Professor With A Big Heart
No, that is not Professor Beers, it’s Baxter, her dog.
One of the coolest things about my life is the amazing people I get to meet and the stories I get to hear. And now I have the honor to introduce one of those people, Professor Diane Beers! I met Professor Beers through a fan of ours who had her dogs in our original VIDEO and she put me in touch. I was then asked to come in and talk to her Animal Rights class at Holyoke Community College, giving me the opportunity to talk about all the fun stuff I’ve been doing with my music to help out animals. But enough about me, let’s dive in!
Please introduce yourself, have you always been an animal lover? How did you get started in animal rights?
Diane Beers, teacher and writer and lifelong animal lover. I was the kid who brought home the strays –thanks to mom for always letting me do so–volunteered at shelters, and now teach about the history of animal rights. So animals and animal rights have been a part of my life since childhood. However, it wasn’t until college and graduate school that I realized I could actually teach courses about it. How cool is that?
Why do you think some people are so ignorant when it comes to treating animals correctly and lovingly?
Well I teach, so for me it is about education, education, education. I think people are generally good and the more they are made aware of cruelty issues and the more they use their compassion muscle, so to speak, the better we will all be for it. For me, education is a kind of activism; a way to make positive change for animals and nature.
Do you think the media (movies, magazines, etc.) help or harm the animal rights community?
Hmmmm, both. There is so much out there and so much available via the internet that I think it cuts both ways, I am always thrilled when I see any media portrayal that shows a compassionate relationship between humans and animals, but you can also find a lot of cruelty still. I also think the media could do a much better job at showing how much animal activists do and how complex the movement is, from small shelters to larger organizations. Too often, I think what gets covered are a few large, media savvy groups and a few controversies. There is so much animal advocacy going on every day in shelters, rescues, small grassroots groups, etc.
What is one of the main reasons students take your class? Passion, veterinary program?
Again, I would say both– professional reasons such as going into some aspect of veterinary medicine and personal commitment and passion for the subject. What is great about this class is it attracts students from all majors who simple care a lot about kindness to animals. Even those who take it as part of their major are incredibly dedicated and caring people who see veterinary medicine as a type of animal advocacy. They just plain care and that is so wonderful to see every semester.
What are some things you’d like to see done differently when it comes to animal rights activism?
I don’t know that this classifies as a difference, but I would like to see the movement work more with other social justice movements such as the environmental movement. Activists have done this in the past and it can do wonders for change. If you think about it, what a great idea because you combine the power of several movements. To give an example, some animal activists advocate working with environmentalists and workers’ rights groups to confront the meat industry. This industry pollutes heavily, is incredibly inhumane in its slaughter practices, and treats workers horribly. Just think about the potential for change when three social justice movements unite for a cause. I would love to see more of that kind of activism overall.
If you could be any dog breed, what would it be?
A mutt! A great mixture of many wonderful breeds.
Complete this sentence; I’d rather be with my dog because…….
they are beautiful souls.
Comments are closed.