listed the name of the person committing abuse. Both articles brought about death threats, as well as threatening the safety of the abusers family. I’m afraid to name names these days when I report on abuse stories.

I don’t consider my sense of reality is warped. I recognize I can only do so much, and there’s no way I can save every animal I read about. There will always be more animals in need, regardless of how many we’re able to help. That’s inevitable.

This isn’t the first time animal rights activists have come under fire. I did an article for PoC at the beginning of 2012 – Are animal rights activists terrorists? In a nutshell, this article tells how the Freedom of Information Act has allowed the FBI to keep track of those considered to be animal advocates for the past decade.

Those investigating claims of animal abuse are violating the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, 18 USC Section 43¹.

One accusation made by the administrator of the Facebook page is animal rights activists are pedophiles who use pictures of animals to lure children. Take a look at the picture used for this article heading the page. It’s disturbing, to say the least.

The Facebook like page has only 300+ following it right now, but it leads me to wonder how those who don’t fight for animal rights think of those who do. Do people who sit back and do nothing critisise those who try to save cats, dogs, horses, etc?

I consider myself an animal rights advocate, but I’m reasonably sane. Most of the time, anyway. I spend a lot of time networking dogs and cats in need. I help military veterans who had a K-9 dog during their service reunite with that dog. I do a lot of lost dog and cat articles. I don’t believe I’ve threatened anyone. I do admit if I ever see a person physically harming an animal…well let’s just say Michael (PoC) had better hop on the first plane to the states to bail me out.

This should be an interesting discussion. How do you all feel concerning advocates being mentally disturbed? Do you consider yourself an animal rights advocate, or just a cat lover doing all you can to protect the welfare of cats?

Elisa

Ref:

1. law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/43