Human Privilege Checklist

Boganette pointed me to this Adult Privilege Checklist and it got me thinking about "personhood" and how a list for Human Privileges might also be in order. Similar to the children's checklist is might be easier to write it from the perspective of the animal, rather than the human privilege haver, because whilst most human beings do not have their children forcibly removed from them, and most human beings are not held in captivity, some of them (usually the naughty ones) are. Needless to say this applies to animals managed and owned by human beings, NOT to wild ones. Here goes, in no particular order, my attempt:

1. I am forced to reproduce for the monetary gain of others
2. My children are forcibly removed from me
3. When I go missing there is no state of emergency called and no search and rescue teams sent to find me
4.When I am hurt or injured, I may remain that way for extended periods or have my life ended as a means of mitigating my suffering
5. My life can legally be deprived from me.
6. I can be owned by another person, and legally am their property
7. I can be confined at length or for my entire life, in conditions that do not suit me
8. I cannot access food or water without a human providing it for me
9. I cannot access medical treatment without the assistance of a human being
10. I cannot express my pain, anguish, and distress in ways that are clear to other beings.
11. I cannot vote, even though the government makes decisions that affect me and other beings like me
12. I can be physically assaulted in a number of ways without the law becoming involved. If the law is involved the likelihood of a fine or jail time for my abuser is unlikely.
13. I am likely to be smaller than my abuser and if I do retaliate I am likely to be killed.
14. If a human being enters my territory and I defend it against them I am liable to be destroyed.
15. If I wander into another animal's property and am killed by that animal, they or their owner are not responsible for my death
16. I am often yelled at and/or punished for behaving in a way that is normal for my species.
17. People feel it is their right to touch or interact with me and if I react inappropriately I will be punished or put to death
18. I am not given a choice about my living conditions, my food type or amount, or my level of interaction with people or other animals.
19. I am not allowed to perform sexual behaviour that is normal for me and I may well be deprived of the ability to reproduce by being surgically altered.
20. I am not able to own any belongings.

20 seems a good amount. Please note that I do not really believe that giving animals personhood is a practical idea, or even good idea in theory. Much the same way that I think that children need to be guided in a world that wasn't made for them, animals have the same need, as they probably would infringe the rights of others if they did everything that felt right to them. However I do think that animals should have certain rights, e.g. the right to bodily integrity and to perform behaviours that are normal for them, and harmless to others. And just to reiterate, I do believe spaying and neutering is essential to reducing the unwanted animal population, and I don't know of any animal rights activists that would disagree with me.