The Strategic Power of Humor for Animal Advocacy

Chances are you, like me, appreciate humor—especially in these challenging times. I can’t think of a time in my life when we have needed it more. In recent years, scholars have extensively studied the strategic power of humor in business and broader social-justice settings, but far less in animal advocacy. Moreover, social-justice humor has prioritized professional comedians or consultants over the independent efforts of advocates. These gaps have left relatively unexplored the strategic power of humor as a day-to-day communication tool for animal advocates like us—whether in our independent presentations, community settings, and interpersonal outreach—and as a source of personal resilience. This article examines that subject, drawing on insights from the business, social-justice, and nascent animal-advocacy humor arenas—and, occasionally (on condition of anonymity), my own experience.The flesh-and-blood animals with whom we share the Earth appear to experience their own rich spirituality.  It can be traced through Scripture, scientific theory, and our own lives.