Read my latest flash, Venison, at 52|250.

Add me to the list of vegans officially disgusted with PETA. In the past, I’ve defended some of the ads and stunts involving naked women; while I still don’t believe I was incorrect in those defenses, I can no longer support in any way an organization that believes it is appropriate to have a bunch of white kids dress up like klansmen for a protest.

The argument PETA has used to justify this action is to compare the actions of the American Kennel Club in selective breeding to eugenics. Had they merely written out this argument, we could have a reasonable discussion about it. Yes, there is something similar going on with the obsession with bloodlines: our cultural love of the pure is a problem for humans and animals alike. On the other hand, the AKC (so far as I know) isn’t actively seeking to prevent the existence of mutts, nor are they burning crosses on the lawns of homes where mixed-blood dogs reside.

PETA, however, didn’t just write out their argument; they chose to go with a display of racist imagery. As Renee at Womanist Musings puts it: “I000000;">t mattered not to these ignorant over privileged fools, that seeing people dressed like this in a public place could be terribly triggering to POC.” There are two ways to go about portraying animals and people as having moral equality: one is to raise the value of animals, the other is to reduce the values of humans. It should go without saying that I favor the first technique. When PETA ignores the possibility of triggering people, it is engaging in the second. And since PETA brought up eugenics, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that it was in this direction that the Nazis went as well.

000000;">I should also point out that there’s something absurd about PETA justifying racist displays by claiming that they are in opposition to eugenics given that PETA has had absolutely no problem perpetuating negative ideas about autism in the past:

Remember, people with disabilities are among the main targets of eugenic campaigns.

000000;">ETA: Evil Slutopia also has a post about PETA’s action.

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