PETA Greyhound Bus Incident Ad

[Trev]

PETA attempted to run an ad that paralleled the Manitoba Greyhound Bus murder with the slaughter of animals.

 

Here's a link to a news item about it.

 

I posted my thoughts about it on veganunderground.com

 

What do you think about the ad?

[sydneyvegan]

PETA attempted to run an ad that paralleled the Manitoba Greyhound Bus murder with the slaughter of animals.

 

Here's a link to a news item about it.

 

I posted my thoughts about it on veganunderground.com

 

What do you think about the ad?

 

I think you sum up how I feel, very well in your post on veganunderground, I had a very similar reaction to you when I first saw media concerning the Ad... The "They have gone a bit far this time" view. Then As I thought about it more, I can definitely see the parallels that they are making.

PETA is very good at getting animal rights issues, and whether you love or hate their methods, they are definitely getting people to think.

My only concern is that they could impact on some of the more main stream, and for want of a better word, conservative, animal rights groups who work quietly behind the scenes, lobbying political parties and changing legislation. These organisations need donations from the public, and need the media on their side, just as much as the more high profile animal rights groups. If we turn people away and upset too many people, then there is always the risk of biting the hand that feeds...

That's my thoughts anyway... Thanks for Posting Trev.

[Wobbly Lifter]

way too fucking far imo. tactically questionable as well.

this won't convince people to be vegan but will convince people vegans are misanthropes.

[Marcina]

I posted my reaction to this on Facebook. How fucking sick is PETA to try and run an ad like that?? The Mclean family is trying to heal from their overwhelming grief. How insensitive.

I really hate PETA.

I think they stooped really low this time. There are other ways to educate people what goes on with animals raised for meat.

[Dr. Pink]

I agree with Marcina. PETA has gone too far. This isn't exactly the first time either. And quite frankly I don't like the usage of terrible disasters such as this( Or the Holocaust ) to represent Veganism. It only will infuriate omnivores and make them think all Vegans are soul-less, vindictive shrew-like ass holes who would murder there own children in cold blood to prove a point( Radical example but hey if PETA can do it so can I )

 

Try this PETA. Come up with more ingenious and imaginative Ads. Don't resort to crap like this all the time.

 

Look here's a good example. Just came up with it myself.

 

A double poster. The first one locks on top of the other. So in order to see the next part the reader would have to open to the next part.

 

Front( First ) image

 

A picture of a kidnapper stealing a baby away from her mother.

Underneath. The words," You wouldn't steal my children "

 

 

*Reader opens to next part*

 

Inside( Second ) image

 

A picture of a farmer taking away a chickens eggs.

Underneath. The words," Then why do you steal mine?"

 

 

See PETA. You can be effective and not have to offend.

[offense74]

This will make people eat more meat, just to get back at PETA.

It's some of the dumbest shit I've seen, even on the internet.

[VeganEssentials]

I'm still trying to figure out why PETA seems to have this fascination with using horrible incidents that happened in Canada in their campaigns (such as the case with the guy who had killed many women and fed their remains to his pigs). Somehow, they seem to be rather afraid to use the same tactics here when there are plenty of opportunities, but regarding our neighbors up north, PETA's heads who come up with this stuff don't seem to have a switch that goes off that says "Maybe people are going to be pissed off about this approach and it could do more harm than good."

 

Somehow, they seem to leave out any concern for the victims and their families simply because it's shock value based on something getting current worldwide media attention. That kind of thing doesn't sit well with me, because it shows a complete lack of conscience toward humans while trying to make a case for the animals. How terribly contradictory...

[beforewisdom]

I agree completely.

 

Bottom line, the leadership of PETA believes what they believe. They will not change those beliefs until forced by an external pressure like their donations drying up. That is unlikely. Until then PETA just doesn't care about opinions like ours.

[medman]

woops, double post.

Edited August 8, 2008 by medman

[medman]

I am not, and never will be, a supporter of PETA. While they love animals, as I do, I think they are idiots who do more damage to our cause than good. Go ahead, spray paint someone's fur coat. They're going to go out and buy another one, and they're now even less likely to listen to your valid arguments. Same thing with all their shock ads. All it's going to do is offend people and close them off to the sensible, practical arguments you could present them with. I really think that PETA activists are selfish. By going out and doing all of these extreme things, they can pat themselves on the back and say "Yeah! I'm out there fighting for my cause!" However, as I said, I believe that they give vegans/animal rights supporters a very bad public image, and that the people they should really be trying to reach - the omnis out there who might some day consider joining us - are really put off by their campaigns.

 

I have 'converted' a fair number of people to vegetarianism and veganism. It was always by leading by example, making them delicious food and calmly explaining my reasons for going vegan when they asked for them. It was not by yelling at them or trying to shock and horrify them. I have never met anyone who went vegetarian because of a PETA ad. I believe the old adage of "you attract more flies with honey than with vinegar" applies here.

[Marcina]

I used to think vegans and vegetarians were all crazy people because of the weird crap PETA would pull. When I became one myself I vowed to never go nuts!! Lol

Then I met all you guys and realized that PETA is just full of extremists making a bad name for vegans.

[xjohanx]

It might be a little tasteless in most peoples eyes but if you think about it it's nothing but the truth in that add. Maybe our society isn't ready to face this truth but that doesn't change the facts.

They create tons of headlines this way and most people who read it might be pissed about it but it will probably also make them think. And that is the goal in this struggle I guess. I think what you wrote was really well put Trev.

 

Try this PETA. Come up with more ingenious and imaginative Ads. Don't resort to crap like this all the time.

 

Look here's a good example. Just came up with it myself.

 

A double poster. The first one locks on top of the other. So in order to see the next part the reader would have to open to the next part.

 

Front( First ) image

 

A picture of a kidnapper stealing a baby away from her mother.

Underneath. The words," You wouldn't steal my children "

 

 

*Reader opens to next part*

 

Inside( Second ) image

 

A picture of a farmer taking away a chickens eggs.

Underneath. The words," Then why do you steal mine?"

 

 

See PETA. You can be effective and not have to offend.

 

Honestly, do you think that would even create half of the media attention this add got?

 

I used to think vegans and vegetarians were all crazy people because of the weird crap PETA would pull.

 

I understand how you feel this way but I just wanted to say that I feel the exact opposite.

[xjohanx]

It might be a little tasteless in most peoples eyes but if you think about it it's nothing but the truth in that add. Maybe our society isn't ready to face this truth but that doesn't change the facts.

 

Johan that's all fine and dandy, but even if just for argument's sake their analogy is true you can be right about a number of issues and not be "correct".

 

That's true, but I think they are "correct"

[Richard]

I personally think comparing murder of humans to the murder of animals is logical. However, I don't know if it will win over omnivores, as they don't understand / agree with that comparison, and comparing it directly with a recent murder in particular is likely to get on people's nerves I imagine.

[Marcina]

Yeah, I won't argue with the fact that animals are butchered mercilessly on a daily basis. I also won't argue that it's wrong.. But PETA is just going to make a lot of people angry with that ad.

[Wobbly Lifter]

The fact is that this ad has hurt people who have already been hurt. It gives the wrong impression of vegans too, most of us aren't callous misanthropes...

[beforewisdom]

Hey! Speak for yourself!

[Marcina]

The fact is that this ad has hurt people who have already been hurt. It gives the wrong impression of vegans too, most of us aren't callous misanthropes...

 

 

Exactly!! I was deeply saddened when I heard about this. Sad.. Angry.. Shocked.. All sorts of things. Especially after I started to learn what kind of person Tim Mclean was. He and I had a lot in common.

[phillipeb]

this is being discussed on couchsurfing.com in the vegetarian vegan forum:

http://www.couchsurfing.com/group_read.html?gid=516&post=1371532

 

here was my response:

 

I appreciate your passion for the issue but it seems as though you wish to have an organization match your desires when in essence it is an autonomous entity. That is what makes the AR movement so wonderful, various people from different backgrounds coming together for a common cause even though the utilize different methods of engagement.

 

It might make more sense to know that Peta was founded by some of the same people that founded the ALF. Their distractive illegal and at times controversial tactics have gone back to the beginning of their organization. For the record i dislike Peta immensely and i wish that they could be what i hoped they were when i was becoming vegan, but i know it is my own personal feelings about the way to do advocacy that colors this notion.

 

I participate in various home demonstrations at Vivisectors homes, and while i know that some advocates of animals rights see this as an extreme example of the movement I see it as a necessary element to the movement. I think that i view all groups and individuals as splinter cells in a hive all having different things to bring to the table presenting a fully realized view of what the animal rights debate is. Name one other cohesive movement where there are not ideological splits and people campaigning for similar things in different ways. All is needed.

 

In regards to the offending poster, i do not see the problem. I have seen worse from the anti drug contingency in Washington during my adolescence than this ad perpetuates. It is because the notion of slaughter is kept away from the masses that allows for this type of advertising to be so pernicious. In other countries these tactics would not work because the notion of raising an animal and getting it to your plate is more transparent. Meat hangs in windows butchers cut the stock in front of you to ensure you get the best piece. In America and Canada things are veiled so that the experience of eating isn't marred by the reality of production.

 

Using emotionally volatile events is nothing new in the PR war that is waged against citizens everyday. The megacorp media chooses what will hit us the closest to home in order to capitalize on what they can get us to buy or rather buy into. Perhaps I am a radical to think that the taking back of our own emotions and free will for the purpose of advocating compassion is a positive step. Is it wrong to kill animals? to me yes. Is it wrong to kill humans? again to me yes. So logistically if A=C and B=C than A=B.

 

I come up against this argument often when people ask how i could violate someones personal sanctuary (i.e their home) when doing anti vivisection protests for the Utah Primate Freedom group. My response is that i equate the experimentation on Intelligent life as the equivalent of experimenting on children. If children were forced into the experimentation that higher order simians are there would most certainly be protests going on at all levels including at citizens residences.

 

What i think most people fail to realize and was briefly touched upon in a few of the responses is the notion of conformity. We live in a society that clearly defines what is permissible to either talk about or act upon. It is the job of the left and right wings to validate each others arguments leaving no room for outside opinion. We are only debating the tactics in which Peta chose to subvert a meat eaters opinions, not the why. We should be focusing on the socioeconomic, cultural as ethical aspects as well as all the other underlining issues facing this instead of the ones that have been deemed permissible.

 

While i do not agree with Peta and i wish they were a different organization striving for what i believe in personally, i however cannot fault them for bringing in a tertiary viewpoint something out of the norm and subversive.