Why You're Offensive & Don't Know It

There are things we know are offensive to
say. Like “you, [bleeped], are an [bleeped].

I want to [bleeped] your mother and [bleeped]your
father [bleeped]stand up [bleeped] man.”

Okay, so here’s what I actually said. (I
do make videos for kids, after all.)

But there are certain common colloquialisms
many of us use everyday that you probably don't

realize are offensive. So I’m here to make you
feel bad about yet another thing that you do!

I thought I’d changed that
part of the script.

Hi it's Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome
to another vegan nugget. Words are powerful,

and how we talk about things and each other
greatly affects our perception. Anyone who

was given an unfortunate nickname in school
knows what I mean.

While our culture, at least in the United
States, has become more and more politically

correct with how we refer to and talk about
each other, one group remains continually

raked over the coals, even by those with the
most elegant elocution: non-human animals.

You horse’s ass! He eats like a pig! Let’s
kill two birds with one stone! There’s more

than one way to skin a cat! Not to beat a
dead horse, but… Like shooting fish in a barrel!

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!
She was bleeding like a stuck pig! He is

a total animal! What a bird-brain. This room is
a pigsty! Stop running around like a chicken

with its head cut off! He’s crafty…crafty
like a fox!

Oh that last one’s actually kinda nice.

Now before you dismiss this concept as silly,
let’s rephrase some of these sayings and

see if they still sound innocuous.

A kid in the van is worth two on the playground.

There’s more than one way to traumatize
a toddler!

Let's beat two women with one stick.

Like shooting kids in a ball pit.

Let’s not beat a dead hooker.

Suddenly, these phrases seem far less acceptable
and harmless. So why is it okay for us to

use violent and hateful phrases with animals?
Is it because they can’t understand us?

Or because we don’t mean it literally?

Well, the issue isn’t whether animals can
understand us, it’s the perception and permissibility

that this language creates. Like the idea
that pigs are dirty, gluttonous, and amoral.

when in fact they are very clean and intelligent animals.

Strangely enough we even
say “I’m sweating like a pig” when pigs

cannot sweat! That’s why they bathe in mud,
leading to another misnomer, “as happy as a

pig in sh—t.” While a pig actually in feces
would not be thrilled.

Other inaccuracies include “bird-brain,”
meaning stupid, when birds are far more intelligent

than we give them credit for. And “you’re
chicken,” meaning cowardly, when I can tell

you first hand that an angry chicken or rooster
has no issue with charging a being significantly

larger than them and can
seriously mess you up.

I’m talking to you, Napoleon at SASHA Farm
Animal Samctuary.

Then there’s “like a lamb to slaughter,”
meaning being calmly unaware of your impending

doom, when any lamb I’ve seen on their way
to slaughter is anything but serene.

And why is a horse’s ass any more incompetent
than any other ass? Even an ass’ ass?

The most disturbing are, of course the violent
ones. Skinning a cat, killing birds with stones,

bleeding a stuck pig, beating a dead horse,
shooting fish in a barrel. Yes these are just

sayings, usually uttered without a thought,
but language has power.

We call animals “it” instead of “she”
or “he.” We “process” them instead

of killing them. We “cull” wildlife instead
of carry out systematic slaughter. We “own”

them instead of enslaving them. We “inseminate”
them instead of raping them.

It’s interesting how acceptable it is to
express violent and hateful speech about animals,

yet when we name the things we do to them
for what they are, everyone bristles. We say

these sayings and phrases are harmless yet
we get up in arms when certain words are used

for animals. Why are enslavement, murder,
and rape reserved for humans? Using these

words for animals doesn’t detract from the
validity of what human victims have been through,

it gives validity to what non-human victims
are going through.

We resist validating the atrocities animals
experience, then we refer to someone as an

“animal” when they’ve committed depraved,
horrific acts that only the human animal commits.

When we speak of animals as if they are dirty,
worthless, stupid, disposable “its” lacking

any identity or value, it allows us to stay
disconnected to the reality of what we are

doing to them. We treat them like property
with our actions, our language, and our laws.

We devalue them in the most casual of contexts. So let's be more mindful of what we're saying.

And really listen for the violence and dismissal in our words.

Try busting out some of the substitutions
I gave earlier and see the reaction you get

when we turn the tables of our terms on ourselves.
Or use innocuous or even positive terms like

“more than one way to peel a potato” or
“save two birds with one home.”

Language has power. Let’s not use it to
continually devalue and victimize animals,

but instead to validate what they are going
through, with words that nobody owns.

I hope you enjoyed this carefully worded nugget.
I’d love to hear from you – are there

any other animal-based sayings in your culture
or family? What do you think of the implications

of such phrases? Let me know in the comments!

If you liked this video, do give it
a thumbs up and share it around to raise awareness

of our words. If you’re new here, I’d
love to have you as a subscriber. I put out

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every Monday, Wednesday and some Fridays.

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Now go live vegan, think before you speak, and I’ll see you soon.

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