David S. Meyer
I'm a professor of sociology and political science at the University of California, Irvine. I've been thinking, and writing about, protest politics for almost ever. This site offers comments on contemporary events, informed (I hope) by knowing something about history and about the academic study of social movements.
Tag Archives: animal rights
Boycott politics
Chick Fil A is the most recent company to fall within the sites of a boycott campaign. Dan Cathay, president of the fast food chicken restaurant chain founded by his father, reaffirmed his commitment to an evangelical approach to his … Continue reading
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Tagged animal rights, Bible, boycott, celebrities, chicken, countermovements, fast food, gay, lesbian, Mike Huckabee, Muppets, same sex marriage
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Do movements own their crazies?
Meredith Lowell, a self-styled animal rights activist, was arrested Tuesday in Cleveland for contracting the murder of someone (almost anyone!) wearing fur. Ms. Lowell made the initial solicitation on Facebook, offering somewhat less than $1,000 for a murder that would … Continue reading
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Tagged abortion, animal rights, crime, insanity, murder, Occupy, radical flank, tea party
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What courts can/ will do
Today’s news provides more data on the extent and limits of the judiciary as a venue for social movements: A federal appellate panel (9th district) has upheld District Judge Vaughn R. Walker’s decision to strike down California’s ban on same … Continue reading
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Tagged animal rights, Constitution, courts, legal sytem, marriage, orca, PETA, same sex marriage, Sea World, slavery, Vaughan Walker, whales
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How Repression Works, American-style
Scott Crow (right), an anarchist who has organized anti-corporate and animal rights events, used the Freedom of Information Act to get his FBI file; he received 440 pages, with much of the material blacked out (NY Times report). Crow reports … Continue reading
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Tagged anarchist, animal rights, coalitions, FBI, Patriot Act, repression, surveillance, terrorism
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Painted Grassroots
Reading the sports section of the Sunday New York Times, I was surprised to find a full-page ad attacking the Humane Society of the United States and its president, Wayne Pacelle. The ad reported that HSUS was soft on quarterback/dog … Continue reading
Science, Animals, and Terror
Terror is a social movement strategy, but not a popular one in the United States. Terror, and violence more generally, polarizes, and when people make choices, it’s not always on the side of the movement. Animal rights activism takes diverse … Continue reading
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Tagged animal rights, countermovements, science, terrorism, violence
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Seizing the Moment
The scanning controversy created enough attention that other groups tried to appropriate it for their own purposes. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), always entrepreneurial in the search for attention–and often very effective–has been pushing its concerns in … Continue reading
