by Erik Bussa
The Lantern (Ohio State U.)
(U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is a group that is becoming more and more visible in our society. Clever marketing campaigns have helped the group to succeed in spreading their message across the country. In short, PETA thinks humans should just leave animals alone. They fight for animal rights and try to convince people to become vegetarians.
Don't get me wrong; I'll be the first to agree that a majority of the animals raised to be eaten are mistreated. But that's not going to stop me from eating them.
One of PETA's recent moves launched a worldwide campaign against KFC. PETA argues the chickens raised for KFC are given no rights. They live in spaces the size of a piece of paper, are mishandled by workers and are routinely still alive when their throats are cut. Yes, this does sound bad, but accusations alone are not enough to keep the Colonel from whipping up his secret recipes.
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Instead of blasting KFC for their malicious ways, why not sit down and talk to them about ways to make it better? In their minds, PETA members have to know they will never be able to drive KFC out of business, so why not do something productive with their time?
In another campaign, PETA let us all know that Jesus was a vegetarian. I don't know for sure, but I doubt that PETA as an organization was around 2,000 years ago. So just like anyone else could do, they are interpreting the Bible in a way they see fit to benefit themselves. Personally, I think Jesus liked his seafood. All of his buddies were fishermen at one point and let's not forget about the second-most talked-about miracle in the Bible: the multiplication miracle. Jesus thought he had something that tasted so good he just had to share it with everyone else, so he turned two fish into 5,000 just so his friends could discover the same love for flounder.
In the beginning stages of the war with Iraq, the military used trained dolphins and sea lions to help detect mines that were placed in the Persian Gulf. Sure enough, PETA didn't like it. What they didn't realize (or failed to accept) is that by doing this, many human lives were saved.
Maybe it is wrong to sacrifice dolphins to save the lives of the very people that are protecting our country and everyone in it. Or maybe some people just have a soft spot for Flipper.
Think back to when you were a kid. Besides vegetables, what did your mom always make sure you have enough of? No, not crayons. Milk. The same thing that kept you alive the first year or so of your life. But coming from cows, PETA says milk is an inefficient food source, and that genetically modifying cows to produce more milk is wrong.
What else is a cow going to do all day besides make milk? I have always been a milk-drinker and I'll continue to be until I hear a cow tell me that they don't like making milk.
Me: Hey cow, you like making milk?
Cow: Moo.
Me: What's that?
Cow: Moo.
Me: That's what I thought.
Besides, without milk we wouldn't have milkshakes.
One last example of a PETA campaign is of the organization trying to do the unthinkable: Getting the Green Bay Packers to change their name.
Apparently, the name "Packers" refers to people who work in slaughterhouses, whose job it is to kill animals. Could you imagine Vince Lombardi coming into the locker room before a game and telling his team, "Sorry men, PETA's here. We've gotta change our name. We're no longer the Green Bay Packers. From now on we're just gonna be the Green Bay Beans."
I don't think so.
All joking aside, PETA does have some good points. The treatment of animals can stand to improve drastically, but they're pushing their cause at the wrong angle.
Everyone who eats animals knows the animals were killed before they appeared on a plate. But just because PETA can convince someone that the animals were terrorized before they were killed will not keep anyone from eating them.
Come up with a plan to minimize terrorism, and go from there.
Maybe PETA is right and I'm wrong. But until the new "Lion King" movie comes out and Simba is wearing a PETA necklace, I won't hold my breath.
