PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – is no stranger to controversy. The group regularly uses controversy and outrage as a tool to gain extra attention from the media. After all, they’re the same group who, in 2014, made this extremely offensive and scientifically incorrect graphic:
(As we all know, correlation does not equate to causation, and while I think it’s weird to drink the milk of another animal, you do you.)
And they seem to regularly say things that make you say “oof” almost immediately:
And now, they’ve done it again.
PETA posted a graphic on Twitter yesterday saying that meat-based idioms are comparable to homophobia and racism.
#heroes
The post read: “Words matter, and as our understanding of social justice evolves, our language evolves along with it. Here’s how to remove speciesism from your daily conversations.”
Words matter, and as our understanding of social justice evolves, our language evolves along with it. Here’s how to remove speciesism from your daily conversations. pic.twitter.com/o67EbBA7H4
— PETA (@peta) December 4, 2018
Yes, PETA. I agree. Words do matter. Which is why comparing eating meat to human rights struggles is completely ridiculous and offensive.
They followed up their original tweet with an additional explanation:
Just as it became unacceptable to use racist, homophobic, or ableist language, phrases that trivialize cruelty to animals will vanish as more people begin to appreciate animals for who they are and start ‘bringing home the bagels’ instead of the bacon.
— PETA (@peta) December 4, 2018
“Just as it became unacceptable to use racist, homophobic, or ableist language, phrases that trivialize cruelty to animals will vanish as more people begin to appreciate animals for who they are and start ‘bringing home the bagels’ instead of the bacon.”
Look, I get it, it’s just a PR stunt to get extra attention, whatever. At the end of the day, I’m not anymore angry at PETA than I otherwise was. Based on their actions in the past, I don’t expect anything intelligent or rational to come from PETA. PETA says stupid things. It’s what they do.
But unlike comparing cows to friends, this comes at the cost of cheapening the real and often traumatic experiences many people face on a daily basis. Hell, just yesterday I wrote about a same-sex married couple in Canada who were forced out of their jobs because they were ‘being too gay’ in public.
It seems that people are seeing through the BS here though, and are letting PETA have it on Twitter:
Don’t you fucking dare put “anti-animal” phrases on the same level has hate speech. That’s totally bullshit. Oh sorry, is that offensive to bulls? No wait, I don’t care. Animals don’t understand these words, and nobody uses them because they hate animals. This is just stupid.
— Mark Langridge (@EngineSkull) December 5, 2018
Don’t you fucking dare put “anti-animal” phrases on the same level has hate speech. That’s totally bullshit. Oh sorry, is that offensive to bulls? No wait, I don’t care. Animals don’t understand these words, and nobody uses them because they hate animals. This is just stupid.
I enjoy ones where people point out their hypocrisy, too:
Cruelty to animals? I think you’re the problem. https://t.co/Jsv3bVP1pl
— Deborah Mahnken (@dsmahnken) December 5, 2018
Surely y’all have bigger fish to fry
— Rachel 🙂 🙂 🙂 (@rachelsmiley5) December 5, 2018
Apparently they don’t.
The elephant in the room here, is that you’ve let the cat out the bag just how much you’re on a wild goose chase to seek out offence. rationality has gone the the dogs. A bit pig headed. You should quit, cold turkey and let sleeping dogs lie.
— Tim Cocker (@cocker) December 5, 2018
— ••CAITLIN•• (@caitlin_ldn) December 5, 2018
And look – I get it. PETA does not speak for the majority of vegans. There’s nothing wrong with being vegan, and there’s data that shows eating a plant-based diet is not only healthier for you, but also better for the environment.
I look forward to when lab-grown meat is more widely available and comparable in price to farm-raised meat, because I think that will be a major turning point in moving away from eating animals. But until then… I’m going to eat bacon and cheeseburgers. I’m the worst, I know.
At the end of the day, I think the conspiracy theorists might be right on this one:
Do you ever wonder if PETA is a false flag set up by Big Meat to make everyone hate vegans https://t.co/ImnqNBk9BB
— Bert (@bethanyrutter) December 5, 2018