Is PETA Crossing a Line Too Far?
“People who buy purebred dogs really burn me up. Always adopt.” That ad copy from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) seems innocuous enough, no? But what about after you learn that PETA paid $200 for it to appear on a dying man’s cremation urn?
Aaron Jamison, a 37-year-old musician/comedian in Oregon, has terminal cancer and was given a prognosis of just a few more months to live. Being a musician/comedian, he’s not rolling in cash. So that his wife doesn’t have to go into debt to pay for his $800 cremation, he decided to sell ad space on his urns.
Among the advertisers, most of whom seem to be local folk, is PETA, which paid $200 for two ads: the one quoted above and one that declares “I’ve kicked the bucket—have you? Boycott KFC.” It then proceeded to promote the ads on its blog.
Black humor is risky at best. Black humor that seems to be taking advantage of someone else’s misfortune to promote your own cause is beyond risky. Though I’m no PETA cheerleader (yes, I abhor puppy mills, but I also adore sushi), I do find the slogans funny. (Then again, my mother had inscribed on her gravestone, “See y’all later…”, which shows that funereal humor runs in the family.) And apparently Jamison is cool with them, as he thanked PETA along with his other advertisers on his blog.
Indeed, several people praised PETA’s sense of humor on the Website of an Oregon television station that had reported on Jamison’s efforts. “I don’t think very highly of PETA, but I must say that advertisement made me chuckle given the location it will be placed,” wrote one commenter.
But as might be expected, others found PETA’s actions self-aggrandizing, tasteless, and cheap. Among the comments on the Gawker blog post about the ads: “And seriously, PETA? F*** you”; “Once again PETA grosses me out with their lack of tact”; and “Couldn’t you have picked something a little less time-sensitive than a campaign that you have against a particular company? Don’t you have some sort of long-term values to express rather than some tacky bulls**t, clumsy-ass slogan against a f***ing fast-food factory?”
Given PETA’s record, I highly doubt the organization is concerned about offending the sensibilities of the public with its tactics. The final comment I quoted above, though, makes me wonder how much more effective the group might be if, just occasionally, instead of shock tactics, it shocked us by showing as much humanity toward humans as it does toward other animals.
