I thought PETA had strayed into the land of non compos mentis with their reaction to President Obama killing a fly, but this is even worse.  Any shreds of legitimacy in their mission are drowned out by the absurdity of  their messages.  Insert eye-rolling smiley here!

Erin

The Single Rider - the fine line between "free" and "alone"

My Mobile Adventures *~*~* - mobile/photo blogging

...but I will say it again.  As much as being fat sucks, having people be crass, thoughtless and oftentimes downright rude does nothing to help matters.

 I recently left the following comment over on one of Jessica Gottlieb's posts...I hope it helps explain my point of view. Or as some are probably going to be apt to proclaim, I'm just too fast and lazy to come up with a new original comment on the same subject. 

****

"It does suck. Believe me it does.

It also sucks, being conned into believing that you are worthless if you don’t weigh 115lbs and are a size 2.

It sucks, sticking your finger down your throat after you eat, in
order not to add another pound onto your morbidly obese frame.

It sucks because for the longest time, growing up, I was told I was
beautiful…I had the perfect body. I didn’t notice it, didn’t care. It’s
just the way I was built. But someone did notice…the man who married my
mother.

Years later, my son died.

I ate to drown the pain of burying my two year old. Before that I
ate to bury the 125lb young woman with the 34D chest and great ass. No
one would “admire” her if she were buried in fat.

And now? Now I’m clawing my way back, desperately and trying to get
angry NOW…really angry for the first time in my life that I let someone
do the things they did and didn’t get angry THEN.

This is a miserable way to live. It’s not fun.

However, let me get one thing patently clear. I don’t want people to
accept that the morbidly obese should be loved the way they are and
that it’s cool. It’s not cool. We’re a drain on the medical system, our
loved ones and ourselves. What is NOT cool is to ostracize women like
me – treat us like we’re somehow stupid, unintelligent cows, lesser
human beings because we’re fat. It’s not cool to be demeaned and
belittled in front of others. It’s not cool to be made fun of and to
teach your children to make fun of or belittle the obese.

Treat us like human beings and perhaps we’ll start to feel like we
owe it to ourselves to start taking care of ourselves like we are
indeed valued and have a right to be here.

I understand that not every morbidly obese person has some issue in
their background they are trying to “bury.” I do understand that some
have metabolic issues, (I have been told I have Hashimoto’s Disease but
I don’t believe it and therefore don’t take the medication. It makes me
ill anyhow. I’m fat. Hashimoto’s does not cause an otherwise healthy
female to gain 175+lbs., and for some it might be genetic or just a
simple lack of willpower. It doesn’t mean that their way of life needs
to be accepted as normal, but it also doesn’t mean they deserve to be
treated as if they are criminals."

...thanks PETA for reinforcing the stereotypes about the overweight and obese.  I hope it doesn't hurt too badly when you shoot yourselves in the foot the next time you have a marketing campaign that totally alienates an entire group of people - probably the ones you were trying to reach! 

Audrey at Barking Mad!

Well, I already figured PETA had been eating too many mushrooms, but this, well, they'd pop a vein if they came down to the islands and got a glimpse of the many very happy large ladies in their spangly bikinis 'wukkin' up' down de road.

What are they thinking? It's so immensely off base it makes me figure they must have a mole in their midst sabotaging them. It just makes no sense at all!

I support good treatment for animals totally, but the kind of foolishness PETA does just makes a mockery of it all, does more harm than good.

The larger ladies of Florida should sue them for defamation!

the reality is this is just another in a long line of PETA's using women & the female body to try to sell its message. remember the superbowl ads? or go naked? or a host of other ads and media events that have tried to market stereotypes of women's sexuality and bodies to promote their message?  given the track record I'm not surprised, offended yes but surprised no. 

beth aka confusedhomemaker

http://theconfusedhomemaker.com/

 PETA is quite simply a laughingstock of an organization.  They seem to operate on the theory that attention is always good, regardless of whether it is positive or negative.  That even if their ads or stunts shock, anger and appall people, they will at least get and remember the message, and that's a good thing right?  Well, not so much.  There's getting the message and then there's actually doing something about it.  And what PETA doesn't seem to get is that ads like this don't inspire people to do anything except get mad at PETA, and possibly do the exact opposite of what they want out of sheer anger.  PETA has essentially become the snake eating its own tail, preaching to a dwindling choir and having less and less effect on individual or national policy towards animals.  I recall reading an article about PETA many years ago where they admitted that they really couldn't make public statements supporting any kind of animals welfare legislation because their organization is so reviled and seen as so fringe that their support could actually kill an animal rights bill.

I just hope the general public understands that just because PETA screams the loudest doesn't mean they represent all people who care about the welfare of animals. 

Sara

www.inkandpixelclub.com

That's.... disgusting, to say the least. Hope they're proud of themselves. They're probably the only ones who ARE. 

Granted, I am a little biased... 

My older sister was vegetarian/vegan for years, using it as a cover for her anorexia. Her 'I am not a nugget!' stickers, with the cute little chicks, were her defense. PETA supported her decision to starve herself, why weren't we? She WAS that woman in that ad, in her mind. 

PETA generally leaves a bad taste in my mouth, no matter what they are in the news for. 

I've been disgusted with PETA ever since they ran an ad, years ago, that equated killing animals with child abuse.

Um, no.

Not even remotely the same. At all.

Laurie in Sri Lanka

Chilli & Chocolate | A Canadian in King Parakramabahu's Court | LMAshton on Twitter

I'm convinced that most of the time they do stupid things like this to get your attention.  Attention that they don't deserve.

http://flightkeeper.blogspot.com

http://cutefuncool.blogspot.com

I know it's already been said, but this is disgusting. In so many ways.

Makes the t-shirt I saw recently even more funny and appropriate..."People Eating Tasty Animals" 

The whole thing just makes my ample body sigh. Clearly, PETA believes any attention - bad or good - helps their cause. They oflten fail to consider the negative outcome of such efforts. Campaigns like this one - and this one is a DOOZY - actually serve the omnivore argument better than any other. 

As someone who never cooks meat at home and strives to be a vegetarian (mainly for ethical reasons), I have to go with Dabitch on this one. The whole silly mess makes me want a cheeseburger. 

~ClizBiz  

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Animal Concerns, Proprietor, ClizBiz

That PETA should be ignored. Really. They make so many poor, mind boggling choices.

--
http://briannamccarthy.blogspot.com

-- Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
- Dr. Martin Luther King

-- A talent is formed in stillness; a character in the world's torrent.
- Go

As an overweight woman, I really wasn't as offended by the comparison of women to whales as most people -- you have to have some bad self esteem to let PETA get to you that way.  But the incongruent logic -- well that's just PETA using a wildly inflamatory approach regardless of accuracy.  Disgusting.

 http://www.weightforsuccess.com

 Dahlings,

After all of the nonsense about about that vile Cintra Wilson article, as I put it on my blog, I am beginning to suffer "outrage fatigue." And as a luxuriously plus-sized omnivore, I intend to eat a sandwich made out of the nearest endangered species I can find.

You can find my take at http://diaryofamadfashionista.blogspot.com

 Ciao!

Elisa

I mean, a lot of us love a non-profit organization who takes a stand on behalf of animal rights (like the SPCA), but PETA has done so many things over the years that actually diminish their own effectiveness, it is depressing. And it is sad that they are often the most visible.

Part of the reason I have remained lacto-ovo-pescatarian over the years is because I abhor factory farming methodology, and I wish PETA would have used their significant influence over the years to work harder on stopping these practices rather than spending all their money on ad campaigns that aren't really *doing* anything.

What is this ad accomplishing? Causing women to have poor body images?  How does that help animals in factory farms? Even if it did stop people from eating meat, that doesn't address the legislative and economical motivators for poor treatment of animals in the food industry.

This is just so off the mark...guh.

http://www.ConscientiousConfusion.com

http://www.afamilyis.us

it appears that Overweight people are still among the groups you are
allowed to discriminate over. What if the sign had a Black woman or a
lesbian on the billboard? There would be public out rage everywhere. Do
over weight people have to be attacked from all angles? The usually
half naked protesters for vegetarianism decide to beat up on the Obese
folks in our society who struggle each day trying to lose weight.
Others are happy with their shape and have no desire to look like a
skeleton. These are the same folks that spend time in Rehab facilities
because, Drug and Alcohol use is a disease. So they come out with a “PETA’s list of the top vegetarian-friendly rehab centers.” Have you seen a Vegan at the Beach? get some color, Eat some Meat!

BTW I was happy to include a portion of your article on the Politisite blog

PETA – Save the Whales, Lose the Blubber

.  While we may disagree on many areas in politics, we agree here.  I am hapy to say, some men (like myself) like a woman who is full figured

In my experience, I was alot more overweight when I was a vegetarian. I ate more fatty foods, dairy etc,  in an attempt to feel full. Meat is more satiating, given that it is a big protein hit. 

Brianna Vincent, Marketing Coordinator, Contact Lens King

And the HSUS is no better!  Many people are responsible breeders but we are ALL puppy mills if we breed even a single litter of anything.....
PETA has launched a couple of new campaigns... yep, against breeders as well
 Animal Rights Uncompromised: There's No Such Thing as a 'Responsible Breeder'
 http://www.peta.org/campaigns/ar-responsiblebreeders.asp
 And here's something that everyone in America should be furious about!!!
PETA's Guide to Animal Birth Control
http://www.peta.org/feat/abc/

I have no respect for any of them and I cannot understand how celebs get conned into becoming activists for them.......  All of their ads disgust me.

PETA's president was in Portland yesterday for a book-signing event. A handful of local protesters were on hand to show their opposition to the organization's continued sexist adverts, including this most recent ad.

A. L. Venable is a Random Citizen. She primarily writes at Dimple and a Smirk (dot) com and Our PDX Network.

It would appear tht PETA is not the only one to associate large women with whales. I recently received an email from a friend forwarding the following:

"In France, a poster featuring a young, thin and tanned woman appears in the window of a gym. It reads, THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE? A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern:

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life; they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins, stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids, on the other hand, do not exist. If they did exist, they would probably have an identity crisis. Fish or human? Mermaids don't have a sex life since they kill the men who get close to them, and speaking of sex...how? Therefore, they don't have kids either. The choice is perfectly clear to me: I choose whale.

 Sincerely..."

I read this email with a much lighter heart than I did the PETA campaign. I questioned, "What if you just want to be a fat mermaid?"

(wish you could see Fat Fabulous Fishwoman © Kristine Paton)

However, I am really having a hard time understanding why, in both instances, women were involved in the creation of shaming propaganda directed at other women. Has anyone noticed that neither makes any reference to fat men? Yes, people, there are fat men in the world, too, and you don't see them shaming each other at every opportunity! While we women continue to obsess about our looks and judge each other mercilessly — don't even get me started on "Yummy Mummies" gone wrong — the world around us continues its steady journey down the toilet. Way to go ladies ...