People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals sounds like a wonderful group that promotes something most people can agree on. Unfortunately, they’re better in theory than in practice. I am a total animal lover, I haven’t eaten meat in 8 years, I volunteer at the Humane Society and I try to avoid dairy, but for some reason I’m always associated with them. “Oh Nora’s a vegetarian, she must love PETA!” But I don’t, I despise the organization, And you should too. So here’s a list of choice reasons PETA is disgraceful to the animal rights community with my sources cited.

There’s this culture that’s evolved around PETA that’s becoming increasingly problematic. Veganism gives some people a superiority complex and then they feel the  need to lecture other people, during tragedies sometimes blog posts arise that are insensitive and distasteful, trivializing the tragedies in the name of animals. These only serve to add salt to the wounds of the victims and communities affected.

The followers aside, PETA itself is a disgraceful institution. When BSL (Breed specific legislations, meaning the banning of bully breeds i.e pit bulls, rottweilers) were all the rage in New York, PETA stepped in, in favor of them. PETA wanted to ban the large dogs, which would mean residents who owned pit bulls would be under strict laws, and shelters would have to put the dogs they couldn’t relocate to sleep. PETA wants you to believe that they’re trying to protect the dogs and not  sentence them to death like what we’re seeing in Canada. Most shelter dogs are of the “bully breed”, and they deserve to find a loving home like every other breed. Dogs will act out if you abuse them or don’t train them, much like humans.

People that can’t afford, or just don’t want to keep their animals, can surrender them to almost any shelter. PETA has “shelters” across the country that make pet owners feel confident in dropping their animals off at, when in reality PETA kills most of the animals there. You’d think they’d be the last place to do that.

So how exactly has a murderous institution convinced most of the world that they’re only for the “ethical” treatment of animals? An aggressive ad campaign, using shame and objectification (to the extent that I can’t link to it on a school newspaper, but you can use your imagination or google) to promote their cause. And while it’s legally okay, it’s a pretty slimy thing to do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for empowerment and I’m a total feminist, but there’s a difference between using a woman’s body to sell your idea and being a woman making choices about a body that belongs to you.

PETA also thinks that we shouldn’t be shearing sheep… domesticated sheep cannot shed their  wool, which means that they have to be sheared otherwise their wool will cover their noses and mouths and suffocate them.

The thing about PETA is that while it is a disgraceful group, we do need some form of animal rights activism to keep corporations and governments in check. Unfortunately, PETA has a loud voice and the masses tend to listen to them.

If you’re interested in donating to animal rights groups that don’t stink, here’s a list of some that could always use your help:

Humane Society of The United States Of America

Humane Society of Southern Arizona (They are two different organizations despite the name)

World Wildlife Fund

ASPCA