Animals and Society by DeMello Margo;

Author:DeMello, Margo;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2012-06-17T04:00:00+00:00

Figure 12.2. This tattoo mallet is used to tattoo sows at a pig factory where workers hit the pigs to drive the spikes into their bodies. (Photograph courtesy of Mercy for Animals.)

Deviant Violence

Deviant violence refers to forms of violence toward animals that are unacceptable in modern society and that, typically, are criminalized. This would include the killing of companion animals, or even the killing of individual farm animals when they were killed in a method not sanctioned by society or the law. Psychologists Frank Ascione and Randall Lockwood define cruelty as “socially unacceptable behavior that intentionally causes unnecessary pain, suffering, or distress to and/or death of an animal” (1998:85). It is important to note that it is not the behavior itself that is judged to be cruel; it is whether it is “socially unacceptable” or “unnecessary.” As we have discussed, if it is deemed socially acceptable or necessary, then it is not considered to be cruelty. Like institutionalized violence and culturally acceptable violence, this category is also socially constructed—what is unacceptable and thus deviant in one context is certainly acceptable in another. Raising, killing, and eating dogs are absolutely unacceptable in North America and Europe but are acceptable and legal in China or Korea.

For most of us in the United States, companion animals are part of the family, and we would do anything to protect them. However, millions of other animals are not as fortunate, and cases of cruelty and neglect appear regularly in the news. Although many of these high-profile cases attract media attention to a serious problem, the overwhelming majority of suffering animals receive no attention. Tragically, most do not survive, either facing death at the hands of their abusers or euthanasia at a veterinarian’s office or at an overcrowded shelter.

Of all animals, the majority of reported abuse cases involve companion animals, yet there are no solid numbers documenting the occurrence of animal cruelty and neglect. A recent Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) study of high-profile cases (The Humane Society of the United States First Strike Campaign 2003 Report of Animal Cruelty Cases) indicated that 57 percent involved intentional cruelty, and 43 percent involved extreme neglect. The study revealed that the most commonly reported cruelty offenses involved shooting, animal fighting, torturing, and beating. Of neglected animals, 70 percent were malnourished, and 30 percent suffered from starvation. Other animals suffered drowning, stabbing, or even being burnt alive. Animal cruelty is prevalent across the country in rural and urban areas, and cuts across socioeconomic boundaries.

The HSUS also reports that dogs are by far the most common victims of animal cruelty, comprising more than 60 percent of all cruelty cases, with cats ranking second. Pit bulls, in particular, constitute an increasing percentage of victimized animals. Livestock abuse cases only come to light during undercover investigations, so there is no real way to know how many livestock suffer beyond the normal abuse of the stockyard and slaughterhouse. In fact, many states specifically exclude livestock or any “common” agricultural practices from their cruelty laws.

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