The truth behind PETA, HSUS, and BCR

[Death Pony]

Buy something from the dollar menu and place it on the front desk

Oh, I'm planning on doing more. I also have a cat skeleton that I found that's getting turned into artwork and will be on public display. If I find another one I might have a new puppet.

 

[snakeguy101]

you guys are horrible, you can do so much better than a cat puppet... at least do a clubbed baby seal or something....

 

[bl00]

I love animals and hate people who are cruel to them. But PETA is ridiculous.

I think PETA is a great example for the world of how extremism is not the way to get anything done, only to look like a loon.

peta's intentions are good. in practice... fail.

Pretty much...they try 100x too hard. PETA talks down to everyone and then wonders why everyone thinks that they're nuts. The organization is not going to gain any converts by calling them horrible people and condemning their way of life.

I've been a vegetarian for years but I'm often 'in the closet' because I think there's a very negative, stereotyped image of us due to organizations like PETA. Its been my experience that once you share that part of yourself with people, they can treat you differently. I think that people who are more and less conservative with their beliefs of animal rights can coexist with respect for one another. This is where PETA falls short: they have no respect for those who do not adhere exactly to their views. This goes for religious and political extremists as well. PETA alienates exponentially more people from participating in pursuits of animal welfare then it educates because of their extremist views and far-fetched campaigns (like sea kittens )

 

[Bottomfeeder]

^What did they reply? must not have been my thread I dont remember that

I started the seakitten thread a long time ago (more then a few months ago it was early last year or sometime the year before... I thought they were effin nutz.)

I think it was one of your threads.

Here ya go, PETA responded to my email, and sounded almost partially sane, What do you guys think:
"
Thank you for contacting PETA about our lighthearted campaign to get people to think of fish as “sea kittens.” The goal of this campaign is to help people of all ages recognize that fish are living beings capable of feeling pain and distress—just as kittens are—and that it is no more acceptable to inflict pain and suffering on fish than it is to hurt a kitten or any other animal.

PETA’s purpose is to stop animal suffering, and we use all available opportunities to reach millions of people with powerful messages. We have found that people pay more attention to our more outlandish actions, and we consider the public’s attention to be extremely important. Part of our job is to grab people’s attention and initiate discussion, debate, questioning of the status quo, and, of course, action. The situation is critical for billions of animals, and our goal is to make the public think about the issues.

We cannot dismiss the fact that it’s wrong to hurt fish simply because we perceive them to be less intelligent than humans. Superior intelligence does not entitle humans to abuse other humans, so why should it entitle humans to abuse beings other than humans?

No one would consider doing to other animals what some so casually do to fish—trick them into impaling themselves in the mouth and pull them into an environment where they can’t breathe. But whether they are bass or basset hounds, catfish or cats, all animals treasure their lives and feel pain.

According to Dr. Donald Broom, animal welfare advisor to the British government, “The scientific literature is quite clear. Anatomically, physiologically and biologically, the pain system in fish is virtually the same as in birds and mammals. In animal welfare terms you have to put fishing into the same category as hunting.” Adds Dr. Austin Williams, a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service zoologist, fish “are [sensitive] organisms, so of course they feel pain.” To learn more about these animals’ intelligence and capacity for suffering, please visit http://www.FishingHurts.com/feat-hiddenfish.asp and http://www.FishingHurts.com/FishFeelPain.asp.

We also want people to know that eating fish flesh can be hazardous to their health. Fish can accumulate extremely high levels of chemical residues—as much as 9 million times higher than the levels of the water in which they live. Fish flesh may store contaminants such as PCBs, which are strongly suspected of causing cancer, nervous system disorders, and fetal damage; dioxins, also linked to cancer; radioactive substances like strontium 90; and toxic metals like cadmium, mercury, lead, chromium, and arsenic, which can cause health problems ranging from kidney damage and impaired mental development to cancer. For more information about the health problems associated with fish consumption, please see http://www.FishingHurts.com/HealthConcerns.asp.

Unfortunately, getting the message to the public is not always easy and straightforward. Unlike our opposition, which is mostly composed of wealthy industries and corporations, PETA must rely on getting free “advertising” through media coverage. We often use stunts and controversial ad campaigns to get the word out about animal abuse, because sadly, the media usually do not consider the facts alone “interesting” enough to cover. Colorful and controversial gimmicks, on the other hand, consistently grab headlines, bringing the animal rights message to audiences around the country and, often, the world. Our efforts and campaigns have been very successful in educating the public about the abuses that animals endure every day, and your message is proof that people are reading and talking about PETA and animal rights. If this column by an outdoors writer is any indication, our Sea Kitten campaign has been successful: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/10/12/outdoors12.ART_ART_10-12-08_C13_7EBIQ21.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101. For more thoughts on this issue, see http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/PETA+fishing+kitten+sympathy/1175481/story.html.
For more information about our Sea Kitten campaign and our broader efforts to help fish, please visit http://www.FishingHurts.com.

Thanks again for writing and for sharing your thoughts with us.

Sincerely,

Paul J. Smith
Correspondence Assistant
The PETA Foundation
http://www.PETA.org"

 

[Ash]

wow suprisingly not bad... I almost wonder if it is a generic letter they came up with to send out to everybody who wrote to them about it.

 

[thistly]

Admittedly I used to be a bit of a PETA follower several years ago. Mostly because I find circuses, fur farming, utilization of battery cages, dog fighting, testing upon animals for cosmetics abhorring and they advocated making vegetarian options more common place. It seems at some point (or maybe I didn't notice they were like this all along) they started taking on more extreme and extreme platforms and using cheap shock tactics to force their opinions on other people.

Wow you said it better than I ever could, Couldn't agree more

I remember the feelings of dismay and embarrassment at every new godawful campaign and act they unleashed on the public, before finally swearing off them. There's so much to be said for leading by example.

Even in this thread the backlash and consequence of their brand of aggressive extremism and hypocrisy is visible, instead of simply trying to justify their choices (and in that process truly thinking about their actions), consumers of inhumanely farmed meat (eg crate pigs), animal tested cosmetics, farmed fur etc instead revel in it, and glorify it. Seeing animal lover friends laughing about the 'delicious suffering' in their veal, and their Chinese farmed fur garments, expressing a desire to eat whale meat, etc just goes to show that they've put up a wall in their mind and morals, and why? Cause they're feeling defensive, like they need to push back. If they weren't being attacked, this wouldn't happen.

I love the feeling of fur, too, but would never wear it unless it's a by-product, and the animal had a nice life and a quick death. I eat meat and eggs but, again, not when the animal had a miserable, inhumane life and death (free range for the win).
But so many others won't even entertain their options (eg, not actually needing to eat meat twice each freakin' day), and the repercussions of their choices, with an open mind (eg, demand for meat making factory farm conditions so disgusting), for fear of any association with PETA maniacs and OTT aggressive vegans. It's a crying shame

And, from a feminist perspective (funnily enough, another field which is badly suffering the same 'backlash' dilemma), I think it's beyond disgusting that PETA, against meat, treat women in their advertising like the same thing, grr.
Aww, now I'm going to sleep angry. dammit!

 

[ozz465]

Wow you said it better than I ever could, Couldn't agree more

I remember the feelings of dismay and embarrassment at every new godawful campaign and act they unleashed on the public, before finally swearing off them. There's so much to be said for leading by example.

Even in this thread the backlash and consequence of their brand of aggressive extremism and hypocrisy is visible, instead of simply trying to justify their choices (and in that process truly thinking about their actions), consumers of inhumanely farmed meat (eg crate pigs), animal tested cosmetics, farmed fur etc instead revel in it, and glorify it. Seeing animal lover friends laughing about the 'delicious suffering' in their veal, and their Chinese farmed fur garments, expressing a desire to eat whale meat, etc just goes to show that they've put up a wall in their mind and morals, and why? Cause they're feeling defensive, like they need to push back. If they weren't being attacked, this wouldn't happen.

I love the feeling of fur, too, but would never wear it unless it's a by-product, and the animal had a nice life and a quick death. I eat meat and eggs but, again, not when the animal had a miserable, inhumane life and death (free range for the win).
But so many others won't even entertain their options (eg, not actually needing to eat meat twice each freakin' day), and the repercussions of their choices, with an open mind (eg, demand for meat making factory farm conditions so disgusting), for fear of any association with PETA maniacs and OTT aggressive vegans. It's a crying shame

And, from a feminist perspective (funnily enough, another field which is badly suffering the same 'backlash' dilemma), I think it's beyond disgusting that PETA, against meat, treat women in their advertising like the same thing, grr.
Aww, now I'm going to sleep angry. dammit!

I agree 100%

 

[jpappy789]

PETA would rather see a species go extinct than have it exhibited in a zoo. That's their problem, no realization of the bigger picture. Everything just needs to be rainbows and butterflies...

 

[Swampy459]

Bump for an important issue.

 

[livebearerfreak]

wow..... i HATE ( and hate is a strong word ) peta. talk about animal abuse, they are the main problem with animal abuse...