Extremist animal rights activists

Animal rights extremists employ exaggerated, often ridiculous protest tactics in order to get attention and make their views known. This is very effective, but because of the backwards logic, asinine tactics and polarized views extremists take, any reasonable argument is typically overshadowed, and is not recognized by the general public, or in my case, the establishment being protested. Furthermore, because extremists are the best known animal rights activists, it has become a general assumption that this is the norm for animal rights activists, which discounts anything that even a reasonable activist might have to say. In this way, extremists actually discount their cause.

We as researchers have naturally become leery of animal rights activists, and when approached, will typically not give any more information than is absolutely required by law. Why? Because anything we say can and will be blown out of proportion, embellished and falsely interpreted to be used against us. By creating this state of hostility, ARAs have themselves closed the doors to animal facilities and compromised any possibility for negotiation or open dialogue.

Some ARAs are more rational, and have been able to have honest public discussions with researchers, and these discussions have actually been quite productive on both sides of the table. I hope that more of this can continue, and that the days of firebombing laboratories, wanted posters, costumed protesters and splattered red paint will someday be behind us.