Calling non-human animals “it” has psychological effects that help distance us from the atrocities we commit on them. It primes our brain to see them as objects/commodities instead of individuals that deserve consideration.
Think like a pet dog vs a farmed pig. The dog is called with pronouns like he/she/they while the pig is called it. The dog is loved as an individual, the pig is sent to a gas chamber with hundreds of others to be killed young and sold as commodity. If that were the dog who is referred to as an individual instead of an object, that would be considered abhorrent.
The language isn’t the only contributing factor, but does play a part in us being able to look past some horrible things we do by priming our brains to see living beings as just objects instead of individuals.
Why ever not?
Calling non-human animals “it” has psychological effects that help distance us from the atrocities we commit on them. It primes our brain to see them as objects/commodities instead of individuals that deserve consideration.
Think like a pet dog vs a farmed pig. The dog is called with pronouns like he/she/they while the pig is called it. The dog is loved as an individual, the pig is sent to a gas chamber with hundreds of others to be killed young and sold as commodity. If that were the dog who is referred to as an individual instead of an object, that would be considered abhorrent.
The language isn’t the only contributing factor, but does play a part in us being able to look past some horrible things we do by priming our brains to see living beings as just objects instead of individuals.
Oh, OK. We just disagree as to whether it’s a good thing or not.