Social Movements - Essay Example

Social Movements Social movements have been defined as a group or a large number of individuals who come together and organize to promote a change that affects all of them or to resist a proposed change that connects them in a way. Social movements have throughout history been the most effective tools in shaping public disclosure and influencing civic life. This is mainly because while speaking on behalf of the group, none of the members can be victimized. The group forum, therefore, offers an opportunity to air views that would otherwise create contempt or indifference. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a social movement, an international non-profit organization whose activities are dedicated to bringing change in the manner in which animals are treated (Herzog, 27-32). The movement, therefore, is focused on ensuring that the rights of animals are respected and protected. PETA was formed background of increased cruelty against animals especially in research and fashion, a scope that was later to include the newest claim, genetic engineering of animals. The attention of this social movement, which was established in 1980, has remained on the protection of animal rights in the farm, laboratories, trade and entertainment. These are the four main areas that the movement identifies as having the largest number of animals suffering. In order to influence people and shape their responses, social movements use a variety of rhetorical requirements. This means that from a sociological perspective, the movements have to be formally organized in a structure that helps it to meet its objectives. First, the movement, in this case PETA needs a voice. This voice is to be supplied by people who subscribe to the same perception as the movement objectives. This is in line with the first rhetorical requirement that the social movement must attract and seek to maintain a strict following. These followers have to be effectively molded to ensure that they are in a position to persuade the audience of their ideologies and enforce or reject the change (Sherwin et al., 291-305). PETA has for over 20 years operated under the principle that animals are not “ours to eat, wear experiment on, or use for entertainment”. This means that animals are not supposed to be used in any way that people want. This is as a controversial principle as the advertisements that PETA puts online for its campaign. However, it is based on this principle and the controversy it raises that has won the company a following. Secondly, it is a requirement that a social movement use a large-scale strategy to ensure the adoption of their proposed change. The social movements should work more or less like a company targeting a larger market for its commodities (Linda, 754-771). The commodity or a product in this case is ideology, a program to infuse change or reject the change. The social movement thus should be able to reach out to many of the intended audience in a way that their ideologies are communicated everywhere. Besides, they use direct controversy in creating a discussion of their ideologies among the target audience. PETA has successfully used the same style in advertising for its ideas and standing about many issues. By using pictures and videos that are considered by many as inappropriate, the movement has been able to create a discourse among the public. In one way, the movement achieves its objectives. The third requirement for social movements is that they have to react appropriately to the resistance that is generated from the audience they reach up to. As such, sociologically it is recognized that most of the tactics that a social movement may decide to use to cause persuasion may not go too well with the authority, other social movements and even the public. However, it is through the reaction of the social movement that the ideologies of the movement will continue to infiltrate the public and hence influencing their perception and civic life in general. Adopting an effective reaction creates for the movement sympathizers who will continue being parallel enhancers of the movement’s ideologies in the society. When PETA was accused of giving a negative message that allegedly promoted alcohol drinking among school going students, the intended negative publicity resulted to an increase in the spread of the movement’s ideas (Simons, Morreale, and Gronbeck, 265). Many people came to learn of the movement, and there are people who joined PETA due to this. The management of a social movement must be focused on ensuring that the main ideology of the movement is communicated well and often to the people. They must be prepared to tackle problems that arise from incompatible demands of the rhetorical requirements discussed before. Social theorists identify three categories of leaders in this sense and the effects of their leadership strategies. First, there is an agitator, who exhorts a following from revolutionary fervors. He then provides conservative solutions to the problems he has created. A leader may deliberately disapprove the very program or project he aims at achieving. This creates controversy that is necessary for pushing forward the ideologies of the movement. The third category of a leader is that who is ready to mobilize and encourage his followers to confrontations despite having knowledge on how this is likely to affect the movement in terms of the negative reactions from the outsiders (Stewart, 245). PETA appears to use the third kind of leadership to ensure that they are on the lips of the public and that their ideologies are communicated. In one of their recent outrages, they claimed that the US president, Obama did against the animal rights by killing a fly during an interview. The uproar that resulted from these claims worked positively for the movement as always. The leadership of PETA mobilizes the members of this social movement to increase their confrontation anytime there is a witnessed mistreatment of animals, the movement has been involved in many cases involving animals such as the banning on the use of milk and fur and the claim that chicken destined for food in restaurants undergo immense pain during the preparation. These claims may appear absurd and improper, but the aim of the movement is to instill change. As the members get into a confrontation with companies and individuals, many more people get to know of the movements ideologies and some are persuaded to join the movement. It has been reported that most of their advertisements, promoting vegetarianism, avoidance of fur and milk as well as friendly treatment of animals are explicit and immoral. Most of their advertisements have, therefore, been banned. However, this is just what the movement wanted because the banning of the viral and explicit advertisements created a different forum. This follows a realization that labelling a clip as explicit or banned just raises the desire among people to view it and even share. This way, the banning improves the coverage of the intended message. In dealing with the problems affecting the acquisition of following and the communication of ideas, most social movements apply a leadership strategy that has several features. First, the leadership team is ready reduce the effects of internal discomfort by masking the organization’s objectives and denies the use of tactics that directly portray the movement as what they actually are not. Secondly, the leadership can exaggerate position, conceal negative information or distort reports to ensure that the movement acquire or retain intellectual respectability from its own members and from the outside. When ideologies are thus presented, they become generalized beliefs, and they are capable of attracting a larger following than when left bare. Thirdly, when the followers are significantly left out in the decision-making processes of the social movement, there is a danger that the members will lose interest in the organization’s activities. Again, if more is exposed to the members, they become less of the generalized beliefs that brought them aboard (Pezzullo, 345-365). The danger of losing the, therefore, remains. What the social movements leadership do to maintain the secrecy while still making the followers feel involved is having them manage projects that require less interaction with the secrets of the organization. This way, they feel involved and retain the connection they gained with the ideologies. It is this last strategy that makes PETA have vocal members who are out to criticize even the least of the acts against even the smallest animal. Through these strategies and methods, PETA as any other social movement effectively present their ideologies to the society. By being the voices of the organization, the members are ready to protest over any cruelty against animals. Even though, their principle is positive, the mode in which they enforce it creates controversy that works positive for them by creating for them an audience. Out of this audience, the organization acquires new followers and sympathizers who are important figures in creating the necessary discussion in the community and in the process enhancing the influence of the movement on the civic life. Works cited Herzog, Harold. “Ethical Aspects of Relationships between Humans and Research Animals.” ILAR journal / National Research Council, Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources 43 (2002): 27–32. Print. Linda, Marie Fedigan. “Ethical Issues Faced by Field Primatologists: Asking the Relevant Questions.” American Journal of Primatology 2010 : 754–771. Pezzullo, Phaedra C. “Resisting ‘national Breast Cancer Awareness Month’: The Rhetoric of Counterpublics and Their Cultural Performances.” Quarterly Journal of Speech 2003 : 345–365. Sherwin, Chris M. et al. “Guidelines for the Ethical Use of Animals in Applied Ethology Studies.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Vol. 81. N. p., 2003. 291–305. Simons, Herbert W, Joanne Morreale, and Bruce E Gronbeck. Persuasion in Society. N. p., 2001. Stewart, Charles J, Craig A. Smith, and Robert E. Denton. Persuasion and Social Movements. Long Grove, Ill: Waveland Press, 2007. Print. Read More