F.U.C.K.P.E.T.A.

I had to think about this for a little while and cool down. Look, I belong to Greenpeace. I support positive militant environmental action. I believe in the power of people to make themselves heard and educate others by action. I oppose animal cruelty and militantly, more than ever support small farmers and now my fight against Monsanto has taken on a personal aspect. But, more and more, I believe the elitist frivolous group PETA is diluting and destroying the credibility of how the actions of responsible groups are being perceived. Today, they crossed the line of arrogance and self involved egotism with their offer to pay the water bills of 10 poor Detroit residents if they would become "vegans"for one month. 

Think about that. A rich wealthy elitist organization uses the human rights violation of the Detroit Water Cut offs as a propaganda tool to educate poor people in their concept of a healthy vegetarian diet. Most the PETA members probably have no idea of what it is like to live in an inner city poor neighborhood. They get their organic natural food from over priced markets in their wealthy communities. What PETA seems to miss in their vegan-as-a-bargaining-chip scheme is that it’s not easy for everyone to live on a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables like the kind PETA encourages. Some people — and especially lower-income residents like those in Detroit who are struggling to pay their bills — reside in food deserts where it’s not easy to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables all the time. Or they simply work too many jobs and still don’t have enough money to have the time to prepare fresh, unprocessed foods. In 2012, 18 million families in the U.S. were unable to get a sufficient amount of food to be healthy.

I think it is demeaning, hypocritical and insulting to the people of Detroit who are struggling to survive in a city that is engaged in the process of eliminationism as a solution to poverty. It makes me very mad that they have reduced poor Detroiters to the level of the cheap publicity stunts, making them another gimmicky photo opportunity  as the women often depicted naked, covered in “blood,” and trapped in cages for PETA promotional materials and events.

My problem with PETA is that they seem much more concerned with the sensational hype and emotional manipulation of animal cruelty than with the ethical treatment of humans and the people I have met who were militant PETA members and sympathizers seemed to have a very unreal relationship with reality.  If you want to really help the people of Detroit, keep the pressure on the real culprits. They are finally beginning to show a little restraint. The city just declared a 15 day moratorium on shut offs and actually began to turn the water back on to homes they have illegally cut off with out due process after a coalition of city residents and community groups filed a lawsuit against the Detroit Water and Sewage Department. Supporting the people and keeping the real pressure on works! The city of Detroit is cracking under the international attention and criticism it has received in the last month. Canada has filed a complaint with the United Nations for the Human Rights Violations of the Shut Offs and is actually delivering water to Detroit residents.  PETA's cheap publicity stunt only dilutes the protest and makes the plight of these people seem trite and silly.  I'd say FUCK PETA, but they seem to be doing a pretty good job of doing it to themselves!