There I was, ready to turn in last night when I came across a post on another wordpress blog which I thought I misread. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) had created an ad which describes the recent murder of a young man, on a Greyhound bus outside of Winnipeg and equates it to the death and slaughter of animals such as pigs and chickens. Here is the ad:
As I continued to read mouemagazine.wordpress.com’s post PETA Exploits Manitoba Bus Killing I was astounded, revolted, shocked and angered…a lot. Kudos to Mouse Magazine and their great post.
Before I begin to rant, I realize critics will twist the fact I am writing about PETA and their misguided ad as just further exploitation, on my part, of the July 30 tragedy. Somehow, the fact I am writing about this campaign on my blog and using “Manitoba murder” story tags could be seen as me trying to drive traffic to my blog at the expense of young Tim McLean’s death, yes PETA- the man whose death you use, in your so-called provocative campaign, has a name, once again, it is Tim McLean. He was 22. A victim. A carnival worker. A friend. A brother. A son.
Well, I am not trying to exploit his death for OnDeadline’s gains. I am trying to inform my constant readers, friends and internet surfers that PETA knows no bounds at trying to further its goals. PETA should be ignored and chastised for its crass and tasteless actions. I am also standing up for Tim McLean and his family and friends, none of which I know. Besides the fact they are fellow Canadians, they are fellow HUMAN BEINGS and my global brothers and sisters.
I am all for animal rights, those of you who know me can vouch for how exploitation of animals disturbs me. Heck, I have issues with the Toronto Zoo’s Stingray petting attraction. However, I would never equate petting stingrays as something as wrong and akin to child abuse and molestation, which is what PETA is essentially doing here with their ad campaign. In their own words- this how they defend their ad :
This tragic incident will certainly leave scars on the minds of the other passengers and the victim’s family and friends. While it isn’t every day that a human is violently attacked and eaten by another human, it’s worth noting that it is the norm for many people not to give any thought to the fact that restaurants are serving flesh that comes from innocents who were minding their own business before someone came after them with a knife. How amazingly and conveniently compartmentalized the human mind is…
To stress this very point, PETA will be running an ad in the Portage Daily Graphic comparing the similarities between this gruesome bus butchering and the acts of cruelty and killing performed every day by the meat industry.
The horror that cows, chickens, and pigs face on factory farms goes on for a long time too. Chickens are violently tossed into cages with dozens of other birds and forced to live amid their own waste. Baby pigs have their testicles ripped out without any painkillers. And male calves are starved and chained inside tiny stalls until their flesh becomes soft and milky white before being slaughtered for someone’s veal dinner.
PETA is running the ad to make people rethink the proposition that it is, rightly so, a criminal act to kill and eat our own kind but that it’s “OK” to kill every other species but our own and eat them.
There you go, in their own words. How can an organization be that arrogant and self-absorbed to so quickly turn such a tragedy for its own gain?
PETA does have one thing right though, “How amazingly and conveniently compartmentalized the human mind is…”, especially those of spin doctors and heartless marketers at an organization which has clearly demonstrated it has lost its way.
On Deadline: Above the Fold to -30- 
I understand the comparisons between violence against humans and violence against animals makes some people uncomfortable. PETA is known for being provocative, that’s what they do. Their silence does nothing for their cause. Their goal is to change the way the world treats and views animals through promotion of animal-rights. How can PETA get people to see that despite their feelings about this kind of violence, …? Voila, the ad! I see parallels between acts of violence against humans and cruelty to animals, since both spring from a common root. It shouldn’t take a brain surgeon to understand that such comparisons are not inaccurate. Self-absorbed you say PETA is? Hmmm…considering the fact that they are the biggest animal-based organization in the world, focusing on the individual animal, like your lonely deprived goldfish, I’d say the “self” is the last thing on PETA’s mind. If anything, the over-exploitation of this incident alone makes US the self-absorbed, gore-hungry, media-whores. The fact of the matter is, horrific violence occurs everyday all over the world. CNN might not cover the incident like a celebrity wedding, but this case shout not be isolated. You might feel more sympathy and empathy towards human victims, but to think that animals do not and cannot suffer the same way is simply ignorant and supremacist. It’s a monumental shame what happened on that Grey Hound bus, but compassion is not something that PETA is lacking. If someone doesn’t like it, maybe it is because it makes them feel guilty for just saying, “Oh, how terrible,” about the bus violence but not wanting to face the fact that this kind of violence is sadly…a sign of our times. The way we treat those who cannot speak up for themselves is simply a reflection of how we have come to treat our fellow man. For having the balls to speak out against violence of any form, and for any victim….I applaud you PETA.
Brigette said:
The way we treat those who cannot speak up for themselves is simply a reflection of how we have come to treat our fellow man.
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Exactly. Mr. Mclean could not speak up for himself and YES, the treatment his spirit/memory has received from PETA and The Westboro Baptist “Church” surely IS a reflection of how we have come to treat our fellow (wo)/man. Thanks for reiterating the obvious for us.
http://Blog.psychic-wisdom.net
Brigitte:
A question: If it had been a PETA member – perhaps one of its better-known “celebrity” members – who’d been slaughtered on that Grey Hound bus, do you believe that PETA ad would’ve ever seen the light of day?
You can applaud PETA and this tasteless, grossly unethical ad until your hands fall off, but nothing will change the fact that the ad’s ONLY purpose was to shamefully exploit the tragic death of one ordinary, non-celebrity, young man. He wasn’t a pig, nor a cow, nor a chicken. He was a HUMAN BEING.
PETA’s concern for animals obviously far exceeds what it feels for humans. For its lack of sensitivity to the feelings of Tim McLean’s family and friends alone, PETA should be strongly condemned. Oh yes, sensitivity to the feelings of others, and how some people seem devoid of it. Another question, Brigitte: How would YOU feel about this ad had it been a relative or friend of YOURS murdered on that bus?
Though you may think it’s wonderful that PETA has “the balls to speak out against violence of any form,” I’m of the humble opinion that it never takes “balls” to exploit any tragic situation. All that’s needed is selfishness, and a total lack of compassion … for human beings.
PETA is “against violence?” Since when? If you are at all interested in knowing just how non-violent and ethical this organization is NOT, type “PETA” in the search box of your Internet browser.
PETA is a fanatical group that uses terror tactics to obtain their goals. They actually have killed more animals that they have saved. Don’t believe it?
http://www.petakillsanimals.com
Further in regard to Brigitte’s comments, it may be of interest to know that they were “lifted” in part, sometimes verbatim, from a PETA Web page (http://blog.peta.org/archives/2008/08/we_got_your_hat.php) that, like Brigitte, lamely attempts to justify PETA’s exploitive, callous, and beyond insensitive ad campaign. Below are some examples:
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Brigitte: “PETA is known for being provocative, that’s what they do.”
PETA: “Now, remember, PETA is known for being provocative—that’s our job.”
Brigitte: “I see parallels between acts of violence against humans and cruelty to animals, since both spring from a common root.
PETA: “We see parallels between acts of violence against humans and cruelty to animals, since both spring from a common root.”
Brigitte: “How can we get people to see that despite their feelings about this kind of violence, they are often paying someone to do exactly what was done to the man on the bus, and worse, just so that they can eat a sandwich? Voila, the ad!”
PETA: “How can we get people to see that despite their feelings about this kind of violence, they are often paying someone to do exactly what was done to the man on the bus, and worse, just so that they can eat a sandwich? Voila, the ad!”
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And voila, my current comment! There’s much to be said for originality of thought, but obviously not in Brigitte’s case. I imagine that while she (or he) was applauding PETA for their sick ad idea with one hand, the other was busily copying and pasting empty-headed drivel from the PETA Website.
I know I’m being a pest here and beating a dead horse, so to speak, but the last set of comments I quoted from Brigitte and the PETA website were incorrectly stated in my previous post. They should’ve read:
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Brigitte: “How can PETA get people to see that despite their feelings about this kind of violence, …? Voila, the ad!”
PETA: “How can we get people to see that despite their feelings about this kind of violence, they are often paying someone to do exactly what was done to the man on the bus, and worse, just so that they can eat a sandwich? Voila, the ad!”
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Egad, Brigitte even left the comma in after the word “violence,” not bothering to cut and paste the rest of PETA’s inane remark – “they are often paying someone to do exactly what was done to the man on the bus, and worse, just so that they can eat a sandwich?”
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Okay, enough already from me on this subject. 🙂
P.S. The Web address provided by Jimmy Jay Jay is quite the eye opener, and those who still think highly of PETA and its ethics should perhaps have a look at it.
I sent a note off to my MP and the Minister responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency to see if PETA qualified for charitable status in canada. Upon further investigation it seems that they are not.
Too bad. This would have been a lever to inflict some real damage on this backward group of of dogmatic morons.
re: Brigitte’s stance on this. I agree with Grant. She is simply cutting and pasting from PETA’s site.
There is and can be no excuse for such an ad. It is disgusting and I do wish there were a way to bring the group to account for this.
In my last post I promised to stop spouting off on this matter, but I just can’t seem to help myself.
Trashee: Knowing that PETA does not qualify for charitable status in Canada is at least a small bit of good news in this dreadfully upsetting story. It’s very commendable that you would take the time and effort to obtain that information. Unfortunately, in the U.S., ongoing attempts to strip the organization of its charitable status have so far been unsuccessful.
To those who still admire and applaud PETA for its goals, ethics and compassion, here are a few enlightening quotes from PETA representatives:
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“If ten people in America died of mad cow disease, in the long run it would save probably millions of lives, because people would stop eating meat. That’s not a catty thing to say. In the long run, this is what I hope.”
— Bill Maher, PETA celebrity endorser (upon accepting the Celebrity Animal Advocate of the Year award at the 2003 Animal Rights National Conference in Los Angeles)
“To those people who say, `My father is alive because of animal experimentation,’ I say, `Yeah, well, good for you. This dog died so your father could live.’ Sorry, but I am just not behind that kind of trade off.”
— Bill Maher (US Magazine – Feb 1, 1999)
“If you try to make a horse jump over something that it doesn’t want to jump over, I think it really should throw you off its back.”
— Bill Maher (during a 1997 interview while sermonizing about actor Christopher Reeve, paralyzed in a horse riding accident two years earlier)
“Don’t get the diseases in the first place, schmo.”
— Dan Matthews, PETA Senior Vice-President (on the consequences of stopping animal research – USA Today – Jul 27, 1994)
“We feel that animals have the same rights as a retarded human child.”
— Alex Pacheco, PETA co-founder and former Chairman (New York Times – Jan 14, 1989)
“Arson, property destruction, burglary and theft are ‘acceptable crimes’ when used for the animal cause.”
— Alex Pacheco (Charleston Gazette-Mail – Jan 15, 1989)
“It would be really great if all these fast-food outlets, slaughter houses, these laboratories and the banks who fund them exploded tomorrow.”
— Bruce Friedrich, PETA spokesperson
“Pet ownership is an absolutely abysmal situation brought about by human manipulation.”
— Ingrid Newkirk, PETA President (Harper’s magazine – Aug 1, 1988)
“We are complete press sluts. It is our obligation. We would be worthless if we were just polite and didn’t make any waves.”
— Ingrid Newkirk
“I am not only uninterested in having children, I am opposed to having children. Having a purebred human baby is like having a purebred dog. It is nothing but vanity, human vanity.”
— Ingrid Newkirk
“Six million Jews died in concentration camps, but six billion broiler chickens will die this year in slaughter houses.”
— Ingrid Newkirk (The Washington Post – Nov 13, 1983)
“I openly hope that it [hoof-and-mouth disease] comes here. It will bring economic harm only for those who profit from giving people heart attacks and giving animals a concentration camp-like existence. It would be good for animals, good for human health, and good for the environment.”
— Ingrid Newkirk (ABC News interview – Apr 2, 2001)
“Even if animal research resulted in a cure for AIDS, we’d be against it.”
— Ingrid Newkirk (Vogue magazine – Sep, 1989)
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There you have it – PETA, one warm and cuddly organization. With its ruthless, Nazi-like tactics to convert all human beings to vegetarianism at ANY cost, one has to wonder if PETA has a training program in place to convince the other carnivores and omnivores in the animal kingdom that they too must give up eating meat. Oh, at this moment, I can just imagine the ever lovely Ms. Newkirk’s dog or cat, contentedly munching away on a celery or carrot stick.
With this latest amoral public relations disaster, we can only hope that PETA will continue to drive nails into its own coffin. Now, there’s a funeral I’d really like to see … one where picketers from the Westboro Baptist “Church” would fit right in.
PETA seems to want to draw a line of comparison between the uniqueness of human life, and the uniqueness of animal life. However, at the same time, they disregard and debase the value and uniqueness of human life with their thoughtless advertising. If they wish us to have respect for animal life, they must first have respect for human life.
Remember this name, Lindsay Rajt, the spokesperson for this cult group. If one person can go before the public and actually defend this ad, I think she and her cult are just as dangerous as Weiwang Li. You showed your true colours PETA but I guess that shouldn’t surprise us, seeing you have a number of twits in your lineup, including the dumbest of all blonde dummies, Pam KFC Anderson.
These PETA scounderls have no shame using a tragady like this to push their stupid vegan agenda they should be ashamed and the young mans family should sue PETA for this outragous act and SCREW ALEC BALDWINN and PAMELA ANDERSON
Hunters show more mercy to aniamsl by quicly dispaching them instead of allowing them to over populate and ie of starvation i mean these animal rights jerks must think animals live in little homes well their homes are out there underground in trees and bird that migrate do so to survive i mean if these animal rights wackos have their way we would end up with hundreds of animals starving while their blabbering about compasion SCREW PETA SCREW HSUS and SREW WAYNE PACELLI and especialy SCREW ALEC BALDWIN and PAMELA ANDERSON
PETA has no shame and how low they can get to push their ridiculous agendas. If they’re not going to schools handing out their awful propaganda to kids, they’re pulling off stupid protests in front of fast food restaurants. Frankly PETA should be totaly destroyed even if they get a bunch of hollywood nit-wits to do stupid ads for them
PETA is as warm and a snowball and as cuddly as a cactus and meaner then a junkyard dog
These PETA jerks are ragging obama over swatting a stupid fly i mean theres too many flies already and one less isnt going to make any difference its just that PETA are a bunch of annoying attention mongers trying to force its rediculous philosephies on us all becuase PETA ITS STUPID
PETA is like the grinch AS CUDDLY AS A CACTUS AND AS CHARMING AS AN EEL THEY’RE A BAD BANANA WITH A GREASY BLACK PEEL