August 8th 2008
VH1’s Best Week Ever Attacks PETA Over Greyhound Bus Decapitation Story
Filed under: animals, campaigns, film-tv, television — parrish @ 1:44 pm
So I’m sure most of you have heard the horrific story about the violent acts that took place on a Greyhound bus in Canada last week. If you haven’t, the long and the short of it is that a man attacked a 22-year-old boy on a Greyhound bus, decapitated him and then ate his remains.
Never afraid to offend, PETA used the story to bring attention to the 10 billion or so animals that are slaughtered each year for food. PETA said, “In the wake of the stabbing, beheading, and cannibalization of a man on a bus in front of horrified passengers, PETA is planning to run an ad in the Portage Daily Graphic that draws comparisons between cold-blooded murder and the torture of animals in slaughterhouses—making the point that slaughter should always be shocking.”
Now as you can imagine most people, animal-rights minded or not, found this campaign to be insensitive, tasteless and all-around inappropriate — including THIS blogger! However, VH1’s Best Week Ever were especially harsh on the animal rights group, releasing a Shut Up, PETA t-shirt and saying,
“Never ones to pass up an opportunity to attach their obnoxious hippie agenda to even the most unrelated of cultural events, PETA (People For the Ethical Treatment Of Animals By Annoying Everybody) has seized last week’s horrifying Greyhound bus decapitation-cannibalism incident as the perfect chance to remind people about the atrocities of animal slaughter. Because when you think about it, enjoying a delicious plate of smoked pig is pretty much the same thing as stabbing someone to death, chopping off their head and eating their flesh. Somebody get a vegetarian TV actress to pose nude, quick! I think I speak for many when I say: Shut Up, PETA.”
PETA is an organization that Ecorazzi often covers, and while we generally give them our support, I’m afraid we can’t on this one! Using shock value to prove a point is one thing, but operating in a tactless, disrespectful manner doesn’t do anything but turn-off the world and ultimately deplete your long-term credibility. What do you think? Was it appropriate for PETA to use this atrocity as a marketing opportunity? Chime in and tell us what YOU think!
PETA is an embarrassment to vegetarians everywhere. What a way to follow up something good like getting that KFC veg sandwich in place.
Is their point valid? Yes. But trying to get publicity through this is extremely insensitive. Making light of something that’s both morally wrong and against community standards (greyhound case) in order to promote something that’s morally wrong but accepted (slaughterhouses) just doesn’t sit right with me.
This is nothing new for PETA and anyone who is surprised knows nothing about the organization.
I’m not the least bit offended by it and PETA still has my support.
There is a movement to ask PETA to issue a public apology to the survivors and the victim’s family. PETA crossed the line with this ad. It is offensive.
This is not unlike the last time PETA tried one of these stunts in Canada - related to the horrific Pickton killings of sex-trade workers in Vancouver. PETA tried to run ads in the Vancouver press during the trial likening the murder of the women (of whom there are dozens) to the killing of animals. You must understand that the case of the missing and murdered sex trade workers in Vancouver is extremely sensitive for those of us who do anti-poverty work, and really all PETA managed to do with that little stunt was alienate a lot of people who had previously supported them. I will never ever support PETA again after that, and I think this is almost as offensive.
I support the PeTA ad. Yes, it is shocking and unpleasant, but so is what we do to animals. I believe it accomplishes the mission of getting people to think about animal slaughter and generating discussion. Even if people oppose the ad, they are forced to think for a moment about what we do to animals, which I think is just as disgusting as the disturbing and tragic event on the bus.
If they’re so much against meat why do they put so much of it on the front page of their web site. What a way to set an example (read: objectify) for young women.
Is everyone trying to say that the moral issues of slaughtering humans and slaughtering animals are the same, or of the same level or magnitude? Are animals to be accorded exactly the same level of rights as human beings? If the answer is yes to these questions, then PETAs response is at least logically consistent. But if the answer is NO, then their argument suffers from a faulty premise.
hmmm. while i do feel sorry for the family of the decapitated guy (whole other story about the chinese immigrant who ate him - i could go off on a rant about that, but this isn’t the board for it) i feel just as sorry for the millions of animals killed. peta might be a tad insensitive but they get their point heard. and i think VH1 sucks.
I’m also curious how it works since PETA is an advertiser on your site. Do they mind that you say they’ve gone too far? Does it work the same way like TV where then they pull their ads? Or it different on the net?
“This is nothing new for PETA and anyone who is surprised knows nothing about the organization.”
Not true. I hate this ad, and I have supported PETA for the last 12 years. I will fully admit that I am biased in this particular case, as I live not all that far from where it happened. It’s been less than a week since it happened, the funeral has not happened yet, and the RCMP are already preparing to fend off the Westboro Baptist Church from protesting around a grieving family. I’m not surprised that PETA uses this to make their point, but I am surprised that they were so determined to run the ad in the local newspaper where the family would see the graphic description of what their son went through. I’m sorry, this is not the same as running an anti-fur ad in New York during fashion week. If this makes me hyprocritical, so be it.
Sorry, it’s been a little OVER a week…
okay, first off, anyone who is friends with a PeTA member knows that they don’t qualify as “hippies”–they are a bit too proactive for that label. that being said, in this case, their penchant for capitalising on shock opportunities definitely took a turn for the tasteless. should animals’ deaths impact us in the same manner as a human murder? perhaps; but regardless of how you feel personally, it is plainly insensitive to exploit this situation for an agenda.
I think PETA had done a great job! Many have just misunderstood the Ad. PETA is NOT degrading anyone or any human life. The Ad says that all of us(including the animals) we ALL feel pain & suffer. The simply means that, what happened inside the Greyhound bus, happens to billions of animals, every second.
The Ad was just to make people THINK!
While I do see where PETA is coming from, this is definitely NOT the way to win people over. Nobody is going to read that ad and say “you know what, animals DO suffer just as much as humans! I’m putting down this burger right now!” It’s pure exploitation for publicity, something that PETA does again and again. Despite the fact that they do some good work, I’ve heard way too many horror stories (and seen too many things like this) to support the organization.
Niranjan- I get it, I just think it was ineffective. From people who’ve I spoken with (animal-righters and hunters) it seems that the majority all agree that it was done in poor taste. I agree with Liz, It did make people think, but not in any productive way about the suffering of animals. Instead, it just makes the movement (in which I include myself) look out of touch and unaware. I don’t know why PETA feels the need to use shock therapy so often. We need to make friends, not alienate.
I understood why PETA did it. Their aim is to get people to connect the dots that murder is murder. This news story was frightening for people because it could have happened to any person. The PETA story moved to the next image in a person’s mind perhaps of an animal or human slaughter. That for many people is not what they want to face-the reality of killing of any kind. It sure provoked a strong reaction.
The message PETA consistently puts out there is that meat eating is brutal. People who participate in that have a hard time acknowledging the brutality.
I totally support PETA on this one.
Here’s the response that PETA posted on their blog in response to the hate mail:
Yesterday, we mentioned an advertisement that we wanted to run in a Canadian newspaper in the wake of a shocking stabbing murder and possible cannibalism in Manitoba. Countless people have contacted us with their concerns, so we’d like to explain why we wanted to run the ad that no newspaper will touch with a 10′ pole.
Yes, of course we were horrified (who wouldn’t be?) when we heard the details of this barbaric, incomprehensible killing. And obviously, everyone’s good thoughts go out to anyone affected by this violent act. That’s all a no-brainer. Now, remember, PETA is known for being provocative—that’s our job. The animals don’t benefit from our silence. So our thought is always: How can we get people to see that despite their feelings about this kind of violence, they are often paying someone to do exactly what was done to the man on the bus, and worse, just so that they can eat a sandwich? Voila, the ad!
We see parallels between acts of violence against humans and cruelty to animals, since both spring from a common root. We understand that such comparisons may be uncomfortable for many people, but they’re not inaccurate.
Responding to violence with anger is also natural, but just being angry solves nothing, does it? Real change comes about when we channel anger or sadness into action. By juxtaposing the shocking details of the murder with the fate of animals whose bodies are casually hacked apart to end up between two slices of bread, some good will come. Already, thousands of people have visited our site not just to scream at us but also to read about slaughterhouses, and many have watched “Meat Your Meat.” If you can sit through that and not see the truth in what we are saying, what can we say?
Like humans, animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone. Animals in slaughterhouses experience terror in the face of death. They fight for their lives and struggle to avoid pain. Birds love and grieve. In light of animals’ suffering, we are urging people to embrace nonviolence in the face of senseless violence—against all beings—by going vegetarian. If someone doesn’t like it, maybe it is because it makes them feel guilty for just saying, “Oh, how terrible,” about the bus violence but not wanting to face the fact that they contribute to violence as well. To think otherwise is simply supremacist.
And here’s something I found on their site about why they use these types of tactics:
PETA’s aim is to stop animal suffering, and we use every available opportunity to reach people with our messages. Our gimmicks may sometimes seem silly, but they are vital if we are to reach the masses and initiate discussion, debate, questioning of the status quo, and, of course, action. The current situation is critical for billions of animals, and our goal is to make the public aware of the issues—even if it means stripping for our “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” Campaign.
The fact is that in this tabloid era, the media usually do not consider the facts alone interesting enough to cover. Colorful and controversial gimmicks, however—such as jumping on stage at a fashion show to protest a designer’s shameless promotion of fur—consistently grab headlines, bringing the animal rights message to audiences around the country and often the world.
Experience has taught us that provocative and controversial campaigns make the difference between keeping important yet depressing subjects invisible and exposing them to the public.
PETA makes a point of offering something for all tastes-from the most conservative to the most radical and from the most outrageous to the most refined-and this approach has proved to be very successful. In the quarter-century since PETA was founded, it has grown into the largest animal rights group in the world, with more than 2.0 million members and supporters worldwide. PETA has achieved countless victories for animals as a result of both undercover investigations supported by careful documentation and a tireless pursuit of justice through the courts and through colorful demonstrations, stunts, and campaigns that drew international media coverage to previously hidden issues.
If I was the that man’s family I would sue PETA. They are comparing a man’s insane Charles Manson style murder with raised stock breed animal deaths. There is NO comparison.
These PETA people are self centered assholes who want the media spot light for another 15 minutes. People who are members of this cult are most likely also scientologist members. Brain washed soft minds that can’t think for themselves and make a moral decision on their own!
PETA leaders are all militant sick tool, WACK JOBS! Please drink the gelatin free Cool-aid and leave Earth now!
Now let me get back to my delicious double, double burger!
i’m a proud peta-member and support their campaigns! if i would not agree with one of their issues i would tell them personally - not in public! people opposing peta in public are not seriously for animal rights but like to critizise instead of doing better! these last years peta was very successfull but often truth hurts but it makes also people think! i don’t want to comment this actual peta-ad but they have my full support and love! freedom and rights for all the animals because no living being must be killed - this is my vision of a future completed evolution!
I’ll continue to be a PETA supporter and a card-carrying member. They do a lot of work to raise awareness - but this is definitely over the top. Hijacking something like this horrific murder to get publicity is just so disrespectful to the family.
For the record, I am a member of PETA. I most certainty appreciate the positive things they do but equally regret the negative.
In my opinion, the Westboro Baptist Church is much worse than mere PETA’s ad. You can ignore PETA’s ad easily. You can rid PETA’s ad every time you read a newspaper. Tim McLean’s family can ignore it. As for the Westboro Baptist Church, it is annoying and easily provoke you if you have bad temper. It makes you want to attack the Westboro Baptist Church members, but unable to hit them, due to the law. PETA is doing for good cause toward to the animals. The Westboro Baptist Church is disgrace to the humanity, attack all weird people and creating horrific atmosphere to Tim McLean’s family. Therefore, I believe Westboro Baptist Church’s message is extremely offensive than PETA’s ad.
And, yes. I support PETA. Think about the poor cat
. I agree with these people who support PETA. To PETA, don’t be feeling so bad. You are doing for the animals. I understand you have to doing this because it is good opportunity to seize the people’s attention by post the ad because the random attack and behead the victim is extremely rare and don’t happen often. I believe it is quite sweet and nice of you to doing it in order to save animals. I am with you, PETA.
To VH1, if you think PETA is worse, look at the Westboro Baptist Church. Who is the worse? Of course, it is the Westboro Baptist Church. The Westboro Baptist Church causes more damage to Tim McLean’s family than PETA’s ad. I suggest you should make a hate “Westboro Baptist Church” shirt.
I think the ad is straight up tacky!
PETA, why don’t you quit wasting money on (slightly) sexist advertising and instead go storm Washington and start trying to get lawmakers to impose more humane ways of animal slaughter. There is no way that farmers and meat packing houses and fur people will stop killing animals, just forget it, it ain’t gonna stop! Focus on having these people stop BRUTALLY killing the animals. That’s where the energy needs to be focused.
Peta may have started out with good intentions but they have seriously lost their way. I can see why they think this would be a good ad but as usual they lack serious respect for anyone, or anything that stands in the way of their bad publicity. They are like a child doing ANYTHING for attention. They are extremists and more like animal rights terrorists which is very hypocritical of the anti-violent message they try to convey.
Sure there is no physical violence from them in this ad, but it is riddled with emotional violence. Imagine the family of the boy killed and the people that witnessed this on the bus and how seeing something like this ad would make them feel. It amazes me that Peta would like us to put ourselves in the shoes of slaughtered and abused animals but they do not put themselves in the shoes of their “victims”.
This is why most people shun animal rights and or vegetarianism…they think they will turn into these extremists. As an animal rights advocate for 15 years I have been met with many a peta joke over the years. I always make sure to inform people that I do not support peta and what they do in regards to animal rights…or in most cases lack their of.
How can you teach non-violence when you yourself do not practice it, how can you teach compassion when you are not compassionate, how can you get people to hear your message when you aren’t saying anything.
Think about it peta…
The death of that poor man was shocking everybody agrees with that. But animals have been going through similar situations in their millions every hour of very day for thousands of years. It is easy to fire off at PETA for using this single tragedy but people who really care about animal suffering get the point! I admire PETA because unlike the majority of similar groups, Geenpeace for example, they always stick to their guns regardless if people like them or not!
But see my argument isn’t whether they should or should not stick to their guns, of course they should. In fact I admire PETA for their tenacity and courage and give them an unbelievable about of positive press because of it. My argument is that I don’t believe what they did was effective — for themselves or the movement. Let’s look at the goal here. PETA said:
“Our gimmicks may sometimes seem silly, but they are vital if we are to reach the masses and initiate discussion, debate, questioning of the status quo, and, of course, action.”
You see, I don’t believe (in this case) they in fact initiated any kind of productive discussion, debate or action. Sure, here we all are discussing, but not about the slaughter of animals. Instead, on this forum and many others, the subject that has been rather grossly pulled to the forefront is PETA’s overall pontification.
I am a vegan of over 7 years and I would love nothing more than to see the world embrace the vegetarian lifestyle. I work for that goal everyday. My point is that when dealing with such a touchy subject it’s PETA’s responsibility as a leading animal rights organization to act in manner that best represents not only it’s members, but the vegetarian community as a whole. Sure they’re getting press, but not the kind of press we need or want. It should be our goal, as animal advocates, to win the general public’s trust and confidence, not alienate with shock tactics and vulgar campaigns.
Nothing shocks me anymore when it comes to what people do and how the media and advertising forces dish up versions of their stories. Less important than whether PETA is right or wrong, is that we critically examine how we are being fed stories in or out of certain contexts. I mean, the Iraq fiasco is a prime example of how we were marketed an operation based on a spin that had fabricated contexts shooting at us when we felt very vulnerable as a country. We bought it because we didn’t ask questions about context. And now thousands of people are dead on both sides. Anyone is allowed to make any association with the cannibalism story they want and publish it as a version of the truth. Why are people freaking out about someone else’s story about that story? Isn’t the original story freakish enough?
I’m not asking this in a snotty manner–intended tone often gets lost in the written word…but would everyone that defends PETA’s ad be truly okay if they were doing this in regards to the death of one of your family members? I’ve been reading both sides, and I am a big animal rights activist (vegan, don’t wear leather, the whole nine yards). I can see the point of the ad, but I would personally be heartbroken if it were my family under these circumstances. A lot of people are defending it, but not one defensive post I’ve read said that they’d be okay with getting the message out at the expense of making reference to the death of one of their family members, and I think it’s so easy to distance yourself sometimes. I’m genuinely interested to know if there is anyone out there that would be okay if it were their family in the ad and why. Like, if the cause was important enough to you, would that be something you could let slide? Again, I’m not trying to stir up a major fight, I’m just interested in hearing another point of view. Trolls aside, that’s usually what discussion boards are for.
By the way, Leslie…they might have been able to ignore it had it not caused such waves everywhere. Paper or not, they’ve likely heard about it by now.
I also wanted to just say that everyone’s posted some good arguments here for a variety of opinions, and would also like to commend the moderator. This is by far the most intelligent discussion of this topic that I’ve come across on the Internet.
To FREE TIBET: Are they even listening to comments about this story, positive or otherwise? I just ask because I tried to write, but they closed comments on the board.
when a member of peta gets stabbed and decapitated then they can run the ad
I’ve always been a little hesitant to give PETA my full support, and stories like this remind me why. The first time I read the original news story about the stabbing, it literally gave me chills. There is no way I can justify PETA using the family’s and witnesses’ grief to promote their agenda. It is utterly wrong — they are stooping too low on this one. There are better ways to prove a point than exploiting what is nothing less than a tragic and disturbing situation. If the victim were my family member, I’d be devastated. Animal rights or not, there are better ways to promote that agenda. Yes, PETA is traditionally controversial. But I’d hate to think of the organization as heartless, and this planned campaign sadly makes me think just that.
I hope anyone who supports this PETA ad gets to live a day in the life of Tim Mclean’s family. Have your child brutally murdered by a complete stranger and then be victimize even further by lunatics (PETA and those Baptist nutters). Tim’s family LOST THEIR CHILD in the most horrific way possible and not only have they the grief and loss to deal with - but they are having to do it on the world stage. Honestly I cannot think of anything worse. And for PETA to come along and CAPITALIZE on their suffering - because this is really what it is all about - making money - BIG MONEY - is unconscionable. And let’s not forget that PETA is known to have one of the HIGHEST KILL RATES in the US for the animal shelters that they run. Oh… you didn’t know they kill dogs and cats? Well they do. LOTS OF THEM. EVERY DAY. DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you put on that PETA t-shirt people and understand exactly what kind of organization you are supporting!!!! PETA is by far the biggest group of hypocrites in the world. PETA = MONEY. That is ALL they are about. If you love animals and want to make a difference in the world on how they are managed and treated, there are far more reputable organizations that actually do CARE ABOUT ANIMALS more than just filling the bankbooks for their stakeholders! And in the meantime, leave this poor family ALONE!!
Parrish - remember on the other Heather Mills thread where you mentioned starting some controversy? (where most were in agreement about her) well that wasn’t really controversy but this thread definitely is. Good healthy debating back and forth with plenty of controversy which (hopefully) might take a few people to Peta’s site to read about the killing of farm factory animals…. Thank you (and congrats
for bringing attention to this and for the great post!
Again I do feel badly for the young man who the killer murdered and ate, but still think it draws parallels to the meat industry and some might think it tasteless (pun not intended) but sometimes it takes that to people’s attention.
PETA is disgusting. They just demonstrate that they are hypocrites and nothing more. They demonstrated that they have complete disrespect for the life of Tim Mclean by using his brutal murder to further their cause. It just reinforces for me that they are as insane as the man that murdered him. A HUMAN life is NOT equal to the life of a pig or cow or chicken. Give me a break.
hi, andar here, i just read your post. i like very much. agree to you, sir.
I think that’s a matter of opinion Mellisa. No where is it written in stone that a pig’s life is worth less. And some pigs are even smarter than some of the humans I’ve met (or talked with on the internet
PETA is one of the most hypocritical organizations in the world. Stories like this don’t surprise me in the least.
I agree with most posts - it was entirely tasteless on Peta’s behalf.
I think it’s too bad, because they do great awareness work, but stunts like this annoy everyone - vegan and non-vegan alike.
Whether you like it or not, horrible events like the ‘Greyhound bus’ (which I hadn’t even heard of in my country) only prove humans are not the most superior and evolved species on this planet… For people who really want to open their eyes to the truth about the way animals are truly treated worldwide, please watch (all parts): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhxKnys7Ryw
You can disagree with the actions of PETA and other organizations, but at least they are out there doing something, which is more than I can say for the rest of us…! A famous french writer (Victor Hugo) once said something like this: “You can see the level of evolution of a people by the way it treats its animals”. Well, it pretty much says everything about the human species… I sometimes wonder what would happen if an alien species would come (if they haven’t already) to our planet! Can you imagine what they would think of us? That we are nothing but a barbaric species…! And would they be wrong? I don’t think so! We show no respect for ourselves, for animals, for Nature, or for that matter, for the planet we live in… We kill, torture, destroy, every day, every second…In my perspective those are not the actions of an evolved species…
Alright, I’m completely unbiased one way or another usually towards Peta, I respect their right to not want animals slaughtered in the way that they do, but to immediately exploit the random and savage murder of a sleeping man on a bus is stretching things a little too far for my taste. Have they lost all creativity that they just go through the newspaper going “that’s like animal slaughter! Let’s make people aware!” Honestly, I see this nothing more as an advertising ploy really, which makes me sick. The government uses the death of American’s in Iraq as a way to get people to continue their support of the war, which is only a hair’s length away from what Peta just did in comparing a man’s brutal murder on a bus to the slaughter of bovine and pigs and sheep and so on. Thus, when I connect this in my mind, I hear Peta saying that a human life is equal in value to that of a cow? Okay, i don’t mind people not wanting to eat animals for ethical reasons and I’m not a downer on veganism or vegetarianism, but since when did a cow or pig or any farm yard animal…say…cure a disease, or compose a symphony, or even write their own name. To degrade human achievement (although there is a great deal of bad, don’t get me wrong) to that of an animal, makes me confused. Yes, I’m a savage, brutal cur for eating animal flesh, fine, label me as you will, but cannibalism isn’t the same thing as eating a chicken, there’s really nothing that could convince me otherwise.
i ask myself why animal-hating people like melissa are spending their time on this eco-website! or are ecological problems and animalrights problems a different pair of shoes? and who told you that a pig’s life is less worth than a human’s? just because we are humans or what?
“but since when did a cow or pig or any farm yard animal…say…cure a disease, or compose a symphony, or even write their own name”…well let me think about this! The person who committed that murder could write his name, right? And he is human, correct? So is his life worth more than a farm animal’s life? Or any other animal’s? Or because he is a murderer, maybe his life isn’t worth anything at all? You know what? I am sick and tired of arrogant humans who think they know it all! It is easy to criticise others, but it’s damn hard to do something to change what is wrong! Animals do compose symphonies, in their own way (whales… does that ring a bell?). And humans cure diseases because they have been testing on animals for decades…try and error…aren’t we so intelligent? And where do all the active substances drugs are composed of come from? Exactly…nature my dear ‘wallaby’! So next time you or any other person say human life is more valuable than the life of animals, do us all a favour… think first and be informed before making comments! And to finish, how intelligent do you consider a species that destroys its own territory, completely depletes the resources it needs to survive and whose members kill each other out of pure cruelty? Oh, let me see… don’t we humans do that all of the time? Perhaps we are not that intelligent, or evolved for that matter! Maybe animals aren’t that inferior to us! It’s time we open our eyes and realize we are just one more species on this planet! That’s all…It’s time to evolve…!
I think what most people are missing is that PeTA’s intent here was to run the ad in a newspaper from the same area where the tragedy occurred - it crossed the line, and was with full awareness that it would add to the suffering of that family. PeTA has had my support in the past - but this was a callous act that purposely tried to target a family and community in mourning - I will absolutely no longer support this organisation.
I’ve from Winnipeg and think the ad is excellent.
VH1 is so not animal friendly.They are so pathetic and heartless.
PETA has a heart.
People find it so horrific that this guy killed another guy and ate some of his flesh but people think it’s ok to do that to billions of animals. How smart and nice people are.
I don’t have a problem with the advert at all. It was factual, and a genuine attempt at making people think for a moment how misplaced their sympathy is when they exclusively volunteer their sympathy to human beings, ignoring completely the pain, stress, fear and bloodshed that they themselves are responsible for, every time they eat a hot dog they didn’t enjoy anyway.
The advert challenges society’s hypocrisy, and i respect PETA for being brave enough to do that.
The only thing i don’t like about the ad is that most people are not as enlightened on these issues as vegans and anti-speciesists, so it was certain to offend people.
I think the advert itself, though, is sound.