From PETA's site,

It is on tonight!!!  I had to do some searching to find it & I'm not even sure that I get that channel  :(
Channel 605 on StarChoice.

I heard about this, but I don't get the movie network! there is a new preview channel, so maybe it'll be on there. I don't know - but I'm interested in seeing it.

I am not necessarily a fan of PETA.  It is not that I am against working for animal welfare, but they just seem to have more motives than that.  Also, some of the things they did harmed animals more than helped.  It is a controversial issue, but I also think they exaggerate sometimes.  Animal cruelty still is a problem, yes, but I have personally known of farmers who treat their animals like royalty.  None of the beak rending, none of the cramping them in cages that immobile them, etc.  I am not trying to advocate for eating excesses of animal fat, just I know not all livestock is as illy treated as advertised by PETA.  I am not trying to say "eat that beef" here, I am just saying I think PETA exaggerates.  I see them more as radical activists, rarely as educators (though it is fine to advocate for animal rights, just I think their methods are a bit extreme; I am more of a member of the ASPCA and similar organizations). 

Also, I would like to think myself realistic.  We can try to educate and introduce people to a more plant-based diet, but we would not be able to do it over night.  Also, forcing it on people and having celebrities flash on television in advertisements tend to scare people away from what could be a very beneficial lifestyle, if the methods of the advocates were improved. 

Sincerely,
TheRadiantSeraphim

I see them more as radical activists, rarely as educators

One of the goals I DO see PETA accomplish in a positive light is motivating some people to become veg*n through the literature they disseminate. It's one of the few things they actually do that I see long term benefits from. But OVERALL...yeah, their actions are obviously more counterproductive (to animal rights) than educational.

education is key. I didn't turn vegan because I was persuaded by a protester outside KFC (don't go into KFC EVER anyways). it's true, the radicalism can scare people away from the real issues.

I didn't get to see the documentary - I don't get the channel. but it would have been interesting to learn about Newkirk and PETA - how did they get to where they are today? interesting...

Not to be negative or anything... ;D

but I don't need to watch a documentary to know that Ingrid Newkirk is a big fat idiot who has delusions of grandeur. She (and her shit organization PETA) have singlehandedly turned back the efforts of so many animal activists who have been trying to make progress against animal cruelty. She needs to step back and take a moment to look inward and sincerely examine her true motives and actions. I thinks she sees herself as a martyr for animals and will one day be looked upon as a hero for animal rights after her death. Instead, she should be concentrating on the lives of the animals that are still dying not only despite, but because of animal welfare reforms. A bloody toast to you, Ingrid...thanks for literally nothing. All the animals that are being euthanized and eaten as "happy meat," in your name, thank you as well.

PETA freaks me out a lot of the time, I don't know enough about this topic or person to really comment, but I do know this:
People judge you based on your actions, not your intentions.

PETA may have the best of intentions, but the way they go about doing things is sometimes a little... um... well... you know.  However, I realize that is a blanket statement and relatively unfair to say, given I know little if any about the organization, but what I see is pretty negative.  I feel you can get a message across in a relatively decent, non-violent-ish, kind way and well... yeah, that's my thought on the topic.

p.s. SB is my heroine.

I saw it last night on HBO.  I thought she was insipriing and appreciated how she encouraged other people to just do something and she seemed sincere.  

I also agree that sometimes their tactics are a bit too much and the message is lost in the antics.  The documentary was very balanced in offering views from other orgaizations that oppose PETA's tactics and I thought that was fair because they didn't sugar coat the oppositions feelings about them.  The point was also made that what animal rights organization does Joe Blow know about?  What animal rights organization has gotten McDonald, Maybelline, Calvin Klein and other big companies to cooperate.  They have a point when they say "no press is bad press".  Still I won't be joining, but to say they've done nothing doesn't ring true.  Just like many queers didn't like ACT-UP's tactics for AIDS awareness, they did get things done and quickly. 

Sometimes radical is necessary.  Quiet education doesn't get attention or things done in a timely manner.

I'm still haunted this morning of a scene of an animal being skinned alive and they showed a close up of their skinned face and it was breathing.  I can't get it out of my head.

  I see them more as radical activists, rarely as educators (though it is fine to advocate for animal rights, just I think their methods are a bit extreme; I am more of a member of the ASPCA and similar organizations). 

i don't really think of PETA as a radical organization at all.  sure a lot of their members do stuff like dump pigs blood on people, but a lot of their other members don't practice what they preach and eat meat on occasion (like lotus's aunt if i'm not mistaken).  and then still MORE members are really great devoted vegans like MDvegan, who have converted family members and saved tons of animals. 
however, as an organization they seem terribly run of the mill to me, focusing too much energy on feeding people "happy" meat (how can something that's dead be happy?), instead of convincing people that they just shouldn't eat animals

I guess maybe I am too laid back on the argument of how much meat people should eat.  While I do not eat any slaughter-by products, I do not think little of my omnivore family.  For me it is a matter of if people are overdoing it. 

I have known people who tried to go vegetarian, under a healthy, varied diet, and got sick and had to stop.  While I think most Americans eat too much meat, there are some people who still need a little bit (keyword: some, not all).  Maybe vegetarians will think me a hypocrite for thinking this way or not passionate enough in the cause.  I just think that people should keep from eating meat if they are able to do so, but if they cannot, I will not judge them as long as they are not getting five plates of pure animal protein at the buffet.  And I do not exaggerate, seeing things like that was what made me want to go vegetarian. 

I actually am unaware of PETA being the ones endorsing "happy meat."  From what I gathered, happy meat moreso is related to organic food treated by queens by their farmers.  I always thought they told people "You are vegan or you are a murderer."  But maybe I was wrong.  I am sorry, I hope I did not offend anyone saying that, but it was the impression that they gave me by what I read in their FAQ and some of their propaganda videos. 

I will not deny, again, they they might alert people to some of the things that go on.  However, some of the videos they have shown, what I meant by exaggerating, was that I do not think that such stuff occurs at every single farm out there.  Like I said, I have known of farmers who treat their livestock like royalty.  Perhaps I grow up in a place with more smaller farmer industries as opposed to the big, mass-producing ones.  I heard those tend to take more care of what they raise since the way they raise them is not cheap. 

I guess in the end, what we believe may not matter too much (including myself).  No one is going to turn the world into vegetarian over night, and even if we managed to pass a bill tomorrow on doing so, there is still a lot of damage that has been done and gone to waste.  We will have to decide what to do with all of the livestock and products still out there, and economically, a lot of money invested would have gone to waste unless we find out what to do with it all.  But I do believe we can take programmatic steps in cutting out most of the livestock "needed."  I do think most of the methods should still be the peaceful education since I think the process should still be somewhat gradual at the moment. 

This is something that I disagree with on PETA.  Vegetarianism, as strong as it is today, is a very new thing; I do not mean as in after the year 2000, but I think the first Vegetarian Society formed in the United Kingdom around the mid to late 1800's, if I am not mistaken.  There have been very minor groups of them perhaps throughout history in different cultures, but in the end, the strongest of the population is mostly the modern day-ish population, at least in the West; in the East, I am sure there might be a little bit more, but they have always still had lighter meats (unless they were of more religious backgrounds, like Mahayana Buddhist monks).  Perhaps in history it should be more of people ate less meat, but it does not equate to none at all.  This is sort of where I think they exaggerated, as well.  This does not mean that we should be telling people to continue eating those five plates at the buffet, but I am talking about more of what I have read and researched as opposed to what "should be."  This is sort of where people, I think, get turned off, really. 

Sincerley,
TheRadiantSeraphim

We are all veg*n for different reasons.  Many environmentalists are vegetarian or near vegetarian.  That's probably because the latest research shows small amounts of meat and dairy in your diet actually create a smaller footprint than straight veg*nism.  The whole green angle is pretty popular, and it seems like that's the approach PETA has been taking lately.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Oct07/diets.ag.footprint.sl.html

You're right. We all have different reasons for being veg*n. With that I will agree. :)

My reason for becoming vegan is ultimately because I abhor the idea of any cruelty toward animals. Would I kill a person if someone told me that killing another human being is going to create a smaller footprint on our beloved Earth? No. Of course not. Because it is morally wrong.

PETA is not taking that angle because they believe that eating some meat and dairy creates a smaller footprint. They are pretty outspoken about this. PETA promotes veg*nism. But their actions speak the opposite. They do not make the effort to sink up their beliefs with their actions. They say they believe in eradicating all cruelty to animals, but then they hobnob with the meat/dairy industry.