Bartlett apologizes for “Dairy is Rape”

By Joel Bartlett



To my knowledge I was the only member of WARN who chalked “Dairy is Rape” last week. I did so in an effort to tie together the oppression of women and the exploitation of nonhuman animals. I do believe that such a connection exists; that they are both upheld by our patriarchal culture.

I was not simply using “rape” as a tool to help animals. While I admit that I was trying to get feminists to stop drinking milk, I also believe that by identifying a tie between the two oppressions we will be closer to ending both.

I was well aware that my chalkings would not be well received, that they would bother and annoy many people. However, I agree with Korin Mills in her wespeak last year, “Discomfort Makes You Think.” (4/10/01). Yet while it does not bother me all that much that I did not make any friends with certain members of the Wesleyan community, I do feel that my chalkings have had some unfortunate effects.

I do not know how to define rape, and based on my discussions with others, nobody has a perfect definition. Many would say dairy has nothing to do with rape, that a cow being artificially inseminated is not even close to rape. I have no idea anymore. I think that it is important not to take power away from the term rape, and I certainly didn’t try to demean it. I think what is inflicted upon cows is horrible. But I do recognize the differences between a cow being artificially inseminated and a violent attack upon a woman. Do I consider dairy to be a product of rape? I am not sure anymore. Will I write it on the sidewalk the next time I go chalking? No.

While I do think that my writing “Dairy is Rape” has had some positive consequences, such as people talking about the violation of cows, I do not think in this instance that it is necessary to those who could be allies to get discussion going. I would not have minded upsetting people because they drink milk, but I do mind upsetting people because they feel threatened by what they feel is a misunderstanding of the nature of rape.

In the future I will attempt to realize the connections between the oppression of women and nonhuman animals in such a way that does not take away from the specific trauma that (human) rape entails. I apologize to those members of the Wesleyan community who felt that I was devaluing the trauma of rape and/or the systematized cruelty of human/ nonhuman animal abuse. Thank you to those who took the time to discuss these matters with me. I understand that these are not emotionally easy topics to talk about.







Bartlett is a member of the class of 2003.