GENERAL OPINIONS ON PETA???
Posted by Rainebeau_Vicki on Aug 11, 2009 · Member since Jul 2009 · 25 posts
I'm very curious. Personally, I think that they make the veg community look bad.
The World's Largest Collection of Vegetarian Recipes
i guess i just feel like the organization of peta is just a bunch of attention seeking fanatics that do nothing to help people understand why ending the suffering of animals is important. i don't feel like there offensive kkk ads or look fat people are gross ads are empowering people to make better choices in regards to their own power to lessen animal suffering. i can tell you from my own personal experience that it was crap ads like that and hearing self righteous vegans that turned me off to veganism for a long time. all oppression is linked and i don't think that exploiting one groups is ever going to help another group. its shock value pure and simple and it makes people feel like peta only cares about one thing. most of us are not single issue people i would hope and see things much more holistically.
yes peta can be a bit crazy but they stand for animal rights... they go about it in the wrong way sometimes but not all the time... i think people just focus on the negative more? i thought their ringling brothers footage was a big eye opener for many people about circus animal cruelty so they r getting out the word... i do not agree with them throwing stuff at models that wear fur... that's over the top... but in general i believe they mean well... maybe they just need new management?
yes peta can be a bit crazy but they stand for animal rights... they go about it in the wrong way sometimes but not all the time... i think people just focus on the negative more? i thought their ringling brothers footage was a big eye opener for many people about circus animal cruelty so they r getting out the word... i do not agree with them throwing stuff at models that wear fur... that's over the top... but in general i believe they mean well... maybe they just need new management?
Yeah, we tend to ignore the less sensational stuff they do. I've read a few times in this thread about how "all" they do or how they "always" do this crazy stuff, but if you get their e-mails or quarterly magazine, they do tons of other stuff - investigations and educational material mainly. I've known a number of vegetarians who got there through "Meet Your Meat." I showed some of their videos (agriculture, vivisection) in an AR club in high school, and it opened a lot of minds. It's like their crazy sensational stuff is there for people to check out the website and find actual, legit information... sometimes.
Though I agree with their premises, I think too often their methods do more harm than good to the cause of animal rights. We are all compassionate people, who made educated choices about our exploitation of critters. I, for one, came to this conclusion NOT through the over the top actions, and all or nothing attitude presented by PETA, but through thoughtful conversations with compassionate people, intelligent and well written books, and lots of soul searching. I am afraid that when we meet others, who do not yet see things the way we do, and we present our views with a hard line, we end the dialogue. Without dialogue, most people aren't going to come to the conclusion that their own lives will be just as full (and their tummies too) without the abuse and use of animals. PETA, being so visible, all too often, closes down the dialogue before it gets a chance to begin. They also become a joke...and thus our cause becomes a joke. When they choose to target the president for killing a house fly, no one can take them seriously (I even found it difficult...I mean come on! I don't go out of my way to kill flies, but I did have a fruit fly outbreak recently. I cleaned my house very thoroughly, thus ultimately starving them to death. Didn't feel great about it, but it was them or me!). There are so many more serious fights to take on...why that one? Especially when addressing a MEAT EATER!!
i had mentioned something in another thread (http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=29391.0) and i believe it bears worth mentioning in this thread as well.
Regardless of one's opinion on PETA - it's interesting to see an (even, if silent) acknowledgement of the value of PETA by using it as the first source of external reference when interjecting ideas into a thread (as a poster did, on the thread referenced above).
Right there, that tells me much about the value of PETA.
i had mentioned something in another thread (http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=29391.0) and i believe it bears worth mentioning in this thread as well.
Regardless of one's opinion on PETA - it's interesting to see an (even, if silent) acknowledgement of the value of PETA by using it as the first source of external reference when interjecting ideas into a thread (as a poster did, on the thread referenced above).
Right there, that tells me much about the value of PETA.
Perhaps to that particular poster. But it doesn't hold much value to me, and I'm sure plenty of vegans share this view point.
I'm so happy I'm not the only veg*n that feels dislike for PETA. I hate it when I get their little brochures in the ail and they send me all those stickers and address labels that I won't use cause they have PETA on them. I have never been fond of them , seems like they lie a good bit and go about some of their activism the wrong way.
People automatically assume that I am follower for some reason. I wish there was a more positive and ethical group other than PETA that would get the vegetarian way of life out there.
I don't think them using force at times isn't constructive. I believe when it comes to veganism or vegetarianism offering vegan or vegetarian recipes is the key.
I think PETA makes veg*n folks looks crazy to the general public. I agree with their views, but not their tactics, which are just too over the top to be productive.
I think PeTA has noble aims, I do like reading their blog, and I have been known to sign petitions they've put forward to major corporations, because they have the clout required to enact change on the macro level. On the micro, individual level is where I disagree. Advertising campaigns and shock videos might be the quick and dirty way to raise awareness, but they won't necessarily help raise acceptance, or aid education. From my own experience, one of the most effective ways to reach people is just to be a friendly, well-adjusted member of society. When people find I'm a vegan, they'll usually ask questions - I think a lot of people don't realise that vegans, y'know, exist in REAL LIFE. It's when they hear that I've been vegan for three years, yes, I'm quite happy, no, I don't find it that hard, no, I don't plan on going back any time in the foreseeable future... it becomes more real and more understandable. Less alien and incomprehensible. It hits closer to home.
Personally I don't like some of the things they do, but then, I like some other things they do. Also, they helped me go vegan, so I can't complain too much. Plus no doubt a lot of people have turned veg*n due to them, besides from myself.
i stopped supporting peta when i found out that they support killing/eradicating pit bulls to "end their suffering".
explain?
people will just torture a new breed. it solves nothing and is ignorant.
I'm glad this thread is started because I've been wondering where exactly I stand with PETA for awhile ago. I used to make fun of them because they seemed so crazy, but now that I know more about what kind of animal cruelty is out there that seems crazier than what they do. As far as the naked women ads, I think it's just a form of provocation that gets people's attention and when a celebrity says something alot of people take heed. I'd rather have my daughter (hypothetical) notice that than women who are naked or strategically covered just to promote their latest album or something like that. I'm just starting to really read what they're doing and much of it I agree with but I remember seeing their "blubber" billboard that infuriated me because I think overweight/obese people are the target of enough these days without having them plastered on a billboard as the cause of animal cruelty too. I'm continuing my own education of PETA for now, but maybe I will never be able to say with certainty whether I feel supportive of them or not.
I'd remember they're renowned for lying, killing animals, and often alienate a hell of a lot of meat eaters/fur wearers. Making it all the harder to rationally explain to them what's bad about their actions.
I agree with one of the earlier posts - PETA makes us vegetarians/vegans look bad. Sadly, the squeaky wheel gets the oil...or it rusts and falls off. Let's hope PETA gets a replacement that truly aligns itself with a smarter campaign.
I feel left out of the PETA info--like, the real deal stuff. Would anyone mind posting specifics, and any links you have regarding PETA's accomplishments or missteps?
Well, I don't have any links, but for specifics I can tell you that they have no problem killing dogs in the backs of vans and tossing their carcases into dumpsters. They got busted doing it in a nearby city to me, also nearby their headquarters as well. It was a big local news story for quite a while. Thank GOD those scumbags were caught and prosecuted.
As far as PETA in general, I think they're nothing more than a bunch of hypocritical, media hungry idiots who care more about getting attention, than actually making substantial contributions which directly benefit animals.
When the NRA and several other outdoor organizations reviewed PETA'S financial Statements, they found no financial contributions that would directly benefit wildlife, or, other animals.
If people want to make financial contributions to benefit wildlife and animals in general, and want to ensure their money is being applied to that cause, one of the best things they could do would be to purchase a hunting or fishing license. Regardless if they intended to use it or not.
I'm sure many here will take issue with that, but the fact of the matter is, that these licenses generate millions of dollars each year at both state and federal levels, of which the majority of that money is applied directly to; the improvment of wildlife populations, improvement of existing and the creation of new wildlife habitat. It is also used to procure lands that will never again be able to be developed, planting of food sources for animals, selective timber harvesting and controled burning of undergrowth which regenerates forrests and plantlife which benefits not only game animals, but the entire Eco system as a whole. These monies are also spent on our waters and waterways. They're applied to keeping them clean and free of pollutants, restoring rivers and streams back to their original states after damages from floods and erosion, keeping the rivers free of obstructions allowing Salmon to complete their entire Spawning Runs, raising and stocking of fish, monitoring and protecting endangered and protected species, etc, etc.
This is just a sampling of what those funds are applied to.
And PETA'S contributions would be ...? Oh yeah, I almost forgot, activism, and of course harassing the hunters and fisherman who pay for all of the above. That accomplishes alot ::)
;)b PETA!
So, what's my opinion of PETA ? I think all they do is stir the pot and bask in the limelight of their own ignorance.
As for me, I'll continue to buy my Hunting and Fishing licenses each year for the benefit of all fish and wildlife.
YB
Pages