As Social Movements Evolve, Consider the Pit Bull.

Abstract

The war on nature versus nurture continues with another subsector argument for or against the ban on pit bulls. Pit bulls became attractive prospective fighters in dog rings when the underground, illegal sport became overwhelmingly popular in the 1970s because of their genetically stocky build and their perceived strong jowls (Dickey, 2016 p.14). This development sparked the controversy: are pit bulls inherently evil or are they conditioned for it? Several advocacy groups have developed to defend pit bulls including #EndBSL, #BanTheOwnerNotTheBreed, and #DontBullyMyBreed. While well-known social movements such as the civil rights movement and #BlackLivesMatter have utilized confrontational and managerial rhetoric for their causes, these particular groups have incorporated a strength-in-numbers strategy as well as recognized the value of social media and hashtags and have campaigned for proper education and care instructions for dogs, especially pit bulls. Through the lens of genre criticism, particularly focusing on social movements and activism, the criticism explores social movement elements, the concept of public-enemy-number-one, systematic racism coupled with distasteful media coverage, the role of social media and hashtags, and asks the following research questions:

R1: Does a genre exist among a set of artifacts?

R2: Do the advocacy groups for pit bulls exhibit enough parallels with social movements to be considered a social movement of their own?

Technology advances and greater acceptance of social media platforms have created a new way to connect people to social movements and activism. Leaders and active members have also learned to utilize the tool that can keep up with the largest medium of reaching the most people: the internet.

As Social Movements Evolve, Consider the Pit Bull

The American pit bull terrier started as just that: American. According to the book Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon, “Advertisers across the United States clamored to use pit bulls in their campaigns during the 1920s, not because the dogs were believed to be menacing, but because they were thought to be so friendly and appealing to the ‘average Joe’” (Dickey, 2016, p. 13). Pit bulls could be seen everywhere from Hollywood movies to New York City pizzerias, and even in the White House during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. This loving, accepting demeanor for the breed changed in the 1970s when dogfighting became increasingly popular, and people started associating pit bulls with aggression and insidious tendencies. This created the stereotype of pit bulls belonging exclusively to the lower class. According to the founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Ingrid Newkirk, pit bulls are only kept by “drug dealers” and “pimps” (Dickey, 2016, p. 20). This accusation also plays a significant role in the systematic racism seen with the public associating pit bulls and black men with criminal activity (Thompson, 2019, p. 5). Additionally, the American pit bull’s image became fused together with several other breeds including the American Staffordshire terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, and the American bully breed. “Ask a hundred different Americans to define what a ‘pit bull’ is, however, and you will get a hundred different answers” (Dickey, 2016, p.9). A voice was formed for the discriminated breed after the scandal involving NFL star Michael Vick in 2007 when police raided one of his homes and “found approximately sixty-six dogs (fifty-four of them pit bull terriers) and equipment used for dogfighting, including treadmills, veterinary medicines, pry bars used to break up fights, and a ‘rape stand,’ commonly used to keep females locked in place during forced breeding” (Grano, 2014, p. 81). Recognition of the breed’s long streak of brutality came to surface and animal lovers everywhere rallied against the grotesque violations against the pit bull. Social movements supporting this cause have been around for many years yet at first glance, it appears that nothing is being done. In the landmark study, Movements: Confrontation as rhetorical form, Cathcart refers to movements as dramas and says: “To study a movement is to study a drama, an act of transformation, an act that ends in transcendence of, the achievement of salvation” (Cathcart, 1978, p. 233). Additionally, social movements include elements of managerial rhetoric and confrontational rhetoric. While managerial rhetoric is an important element of social movements that involves making changes to current systems rather than rejecting them completely, most people think about confrontational rhetoric when considering the volume of the voice a social movement projects. Many gravitate to the assumption that confrontation rhetoric is violent; however, Cathcart points out that confrontational rhetoric is not “an act of violence per se; nor is it a method of warfare. Rather it is a symbolic enactment which dramatizes the complete alienation of the confronter.” (Cathcart, 1989, p. 369) and it simply challenges the faulty system and strives to enact change. Social movements today are still evaluated with this criterion in mind; however, they are greatly affected by the influence of technology and the value individuals have placed on social media. While success is still interpreted by what constructive change resulted from the guidance of social movements, the means of achieving success has been tailored to accommodate the demands of the technology revolution.

Social Movements in Action

The civil rights movement has proven itself to be one of the most iconic social movements that operated by utilizing the framework genre criticism has established to determine success. Martin Luther King Jr stood by the idea of managerial rhetoric by constantly urging people participating in the civil rights movement to remain peaceful and nonviolent and to make history in an honorable fashion; however, this ideology was shifted when King realized nothing about the mistreatment of African Americans was being changed and started encouraging boycotts, protests, and physically laying people’s bodies down on the ground in the name of civil rights. He argued that the protest needed to “massively confront the power structure” (Johnson, 2018, p. 142). “King still had a message for African Americans on how to protest. He reminded them ‘not to satisfy their thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.’ He challenged them to conduct the ‘struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline’” (Johnson, 2018, p. 140-141). This spirit can be seen in the activism efforts for pit bill rights. While groups against the breed opt for fear-mongering, appeals to violent visual rhetoric, and spreading false information, groups such as #DontBullyMyBreed promote proper education on the breed and credible sources that explain factual information on various circumstances. While it would be easy to resort to violence due to the nature of the situation, many activists rely on social media and social movement websites to convey their message. This idea can also be seen when considering how #BlackLivesMatter has evolved since its start in 2013. The social movement has gained a considerable amount of awareness through social media and the ability for people to post on various platforms supporting content for the cause. The #BlackLivesMatter movement is “...first and foremost a challenge to the affront of racial violence and prejudiced policing... (a) challenge to white privilege and supremacy, and it seeks to disrupt the status quo by forcing America to unflinchingly examine the ways in which state-sponsored agents treat black Americans as, at best, second-class citizens.” (Bailey, 2015, p. 68). There are parallels to the civil rights movement and #BlackLivesMatter when comparing their strategies of getting their messages across; there are peaceful protests and not-so peaceful protests. Social media also creates the opportunity for creativity in ways of expressing social movement rhetoric. One unique, powerful approach was taken by Colin Kaepernick who utilized his position of influence in the NFL “to bring worldwide attention to the unjust murders of innocent black men at the hands of American police officers by kneeling silently during the national anthem before football games” (Jerca, 2018, p. 40). The action itself seems subtle yet it created such a meaningful way to speak volumes while remaining silent. The movement within the social movement exploded through social media and people who don’t pay attention to sports at all now recognize Colin Kaepernick’s name in reference to the social movement and what his actions have accomplished in spreading awareness. “The semiotic trajectory of taking a knee raised important questions regarding not only what the duty of a country is towards its people, but also what the duty of the people is towards their country.” (Jerca, 2018, p. 47). This action later inspired singer Denasia Lawrence when she was invited to sing the national anthem at a sporting event and chose to kneel while doing so (Forst, 2017, p. 1). “Lawrence’s choice to actively engage in non-violent protest of racial injustices in the United States while singing the national anthem is quite different, and represents powerful activist potential through this threshold identity performance” (Forst, 2017, p. 13). Social movements seek to change what is systematically flawed; this core value is the foundation for all activism groups.

The concept of public-enemy-number-one

The abuse of countless dogs at the hands of Michael Vick rallied animal lovers everywhere to stand together against the flawed, failing system related to the cruel abuse of pit bulls. Vick pleaded guilty to the charges against him directly killing eight dogs by electrocution, gunshot, drowning, hanging, and non-directly killing countless others in the crossfires of the dogfighting ring he was involved in. He killed one of the dogs by repeatedly slamming it onto the ground (Gorant, 2008, p. 784). Despite the horrific crimes he committed, Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison and was released after 18 months due to good behavior. He even played on the warden’s football team while serving time (Broad, 2013, p. 784). “Much of the mainstream animal rights narrative continued to target Vick as not just a criminal but an out-of-control monster... PETA sent a letter to the league asking that Vick be subjected to a psychological test and an MRI brain scan to look for evidence of clinical psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder.” (Broad, 2013, p. 787). This element is present in most social movements: an unfortunate event that evidently leads to the congregation of people with similar hopes for systematic change. “The murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by police officers contributed to our grievously fractured relationship with the police and the U.S. Regardless of our obvious innocence or possible guilt, African Americans of all hues, genders, social classes, and sexual identities are aware of the lack of value placed on our lives” (Harris, 2021, p.146). Just as the exposure of cruelty at the hands of Michael Vick united millions of people to support pit bull advocacy, the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Travon Martin, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, and countless other African Americans united millions of people to the #BlackLivesMatter cause. The role of public-enemy-number-one is alarmingly present in social movements today given how little the concept is acknowledged. Consider the hashtag movement #CripTheVote. “#CripTheVote’s emergence as a hashtag campaign gained national attention due in large part to the instances of ableism present during the 2016 presidential campaign, including President Donald Trump’s mocking of disabled New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski on the campaign trail...” (Mann, 2018, p. 606). The hashtag was used 1455 times the week preceding the election and it elicited national media coverage. The hashtag campaign was fueled by the blatant disregard for disabled people unveiled by former president Donald Trump. While this has been a social issue long before Trump’s insolence, the movement needed a reason to come together. “Allyship is but one path to inclusivity that requires self-reflexivity by all and a commitment to purging all forms of toxicity poisoning our communities and relationships” (Harris, 2021, p. 149). This suggests that there is a strong commitment associated with belonging to a social movement and there needs to be a good reason to back it up.

Systematic Racism and Distasteful Media Coverage

“...the recent dogfighting case against NFL Quarterback Michael Vick and the attendant suspicion of ‘pit bulls’ suggests that racism today has a more complex relationship with (certain types of) animals than the analogy would capture.” (Tarver, 2014, p. 273). A portion of the prejudice against pit bulls stems from the systematic racism of African Americans and the association of poverty and crime. There are racist parallels to the discriminatory housing covenants of the pre-Civil Rights era and breed-specific legislation. Linder (2018) described BSL as causing people who own banned dogs to ‘surrender their animals or move to a different city or neighborhood without such restrictions’ (p. 51–52). Stereotyping and wrongful associations went on unchallenged because of the fear-based overtones. African Americans without rights and pit bulls without voices have endured their own failed systems for decades. “’Black males, we are America’s pit bill’, the actor Michael B. Jordan said... in 2013. ‘We’re labeled vicious, inhumane and left to die on the street’” (Dickey, 2016, p. 193). Thompson et al. (2019) contributed to this notion and explained, “The transformation in the public mind of pit bulls to ‘killer dogs’ may have also involved a transferal of beliefs about the people believed to own pit bulls to the dogs themselves” (p. 5). Another element that contributes to the unfair perception of pit bulls is the metaphoric language associated with the breed. On the campaign trail in 2008 Sarah Palin said “You know (what) they say the difference between (a) hockey mom and pit bull (is): lipstick (Palin, 2008). This analogy stuck and was often referenced in the media that celebrated toughness when it came to motherhood. She was later described in reference to her demeanor at the republican national convention when delivering her speech to “bare her teeth” and was seen as “on the attack” when unprovoked (Harp, 2010, p. 303). To compare a pit bull to someone who is seen as tough, quick-tempered, and impulsive creates an inappropriate, toxic connection with the breed. “In 2003, Nike... released a television ad that cut images of chained pit bulls lunging at each other into footage of a basketball face-off... The company was adamant that it never intended to encourage dogfighting, only to capture what it called ‘the edginess of urban basketball’” (Dickey, 2016, pg. 8). One problem that both pit bull and African American minority groups have suffered with is the overwhelming media coverage, perhaps of the wrong content. “Overstating the problem of dogfighting, directing it at young black youths, and flashing America with images of dogs engaged in battle... can actually work against the cause by deepening fear and stereotypes...This is especially true in communities that have breed-specific legislation... It’s the unforgivable prejudice that forces families to surrender their dogs to shelters because no property owner will rent to them” (Dickey, 2016, p. 252). The complications of fearmongering don’t stop here. The media has depicted pit bulls in a terrifying light by untruthfully suggesting that pit bulls have a stronger bite, have jaws that lock, naturally possess aggressive tendencies, and bite or attack more frequently than other dog breeds (Duberstein, 2021). Cohen and Richardson (2002) suggest, “There is recognition that the news media exaggerate and exacerbate any real or potential problems that may exist with pit bulls” (p. 314). This affects social movements that stand against the negatively casted mythology presented by the media because it spins a story that puts activists in a violent stance. News can create an entirely different depiction of events that impact a social movement “... (by) minimizing substance and marginalizing the movement by suppressing, stifling, and criminalizing the voices of protesters. The coverage can negatively influence public acceptance of the protest and the movement and contribute to the maintenance of the institutional and systemic oppressions that protesters are advocating against” (Neal, 2017, p. 578). When the media focuses on the hostility and negativity associated with social movements the movement itself can lose value and credibility.

Social Media and Hashtags

Social media has presented a new way to provide value towards fostering relationships and creating a sense of community. This is especially true in social movements because this is a medium for providing a strength-in-numbers strategy as well as an opportunity for spreading awareness. An advantage that the #BlackLivesMatter movement has over the civil rights movement is simply existing in a period of time where technology is ever-present and widely accepted as a form of mass communication. Social media platforms have created the ability for anyone who participates to educate and involve themselves in any social movement they’d like to be a part of, even if the action they take is simply posting a hashtag in support. It is important to recognize “...the potential of digital activism for agenda setting, observing that activists are now able to document injustices, spread information, and mobilize the public in real time. Not only has social media expanded sites for resistance, it also has increased opportunities for the ways in which we enact citizenship” (Borda, 2020, p.138). This medium of education, while unreliable at times, can serve as an important tool for social movements. People can now utilize their profile pictures on social media to represent various causes with emblems displaying hashtags or colors to promote a social movement. “Recall the wave of selfie photos that Facebook users posted wearing hooded sweatshirts, helping raise consciousness of violence against young black men following the killing of Trayvon Martin.” (Foust, 2018, p. 42). Pit bull advocacy groups are not typically seen physically contributing to the cause in marches and protests because the social movement has transformed to adhere to the values established by social media which revolve around awareness. The consistent use of hashtags proves to be a form of non-violent confrontational rhetoric. It has proven to be effective in some cases too. “...the #MeToo movement in the US had brought down 201 powerful men, nearly half of them replaced by women” (Pain, 2021, p. 3139). Based on the trajectory of technology, it is likely that social media and hashtags will only continue to evolve as technology becomes increasingly advanced.

Analysis

The following advocacy groups for pit bulls, #EndBSL, #BanTheOwnerNotTheBreed, and #DontBullyMyBreed all are rooted in stopping the same systematic problems regarding unfair stereotyping and discrimination of pit bulls. While all of the advocacy groups appear frequently in hashtags, #DontBullyMyBreed is considered a non-profit rescue organization and advocacy group founded to rescue pit bulls from dangerous or neglectful circumstances and kill shelters, and placing them into foster homes or permanent, loving homes. #EndBSL started when breed-specific legislation started to spread throughout the country to fight back against the unfair, discriminatory law. The hashtag and advocacy idea of #BanTheOwnerNotTheBreed started when countless stories surfaced of irresponsible or aggressive dog owners who put their dogs into dangerous or neglectful situations. Once again consider Cathcart’s (1978) depiction of social movements as dramas, where there is an act of transformation followed by salvation (p. 233). The unity created through the use of hashtags for the advocacy groups is remarkable. All three groups originated from challenging different avenues of the same systematic failure and all three groups now work towards a common interest: to end the wrongful prejudice against pit bulls. The internet is now flooded with posts of happy, friendly-looking pit bulls with a combination of these three hashtags. It is important to also recognize that the discourse that spurred the activism for pit bull rights needs to be addressed through action to fulfill the requirements that would suggest a genre exists among these artifacts. There were non-violent methods implemented in the past, especially in 2009 when Michael Vick was reinstated into the NFL. People engaged in protests by carrying blown-up photographs of the battered pit bulls Vick abused while some brought their dogs to the protests. “...the American Kennel Club argued in a letter to the Eagles that their players had demonstrated ‘a lack of understanding’ about the nature of animal abuse and were ‘trivializing Mr. Vick’s heinous actions’” (Grano, 2014, p. 90). Success, especially when considering how social media has changed the way social movements operate and expand, can be seen from different perspectives. Despite the unity and sense of community the hashtag #CripTheVote created, Donald Trump was still elected in 2016. This doesn’t take away from the power of the hashtag and the unity that was established from coming together. The value of hashtags has become increasingly understood and cherished throughout social media platforms. The purpose of hashtags is to spread activism awareness, and #CripTheVote along with #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, #EndBSL, #BanTheOwnerNotTheBreed, and #DontBullyMyBreed have all collectively succeeded in that. Does this equate to success in relation to social movements? #EndBSL has spread awareness of breed-specific legislation and influenced many people to attend local government group forums to speak against the legislation. #DontBullyMyBreed has soothed previous apprehensions of pit bulls by flooding the internet with photographs of pit bulls in their natural, friendly state. #BanTheOwnerNotTheBreed has increased open-mindedness and understanding that pit bulls who were brought out of unfortunate circumstances may require forgiveness and grace at times. In 2019 “The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, a federal anti-cruelty bill, is now law. This animal protection measure sailed through the House of Representatives and the Senate with unanimous support and was just signed by the president.” (Ehrhorn, 2019). It’s also important to note that in cases involving violence towards people that there is often an association with cruelty to animals. Representative Ted Deutch commented “We can now finally say that animal abuse is a federal crime in the United States...Americans have long stood in support of animal welfare protections, and now our national laws reflect these values.” (Ehrhorn, 2019).

Proceeding the news of Michael Vick’s criminal allegations “An ever-growing network of pit-bull-focused animal rescues, clubs, and community events sprang up around the country to help promote the dog as family pets, rather than pariahs. At least four reality television shows made pit bull advocacy a primary part of their narratives... On Facebook, the interest page for the AKC’s most popular bred, the Labrador retriever, barely tops 400,000 fans. Pit bulls? They have over 4.5 million fans...” (Dickey, 2016, p. 20). People rally behind causes they believe in for the same reasons that people join social movements: to fight for systematic change. The similarities to what advocacy groups and social movements stand for, how they operate, and what they work towards are remarkable enough to create a striking resemblance, and perhaps an honorary title.

Conclusion

More and more people gravitate towards social movements that they believe as technology becomes increasingly valued to fulfill instinctual cravings for a sense of belonging. “Numbers are an essential part of social activism, and the more dramatic they are, the stronger and more immediate the public’s response is likely to be” (Dickey, 2016, p. 119). The perceived success of social movements has also shifted as technology has improved because members of social movements and advocacy groups can connect in ways they were never able to before. People can learn about events that take place all over the world and advocate for causes they believe in despite the physical distance. This changes the way that social movements operate because it goes beyond what is happening in an individual’s local community and creates a way to connect with events happening globally that affect them regardless of distance. Social movements can bring together millions of people who all believe in a cause and strength in numbers is an old, reliable concept. News travels at an impressive speed with the aid of new technology so the idea of public-enemy-number-one is increasingly valid. People identify with what they see on social media as well as news mediums and are willing to figuratively stand up and fight against oppression and injustice for what they believe is wrong. As social movements develop stronger community roots, the value of their bonds will become self-evident and if an event were to transpire and a new public enemy was to emerge, the new-aged social movements would be prepared to challenge the flawed system. Technology evolutions related to accessibility and brand recognition through social media have become newly considered factors in determining the success of today’s social movements. #EndBSL, #DontBullyMyBreed, and #BanTheOwnerNotTheBreed have over 9.5 million posts with those hashtags on Instagram alone. Strength in numbers is seemingly the new figurative finish line to cross in determining the validity of a social movement.

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