Crazy does it

In response to Abby Schwimmer’s article “Primates are people too” (April 14), I would like to compliment the writer for exploring the topics of animal rights and environmental activism and tactics. We’d like nothing better than to be able to show the media videos of factory farms, fur farms and animals in laboratories and have them find it newsworthy enough to cover. But they don’t. However, when we use a more publicly-visible approach, that very same animal abuse ends up in newspapers and on televisions nationwide. Experience has taught us that provocative and controversial campaigns make the difference between keeping important yet depressing subjects invisible and having them widely seen. The alternative is to be ignored in the torrent of tabloid-style stories that dominate the popular press.\nApproximately 10 billion animals are raised and killed for food every year in the U.S. The vast majority of them are raised on factory farms, where animals suffer horribly from birth until death. Birds have their beaks seared off with a hot blade, cows are skinned and dismembered often while still fully conscious and pigs often have their throats slit while they are still awake. If we fail to garner the attention of the general population, this cruelty will continue with no end in sight. The situation is imminent for them, and it is our responsibility to keep the spotlight on their suffering. \nThose who are interested in learning more about PETA’s tactics and goals should visit www.peta2.com, where they can request free stickers and a DVD about how to reduce animal suffering.