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Why do some people dislike PETA?


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No offense to those that like Peta. I personally do like them. However, I have noticed that there are even Vegans that are against PETA, or at least do not condone what they do (such as where donations go, how they conduct petitions, etc.). Anyone here have any idea why even Vegans would be against PETA?

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I recently had someone say they don't like Peta because they are half-arsed, because they only promote vegetarianism and not veganism. But the normal reason I hear is that Peta is too extreme in what they are doing, and supposedly putting people off animal rights and making AR people seem like crazy people. I think :s I am not too sure myself, I don't know too much about Peta. What I've heard sounds fine, I don't have a problem with them,

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I think PETA is well meaning. But sometimes I think their campaigning is better at alienating people than persuading them

 

I agree.

For example, they did one campaign after Rudy Guliani was diagnosed with prostate cancer, showing a picture of him (with a milk mustach?) and the slogan "got prostate cancer" (to show the link between dairy consumption and prostate cancer). They didn't have his permission to use his image (which would be a different story) so it seemed like they were taking advantage of someone's situation to promote their agenda.

 

I agree with the goals of PETA for the most part, it is their techniques that are often anti-human that I don't like.

 

And, unfortunately, those offensive campaigns are the ones that get the most press (which they are intended to do), so many non-animal-rights folks associate PETA with extremism and hating people.

 

I personally wouldn't wear a Peta Tshirt, for example, or anything with their logo on for that reason. I don't want to be automatically thought of as a radical human-hater. (though I do donate to them through my checks: Message check company gives a certain percentage of every order to them because I have their logo on my checks (the "respect your fellow Earthlings" image is more in line with my views).

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they did one campaign after Rudy Guliani was diagnosed with prostate cancer, showing a picture of him (with a milk mustach?) and the slogan "got prostate cancer" (to show the link between dairy consumption and prostate cancer)...

 

That's exactly the kind of thing I was thinking of. When most people see stuff like that they don't think, "Well, I better stop drinking milk or I might get prostate cancer too." Instead they likely think something like, "Jeez, the guy is really sick. PETA are a bunch of jerks..."

 

On the other hand, the PETA video "Meet Your Meat" is probably one of the most effective vegetarian proseltyzing tools ever made.

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I don't like people but I do see that as a bit overboard.

 

If anything, I think would be better to do that to people that are anti animal, not someone like Giuliani.

 

Also, I heard a lot of people are mad at how they use donation money. Such as 50k I believe to a firebomb person. Now I do not have a problem with this type of protest (since it damages the lab and makes the people pay money to repair it) but 50,000 dollars? Why that much money? Also why are they even donating to it? I can see if they support it, but why give 1000s of dollars to one person that does these acts?

 

I also heard another vegan state their dislike of the donation money at how they keep on sending him those little coins so he donates. I mean how much of the donation money goes just to that?

 

I agree with a lot of you that I like their goals. As far as how they achieve it I am not too sure but I would like more information on the subject.

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That's exactly the kind of thing I was thinking of. When most people see stuff like that they don't think, "Well, I better stop drinking milk or I might get prostate cancer too." Instead they likely think something like, "Jeez, the guy is really sick. PETA are a bunch of jerks..."

 

On the other hand, the PETA video "Meet Your Meat" is probably one of the most effective vegetarian proseltyzing tools ever made.

 

100% agree with all of this Will.

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Allthough I definately don't like the Rudy Guliani campaign I'm pretty sure that their website had alot more hits the day they published it. And at their website you've got "Meet your meat" (amongst other things). Any press is better than no press (i.e. alot of hits on peta.com is better than a few).

I don't think they need to go as far as the Guliani campaign though.

 

I don't agree with the sexy things being wrong. I like them and to me it seems like both the girls and guys doing them have fun, as well as the audience. Again it's all about press. The hits on peta.com goes up when they do these kind of things. They know exactly what they're doing. They know what will give press, they''ve learned all there is to know about advertising from other successful companies and interest groups.

 

Peta is also the one vegan group that describe veganism as something fun and not just a bare nesessity. Look at the colors and the way they present it on their website, the alternative to cruelty is not boring, it's fun. Right?

 

I think it's supposed to work somthing like this:

1. People see a tacky or a sexy campaign.

2. People go to peta.com to watch the freaks/sexy people.

3. They're immidiately hit with Meet your meat, kfc cruelty, etc.

4. People go: Oh, that's not very nice. What can I do?

5. They've got the link to a free veg*an starter kit.

6. Veg*anism is described as something attractive, healthy and fun.

 

Some people will get hooked. The more hits they've got on their website, the more people will go through the "6 step fast program" and the more vegans there will be.

Meet your meat is pointless if noone watches it.

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Allthough I definately don't like the Rudy Guliani campaign I'm pretty sure that their website had alot more hits the day they published it. And at their website you've got "Meet your meat" (amongst other things). Any press is better than no press (i.e. alot of hits on peta.com is better than a few).

I don't think they need to go as far as the Guliani campaign though.

 

I don't agree with the sexy things being wrong. I like them and to me it seems like both the girls and guys doing them have fun, as well as the audience. Again it's all about press. The hits on peta.com goes up when they do these kind of things. They know exactly what they're doing. They know what will give press, they''ve learned all there is to know about advertising from other successful companies and interest groups.

 

Peta is also the one vegan group that describe veganism as something fun and not just a bare nesessity. Look at the colors and the way they present it on their website, the alternative to cruelty is not boring, it's fun. Right?

 

I think it's supposed to work somthing like this:

1. People see a tacky or a sexy campaign.

2. People go to peta.com to watch the freaks/sexy people.

3. They're immidiately hit with Meet your meat, kfc cruelty, etc.

4. People go: Oh, that's not very nice. What can I do?

5. They've got the link to a free veg*an starter kit.

6. Veg*anism is described as something attractive, healthy and fun.

 

Some people will get hooked. The more hits they've got on their website, the more people will go through the "6 step fast program" and the more vegans there will be.

Meet your meat is pointless if noone watches it.

 

True, they know how to market in the same style as glossy magazines at the supermarket checkout and they do get a lot of people hooked. But the price they pay for their brand of publicity is they also make a lot of people hate their organization (and they make a lot of people hate vegetarians in general because a lot of people assume vegetarians = PETA). I think they'd do better if they were more careful not to offend and create so much animosity, even if it generates less publicity.

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Also, I heard a lot of people are mad at how they use donation money. Such as 50k I believe to a firebomb person. Now I do not have a problem with this type of protest (since it damages the lab and makes the people pay money to repair it) but 50,000 dollars? Why that much money? Also why are they even donating to it? I can see if they support it, but why give 1000s of dollars to one person that does these acts?

 

They give so much money because they want to promote the idea that those who engage in direct action will be fully supported by the movement, and they are hoping that kind of support will encourage more people to do similar acts. I don't completely agree with that philosophy, or with that kind of protest because I think it generates a 1000 times more bad publicity than any good that may be done from the act. However, I do think sneaking into a place to get video footage of abuse/violence/etc is worth the potential negative effects

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Anyone here have any idea why even Vegans would be against PETA?

In the notmilk-newsletter I receive Robert Cohen wrote the following on 01/15/06:

"If I Had $40 Million

 

Last week (December 28, 2005), Ingrid Newkirk, the founder

and director of the People for the Ethical Treatment of

Animals (PETA) was in Bethlehem (Palestine) on her

well-financed personal world tour.

 

Dollar for dollar, how many camels or donkeys did she save?

How much more peace is there in the world these days after

your donations enabled Ingrid to travel from her Virginia

home base to the holy land to make asses of her contributors?

 

In 2003, PETA enjoyed a budget of $16,414,174. In 2003,

PETA's sister organization, Physicians Committee for

Responsible Medicine (PCRM) received $2,667,912 in donations.

What have they done with the money? Can you see the results?

 

Last year, PETA and PCRM found that their budgets jumped

from just under $20 million in 2003 to over $40 million.

God bless their ability to generate funding. So what if more

animals per capita are being eaten by Americans? While PETA

euthanizes healthy shelter dogs and cats in the back of their

killing van, people continue to eat more meat and PETA continues

to raise more money by lulling consumers into a false sense of

believing that animals are treated better. That they are not

is inconsequential to the bottom line. Animal rights business

is better than ever!

 

The system is running away from the once good people whose

first priority is to now keep their well-oiled money making

machinery in prime working order.

 

Here is the formula for animal rights success. Raise one million

dollars. Invest half of that to hire more people to raise more

money to promise to help more animals. The second round, raise

two million. Invest one-million to hire more employees and

churn mailing lists to raise more money. Buy Farm Sanctuary's

mailing list. Yes, it's for sale. Actually, it's for rent. You

can use the list just once before you must pay the fee again.

This time, raise four million dollars. Hire more activists to

work within your organization. Assign them the task of gathering

names and addresses so that your organization can derive income

by renting lists. Next round, raise eight million dollars.

Throw charity functions on each coast of the United States. Bring

celebrities along and award them imaginary plaques for their

imaginary work in the animal rights movement. Give them a standing

ovation and ask them to pose naked and say a few nasty words

about fur. Include details of celebrity events in your next mailing.

Be sure to include details of how veal calves were once abused

in crates 20 years ago, and represent that this is the state of

affairs today. The next young person who approaches me and says

"...and calves are kept in crates so small, they cannot turn

around..." will get a stern lecture on Farm Sancturary's mailings

as they apply to lies and deception.

 

Of course, you'll be guaranteed to raise even more funds by use of

lies and clever marketing tactics. And for what?

What have we in the AR movement become? Phonies? Liars?

Only in it for the money folk who have lost their direction,

and now call money raising their number one activity and priority?

 

What has PETA or other organizations done lately for the animals?

 

If I had one-tenth of their budget, there would be 100 million

more vegetarians in America. Of course, that would mean that PETA

is no longer needed, right? That ain't ever gonna happen. They

cannot afford to that that mistake.

 

Ask yourself two questions. First, other than their continuing

solicitations to your mailbox for more funds, have you heard

anything from or about PETA lately? Second question. Has PETA

changed that which is evil or offensive in this world, or have

they become a part of it?

 

Is it just PETA? Absolutely not. Money seems to universally corrupt.

A few years ago, there was a settlement to the famous McDonalds

burger chain lawsuit. It seems that french-fried potatoes were

cooked in animal fat. Millions of dollars were distributed to do-

nothing vegetarian organizations. One such group's main contribution

to the so-called movement is a once per-year summer festival in

Pennsylvania to which the same 300 or so people show up every

year to eat raw red potatoes and unripened fruit. Another recipient

hosts a yearly vegetarian Thanksgiving meal at a New Jersey

restaurant.

 

Millions of dollars in hush money, paid to those who hope for a

yearly stipend. While one group fought another two years ago amid

much publicity (and depositions), have you heard even a hint about

how any of these dollars were spent? Neither have I, and I've been

searching real hard. Perhaps if I had a million, I could do my

investigative work from a lounge chair on a beach in Aruba.

 

Robert Cohen"

 

Although Cohen had some disputes with peta before I think some of his critic is justified.

I really recommened the newsletter to everyone! It is not only full of interesting information but also full of humor and inspiration.

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I agree with a lot of what they do, just a few things I don't understand.

 

Will, about the money. How can it cost that much money just to go under cover and take video? I can understand the cost of a camera (perhaps 1000 dollars) but where does the rest go?

 

It doesn't cost very much to get undercover video.

 

They spent the $50,000 on legal fees for a guy that burnt down a bunch of stuff

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I think a lot of animal rights/welfare organizations face a difficult question - how far should we go to achieve our mission? I guess there's some line they draw in the sand and say "ok, we'll do anything up to that line, but we won't cross that line."

 

For PETA, the line is pretty far out there. They will cause a lot of controversy; they will use aggressive fundraising tactics; they will use celebrities to help raise their profile. I think they've even crossed their OWN line and had to backtrack. But, they apparently feel that the ends justify the means, and I happen to agree. I wish more organizations were as "out there".

 

Sidebar: The topic of PETA and their tactics is a great ice-breaker to get into the discussion of animal rights/welfare...."yeah, PETA can do some crazy stuff, but what they believe in, in terms of animals getting a crappy deal in the world, isn't so crazy." And off you go...

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Well, I have read through the posting and we get these questions a lot. We do some pretty wild stuff, but our goal is to get the word out, and we have to be colorful in our approach otherwise the press will not show any interest. I am one of the coordinators that puts together some of the more colorful demonstrations. We try to make out demonstrations as approchable as possible, and are always open to suggestions and ideas. It is never our goal to alienate anyone, and we are constantly morphing our campaigns and our tactics... We are def not sexist.. I am actually going to be on tour in my boxers on street corners just as my fellow female activists and staff members. I am hopefully going to get Robert hooked in eventually!!!! HAHA!!!

 

If any of you have any specific questions please feel free to address them here or send them my way: [email protected] you can also reach me on aim: petabodybuilder

 

I love hearing from all of you and we appreciate these types of conversations-- it gives us feedback on the concerns of those of you who are out there.

 

Thanks for all that you do for the animals!!!

 

Mike B

Vegan Campaign Coordinator

PETA

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PETA is lucky to have a guy like Mike working for them. Mike really brings people together, which is great.

 

I agree Will, awesome that PETA is open to all kinds of feedback, suggestions, etc.

 

Mike, you just tell me when and where man. If I can afford it, I'll be there out in my boxers too I work a lot and it can be hard for me to get time off and most of my time off requests are already submitted so I can compete this summer and travel to a few events.

 

But just let me know.

 

Keep up the great work everyone,

 

Robert

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I believe that they mean well, but even if to get into the news doing crazy things, sometimes it seems they still go overboard (That milk commerical getting banned for the superbowl is the first thing that comes to mind), but I have no personal qualms with them. I'm trying to get people into veganism for the enviornment and the health aspects, so I just take a different route, that's all.

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Most def... the video itself got more press from it being banned than if it had gotten aired. I was the media contact for that and did quite a few interviews about the comercial, But it did give me a chance to talk about the horrors of the dairy industry which is often times overlooked.

 

www.milkgonewild.com

 

 

Keep up the good work and if you ever need anything to help in your efforts don't hesitate to ask.

 

Mike--

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Anyone here have any idea why even Vegans would be against PETA?

In the notmilk-newsletter I receive Robert Cohen wrote the following on 01/15/06:

"If I Had $40 Million

 

Last week (December 28, 2005), Ingrid Newkirk, the founder

and director of the People for the Ethical Treatment of

Animals (PETA) was in Bethlehem (Palestine) on her

well-financed personal world tour.

 

Dollar for dollar, how many camels or donkeys did she save?

How much more peace is there in the world these days after

your donations enabled Ingrid to travel from her Virginia

home base to the holy land to make asses of her contributors?

 

In 2003, PETA enjoyed a budget of $16,414,174. In 2003,

PETA's sister organization, Physicians Committee for

Responsible Medicine (PCRM) received $2,667,912 in donations.

What have they done with the money? Can you see the results?

 

Last year, PETA and PCRM found that their budgets jumped

from just under $20 million in 2003 to over $40 million.

God bless their ability to generate funding. So what if more

animals per capita are being eaten by Americans? While PETA

euthanizes healthy shelter dogs and cats in the back of their

killing van, people continue to eat more meat and PETA continues

to raise more money by lulling consumers into a false sense of

believing that animals are treated better. That they are not

is inconsequential to the bottom line. Animal rights business

is better than ever!

 

The system is running away from the once good people whose

first priority is to now keep their well-oiled money making

machinery in prime working order.

 

Here is the formula for animal rights success. Raise one million

dollars. Invest half of that to hire more people to raise more

money to promise to help more animals. The second round, raise

two million. Invest one-million to hire more employees and

churn mailing lists to raise more money. Buy Farm Sanctuary's

mailing list. Yes, it's for sale. Actually, it's for rent. You

can use the list just once before you must pay the fee again.

This time, raise four million dollars. Hire more activists to

work within your organization. Assign them the task of gathering

names and addresses so that your organization can derive income

by renting lists. Next round, raise eight million dollars.

Throw charity functions on each coast of the United States. Bring

celebrities along and award them imaginary plaques for their

imaginary work in the animal rights movement. Give them a standing

ovation and ask them to pose naked and say a few nasty words

about fur. Include details of celebrity events in your next mailing.

Be sure to include details of how veal calves were once abused

in crates 20 years ago, and represent that this is the state of

affairs today. The next young person who approaches me and says

"...and calves are kept in crates so small, they cannot turn

around..." will get a stern lecture on Farm Sancturary's mailings

as they apply to lies and deception.

 

Of course, you'll be guaranteed to raise even more funds by use of

lies and clever marketing tactics. And for what?

What have we in the AR movement become? Phonies? Liars?

Only in it for the money folk who have lost their direction,

and now call money raising their number one activity and priority?

 

What has PETA or other organizations done lately for the animals?

 

If I had one-tenth of their budget, there would be 100 million

more vegetarians in America. Of course, that would mean that PETA

is no longer needed, right? That ain't ever gonna happen. They

cannot afford to that that mistake.

 

Ask yourself two questions. First, other than their continuing

solicitations to your mailbox for more funds, have you heard

anything from or about PETA lately? Second question. Has PETA

changed that which is evil or offensive in this world, or have

they become a part of it?

 

Is it just PETA? Absolutely not. Money seems to universally corrupt.

A few years ago, there was a settlement to the famous McDonalds

burger chain lawsuit. It seems that french-fried potatoes were

cooked in animal fat. Millions of dollars were distributed to do-

nothing vegetarian organizations. One such group's main contribution

to the so-called movement is a once per-year summer festival in

Pennsylvania to which the same 300 or so people show up every

year to eat raw red potatoes and unripened fruit. Another recipient

hosts a yearly vegetarian Thanksgiving meal at a New Jersey

restaurant.

 

Millions of dollars in hush money, paid to those who hope for a

yearly stipend. While one group fought another two years ago amid

much publicity (and depositions), have you heard even a hint about

how any of these dollars were spent? Neither have I, and I've been

searching real hard. Perhaps if I had a million, I could do my

investigative work from a lounge chair on a beach in Aruba.

 

Robert Cohen"

 

Although Cohen had some disputes with peta before I think some of his critic is justified.

I really recommened the newsletter to everyone! It is not only full of interesting information but also full of humor and inspiration.

 

this article is really amazing! I don't know what I should think about Peta, but I definately believe that you don't have to euthanize animals if you have such a big budget.

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The only way to be a no kill nation, is to be a no birth nation. Millions of animals are in shelters, and millions suffer and unfortunatly as long as people support pet shops, pet breeders, and dont support the shelters then there will be a need for euthanasia. It is not easy to put an animal to sleep, but the alternative life of suffering in some of the no-kill shelters can be just as bad (locked in small cages for years, suffering from lonliness, dementia, and sometimes they conditions they are kept in are inadequate). You can go to our website helpinganimals.com for more information on what you can do. We always have to ask ourselves, what is in the best interest of the animals involved. The people who have to put the animals to sleep (many of whom are friends of mine) also suffer- They do society's dirty work, and for them it is not something that is easy, but for many of these animals it is a kind and gentle departure from a world of suffering and lonliness.

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awesome that PETA is open to all kinds of feedback

 

Robert

 

I agree with that 110%. Mike saying that he thinks it's cool that I do what I do really shows what we need as a group, and that is a common unity, and a want for change. I see too many people arguing over silly things (I know honey isn't vegan, but people just start to argue over it and it breaks people up), and it seems to hurt the movement if people feel they can't get involved unless they go 100% and anything less is unacceptable.

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