How do you feel about PETA?

[ecstatic]

The article is old as hell, but I couldn't believe what I was reading:

Animal rights organisations have today criticised celebrity crocodile hunter Steve Irwin after he exposed a crocodile to a live human baby.

"I find it absolutely appalling that Mr Irwin should expose an innocent crocodile to a live baby during his pathetic 'entertainment' act," said spokesman Douglas Ramsbottom...

"Further, the baby could have been sick on the poor crocodile, which, had it ingested the vomit, could have made it very ill," he continued. "Or what if the baby's nappy had fallen off – the crocodile could have choked on it. Mr Irwin could even have dropped the baby and the crocodile could have attempted to eat it, thus causing severe damage to its digestive system because of the unfamiliar foodstuff."

More concern for the crocodile's welfare than the baby's???



http://deadbrain.co.uk/news/article_2004_01_03_4606.php

[ibegurpard]

1. What I found astounding

is your inability to recognize satire.
I'm no fan of PETA or their tactics but not even they would be this ridiculous.

[forgethell]

7. Oh, yeah, they would.

This could be satire, but on the other hand, they are so far out it is hard to satirize their positions.

[jim3775]

2. Extremists

Their silly animal emancipation campaigns do all progressives a disservice.

[Carni]

22. If anyone is a slave in my home it's the humans

I don't see my three sloth like cats getting up in the AM to go
to work... nor do I see them breaking out their wallets every month when our mortgage payment is due!

Who knew I was such a terrible person until PETA enlightened me on the subject!

[unsavedtrash]

25. mine allow me to live inside

[forgethell]

3. That's PETA alright,

but what I hate about them is that they are trying to take away my steak.

[HockeyMom]

12. PETA does go to extremes

I do agree there, but a couple of months ago I was at a PETCO when I saw a couple of clerks run out of the store with a blanket. One of them came back holding an iguana wrapped up in the blanket, clutching it to her chest to keep it warm. Apparently, somebody had abandoned that iguana in the parking lot on a cold (30s), snowy, NY day.

Sad. That IS cruelly to animals.

[forgethell]

13. Yeah, but

PETA is about a whacko ideology. They don't really care about the animals, per se.

I recently adopted a 3-legged cat, Stumpy Joe. I do care about animals. He's got a safe, warm home for as long as he lives now. But I'll still eat steak.

[mainegreen]

4. :rolls eyes:

Once upon a time PETA had meaning. Now they're out to stop all human-animal interaction as well as make meat eating illegal. We hate them up here because of their stupid 'lobsters scream when their boiled' campaign.

[jonnyblitz]

nothing like a PETA thread to bring out the "inner dittohead"

in many DUers. snicker

[nonconformist]

5. Uh, that is a parody news article. nt

[ecstatic]

lol oops

But you know what? PETA has done so many outrageous things that I didn't think to question the article's legitimacy.

[morgan2]

6. they have their beliefs and do what they feel is necessary

They feel animals should have the same rights as people basically. They're entitled to that opinion, but people should be aware of the position their coming from when listening to their arguments. I think their ideas are assanine and pointless. They get support by playing up the be kind to animals theme, and hiding their end goal.

[forgethell]

They have the right

to that opinion. But they don't have the right to inflict their morality on the rest of us.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

8. They hate human beings. PETA is opposed to the human race.

If you really get into their political philosophy, you'll find that PETA values animal life more than human life. In fact, they'll kill animals to make their point.

Of course, this doesn;t mean that every member of PETA thinks this way, only the leadership. Most members I'm sure are rational people, who don't realize what they're committing themselves to.

[paula777]

9. This is a joke story - Steve Irwin really did have his baby close to a

croc - but the part about the baby potentially hurting the croc is just a joke

[UdoKier]

10. Ambivalent, disinterested.

Just a tiny, fringe group that gets a lot more attention than they deserve from a sensationalistic media and a lot more money from idealistic young vegetarians.

That being said, they have raised awareness of animal abuse in some very notable cases like the recent KFC chicken stomping video. They should be commended for that.

[formerrepuke]

11. People Eating Tasty Animals

talk amongst yourselves...

http://mtd.com/tasty/

[Deep13]

14. Hate 'em.

Even if this article is false, it is still a fair assessment of the PETA attitude. They are against animal research of any kind even when they directly save human lives, swine heart valve transplants for example.

There are health and environmental reasons for being a vegetarian. Nevertheless, PETA is mostly concerned with the well-being of individual animals, including livestock and test animals. This is not the same as conservation which seeks to preserve wild plants and animals in their naturally functioning habitats. They oppose all medical and product safety testing on animals and oppose the use of animals in medical training. They falsely claim these uses are unnecessary. Remember, if a product or procedure was not tested on animals, it is being tested on you.

The thinking of PETA represents a kind of return to emotional reaction over science. It is based purely on ideology, the notion that animals are people for all practical purposes. It is really no different than Fundies who personify a blastocyt and opposing research on those for the same reason. They even use similar tactics: unsupported assertions and redefining language. In the PETA lexicon, cattle now have sons and daughters instead of calves, just as embryos are babies to a Fundy. Likewise, both the anti-abortion and animal rights groups equate their efforts with those of abolitionists and civil rights activists. In both cases the comparisons are patently offensive. For many conservative people, animal rights is a way to pretend to be socially conscious and ethical without actually doing anything controversial.

I don't appreciate the public lumping animal rights in with legitimate conservation efforts. The whole spotted owl debate which was manufactured by the right had nothing to do with feeling bad for spotted owls. It was about preserving wilderness generally, something necessary for the health of the Earth. The owls were just one example. I recently heard Penn Gillette say that if kill every chimpanzee in the world would save one crack addict he would do it. I can't agree with that. We have wiped out too much wildlife as it is. Nevertheless, conservation is not what PETA is about.

A few years ago, I actually contacted PETA for assistance. A friend of ours had 21 sterile domestic rabbits (don't ask) that she could no longer keep in her apartment, so my wife and I agreed to let her keep them in our cellar for awhile while she found alternate arrangements. Now, finding 21 suitable adoptees is not easy, so I contacted PETA by email for help with the project. A few weeks later, they emailed back empathizing with the poor rabbits and stating that finding new homes was better than the city pound. That was it. No help for actual animals. I guess they are too busy smoozing with Hollywood people to get their hands dirty.

[RebelOne]

15. I am becoming so sick of these Peta-bashing threads.

I don't agree with all of Peta's issue, but they do a lot of good things for the animals.

[NoPasaran]

16. This article sounds like satire

But I think that PETA is a bunch of idiots.

[dean_dem]

17. "Hey, I heard PETA eats babies too purple monkey dishwasher!"

The fact that people's hatred of PETA is so blind and so often based on half-truths and outright bullshit, that they will believe anything they hear about it is, well...you know.

[Stinky The Clown]

18. That article is satire, but PETA gives the whole of the left a bad name

PETA, while maybe at one time a usefula nd well meaning group, have morphed into a group as bad as the efungelicals. The only saving grace is that they're not as big.

They're nuts and we'd be far better off if they move to the right and harm that side for a while.

[chaska]

19. Peta may be a bit out there but they're out there on THE LEFT.

Personally, I respect most of what they do and tolerate the rest.

[Deep13]

21. How do you figure?

How is personifying animals any different than personifying blastocytes?

[warrens]

20. They perform a public service and they are highly effective

I think they go overboard sometimes, but no one can deny they have made the food industry clean up its act to an extent. There is also a lot of false info out about them, like they're against pets. In fact, their HQ has a policy that people can bring their pets to work with them.

[NMMNG]

23. This is a spoof story

Deadbrain is rather like The Onion.

As far as PETA goes, I agree that occasionally they are a bit extremist but overall they are a good organization with the right idea.

[cestpaspossible]

24. I like the lettuce bikinis

other than that, PETA does not get me that worked up.

That satire is mildly humorous though.

[Piperay]

26. Bull Shit

it's a parody, if you want to bash PETA find a real article not a spoof. x(

[anonymous44]

27. extremists

much like those rightwing nuts who bomb abortion clinics

[SmileyBoy]

28. I'm appalled that he exposed a human baby to a crocodile.

These people have their priorities fucked up.