PETA: Please No Klansmen
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I have been called a “PETA apologist” because sometimes I defend their techniques. But this time I can’t.
PETA plans to show up at the AKC Westminster dog show dressed as Klansmen to point out some of the similarities between the AKC and the KKK. They say the similarities are “pure bloodlines, master race/master pedigree, woeful lack of fashion sense” and I agree. Both the AKC and the KKK are borne of eugenics, both are violent and cruel, both promote prejudice.
Documentary – BBC – Pedigree Dogs Exposed:
Kennel Clubs are EVIL, but…
The KKK still kills people. STILL. This is not “unfortunate moments in human history” as some anti-PETA spokepeople call the KKK, this is real life, current racism, hate, murder.
No one should dress as a Klansman, not even as part of a protest. It’s too confusing, it’s too provocative, it’s too racist. It’s not funny, it’s not safe, it’s not OK.
I think dressing up as KKK members is WAY too far overboard. For starters, it has potential for inciting violence. PETA people who are dressed up could easily get hurt because the image of Klansmen invokes righteous anger (which is what the AKC should invoke and is why PETA has chosen to do this).
Moreover, people who copy PETA and dress as Klansmen could get hurt by angry breeders (whose anger isn’t justified) or by angry anti-racists (whose anger IS justified). People just won’t “get it” and instead the demonstration will unveil people’s racism and hate.
Your thougths?
Agree. When I read that post on the PETA Files I was very dismayed. They do a great job at getting animal rights in the media and attracting people to their websites to order vegan starter kits and watch their videos, but even for PETA, dressing up as klansmen is going too far. Plus, it will not help the animals and just feed people with the misguided view that PETA is a bunch of radical hippies who care more about humans than animals.
I have to agree with you. Perhaps leafleting would be effective as to demonstrate the soundness of the logic underlying the assertion. But the actual demonstration will be muddied by the visceral reaction most will have to the image of a “Klansmen,” which will dilute the message into a ready-made straw man and provide further reasons not to read the literature.
~ Recent blog post: Rent-A-Pet: How…..convenient? ~
I’m all for it.
Sure, the KKK/AKC analogy isn’t perfect. Sure, it’ll likely turn some off to the message. But as with many of PETA’s stunts, the goal is really just to get people’s conversations close to the real problem. There are plenty of books and leaflets out there for those interested in a rational approach; PETA takes a different path, and I’m thankful that we have people working hard to bring this sort of diversity to the movement.
“the demonstration will unveil people’s racism and hate.”
If people are racist we should unveil it! It shouldn’t hide behind PC notions – we need to confront it head on. Given that, I don’t think PETA demonstration hurts any cause – it just helps bring attention to the AKC’s bad practices. People should be ashamed to support them.
- Joel
I actually agree with PETA on this one. What humans are doing to animals is inconscionable, either from inbreeding to factory farming. Writing nice notes and politely asking people to stop hasn’t made a dent in the awareness or concern in these abuses and animals should not have to suffer for humans ignorance. Whats worse, people wearing KKK suits or animals dying due to human ignorance. And for a bit of a reality check, yes, the KKK kill people but the factory farms and inbreeding kills animals as well……. after all PETA has you writing, thinking and talking about these issues, when you decide to take action to help stop it is the day PETA won’t have to wear KKK outfits any more…….
Joel,
How about if it unveils violent racism? What if PETA members get hurt or killed as a result?
My argument isn’t just that wearing the white sheets is racist in and of itself, my argument is that wearing white sheets is akin to carrying a fake gun that looks real – it’s inherently dangerous.
To add the what Elaine said, PETA can also make the comparison between the KKK and the AKC (and in terms of each party’s insistence on “race” or “breed” purity, I think it’s a valid comparison) without donning white hoods, which are a very real, very visceral, and (still) very contemporary symbol of racism and hatred. As a heterosexual, middle-class white woman, it’s difficult for me to comprehend what someone of African American heritage must feel upon seeing a crowd of (no doubt, mostly Caucasian) people roaming the streets in white robes and hoods, but I imagine it’s pretty f-cking terrifying. PETA *could* have made their point without unleashing such a symbol and the psychological trauma it inspires – and they *should* have, out of respect for marginalized human groups and an unwillingness to engage in other “isms.” Racism is no more and no less tolerable than speciesism.
In fact, I think PETA’s demonstration would have made more sense if they had left the Klan gear at home. Here, PETA members are dressed like the KKK; attention is drawn not towards the AKC and their reprehensible practices, but to PETA. And, as Cara at Feministe noted, who’s gonna accept a flyer from a (seeming) KKK member, anyway?
~ Recent blog post: easyVegan Link Sanctuary, 2009-02-10 ~
These stunts just turn people off of veganism and make it easy for people to dismiss us as kooks and weirdos. I’ll never be able to support PETA as long as they keep taking this kind of approach.
~ Recent blog post: My Soysilk Scarf ~
Ashley, the protest wasn’t even about veganism at all. So it’s absurd to claim that it will turn people off from veganism. It turns people off from PETA, that’s all.