Comments on Neva Vegan: Should Fundraising Have a Vegan Message?

I really do believe there should be a vegan messag...

2008-08-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

I really do believe there should be a vegan message in every PETA email. People need to ne reminded that 99% of animal abuse is in the meat, dairy and egg industry.

Thanks Animallover,I can only guess that there is ...

2008-04-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks Animallover,

I can only guess that there is an assumption that the word vegan frightens people. PeTA mostly uses the word vegetarian now, but uses it to mean vegan, and I think it is fear of the v-word. However I have not seen solid research to back up the idea that people are scared by the word. Further, PeTA seems to not worry at all in other cases about offending or scaring people, between ads featuring serial killers, "naked" lettuce ladies in a country experiencing food riots, or a display comparing animal agriculture to slavery. So this seems just one instance where they are really holding back.

Also I would think that you have to measure your success over time, and introducing people to the concept, even if they aren't instantly receptive is important.

HI! I found you through your comments on http://be...

2008-04-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

HI! I found you through your comments on http://bennettcarnahan.wordpress.com/ all of which I agreed with and respected. I've read more and like you even more and will link to you on my new blog.

Anyway, I wonder sometimes if PETA and other orgs like that avoid using the word "vegan" because it scares people? To a lot of omnivores, going vegan seems impossibly hard and might discourage them from contributing...though I agree with you that they could at least mention "hey, maybe you could eat LESS meat" or something like that.

Alex, right, the issue isn't really that pigs are ...

2008-04-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

Alex, right, the issue isn't really that pigs are intelligent and sensitive and playful, though all of that is true. What PeTA used to say is "Can they suffer? Can they feel pain?" And of course many of us expanded that to "do we have any right to control, kill and eat other beings, however different from us."

Gary, if you got the same email I assume you also got two more right before it that were very similar in that they addressed farmed animal issues without having even once mentioned veganism or vegetarianism or even cutting back a tad on eating animals. Those also contained no links directly to materials on veganism. It definitely strikes me as a consistent pattern, and of course I sent you a copy of one very similar, about chickens, last year.

I got that email also, and had a similar reaction....

2008-04-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

I got that email also, and had a similar reaction. I have no problem in general with organizations trying to reduce as much animal suffering as quickly as possible by trying to eliminate the most heinous confinement and torture practices in factory farms. But like you, I was disappointed, and somewhat perplexed, that PETA did not even once mention the best thing you can do for animals - going vegan, which, for most of the recipients of the mailing, I'll bet, costs nothing, and many even save huge amounts of money in the long run, when you factor in the likely health benefits.

While there's certainly nothing in the email directly promoting "happy meat," IMHO PETA has incurred a significant opportunity cost by not telling recipients that a) Safeway and every other company mentioned in the email still engages in numerous abuses that are standard in animal agriculture and cause suffering, b) the animals are still merely created to be killed; they're commodities, c) going vegan helps free the animals from all the cruelties, and is a decision not to partake in the commodification of and infliction of avoidable harm to animals.

PETA has plenty of good information on reasons for veganism as well as well-written guides on how to do it. Those excellent resources go to waste if they hide them.

Quote:"P.S. Pigs are exceptionally intelligent, se...

2008-04-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

Quote:

"P.S. Pigs are exceptionally intelligent, sensitive animals and are often compared to dogs for being smart, friendly, loyal, and playful. They're also naturally very clean and go out of their way to avoid soiling their living areas, which is impossible in factory-farm conditions. Pigs love to spend hours socializing and exploring their surroundings."

It worries me that PETA must include statements like this to get people to take notice or care. Whatever works I suppose, but it's a form of Speciesism: for example, pigs are similar to dogs (in morally irrelevant ways, e.g., intelligence), we love our companion animals including dogs, ergo we should care about pigs. I understand the logic; however, it's just frustrating to me.