51: Animal Rights with Esther Salomon (Co-Founder of Animal Think Tank)

Animal rights activism is at the heart of Esther’s work and life. In this podcast, Esther shares her thinking on the entanglements between the way we treat animals and how we live in consumer capitalist cultures. Esther discusses the economic structures behind our mistreatment of animals and the ways in which they are commodified and treated as resources that mirror slavery. She then also offers ideas about what a future world could look like; where animals and human beings have a healthy relationship with one another  Simon and Esther discuss what facing animal rights issues bring up in others, often disassociation and guilt.  To live with the awareness of how we treat animals is to live with a burden.  We all like to protect the idea of our ‘good-self’; therefore, to acknowledge the animal suffering we collude with is a direct challenge to our 'good-selves', hence our defensiveness.  Esther and Simon discuss whether animals are 'individuals', and what rights they have in relation to individual humans.  Esther discusses broader social movements, direct action and mass mobilisations in this fascinating podcast. BioEsther delved into full-time Animal Justice work early in life. She dedicates her time towards understanding and building people-powered organisations capable of creating transformative change. She helped to kick-start Animal Rebellion as a full-time member in 2019 and supported it through its first wave of resistance. Esther is the co-founder and Strategic Lead of Animal Think Tank, where she works to promote nonviolence, mass direct action, civil resistance and grassroots activism. Follow EstherWebsites: https://animalthinktank.org.ukhttps://www.plantbasedfuture.animalrebellion.orgLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-salomon-0a89a11b9/