By Ellen Parsons
As someone that is (mostly) vegan and a woman, I must say that I am continually appalled at the shock tactics that the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) use in their campaign for animal equality. Simply put, I am disgusted and even embarrassed that when some people think of animal rights they automatically think of PETA’s various hurtful, shocking and tacky campaigns. PETA has a history of comparing animal abuse to the KKK (see PETA and Racism) and even the Holocaust (see PETA Holocaust Ad Ruled Too Offensive By German Court). Going even further, their ads often overtly sexualize women (which one would only to type in the word PETA in a Google image search to find). PETA even has plans for a pornographic website (see PETA Does Porn) and during the 2011 Super Bowl tried to air a video that normalizes violence (see Embracing misogyny, PETA promotes violent sex with new campaign ad).
It is absolutely disgusting that PETA thinks these shock tactics are okay. The purpose of the animal rights movement is to advocate treating all living creatures with compassion. These shock tactics do nothing more than hurt people and give the animal rights movement a bad name. As much as I agree with PETA’s mission to end animal cruelty, I just… cannot support them. They are one of the most recognized animal rights organizations, and yet their racism and utter lack of compassion for women makes me shiver. It saddens me that some people have tried to justify PETA’s ads by saying things such as “the only way to get people’s attention and make our message clear is by using these tactics.” Treating women like sex objects, normalizing violence against women, racism, etc. is never justifiable, and I think it is doing more harm than good to the movement.
With all this said, I would just like everyone to know that there are plenty of vegans/vegetarians/animal rights advocates that think PETA is doing more harm than good as well and have written letters to them asking them to stop. Thankfully, there are plenty of animal rights organizations that are nothing like PETA. For example, the organization Mercy for Animals, which doesn’t use the hurtful type of shock tactics that PETA does. I can only hope that in the future when people think of animal rights they think of organizations like Mercy for Animals, which would do both animals and our own society some good.