How Unearned Suffering Creates Change

In the moments before the verdict in the recent MBR trials, people began to cry. Our hearts were pounding when we heard the verdict had been reached. When we slowly walked into the courtroom, the moment of truth felt so heavy that I struggled to breathe. Four people’s lives could be destroyed by the words—guilty or not guilty—that were about to be said in court.¹

If you follow this blog, you know the outcome of that trial. What I did not share until now, however, is the dramatic impact it had on me. After 20+ years, I am not one to respond with emotion to activism. My motivation to help animals is deeply ingrained in me, as much discipline as inspiration.

But even I felt inspired at this trial.

This is not a unique experience. Social scientists have noted that unearned suffering can often have enormous benefits for movements. The sacrifice of brave people, such as Zoe Rosenberg, generates enormous attention to the cause. (Zoe’s social media has over 200 million views of videos as a result of her trial and conviction.) There is, however, something even more important at work than social media engagement. Suffering is the path to truth.

The Harvard evolutionary anthropologist Joseph Henrich researches how the human species maintains cohesion and solves complex problems. And among the important factors is something he calls a “credibility-enhancing display” (CED). These bizarre practices, from ritual mutilation to hazing in a fraternity, are common in the history of humanity because they help large numbers of people work together to advance towards truth.

For individuals, they are a powerful signal that “I believe what I say.” No one would go through the hazing rituals of a fraternity unless they really wanted to get in! CEDs are therefore a powerful signal: “When I say I believe this, I’m speaking truth!”

The purpose of CEDs for communities, however, is even more crucial. In the competition among human social groups, maintaining cooperation is key. Henrich argues that groups with CEDs are able to collectively maintain their commitments because, once someone has engaged in CEDs, they rarely back out. There is a collective truth upheld by the willingness to sacrifice:

In our community, we believe _____.

I felt that at the MBR trial. I had never met Tom in person before that day. But the emotional intensity of shared sacrifice (more his than mine, to be clear) drew me closer to him. By the end of the day, I felt like he was a close friend! But even more important than the connection, was the shared commitment. Everyone in the support group understood the truth of what was happening to animals. Everyone also understood the truth of government inaction in the face of that abuse. The sacrifices by these defendants, however, made these truths more vivid and real.

In our community, we stand up for animals, no matter what it takes. Only through Tom’s willingness to face danger, and suffer, were we able to truly live up to that truth.

1. Nonviolent activists in the UK have recently been sentenced to years in prison for victimless “crimes.”