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Article
Fishing for Animal Rights in "The Cove": A Holistic Approach to Animal Advocacy Documentaries
Journal of Critical Animal Studies (2012)
  • Carrie Packwood Freeman, Georgia State University
Abstract
The Oscar-winning 2009 documentary "The Cove" serves as a thrilling and poignant advocacy tool promoting activism to save free-roaming dolphins off the coast of Japan from kidnapping, enslavement in marine parks, and slaughter for meat. This essay evaluates the ethical and social justice implications of The Cove not just for dolphins but for the animal rights movement as a whole, particularly in terms of how it could challenge the ethicality of humans killing any nonhuman animals for food. Strategic media recommendations are made for how animal protection advocates could better deconstruct the human/animal dualism that is at the root of speciesist exploitation and how they should avoid privileging one charismatic species at the expense of other animals.
Keywords
  • animal rights,
  • speciesism,
  • environment,
  • fish,
  • dolphin,
  • meat,
  • film
Publication Date
2012
Publisher Statement
The Journal of Critical Animal Studies provides free online access to its peer reviewed articles
Citation Information
Carrie Packwood Freeman. "Fishing for Animal Rights in "The Cove": A Holistic Approach to Animal Advocacy Documentaries" Journal of Critical Animal Studies Vol. 10 Iss. 1 (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/carrie_freeman/10/