A "red herring," simply put, is a distraction. There is a lot of distraction when it comes to environmental issues, and it's fueled (pun intended) by a vast and orchestrated network of other distractions, most of which are based on money, sex, food, and status (which is based on money, sex, and food). The ability to distract is a form of power. Distraction interferes with critical thought, discussion, and question, and it is especially effective when it incites an impassioned emotional response - such as questioning the ethics of an animal lover who keeps a pet.
What I see is this: We little people, individuals and families in our homes, have the power to make a difference in the world, and that is fantastic. A water saving toilet in every home, what we chose for ourselves and our pets to eat, the cars we do or don't drive, every aspect of our individual consumption makes a difference when it's all added up. What every single person does is important. But for a long time I've noticed a real pressure to focus on the individual, and that's pretty easy, because narcissism is pretty easy. This pressure is in the news, it's in the utility bill, and it's become engrained in our society. Even if you deny the validity of our environmental impact and your personal responsibility, you're still thinking about it. While we are distracted, focused on the individual, we are not noticing or questioning the bigger picture.
Noticing and questioning are important.
How many U.S. aircraft carriers does it take to offset the environmental impact of every pet in the nation?
