People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Issues - Term Paper Example

? People For Ethical Treatment of Animals Brittany Downey May 4, Introduction: Ethical issues related to animal rights started to begin around the 1970s, ignited by a famous Australian philosopher, Peter Singer. Peter Singer’s influential book, Animal Liberation (1975) was the cause for founders Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco to form what is now known as People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Peter Singer argued that the interest of animals should be considered due to their ability to feel suffering. By 1980, PETA was formed. PETA is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia. It is the most popular and the largest organization for the rights of animals. It carries out various campaigns around the world to stop cruelty and ill treatment towards animals. They believe that animals deserve the rights to have their best interests taken into great consideration. Its slogan is “animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.” The organization has three hundred employees and more than two million followers and supporters. PETA focuses on the four major areas where animals are subjected to suffer: In Research Laboratories In Garment Industry/Clothing Trade Entertainment Industry Factory Farms In addition, it deals with issues of killing animals in a cruel manner, the suffering of domestic animals, and the killing of birds and pests. Ingrid Newkirk states, “When it comes to feelings like hunger, pain, and thirst, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy” (p. 4). In general, animal rights demands that all the animals should be used and treated humanely. Animals can be used for various types of purpose, but the humane treatment and duty of care lies mainly with the human being. Like the animal rights theory, it upholds that we have no ethical explanation for using nonhuman animals for human purposes. The main aim of animal rights is to get rid of the use of animals. PETA encourages veganism, a philosophy of rights of animals far more fundamental than vegetarianism. Veganism is a strict vegetarian that does not eat any animal or dairy products at all. PETA also protests in opposition to animal testing of various types of cosmetics that apply to animals’ skin or eyes to test for protection and toxicity. Many companies such as, Johnson and Johnson, Proctor & Gamble, and L’Oreal all use animal testing for their products. Through PETA’s ongoing protests, many companies have stopped the use of animals for experimentation. Method: This organization has helped diminish the cruelty of animals through public education, cruelty investigations, research, animal rescue, special events, celebrity involvement, and protest campaigns. PETA also uses various celebrities for most of their assertive promotion and campaign activity with the intention to grab their audiences’ attention. Such celebrities are, Drew Barrymore, Pamela Anderson, Stella McCartney, Alicia Silverstone, Khloe Kardashian, and Alec Baldwin. PETA activists work hard for the rights of the animals. They educate the people about the sufferings of the animals. They make sure that people know how animals are treated in research laboratories, farming enterprises, and other areas where they are used. If they find any animal being subjected to cruelty, they figure out a plan to rescue it or grab attention. PETA adapts different schemes for its publicity. One could say that its publicity pattern has played a major role in getting such a huge response from people all around the world. Their slogans are thought provoking. “Meat is murder,” “I’d rather go naked than wear fur” are some of the slogan that have grabbed a lot of public attention. The organization aims at the eradication of cruelty to animals. They known all the tactics needed in pulling the crowd, some of which include the use of short phrases, eye-catching images, and banners. They would discuss some issues related to animals in their chat show, organize debates and also try to involve as many people as possible. PETA targets the following: Common People – To educate and convince them to stop using fur and cosmetics from companies that test the product on animals. Business – To make changes in their ways so that they do not use animals in it. Lawmakers – For new laws. Media – PETA gets a free coverage in the media with its campaigns including celebrities. They publicity strategy or rather “publicity stunts” are well known globally. These have place PETA in the midst of controversies over the period. It uses nudity in its campaigns or programs. One always has the question in mind why PETA sometimes uses nudity in their campaigns? The answer to this question is given in the PETA website itself. The organization admits that it is difficult to reach out to a large amount of people around the world; with celebrities and activities ready to strip instead of wear fur, do grab a lot of attention from people and the media. Thus it passes the message worldwide. PETA uses cute and lovely animals in their events, involves rock stars, professional models and other celebrities in their campaigns. They use striking words and sentences for messages that make headlines. They are very creative with their work, which catches limelight. They public strategies are very interesting and always pass a message; they make people think. First case: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals came to public attention in 1981 during the “Silver Spring Monkeys” case. The case was about seventeen macaque monkeys that were used to conduct experiments in researcher Edward Taub’s Institute of Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. Pacheco joined the institute in order to gain experience in an animal research laboratory. He found that Taub used to cut the “sensory ganglia” of monkeys that provides nerves to hands, legs, arms and fingers. This process is known as “deafferentation” which causes the monkeys to lose total sensation. Some monkeys’ entire spinal columns were deafferented. Taub used to starve the monkeys for food and water, and even used to give electric shocks in order to force the monkeys to use their deafferented body parts. Alex Pacheco took the pictures of the sufferings, as well as the filthy conditions in which the monkeys were living, and provided them as evidence for the police. This led to raid in the laboratory and the arrest of Edward Taub. Taub was later convicted of six counts of animal cruelty. This case initiated an amendment in 1985 to the United States Supreme Court, which upheld a Louisiana State Court ruling that denied PETA’s request for custody of the monkeys. This vicious ten-year battle for custody transformed PETA into a national, then international movement. PETA had claimed over 350,000 members, a paid staff of over 100, and an annual budget of over seven million dollars by February 1991. Analysis: The founder of PETA came up with its concept because of the horrifying inhumane treatment of animals especially in factory farms where millions of ducks, hens are kept in a very small place without proper care and diet. The organization comes with corporate boycotts and letter writing campaigns as well as uses numerous website that discourage fur business, fishing and zoos and tobacco companies which use animals in their testing. The special inspired target market of PETA has been people between ages of 13 to 24 because people of this age group are passionate, environment friendly and more towards the encouragement of veganism. Having youth oriented sites which depict PETA as boldest animal rights organization further inspires youth and plays a role in discouraging animal exploiting (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).few examples of the rhetoric campaigns of PETA has been given below with an explanation about the reaction of audience In advertising their messages PETA uses those kinds of ads which show the similarities between humans and animals. Through different visual campaigns they try to show that human s and animals have common identity (Atkins-Sayrea).some social movement organizations incorporate nudity in their protest and PETA also did that. There was a campaign ‘Holocaust on Your Plate’, in which PETA put side by side images from Nazi death camps with animal mistreatment in farms or zoos where animals were kept unethically. These images had captions like ‘to animals, all people are Nazis’, such campaigns offended public like Jewish community and Anti Defamation League. Similarly their campaign ‘I’d rather go naked than Wear Fur’, offended feminists who said that these campaigns do worse for women rather than saving animals. Despite of backlashes, PETA has continued its relentless efforts of advertising which have been largely disseminated by billboards, mass media and other media PETA has used nudity in its ads showing nude girl saying that we will work hard to protect human rights and we will get more naked but will protect animals. It uses naked approach again and again to show its commitment to becoming more naked and to explain how public nudity functions rhetorically as a protest strategy. Although these actions are meant to attract media attention, but some of the analysts say that these actions create a negative image of the company that creates a shock feeling among consumers rather than being inspired (Edward). Display of caged women, which represent mistreatment of elephants in circus, is also used by PETA. This for sure attracts the attention of readers and the basic appeal of protestors is to present nudity as a form of public protest. However, she asks nothing from the viewer, which shows that it is left up to the imagination of reader. This democratic persuasion is meant to not only increase the awareness, but also empower the citizens to take steps. Also there is another rhetoric activity ‘Running of the Nudes’ which idea is taken from running of the bulls during the festival of San Fermin in Spain. PETA to draw the attention against bull fighting, it uses a mock running of bulls using nude activists. Participants of this running wear red scarves and dress the same way as the bulls do in that festival. Many carry placards having slogans like stop bloody bull fighting. The main theme of running the activists is that it is not necessary to use animals for fun and tourism. There is a website which incorporates bull fighting facts and invites activist to join the running. These all efforts target media and youth to basically stand against animal violence. This event is given an image of a very cool and a party type event to encourage more participants. There are teasers which encourage youth to come on a very cool party full of babes not bulls, and also there is title of sexiest runner. These efforts encourage youth to get a party environment and ion the same time promoting the cause of PETA. Also there are pictures of the women available just to attract guys. This is mixed gender event. This event has been positioned as a fun event and encouragement of this thing that humans can also enjoy without hurting animals (Edward). Also in their advertising campaigns, protestors relate their nudity to the welfare of animals. They show the spirit of protestors that they can wear just the skin if it causes animals to save. Even a girl who is shy, if while wearing clothes she holds a placard displaying some caption against cruelty to animals, nobody would pay attention. But if same she does while being nude, the message becomes more effective and more likely to achieve desired outcome (Edward). However, PETA needs to be tactical in using its advertising campaigns and remain away from extremism. Using of caged women might create a negative feeling of the organization as racist and does gender discrimination. Nudity also creates a negative image, though it is meant for a cause but the way of grabbing attention can offend public sometimes. The event of ‘running of the nudes’ is a mixed gender event and more effective and less confrontational as the objective behind it is clear and this race takes place before the actual event of bull fighting rather than during it. It is assumed to be a fun event and website advertising and attracting events tend to attract more public without offending them. Perhaps the success of this strategy can be in this way as there is less threat of co-optation, its probability is low that it will be copied by any organization else. This extreme ideological approach has created a monopoly and there is a less chance of copying it. There are two advantages of this kind of rhetoric behavior of PETA. First, it communicates the dedication and commitment of the organization to its mission and the second one is that attention is gained. Once the media has paid attention to the campaign, it is easier for the organization to disseminate the message (Edward) Discussion: Body rhetoric is an important source of social movement rhetoric. It gains more attention and it gains more publicity. Especially their kind of publicity being used by PETA says that using any kind of publicity is allowed. However, there are arguments against the PETA activism. Some researchers say that hunting preserves wildlife rather than destroying it (Regan). It is said that PETA is more about ‘anti- hunting’ and about other campaigns but does not provide alternatives of getting the same advantages without hunting. It does not tell community about sustaining wildlife and their habitat. In 1977, PETA was able to ban all hunting in Kenya, the population of elephants and other wild animals nearly doubled in the country but poaching went out of control which harmed people and clothes so they were kept in national parks where poaching can be controlled. So it is true that elephants and other wildlife have problems getting a hospitable habitat. Also in Africa, famers supported hunting as it was necessary for their crops. Although PETA came up with alternatives of saving crops without hunting by using low cost fences and using chilli infused string. But the issue is that these animals become immune to such actions. So according to researchers, PETA creates lots of rhetoric but few results (Regan) a statement of PETA regarding breeders is that ‘there is no such thing as a responsible breeder’. Here by saying ‘no such thing’ PETA is actually nullifying any chance of responsible breeder to exist. The rhetoric used by PETA is at extreme ends always, removing the probability that few breeders will be better. So we can see that advertising and marketing messages of PETA have always been obnoxious and extreme. It can offend certain community o certain class of community. PETA has also been agued of not doing the efforts in a directional way but doing random efforts and not providing alternatives to public. Also the use of nudity aggravates the public emotions as it is a negative way of promoting a cause. But the main theme of PETA behind such obnoxious efforts is to attract the public attention and to make the messages more effective. The statements like ‘It would be great if all the fast-food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories and the banks who fund them exploded tomorrow’ invite the wrath of public as fast food culture is widespread these days. In promoting veganism, PETA has gone to the extreme end as it has used extreme and bold themes in rhetoric. Such themes can gain attention of media and public but a great deal of care needs to be taken in advertising in such way. The marketing campaigns should be locally and culturally adapted to the audiences so they do not offend the general public, like what happen in ‘Holocaust on your plate’ campaign which offended Jewish community. Also using caged women and nudity can create negative image by saying that organization is doing objectification of woman. Such campaigns can successfully grab the public attention, but then there need to be proper efforts for suggesting alternatives. Commitment of the organization is shown by the extremism in campaigns, but there needs to be a follow up of the activities, they need to measure or somehow analyze the effects of such advertising, a cost and benefit analysis can be proven helpful to explain the utilization if such campaigns. Conclusion: It has been explained as certainly the most flourishing and radical organization in the United States. PETA aims at total animal liberation. It means that no dairy or meat; other than that, it also denotes no circuses, no aquariums, no fishing or hunting, no leather or fur, and no medical investigations using animals. Through PETA’s caring effort and motivation, they bring together people of the scientific, corporate, and legislative communities to accomplish long-term changes that benefit animals’ quality of life and prevent their deaths. PETA has finished groundbreaking improvements for animals that are misused by governments, corporations and individuals all throughout the world and these achievements have guided to dramatic developments in the lives of millions of animals. The organization strongly believes in animal rights in par with human rights. PETA is using different rhetoric themes to communicate its message to public. It will take time to spread the awareness about the cruelty we do with animals. However, making websites is a good effort to attract youth as youth is very passionate and environment friendly. Positioning of such events as ‘Running of the Nudes’ is being made more showy and colorful, which attracts youth by giving different incentives. The underlying theme is that rather than bull fighting, humans can enjoys with other humans and without hurting animals. This is one of the most effective campaigns by PETA, which shows that organization is using creative and innovative tactics to attract general public and to encourage veganism. However, it can also use rhetoric by focusing on the positive side of vegetables rather than focusing on animal cruelty. Health awareness programs and walks can help them to increase the awareness about nutritious value of vegetables and ultimately discouraging the people from eating meat. Efforts needed to be taken to focus on both the negative side of animal cruelty as well as positive side of veganism. Bibliography Atkins-Sayrea, Wendy. "Articulating Identity: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Animal/Human Divide." Western Journal of Communication (2010): 309-328. Edward, Greg Goodale and Jackson. Arguements about Animal Ethics. Lexington Books, 2010. "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals." 2003. www.peta.org. 18 April 2012 . Regan, Terry Anderson and Shawn. "Shoot an Elephant, Save a Community." 6 June 2011. www.perc.org. 19 april 2012 . Read More