Wednesday, January 31, 2007

PETA Gets Points For Publicity, But...

...are their stunts effective? I really want to know.

I respect protesters across the globe. Even when I disagree with the protests, I love seeing people stand up for what they believe in. When I see Americans protest, I am thankful that I live in a country where it is possible to do so without fear of being jailed. When I see people protest in countries where they do not have freedom to do so, I admire their bravery.

But PETA...does a mostly naked person in downtown Nashville (photos courtesy of Cotter) wearing nothing but panties and barbecue sauce really get a point across? I respect vegetarians and I try to keep my meat consumption to a minimum. One day, I might consume even less (or more), but I doubt my eating habits will be affected by a public stunt.

Just wondering.

2 comments:

Heidi said...

any attention is good attention so in that way it's effective. i was impressed with this particular peta demo. it says to me not only should we not treat women as a slab of meat, we shouldn't treat any living being as a slab of meat.

it just occurred to me that sometimes some vegans are pretty smug about their uber healthy habits, and that perhaps they are saying something about the veganesque body you can have. in my experience not necessarily true...when i was nearly vegan i did not lose weight. sometimes i see fatness used to demonstrate selfishness and greed, and some idealists will put themselves definitely in the opposite camp.

i hope peta is not doing that with their fashionably lean naked bodies.

otherwise, i think we should celebrate the living breathing body in all forms and sizes, naked or clothed, furry or not. and i think that image of a woman on a giant grill says that.

Pen Names: justwhen, rachel said...

Hi there. Heidi pointed me to your blog, because I just asked a similar question in mine. (And I'm vegan. I do hope I don't come across as a smug one...you weren't thinking of ME, were you, Heidi? *grin*)

I guess different things reach different people. An essay of devastating logic might really make an impression on me, but with others it may take a sidewalk stunt to make 'em stop & think a moment...and/or think longer, later (with stuff like this, the image is encountered briefly, while the significance can take a while to register fully, maybe at a deeper level, too).