Humane Thinking, from HRC

Take a look around: Despite decades, even centuries of work by advocates, people still have a long way to go on a variety of important issues like race, gender, poverty, etc. The same is true of animal advocacy, which by comparison is a relatively young cause. But in spite of the arguably slow progress of advancing the status of animals in today's society, there is reason for advocates to be optimistic.

These blog posts usually deal with some weighty (and hopefully thought-provoking) issues relating to animal protection, but this one is really just for fun. The good folks at GraphJam.com have collected some interesting graphics and depicting some inane observations about popular culture.

In animal and environmental advocacy circles, the debate over what makes effective advocacy is a long-standing one that isn't likely to be resolved soon. But as thoughtful activists, it's our job to continuously audit our own efforts and make improvements when possible. A recent report from the World Wildlife Fund provides some interesting takeaways for the environmental movement that are also quite relevant for advocates focused on animal issues.

A new report from the World Wildlife Fund says that successful social movements are "unequivocal in articulating what (they) stand for." It may seem like a fairly innocuous statement, but at the root of it rests one of the most fundamental questions facing social change advocates. Namely, if one's messages must always adhere to a specific set of core values. For animal advocates, this includes whether or not it is legitimate to use non-animal reasons to motivate animal-friendly behavior.

A recent publication from the World Wildlife Fund asks important questions about encouraging environmentally-friendly behavior among consumers. The report addresses the long-term efficacy of marketing-based, incremental advocacy approaches and argues in favor of more values-based messaging. The discussion is relevant to discussions among animal advocates regarding whether or not to use tangential motivators to encourage animal-friendly behavior.