Wicked and Animal Rights

Leave a Comment / Mind 🗯❔🕮, Wellbeing / By blogsbybri.com

Wicked is currently taking the world by storm and Madame Morrible cannot calm it. As a self-proclaimed theater nerd I was no stranger to the wicked soundtrack. I additionally was aware of the major themes of prejudice and discrimination. However pre-film, I had little idea of the intricacies within the tale's storyline.

Alix and I finally experienced the film on Dec 4, 2024 and it certainly defies gravity! The whole movie we were echanted by the film's captivating spell.

The movie gave us a lot to think, talk, and of course sing about. Post film Alix and I had a conversation about how we now understood the film's hype and our thoughts on the film's themes of prejudice and discrimination. We came to the conclusion that Wicked can be use as a good social justice tool to initiate conversations about hard topics like prejudice. We also determined that Elphaba is a positive advocate figure who may inspire others to find pride in who they are and speak up for what's right. But Elphaba isn't just an advocate for human equality, she is a powerful animal rights advocate too.

In Wicked "something Baaaaad is happening in Oz" as animals are loosing their ability to speak and are being placed in cages. Sounds familiar doesn't it? This film got me deep into thinking about an age old question- are zoo's good?

I was first asked to really think about this question at a week long vet camp I attended back in 2015. While not always recognized as a bioethical question; I believe this question was a pivotal turning point for my interest in bioethics.

When I was first asked if zoos were good, I felt a little guilt. Throughout my life I have always loved the zoo, so I wanted the answer to that question to undoubtably be- yes, zoos are good. However, inherently I knew that the ultimate concept of zoos of caging animals for spectacle is unethical. Part of me wonders what I would've thought about the suppression of animals if I was a citizen of OZ.

But we don't live in Oz. We live in a world where humans have caused tremendous changes in an animal's habitat and the conservation of species is a critical issue. So surely, with all their conservation messaging zoos must "make good"-right? To determine this let's take a look of some of the strongest arguments for and against zoos.

Pros

Cons

-Educating the public.
-Conservation.
-Research.

- The physical and mental wellbeing of animals are compromised.
-Wide spectrum of zoo practices.

At first glance it may seem like the pros outweigh the cons. But taking another look you realize all the pros are primarily of human benefit. Sure, educating the public could lead to funding of research that could lead to better conservation efforts but, ultimately these are all things that we wouldn't have to be concerned about if we didn't endanger animals in the first place.

There's even research that suggest that many of the positive aspects of zoos may be falsifiable. For example, some studies have found that visitors are no more educated about ecology after their zoo visit than before. Some even argue that zoos may ironically produce a sense of safety about the animals to visitors, making them less likely to believe conservation efforts are needed (podcast).

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