I eat out with my friends, I don’t have a protein deficiency and I don’t care if you eat meat —what am I? I’m a vegetarian.
The common misconception is I’m a hippie who hasn’t showered in a year, I make kombucha in my basement or yell “meat is murder” at you for eating what the majority of the population does? No, that’s not me.
The idea all vegetarians or vegans are People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) loving freaks who just want to shout at meat-eaters and not actually make a difference is ridiculous.
PETA — an animal rights organization — definitely knows how to get its name out there. It gets a lot of publicity through some pretty drastic means. It makes me wonder if they are actually turning people from meat-eaters to non.
Alex Brizee | Argonaut
When I became a vegetarian eight years ago, it wasn’t from the sheer fear that a PETA activist was going to beat me up with a bundle of kale for not eating tofu, it was because I wanted to.
Fear tactics can work, but they don’t truly educate people on issues. Rather, they brainwash people.
This week was the 2019 Westminster Kennel Dog Show and PETA was back at it again with more intense tactics, shaming anyone that doesn’t stand with the group.
PETA felt the best way to influence people was by using props of dead dogs outside the show to argue against those in the Westminster Dog Show who prefer purebreds while neglecting dogs in shelters.
PETA’s arguments are usually not wrong. Saving dogs from shelters is probably one of the best options when searching for a new pet. However, it’s the way in which PETA makes a point that is problematic.
Showing me a prop of a dead dog doesn’t make me want to listen. People love their dogs — showing them a dead one just makes them sad instead of eager to engage in fruitful debate.
You can’t put animals on a pedestal and then exploit them in your sick game, you either say animals are above all and treat them as such or don’t.
A lot of facts about being a vegetarian are true, it isn’t healthy for the human body to consume too much red meat. If we all were vegetarians, no one in the world would be hungry, milk is not actually good for you and methane gas levels from cows are off the charts.
But, when you hear PETA, the common thought jumps to radical liberal hippies, not the facts.
People are extremely concerned with their well-being and the well-being of the planet. If PETA spent more time telling people how being a vegetarian or vegan could help instead of scaring children with gruesome visuals of dead animals, maybe more people would listen and we would live in a better world.
Alex Brizee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at alex_brizee
AMD
I went vegan years ago and I've never looked back. I love knowing that no animal suffered for my meal, for my clothing, or for any other aspect of my lifestyle.
Heather
Let's perpetuate those tired old myths about vegetarians and vegans. It's 2019. More and more people eat vegan food, wear stylish vegan clothing, and use cruelty-free bath products. There's no need for silly stereotypes. I, for one, I'm longtime vegan (and PETA member) who works to stop animal suffering by educating people about animal abuse and encouraging them to make kinder choices. PETA's campaigns may not always win popularity contents, but they get the message across, which is the point. When the media reports on PETA’s activities, people visit PETA.org for free vegan starter kits and other literature. I sure did. How about some articles about new vegan products, health benefits, and ways to help animals and the environment. Maybe you could spread some positive messages about ways to get plenty of protein (eat), enjoy non-animal-tested bath products, and share stories of ways you've helped animals.
Kim Marie
I've learned so much on how to be vegan from PETA. Perhaps if you drop the perception that you "hate" the org, you can take advantage of all the wonderful information on its website and social media pages.
Bobbie M.
And how do you know what PETA is doing? Because those "stunts" get press and therefore bring attention to the issues. That's the whole point of doing them. You're probably a vegetarian because of PETA's campaigns without even realizing it!