Is PETA a cult? I'm begining to wonder... ! - Tilted Forum Project - TFP - Sexuality, Philosophy and Political Discussion

Cynosure · 10-13-2008, 03:55 PM

Whatever, they're getting yet another new, young recruit, and she's naive and fanatical, just like the rest of them...

Quote:

Teen changes her name to CutoutDissection.com

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - A 19-year-old Asheville teenager said she legally changed her name to CutoutDissection.com to protest animal dissections in schools.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported that Asheville High graduate Jennifer Thornburg now wants to be called Cutout. Her new legal name is the Web address for an anti-dissection page of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' site.

The teenager said she began opposing dissections in middle school, after a class assignment to dissect a chicken wing made her uncomfortable. She helped create a policy at her high school that allows students who object to dissections to complete an alternative assignment.

She is now an intern for PETA. She said most of her family members still call her Jennifer.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081013/...dd_name_change

-----Added 13/10/2008 at 06 : 01 : 41-----
And here's another recent news story about PETA, one that is just as crazy...

Quote:

How about a double scoop of mama's milk? PETA proposes that Ben & Jerry's use breast milk in its ice cream

updated 4:10 p.m. MT, Thurs., Sept. 25, 2008

WATERBURY, Vt. - Mooove over, Holsteins. PETA wants world-famous Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream to tap nursing moms, rather than cows, for the milk used in its ice cream.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is asking the ice cream maker to begin using breast milk in its products instead of cow's milk, saying it would reduce the suffering of cows and calves and give ice cream lovers a healthier product.

The idea got a cool reception Thursday from Ben & Jerry's officials, the company's customers and even La Leche League International, the world's oldest breast-feeding support organization, which promotes the practice — for babies, anyway.

PETA wrote a letter to company founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield on Tuesday, telling them cow's milk is hazardous and that milking them is cruel.

"If Ben and Jerry's replaced the cow's milk in its ice cream with breast milk, your customers — and cows — would reap the benefits," wrote Tracy Reiman, executive vice president of the animal rights advocacy group. She said dairy products have been linked to juvenile diabetes, allergies and obesity.

Ashley Byrne, a campaign coordinator for PETA, acknowledged the implausibility of substituting breast milk for cow's milk, but said it's no stranger than humans consuming the milk of another species.

"We're aware this idea is somewhat absurd, and that putting it into practice is a stretch. At the time same, it's pretty absurd for us to be drinking the milk of cows," she said.

It takes about 12 pounds — or 1 1/2 gallons of milk — to make a gallon of ice cream. Ben & Jerry's, which gets its milk exclusively from Vermont cows, won't say how much milk it uses or how much ice cream it sells.

As a standardized product under federal regulations, ice cream must be made with milk from healthy cows. Ice cream made from goat's milk, for example, would have to be labeled as such.

Presumably, so would mother's milk ice cream.

Ben & Jerry's will stick to cows.

To Ben & Jerry's, the idea is udderly ridiculous.

"We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child," spokesman Sean Greenwood said in an e-mail. He didn't respond to requests for an interview.

Leon Berthiaume, general manager of the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery, which provides milk products to Ben & Jerry's, called the dairy products "among the safest in the world."

"Milk from cows has long-term health benefits and has been proven to be safe and healthy and an important part of the American diet for generations," he said. "I'm not ready to make that change."

Cow's milk and mother's milk aren't interchangeable, according to La Leche spokeswoman Jane Crouse, who says breast milk is a dynamic substance that's different with each woman and each child and might have difficulty being processed into ice cream.

Then there's the question of who would provide the milk, and whether they'd be paid.

"Some women feel compelled to donate milk to a milk bank for adopted babies, or for someone who's ill or unable to breast feed. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence about sisters who nurse each others' babies. There's a population of women very willing to share their milk. Whether there's enough to do it for a commercial entity, who can say?" she said.

At the Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury, consumers gave a collective "Eww" to the idea Thursday.

"It's kind of creepy," said Jeff Waugh, 42, of Dayton, Ohio.

"I think it's a little nutty," said the Rev. Roger Wooton, 83, of Malden, Mass., finishing up a cup of Heath Bar Crunch.

"How would they get all that milk?" said his wife, Jane Wooton, 77.

Jen Wahlbrink, 34, of Phoenix, who breast-fed her 11-month-old son, Cameron, said she wouldn't touch ice cream made from mother's milk. She remembers her nursing days — and not that fondly.

"The (breast) pumps just weren't that much fun. You really do feel like a cow," she said, cradling her son in her hands.

How about a double scoop of mama's milk? - Diet and nutrition - MSNBC.com

This reminds me of a sci-fi short story written by Piers Anthony, back in the '70s. (Anyone else here remembers that one?) In this story, a guy visits an alternate Earth where women are genetically engineered to have gigantic breats and produce copious amounts of milk on a daily basis, for mass public consumption. It was one of the most bizarre pieces of speculative fiction I've ever read.

Frosstbyte · 10-13-2008, 04:28 PM

PETA long ago left its roots and became a giant publicity operation. Sure, it gets a lot of visibility, but I think it's started to unintentionally parody itself. All of the naked girls and girls dressed up in skimpy animal clothing is sure appealing to some people's voyeuristic and exploitative tendencies and getting them into the news, but I don't think it's having any position impact for the cause they're supposedly promoting.

I'm not sure it's quite at cult level, but it's certainly a pretty crazy bunch of people.

GeneralMao · 10-13-2008, 08:26 PM

imo Greenpeace is just as bad. They protest on my campus all the time, even though we are one of the greenest campuses in the U.S. The hilarity of it is that they make thousands of fliers, banners, etc, protest for a day and bitch about how anyone not sympathetic to the cause is raping the Earth, and then once all is said and done, they leave. The free speech zones on campus literally look like landfills afterwards because they leave all their fliers and crap on the floor and leave, and the same students who laughed at them the day before are left cleaning up and staring at the "savior of the world's" mess.

westothemax · 10-13-2008, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeneralMao

imo Greenpeace is just as bad. They protest on my campus all the time, even though we are one of the greenest campuses in the U.S. The hilarity of it is that they make thousands of fliers, banners, etc, protest for a day and bitch about how anyone not sympathetic to the cause is raping the Earth, and then once all is said and done, they leave. The free speech zones on campus literally look like landfills afterwards because they leave all their fliers and crap on the floor and leave, and the same students who laughed at them the day before are left cleaning up and staring at the "savior of the world's" mess.

I remember this from college too. I can't stand Greenpeace or PETA, or the more extreme ALF and ELF. These people are hurting their cause way more than they help.

matthew330 · 10-13-2008, 09:38 PM

None of these groups have a cause. They're either very insecure adolescents whose college professors encourage this behavior, or otherwise serial killers that have found "another" outlet, that will soon be joining the first graders on their sanctioned field trips to lesbian weddings:

Eco NutsVideo

lord help us all.

luciferase75 · 10-13-2008, 10:18 PM

More importantly, breast milk for ice cream? Yay? Nay? LMAO

I can only think of milk from hot MILFs though, that's the way it has to be.

The Faba · 10-14-2008, 12:11 AM

I rank PETA right below Scientologists on the 'Who is more laughably insane and cultish' ladder.

As for who is more annoying - well, I don't know any scientologists... but I do know some PETA hippies - and they annoy me a whole lot.

Baraka_Guru · 10-14-2008, 08:21 AM

While I don't disagree with people's ranking PETA's output as little more than sensationalism or "attention-grabbing," I don't understand what all the hate for them is about. They're raising attention to what most people don't even think about: The tasty tidbits many of us enjoy come at the cost of great suffering.

We love puppies but we don't even think about pigs, despite the fact that pigs are far more intelligent and have more character than most dogs.

Personally, I'm glad the animals have someone advocating for them.

I've learned a lot because of PETA, but not necessarily from them. For many people, PETA is the front end to an understanding of the food we eat. I can't think of their alternative. Do you know of a better animal advocacy group in terms of profile? Sure, there's the WWF, but their work is more hands-on. They focus on the animals. PETA focuses on people.

Derwood · 10-14-2008, 09:47 AM

once PETA officially elevated livestock and rodents above humans they lost me

Baraka_Guru · 10-14-2008, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derwood

once PETA officially elevated livestock and rodents above humans they lost me

I can't say I know the organization very well. Did they actually do this? Is this at the core of their agenda? Can you direct me to somewhere on their website about this?

MSD · 10-14-2008, 10:48 AM

Yet another organization that takes a justifiable viewpoint to an extreme that alienates all but true believers. They should really find new organizers and PR people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Faba

I rank PETA right below Scientologists on the 'Who is more laughably insane and cultish' ladder.

As for who is more annoying - well, I don't know any scientologists... but I do know some PETA hippies - and they annoy me a whole lot.

At least PETA doesn't kill people.

Poppinjay · 10-14-2008, 10:49 AM

Peta is based out of where I'm living half the week. So there are a lot of bumper stickers here, also many PETA (people eating tasty animals) stickers.

One thing they've done that I admire is shine the light on treatment of circus animals, especially elephants. A case a few years back on an elephant that was going to be rendered because he killed his circus handler, the circus testified that the handler was loving, and gentle. Peta shows up with video. The guy was using a sharp iron hook to get the elephant to move, and a bullwhip for tricks, actually bloodying the animal. This, of course was all in rehearsal

Come show time, the expected happened. The guy was killed right in front of the crowd.

The elephant is now on a rescue range in Oklahoma.

Do they seem batshit insane? Sometimes. But don't negate their accomplishments.

GeneralMao · 10-14-2008, 11:34 AM

About PETA >> FAQs >> General

Quote:

“How can you justify spending your time helping animals when there are so many people who need help?”

There are very serious problems in the world that deserve our attention, and cruelty to animals is one of them. We should try to alleviate suffering wherever we can. Helping animals is not any more or less important than helping human beings—they are both important. Animal suffering and human suffering are interconnected.

Now obviously, they want to help humans just as much as animals, even though they don't show it in any real way. The hilarity is that there is a FAQ which explicitly states that people have the right of thought, but not action. In essence, "go ahead and think what you want, but you don't have the right to do it because PETA says you're wrong". Pretty much if I say they are wrong for supporting terrorist organizations and then comparing their actions to that of the French Resistance, I am consider a monster and receive death threats.
-----Added 14/10/2008 at 01 : 42 : 51-----
Oh, and to get back on the threads topic, yes, by definition PETA is a cult, is it not?

define:cult

Quote:

Cult typically refers to a cohesive social group devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture considers outside the mainstream, with a notably positive or negative popular perception.

10-13-2008, 04:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
Frosstbyte C'thulhu/Yog-Sothoth '08 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: R'lyeh	PETA long ago left its roots and became a giant publicity operation. Sure, it gets a lot of visibility, but I think it's started to unintentionally parody itself. All of the naked girls and girls dressed up in skimpy animal clothing is sure appealing to some people's voyeuristic and exploitative tendencies and getting them into the news, but I don't think it's having any position impact for the cause they're supposedly promoting. I'm not sure it's quite at cult level, but it's certainly a pretty crazy bunch of people. __________________ That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange æons even death may die

10-13-2008, 08:26 PM	#3 (permalink)
GeneralMao Tilted Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: West Coast, USA	imo Greenpeace is just as bad. They protest on my campus all the time, even though we are one of the greenest campuses in the U.S. The hilarity of it is that they make thousands of fliers, banners, etc, protest for a day and bitch about how anyone not sympathetic to the cause is raping the Earth, and then once all is said and done, they leave. The free speech zones on campus literally look like landfills afterwards because they leave all their fliers and crap on the floor and leave, and the same students who laughed at them the day before are left cleaning up and staring at the "savior of the world's" mess. __________________ A man who fights for nothing, loses everything.

10-13-2008, 10:18 PM	#6 (permalink)
luciferase75 Crazy Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: sɐxǝʇ pooʍƃuıʞ	More importantly, breast milk for ice cream? Yay? Nay? LMAO I can only think of milk from hot MILFs though, that's the way it has to be. __________________ Living in the United Socialist States of America. Entomologist, A+ certified

10-14-2008, 12:11 AM	#7 (permalink)
The Faba Crazy Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Manhattan, KS	I rank PETA right below Scientologists on the 'Who is more laughably insane and cultish' ladder. As for who is more annoying - well, I don't know any scientologists... but I do know some PETA hippies - and they annoy me a whole lot. __________________ Sod the Proles... and fuck pandas!

10-14-2008, 08:21 AM	#8 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru In the 6th percentile Moderator Join Date: May 2006 Location: Toronto	While I don't disagree with people's ranking PETA's output as little more than sensationalism or "attention-grabbing," I don't understand what all the hate for them is about. They're raising attention to what most people don't even think about: The tasty tidbits many of us enjoy come at the cost of great suffering. We love puppies but we don't even think about pigs, despite the fact that pigs are far more intelligent and have more character than most dogs. Personally, I'm glad the animals have someone advocating for them. I've learned a lot because of PETA, but not necessarily from them. For many people, PETA is the front end to an understanding of the food we eat. I can't think of their alternative. Do you know of a better animal advocacy group in terms of profile? Sure, there's the WWF, but their work is more hands-on. They focus on the animals. PETA focuses on people. __________________ "The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. [...] In our age there is no such thing as 'keeping out of politics.' All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. When the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer." —"Politics and the English Language," George Orwell "Humankind cannot bear very much reality." —"Burnt Norton," Four Quartets, T. S. Eliot

10-13-2008, 09:38 PM	#5 (permalink)
matthew330 Junkie Join Date: Apr 2003	None of these groups have a cause. They're either very insecure adolescents whose college professors encourage this behavior, or otherwise serial killers that have found "another" outlet, that will soon be joining the first graders on their sanctioned field trips to lesbian weddings: Eco NutsVideo lord help us all.

10-14-2008, 09:47 AM	#9 (permalink)
Derwood Who You Crappin? Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Everywhere and Nowhere	once PETA officially elevated livestock and rodents above humans they lost me

10-14-2008, 10:49 AM	#12 (permalink)
Poppinjay You had me at hello Join Date: May 2004 Location: DC/Coastal VA	Peta is based out of where I'm living half the week. So there are a lot of bumper stickers here, also many PETA (people eating tasty animals) stickers. One thing they've done that I admire is shine the light on treatment of circus animals, especially elephants. A case a few years back on an elephant that was going to be rendered because he killed his circus handler, the circus testified that the handler was loving, and gentle. Peta shows up with video. The guy was using a sharp iron hook to get the elephant to move, and a bullwhip for tricks, actually bloodying the animal. This, of course was all in rehearsal Come show time, the expected happened. The guy was killed right in front of the crowd. The elephant is now on a rescue range in Oklahoma. Do they seem batshit insane? Sometimes. But don't negate their accomplishments. __________________ I think the Apocalypse is happening all around us. We go on eating desserts and watching TV. I know I do. I wish we were more capable of sustained passion and sustained resistance. We should be screaming and what we do is gossip. -Lydia Millet