Peta: People Effecting Terrible Absurdity

26th August 2009

Peta: People Effecting Terrible Absurdity

posted in Body Snarking, Fat Bias, Vegetarianism |

The good news: Peta has removed its highly offensive “Save the Whales” billboards. The bad news: They still don’t quite *get* it. Here’s part of Peta’s response to the hordes of complaints they received about the campaign:

The original billboard is being replaced with one that says “GONE. Just Like All the Pounds Lost by People Who Go Vegetarian. GoVeg.com.” We agree that a world where self-esteem is unrelated to body size would be a wonderful place, but we also know that most people feel depressed and embarrassed about their weight and often need some tough love.

While this billboard has caused some people to “shoot the messenger,” it has also created a great debate about the message: that people are eating themselves to death. Americans now eat more than 1 million animals an hour—animals who are raised and killed in appallingly cruel conditions. Something drastic must be done to shake up society’s complacent acceptance of the national obesity epidemic, and we want people to know that they have options: Pills and procedures are not the solution. The human illnesses and animal suffering that a meat-heavy diet causes are completely unnecessary: a pure vegetarian diet is the optimum diet.

So, according to Peta’s circular “logic,” a world in which people feel good about themselves and their bodies is awesome, but until then we’re going to shame and ridicule them — for their own good, of course!! I actually agree with part of Peta’s second statement above — animals raised for slaughter die a brutal, inhumane death to satisfy our selfish palates with no benefit to health to be gained by the slaughter — but I don’t think that this campaign has created the kind of “message” Peta intended. Instead it just reinforces the stereotype of the angry, self-righteous vegan killjoy and proselytizer who cares more about animals than people, therefore further setting back any progress made by other and more sane animal rights advocates in convincing a meat-loving public that a vegetarian diet is the healthier and more humane choice. If Peta can’t be humane to their fellow humankind, how do they expect to convince anyone to be humane to animals?

Perhaps People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is a misnomer for Peta. How about People Effecting Terrible Absurdity? Or People Engendering Tawdry Actions? Anyone have any other clever synonym suggestions?

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Body Snarking, Fat Bias, Vegetarianism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 On August 26th, 2009, D said:

Poorly Executed and Tyranical Advertising

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 4:07 pm

2 On August 26th, 2009, jen said:

D ftw!

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 4:19 pm

3 On August 26th, 2009, rachel with a little "r" said:

“I actually agree with part of Peta’s second statement above — animals raised for slaughter die a brutal, inhumane death to satisfy our selfish palates with no benefit to health to be gained by the slaughter —”

You know, I think they don’t actually remember that this is the whole point in animal rights activism.

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 4:45 pm

4 On August 26th, 2009, Rachel said:

Okay, D gets the Most Creative Synonym Award in my book so far!

5 On August 26th, 2009, Ruth said:

Pious, Egocentric, Terrorizing Assholes

Pardon my vulgarity, but it seemed like the right “A” word.

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 4:54 pm

6 On August 26th, 2009, Bree said:

Pompous and Egotistical Twits Annoying (Way Too Many People To Be Taken Seriously)

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 5:23 pm

7 On August 26th, 2009, Mary Sue said:

PETA’s whole platform is based on what I call Matriarch Guilt Logic– I’m horrible to you, but it’s for your own good.

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 5:55 pm

8 On August 26th, 2009, Vixen said:

Since when does vegetarian diet = not obese?

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 6:35 pm

9 On August 26th, 2009, Enomis said:

You’ve got to love this phrase, “society’s complacent acceptance of the national obesity epidemic,” especially when it is followed up with this statement: “pills and procedures are not the solution.” Ok, PETA, so a society that goes to great lengths to research, support, fund, and promulgate medical interventions for weight loss beyond the basic diet and exercise recommendations is complacent.

Also, if society were complacent about the obesity epidemic, then why should fat people “feel depressed and embarrassed about their weight”? WTF?

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 9:04 pm

10 On August 26th, 2009, Karen said:

There are vegan cookies and I know vegans who are not model-thin. It is an illogical argument. It’s how much not what. Peddling Excessive Twaddle Ad nauseum

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 9:27 pm

11 On August 26th, 2009, Alyssa (The 40 year-old) said:

Let me see: “Philistines Engaged (in) Totalitarian Agression?” “Philosophical Excrement, Turd-like Arguments?” “Persons Enabling Terroristic Actions?”

I happen to agree with many of PETA’s stances on the inhumane treatment of animals in our society. But as long as they keep exploiting and insulting women, dressing up as KKK members (to protest the Westminster dog show) and comparing rotisserie chickens to concentration camp victims, I will NOT support them.

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 9:28 pm

12 On August 26th, 2009, MJK said:

PETA is not to be taken seriously. The local ASPCA or Humane Society is a much better venue for those who believe animals should be treated humanely.

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 11:25 pm

13 On August 26th, 2009, Cute Bruiser said:

@Vixen: Indeed, I’ve known the OPPOSITE to be the norm. The friends I’ve known to have gone vegetarian/vegan have usually GAINED weight, excluding one boy in high school who, really and sadly, was using veganism as an excuse for an eating disorder. So, yeah. Would love to see the research that says veggie eaters are skinny.

posted on August 26th, 2009 at 11:32 pm

14 On August 27th, 2009, Meowser said:

“Complacent acceptance of the obesity epidemic”? What do they want, for all of us to be thrown in jail for our fat? For all of us to lose our jobs and become homeless? For all of us to have to sew all our clothes, including underwear and bras, from scratchy burlap sacks? You say “complacent acceptance,” I say, “constantly being told that we’re ugly and stupid and self-destructive and will simultaneously die before we’re 65 and manage to bankrupt Medicare,” the latter being in itself a pretty good trick.

Jules Hirsch said it best in Gina Kolata’s “Rethinking Thin”: “You can’t possibly saturate the country with any more warnings.” And I’ve got news for them: If you have PCOS, only a ketogenic diet (read: MEAT MEAT MEAT) is going to have any chance of getting serious poundage off you, and you’ll have to stick to it more or less forever. And I really would rather, you know, have some chick pea curry sometimes.

posted on August 27th, 2009 at 12:37 am

15 On August 27th, 2009, Ostara said:

Meowser wrote: ““Complacent acceptance of the obesity epidemic”? What do they want, for all of us to be thrown in jail for our fat? For all of us to lose our jobs and become homeless? For all of us to have to sew all our clothes, including underwear and bras, from scratchy burlap sacks? You say “complacent acceptance,” I say, “constantly being told that we’re ugly and stupid and self-destructive and will simultaneously die before we’re 65 and manage to bankrupt Medicare,” the latter being in itself a pretty good trick.”

THIS. Holy crap so this. I don’t see the constant berating of fat people as “complacent acceptance” I see it as a dehumanizing and shitty way to scare people into conforming to whatever ideology will benefit a certain agenda, whether that’s selling weight-loss systems or promoting animal rights. Fat people are exploited and soaking in a sea of hate lodged at their bodies from every side of the media and societal spectrum. What the fuck more do people want aside from fatties just dropping dead of meat infused heart attacks al-fracking-ready?

Quite frankly, I think the reality is clear though. They don’t give a shit about anybody’s health, they just want to promote their agenda. Don’t get me wrong, I think animal rights is a worthy agenda (not that I’m entirely devoted to giving up my Sunday brunch bacon for it, mind you, that might be because I’m a bad bad fatty non-vegetarian whale) but posters like this really give off the message that they’re more concerned with extreme sensationalizing in order to get people to pay attention to “the cause” rather than the cause itself. I get it, they want to make a difference. Cool. But they’re going about it the wrong way. Good intentions or no, nobody has the right to be that much of a jackass. To me, that’s kinda the whole point of FA. Even if you think you’re being a jackass for my own good, you still don’t have the right to shamelessly insult me and expect me to thank you for it.

As for acronyms, how about Prejudiced Elitist Tools for Assholery?

posted on August 27th, 2009 at 2:55 am

16 On August 27th, 2009, Penny said:

Pitiful Efforts to Terrorize All
Puerile Endorsements of Terrible Activities
Pitiful Efforts Towards Alarm
People for the Elimination of Thought in Activism
People for the Enthusiastic Taking of Attention
Public Embarrassment To All
People for Enthusiastically Terrible Advertising
Politeness? Empathy? Taste? Absurd!
Public Enthusiasm for Terrible Acts

posted on August 27th, 2009 at 8:36 am

17 On August 27th, 2009, Karen said:

“Prejudiced Elitist Tools for Assholery” Oh, I like this one. In my profession (biomedical research) I’ve encountered a few activists who delight in taking me to task for exploiting innocent mice. I’ll point out to them that my poor mousies have clean bedding, state-of-the-art housing, food and clean water ad lib and 24/7 medical care while children in their own neighborhoods do not and suggest they embark on a more meaningful crusade. I’m in support of better and more humane meat processing in so far as it would decrease contamination and spread of disease.

posted on August 27th, 2009 at 9:20 am

18 On August 27th, 2009, Faith said:

@Meowser – thank you! As another woman with PCOS, my 8 years of vegetarianism (and healthy, sane vegetarianism, thank you) had me severely overweight. It is only when, as I am now, abstaining from all flour and sugar, and eating a ketogenic diet that I have any sanity and management of my health.

posted on August 27th, 2009 at 1:17 pm

19 On August 27th, 2009, Rachel said:

@Faith: Before I became vegetarian and before my eating disorder, I had started the Atkin’s Diet because I thought it would be beneficial considering my blood sugar levels and family history of diabetes. And it worked — I lost weight, albeit slowly, and since I’ve never been a big bread/pasta person, I found it very sustainable. Now that I’m vegetarian, I try to eat primarily low-glycemic foods for my previously-mentioned health reasons, but I haven’t lost an iota of a pound from it. And my diet now is much healthier and more well-rounded than when I was on Atkins. Go figure.

I think Peta needs to get its priorities clear: Is it promoting vegetarianism or is it promoting weight-loss?

posted on August 27th, 2009 at 1:43 pm

20 On August 27th, 2009, twincats said:

The part that caught my attention was the “shooting the messenger” line. If you’re delivering your OWN message, it’s entirely appropriate to “shoot the messenger” if the message is inflammatory. Duh.

Unless they want us to believe that the message is actually coming from somewhere On High which I don’t buy. Maybe they’re getting the message from the animals themselves via animal psychics, which they should have said to begin with; ya know, like: The beef cattle want you to know that eating them is totally making you fat!!!

posted on August 27th, 2009 at 9:45 pm

21 On September 2nd, 2009, nothingqueen said:

Sounds like PETA’s been talking to Meme Roth a little too much. And due to sites like ConsumerFreedom.com and PetaKillsAnimals.com I have a hard time PETA cares about animals more than the donations they receive.

posted on September 2nd, 2009 at 8:17 pm