This thread is only meant to talk about ours opinions in the growing power of animal activism organizations like the PETA. To avoid any misunderstanding of the topic, I'm not referring to the protection of wildlife (which we all know is necessary) but the "meat is murder" kind of activism, more related to vegan extremists. So, discuss...
Lets make a game out of it and name it Afrika. One group of people will be the paochers, hunting game, while the other group will be the authorities. Let's make it play online.
The problem with these activist is they are more or less lying to get their point across, or go to great lengths to use "Crude" examples. A example of a organisation doing something right is AARP, which gets their point across without shoving it down people's throats. PETA has this perspective that "If I dislike it, then no one else can like it!". In my eyes, they are more or less a extremist group of people with giant egos that try to use scare tactics and half-truths to get people to see in their view (Which seems not to work...They seem to try to get attention at times, but then just fall back into the shadows)
The problem with Peta (and a lot of other far left-type organizations) is that way they handle the message alienates themselves from the mainstream. Whereas most people would agree with thier message if it were presented in a more manageable way. Case in point: the whole throwing pigs blood on people wearing fur coats. Shit like that does not bring the public's awareness to how animals are cruely treated, it only makes Peta look bad. Same with other extreme-enviromental type organizations (I refuse to call them ecoterrorists, because that's just a ploy by the far right to get us to compare vandalisim and property damage to actual terrorist acts that kill large numbers of people, and is in my opinion, bullshit.) When you run around trashing people's SUV's, booby-trapping trees so the lumberjack gets fucked up when he chops it down, firebombing equipment, etc, you are only making it harder on yourself. I make a distinction between these types of actions and more peaceful actions, like chaining yourself to a tree or living in one so they can't cut it down, sit ins, protests, walk outs, etc. These are the types of actions these organizations should stick too. And I know why some of them want to go out and fuck shit up in a destructive way - they see themselves carrying signs and shouting all the time but it looks like nobody cares. I used to think that too, and it's true the act of protesting doesn't change anything. What it does do though is get people talking, that's the goal you're trying to achive by peaceful protest actions. For instance recently here all the janitors in downtown walked out on the job and blocked traffic on purpose to get a wage increase. The action achieved little; but everyone was talking about it, it got in the local papers, on the local TV stations, etc. The idea is by performing your action you get your issue out there on the local (or national) agenda, get some momentum going and finally get some laws passed. But no one will support you if you're being destructive. Anyway, rant is over. I have to go back to my Earth-destroying, worker expoliting, corporate job now.
I've always gone by the "live and let live" philosophy - if you aren't doing anything to invade my life and my business (as well as other people), I'll let you do what you want to do. PETA violates this in every way. If I am interested in helping out in the case of animal abuse, I will contribute in my own sweet time, but please quit telling me that I'm a terrible person and that I deserve to die.
I don't eat meat, other than seafood. Some of it is due to the way animals are farmed, but not all of it. I brake for animals, and do whatever I can to help them, regardless of how ugly they are. I think hunting is utterly stupid (and really boring as well). But I think PETA are fuck ups. People like this don't realize for some reason that all they do is make animal lovers look like complete dipshits, and wind up doing more harm than good. I think that (I'm not trying to flame or offend here!) -GW Bush is a complete dipshit and is doing attrocious things across the globe, and that if you can't see that, you are indeed a sucker, in every sense of the word. -Weed is not a problem in the least, even though I don't smoke anymore. The fact that it is illegal and tobacco and alcohol are not just goes to show you completely hopeless the human race is. The above are very strong, and sometiimes contraversial views. They affect every day life and the world we know it. However, I don't push my views on people or try to make them think my way. If someone blatantly argues a counter point, I will support evidence, but I would never do anything radical to show my support of the above. For the first, I would simply vote. For the second, I would vote if it ever came up.
I agree with what PETA stands for, generally. I think animals should be treated with respect...but humans should come first, generally. I think some of their protests are moronic...but the far right can be just as bad... ...Long story short, I don't consider driving around my college campus in trucks with HUGE pictures of aborted fetuses on the sides a classy way to get a message across. I think the point I'm trying to get across is that stupid extremist groups, to the left and right, have a tendency to alienate people with their protests.
Indeed, for example that you can live eating only vegetables. My aunt is a doctor and she has had hundreds of cases of both anemia and osteoporosis due to the lack of consuption of animal fats. On the other hand, peta is no only infamous for their eutanasy experiments with dogs, but the fact some of their higher members use animal-based medicines, something completely against their "beliefs", thats what wastes any of their actions. Now, whats the difference between these fuckwads and those in the extreme right who also shove their propaganda everywhere and want you to do exactly as they say, like being completely against drugs while they actually DO drugs sometimes? It isnt weird at all that both the far-left and ultra-right have so much in common. Both Nazis and soviets were almost the same yet they were sworn enemies. Shit, I always considered that pure hypocrism since: A_ Almost any fur coat today is made with animals breeded for that purpose. So if it werent for that industry the animal may be already extinct since most forrests are death traps today. B_What about sweatshops? a lot of stuff in the market is made in ship-factories were corporations use slaves to make their products. And I'm sorry for Mr.Bunny but I dont give a shit about him when some kid is loosing his fingers making a nike shoe. Anyway, I think I had enough of these peta facists when I heard this: after some scientists anounced they could "make" meat in a lab (much like you would grow any tissue in a lab) for human comsuption, the peta leadership not only condoned that but even say it would be good because no cows/pigs/etc would be killed to do that. WTF???!! I'm already scared of GMO's, theres no way in hell I'm eating that shit. Man, that reminds me that Cowboy Bebop episode were a group of ecoterrorists create a virus that can turn humans into apes... Agree 100%
I never had any real bad trouble with PETA personally and I do hunt every fall with my dad. I normally don't like getting up early and not doing much when we actually get out there, but it is quite a rush when you actually get one. Also, another reason people hunt out there is population control for the Deer. Anyways, if someone at College (or anywhere else) pestered or harassed me for eating meat, or say, threw blood on me, like Hawnja said, I'd want to kick their ass.
Dude I'll shot'em and say I thought they had a weapon:rambo: After all, they can beat the crap out of you with a metal paint bucket...
Just make sure you use proper grammar when talking to the police, or they make think you lack credibility.
A south park classic... Remember the one in futurama when the Peta wackos had been feeding a lion with tofu and it was all like "kill me"?
