The very word itself, if we can hold our noses and call it a word, is
disgusting. Most spell-checkers reject it as a properly spelled English
word. It's a revolting neologism, coined by sophists.

One of the most obvious defects in the "ar" criticism of so-called
"speciesism" is that it rather than say what is substantially wrong
with, "ar" passivists instead commit a logical fallacy, what might be
called the Guilt by Association or "Bad Company" fallacy. At the very
outset of any "ar" condemnation of "speciesism", there is an immediate
attempt to link it with racism and sexism, as if that's all that's
needed to show that "speciesism" not only is morally wrong but deeply
evil. In fact, the very word itself, with its "ism" suffix, is
deliberately - I would say cynically - intended to suggest this linkage.
There is no escaping the fact that this is a fallacy. If someone is
going to say that "speciesism" is wrong, he's going to have to say why
it is wrong in its substance.

The comparison, however, is wrong in *its* substance. Not only is it a
logical fallacy to condemn "speciesism" simply by comparing it to racism
and sexism, but the comparison is false; it doesn't stand up to
scrutiny. First of all, putting aside any concern about "marginal
cases", there *is* a general morally significant difference between
humans and all other species, a difference that is wholly
species-dependent. Humans are moral agents; no other animal species
contains any moral agents. That is a morally significant difference -
so much so, that "ar" passivists say humans are *obliged* to alter their
view of animals as a result of it. In other words, "ar" passivists are
themselves "speciesist" in condemning "speciesism". The failure of race
to be a morally significant separator is too obvious to require much
comment. Whatever moral attribute people might want to use as a
criterion for discrimination, race does not logically include or exclude
an individual. If admission to prestigious universities is to be
granted based on high grades and high standardized test scores, then
there is no valid reason to exclude someone of any given race if he has
sufficiently high scores. We don't need to invoke "marginal cases" to
see what's wrong with using race or sex as a discriminating criterion:
some, or perhaps even many, members of historically disadvantaged human
groups meet the objective criteria for inclusion.

The second way in which the comparison fails is that racial minorities
and women are able to advance their own claims that they possess the
traits that are supposed to be the criteria for inclusion. In fact, the
very act of making their own claim is part of the demonstration that
they *do* possess those relevant traits. Other species' members cannot
do this - *none* of them.

For these reasons, "speciesism" fails as a criticism of the human use of
animals.