A rchive Date
[ 18-09-2000 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Militants ]
|
[Animal rights defenders have message to share
By JIM CHAPMAN -- London Free Press
September 18, 2000
How do you change the world? Where do you begin? Some people become writers, teachers, politicians, some maybe even talk-show hosts. We each have our opinions of what's wrong with the way things are, and ideas about how we can make them better. It's sharing those ideas with others that leads to change.
But what if your profession isn't one that allows you the opportunity to influence others directly. What do you do then?
Dianne Fortney and Michelle Pitt-Hyde have careers which do not put them in the public eye but they have a message they want to share. They are both committed defenders of animal rights and strongly opposed to the fur trade, and they want you to know why.
Though they are part of a dedicated but relatively small group in our culture, they refuse to believe their minority status has to be permanent. Some months ago they saw a video about the process of "awakening" people to a heightened sensibility about the creatures with whom we share this planet.
Titled The Witness, the video explores the life of Eddie Lama, a New Yorker who works in the construction trade. Though he was raised in a family that never had pets because his parents considered them unsanitary, he took on the somewhat daunting task of babysitting a potential girlfriend's cat a few years ago. What started as a campaign for a date with an attractive woman became an awakening for him -- an epiphany of sorts.
The unexpected relationship he developed with the cat came as a complete surprise to him and it literally changed his life. He eventually became a vegetarian, rescued a number of abandoned and abused dogs and cats from the streets of New York and now shares his love of animals with others at every opportunity.
He recounts his experiences in the video and gently yet powerfully makes his case that animals deserve better than they generally receive from human beings. It is a graphic, sometimes disturbing message about the cruelty man dispenses almost casually toward food animals and fur-bearers. But it's one that deserves to be seen and heard.
Wanting to get the information out to a wider audience than just family and friends, Fortney and Pitt-Hyde have rented the auditorium at the central public library on Queens Avenue. They have also arranged for audio-visual equipment that will allow them to screen The Witness for anyone who cares to join them.
Whether you share their sense of compassion for animals or not, their initiative is impressive. There are many beliefs within our society that deserve discussion and the exchange of idea, but it can be very difficult to tap into an interested audience beyond your immediate circle when you have a point of view you want to share. If you can't attract the interest of the local media (Fortney and Pitt-Hyde have had limited luck doing so thus far) promoting your point of view can be very problematic.
But you can find public halls available for rent, there are printers who will turn out posters, there may even be a newspaper columnist willing to help spread the word. The point is, you won't know until you try and that's what these two women are doing.
If you want to learn more about what motivates them, Fortney and Pitt-Hyde invite you to be their guests at the library on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.
Even if their concerns are not ours, we should all be inspired by their example. Individuals can make a difference, if they care enough. You can change the world, even if you have to do it a little bit at a time.
Jim Chapman is host of CJBK-AM Radio's Talk of the Town. His column appears Saturdays.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
|