Animal Rights Groups Against one Another
Well this is a really interesting story--more so for me since I actually know one of the players--here's the skinny, PETA won all of it's demands against KFC Canada, including getting a faux-chicken vegetarian sandwich on the menu--because of this, former PETA protesters are now heading out to KFC encouraging people to come into the restaurants and try one for free--this is pissing a lot of other animal rights groups off and they are in turn showing up at said KFC locations boycotting both KFC and their PETA allies. OK--I'm a card carrying member of PETA I have done a million and 10 KFC protests for them and was really excited that KFC Canada caved (and still have high hopes of KFC US doing the same)--but it does seem really awful to me that PETA is now encouraging people to eat there...I mean yea...they did what we wanted them to do, but does that mean we have to align ourselves with them now? They are still a major threat to animals -vegi sandwhich or not! I am pro PETA--I think they go out and campaign hard and win victories that other, smaller groups can't, but I'm with the anti-PETA protesters on this one! You will not find me in a bikini encouraging people to eat there!
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/26183284.html
The girl in the lettuce bikini is actually my PETA rep...*Oi*
i agree with the guy. its fine and good that kfc started serving a veggie option. i'm glad peta and kfc worked together on this, but its very minor, they still mistreat animals, which still goes against the idea of being an animal rights activist. promoting people to go eat there is saying that we, as animal rights activists, are ok with restaurants as long as they serve something for us to eat. i think that we should be supporting the vegan restaurants more, if anything. but i also dont agree with the 'sex sells' idea. it certainly does sell, but it doesnt make it right.
just my opinion. i can see this getting rather debateable. peta vs. all other vegan groups. haha. that seems to be the case a lot of the times. i remember in my animal rights group in college, we had one member who was an avid peta supporter and even got our club to be a subclub of peta or something like that, and as a result, we heard later, a couple vegans would not join our group because we were affiliated with peta. luckily we put a stop to that and everyone was happy. even the peta supporter. i dont think she knew about the feminist arguments against it.
Right on Kelsi! I agree--it's great PETA got them to raise standards and add menu options--but we don't need to help them bring customers in! Why doesn't PETA open up a chain of fast food vegan restaurants? A vegan fast food chain could potentially be a big hit and it would bring people to them--they could have a full range of vegi burgers, fries and soy shakes, kids meals with AR propaganda and pamphlets everywhere!
PETA is one of those groups you just love to hate! They defintely march to their own drummer--it's hard for me since I am both a suppoter and an opponet! My AR group on campus depends on them a lot for all the free materials they provide to us and as a result we help them with some of their campaigns--but we too have had a lot of people decide not to help us because we are affiliated with PETA...
For me--while I don't support every move they make, I certainly thing they are an organization out there trying to do something positive even if it is in contoversial ways.
I agree--it's terrible that they encourage people to eat there. I don't care if it is getting them to try something vegan; there are SO many other ways they could be promoting veganism.
I actually think it's kind of a detriment to the movement to see peta being all, "Yeah, KFC, right on!" It's moving us AWAY from the message that animal exploitation is unacceptable rather than toward it.
And the other thing is, this is the type of action that makes non-veg*ns call veg*ns and peta supporters out as hypocrites--and rightfully so. Like, "You all are encouraging people to support a business entirely dependent on animal exploitation, even though you claim to be against it."
Capture: I think if PETA opened a chain of quality vegan restaurants, it would help with their funding needs as well as their posture. Or in Europe, their posturing. Over here, a lot of what they do seems to be done for publicity and effect without actually adressing the actual change of the issues. But if they had a chain of productive restaurants selling good, vegan food, it would be the best publicity they could have, and they wouldn't have to ask for so many donations.
Capture: I think if PETA opened a chain of quality vegan restaurants, it would help with their funding needs as well as their posture. Or in Europe, their posturing. Over here, a lot of what they do seems to be done for publicity and effect without actually adressing the actual change of the issues. But if they had a chain of productive restaurants selling good, vegan food, it would be the best publicity they could have, and they wouldn't have to ask for so many donations.
Excatly!!!! Not only that--but then they would hae a place to stage all their wacky stunts too! Just the other day I saw where they had two girls showering naked in the street to get attention...oi! Not that I'm real interested in debating how right or wrong it is to use the female body as a way to promote ideas (we had this debate awhile ago anyways...) but I always wondered how they decided who would go out--like do they pick the prettiest/best bodied people, or is it voluntary? It really bothers me to think that people are sitting around in an office some place saying "Hmmm...well Jen could go--but her tits suck" or "maybe Sarah, but, no, she has stretch marks..." anyways that's a whole other debate!
Hmmm...I wonder how we can urge PETA to open "PETA-ilicious" maybe I'll go check out their web site and look for a good a contact email and send them maple plans and menu! *te he he*
I LOVE the idea of an all vegan fast food chain. I work about 20+ minutes from a vegan take out place & its really yummy, I just wish it was a little closer to home! or on my way to somewhere. It's in a very inconvient location.
I LOVE the idea of an all vegan fast food chain. I work about 20+ minutes from a vegan take out place & its really yummy, I just wish it was a little closer to home! or on my way to somewhere. It's in a very inconvient location.
I know right! How cool would it be to roll through the drive through and grab a boca burger and fries or a tofu dog and soy shake? Or a nice green salad with tofu and vegan dressing!!!
And I thought of a better name--they could call it Peat's! (people for ethical animal treatment--just switched some letterrs around) everyone could be all "let's go to Peat's!" "Yeah!"
I’m not sure I understand the point of KFC offering a vegetarian sandwich. Maybe I’m just weird, but even if I was super hungry and happened upon a KFC – I would not want to eat there. It would be like trying to enjoy my sandwich sitting in a port-o-potty – do you get me? I mean, I’m sure there are vegetarians who will happily go there. Maybe even a couple omnivores would try it. What do you guys think? Someone enlighten me please.
The only PETA campaign I donate to is the Investigations and Research Fund. I think they do the most good, so I have an automatic deduction that goes to their account every month.
A vegan fast food place would be awesome. Ya'll know how PETA loves to send letters to companies, why don't we write to PETA?
Good idea, md! I'll do it if you all will.
Excatly!!!! Not only that--but then they would hae a place to stage all their wacky stunts too! Just the other day I saw where they had two girls showering naked in the street to get attention...oi! Not that I'm real interested in debating how right or wrong it is to use the female body as a way to promote ideas (we had this debate awhile ago anyways...) but I always wondered how they decided who would go out--like do they pick the prettiest/best bodied people, or is it voluntary? It really bothers me to think that people are sitting around in an office some place saying "Hmmm...well Jen could go--but her tits suck" or "maybe Sarah, but, no, she has stretch marks..." anyways that's a whole other debate!
Do they ever have men go out dressed like this?
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ZdetgljGszMioM:http://milliondollarspatula.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/m722zz.jpg
Or is it usually women? I guess it'd annoy me less if it were both genders and less like a bikini car wash. I'm not a fan of PETA in general. I think they are kind of like the NRA in that they make the cause a joke to the greater public. PETA gets really worked up about something trivial, writes a letter that should embarrass them that's then read on the radio, so everyone can laugh at those wacky vegetarians. Here they're advertising for KFC. What do you bet KFC has also paid them a "consulting" fee. payoff *cough* They're vegetarian, not vegan. They buy cruelty eggs and dairy at the store. At the same time, they do accompilsh some things, so I try not to hate them outright.
Yeah--it's such a double edge sword. They do get out there and do stuff, you might not like their tactics but no one can say they sit around and do nothing, but at the same time they damage their own cause.
As far as the flesh factor goes--I know they do have men out scantily clad too--but as we all know, even in our own community, veg men are out numbered by their female counter parts!
W/ the KFC thing--I guess I personally feel betrayed--I have been working on these protests for the past year, going out to protest, organizing my own, gathering people, signatures, passing out literature, etc. I could not imagine how I would feel if we won the same victory in the US and PETA called me up and said "Hey, do you mind ditching your protest signs and help hand out food at KFC?" I would be soooooo pissed, like I'm getting pissed just thinking about it right now! I think it's great KFC Canada passed all of PETA's demands, it's a small step in the right direction--KFC is still a disgusting fast food blight killing billions of animals and contributing to the sufferinf of billions more--not to mention the heavy cost they inflict on the millions of humans they feed their nasty, horrible, disgusting, fat filled murder meals too!