Animals hate your guts

Sometimes, people who have strong convictions take things a bit too far. Through their extreme tactics, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have discredited their cause. It's fair to believe that most people don't want to see animals tortured. The majority of Americans like animals. But PETA has taken a silent support of their mission to a new and horrible level, possibly alienating their mainstream support.\nOn Feb. 27, PETA launched a graphic new exhibit at the University of California at Los Angeles. This campaign, dubbed "The Holocaust on Your Plate," attempts to connect the killing of more than six million Jews by Nazis during World War II to the treatment of animals in slaughterhouses and butcher-shops. The exhibit juxtaposes images of dying men in concentration camps with photos of chickens and cattle at "factory farms" PETA tries to make the point that the abhorrent treatment of Jews by Nazis during the 1940s is either similar or equal to the treatment of the cow that makes up your Big Mac. \nNeedless to say, a lot of people are upset about this new campaign strategy. Not all of them are the usual anti-PETA protesters, either. \n"The effort by PETA to compare the deliberate, systematic murder of millions of Jews to the issue of animal rights is abhorrent," said Abraham Foxman, director of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League in a CNN.com article. Later in the same statement Foxman, a Holocaust survivor himself, said that "abusive treatment of animals should be opposed, but cannot and must not be compared to the Holocaust." \nThe idea behind PETA's new campaign was to make people aware. Unfortunately, many people are becoming aware of how much they disagree with PETA. A CNN.com poll from the same article shows that 88 percent of people think PETA went too far.\nThere are two things wrong with PETA's campaign: First, there are the underlying or possibly unintentional thoughts of anti-Semitism. Although "The Holocaust on Your Plate" idea was thought up by a Jewish man, the exhibit still reeks of the idea that Jews and pigs are on the same level. PETA trivializes one of the most horrific acts of the 20th century so people will think twice about pork. \nSecond, there is a big difference between people and animals. While I do believe animals should be treated better, many animals eat other animals to survive. Unfortunately, we must do some pretty cruel things to animals so the human race doesn't starve. We still don't know if animals do feel pain or have emotions; there is the strong possibility that they just live by instinct and self-preservation. I know it's uncomfortable to think about eating Porky Pig, but humans have to do some uncomfortable things to survive.\nPETA's done some dumb things in the past. They've protested "Survivor" because the contestants had to eat rats. In 2000, they tried to link former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani's prostate cancer to drinking milk. The billboards PETA placed in NYC read: "Got Prostate Cancer? Drinking milk contributes to prostate cancer." Those were funny dumb. "Holocaust on Your Plate" is serious dumb. Trying to superimpose a great human tragedy onto an animal is dangerous. Animals aren't people. Animals react differently than people do. Animals may or may not have a conscious choice. We do.\nI know this is uncomfortable, but mankind needs to eat other animals to survive. Every other animal has to eat at least one other living thing or it will die. That is how life works. Not only does PETA trivialize a truly horrible event in human history, but it tries to make people feel guilty for what they have to do. Just because you eat beef doesn't make you a Nazi. If you choose to become a vegetarian, that's fine. However, using desperate shock tactics damages your legitimacy. In fact, you might just drive off some of your own supporters.