Does Sex Sell Animal Welfare?

Attention all concerned parents! Cover your children's eyes, PeTA is coming to town! This afternoon PeTA representatives are here in Houston to lead a demonstration against Kentucky Fried Chicken wearing a skimpy yellow bikini and holding a sign that says "KFC tortures chicks" as part of their Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign. Several months ago, PeTA was also in Houston for their "Rather go naked than wear fur campaign", again with nearly naked women leading the way. Do I see a trend here? I know Houston is a hot place in the summer, but is it really necessary to keep taking your clothes off?

Okay so seriously .... I am certainly not the first person to question PeTA's tactics. Check out other blogs and websites such as The Starting Point , Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach, and No Status Quo for a more in depth assessment. What strikes me is that PeTA is objectifying women much like big advertising agencies that sell soft drinks, alcohol, and cigarettes do. I simply don't understand why PeTA chooses to run such blatantly sexist campaigns. Now I'm not what I would call a feminist, that is not my agenda here. But I do find their demonstrations and ads offensive. Not only that, but more importantly for the sake of the animals, I find them ineffective. The animal rights movement (of which PeTA isn't even really a part of) should be appealing to people's hearts and minds, not other body parts. Check out PeTA's "State of the Union" address (warning: not suitable for those under 18), which is more like a striptease. For some reason it's hard to focus on the word's coming out of the young woman's mouth (mostly about the "victories" in reducing battery cages and sow crates, not promoting veganism) when she is busy taking off her clothes and the camera is zooming in and out on her breasts. Then of course they have celebrities starring in campaigns who are not even vegan themselves.

So, while PeTA protesters are getting baked in the Texas sun and honked at by dirty old men who could care less about animal welfare or rights, I will be holding my own form of demonstration.....telling people about veganism and how it is the only way to end animal suffering and ownership.

HSUS: The Rolex of animal welfare activist groups?

Since the release of the HSUS's "Humane Index" (read my previous blog about how Houston ranked), the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) has responded by labeling the HSUS as "basically PETA with a nicer wristwatch." Their press release is quite angering, even for someone like myself who does not really agree with the animal welfare approach (check out Gary Francione's recent blog post on the problems with animal welfare). They also have links on their website for "PETA Kills Animals" and "Animal Scam". The CCF seems to think it should be every American's right to try foie gras and that no matter how much factory farms try to treat animals humanely, the animal movement will never be satisfied (at least they've got that right). Of course, this group is funded by the food and restaurant industry, so their bias is apparent. Still, these types of campaigns are the reason that the animals rights movement needs to truly mobilize efforts towards promoting veganism, not cage-free eggs, not free range chicken, not organic milk, just veganism. The public gets mixed messages when words like animal welfare and animal rights are used interchangeably. Making animal products more "humane" will only provide people with a false sense of morality. How many ex-vegetarians and vegans have you heard say that now that can enjoy a glass of hormone free organic milk or a free range piece of chicken without feeling guilty that animals suffered?