Germany is known for its beer and bratwurst. These are two traditional mainstays in the German diet. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is built on the idea of protecting animals and ensuring they are treated in a way that is humane so it is understandable that these German delicacies aren’t their cup of tea. Another reputation the organization is for making extreme statements that oftentimes are a controversial ‘hot take’. What have they said this time? Well, PETA in Germany is calling for a new anti-meat eating campaign, that is encouraging women to go on a sex strike against men. Needless to say, people aren’t happy.
Who is PETA?
The organization PETA, has been around since the 80’s. It was founded on March 22nd by Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco. PETA’s website states they were founded to provide “caring people with ways to actively change society.” Their website further states, ”PETA brings together members of the scientific, corporate, and legislative communities to achieve large-scale changes that prevent animal suffering and exploitation.” They’ve recently launched a campaign in Germany and people are responding, saying their campaign is sexist and would not work to benefit their overall narrative.
Campaign Goals.
In this new campaign, they are calling on women to go on a sex strike until men go vegan, going so far as to say there should be a ban on these people having children. The Telegraph, a UK-based online news source, spoke with PETA representatives about their new campaign goals. According to their report, PETA claims that every child not born would save 58.6 tons of CO2 a year. Many headlines are reporting on this story calling it a “sexist” position.
Firstly, women worldwide purchase and consume just as much meat as men. In some countries, the number of women even outweighs the number of men. This is in part, due to cultural norms and who is expected to do the shopping, food prep, and cooking. Secondly, women enjoy sex too. In the 1950s there were magazines that encouraged women to have sex with their husbands whenever their husbands desired as it was their obligation to keep their husbands happy.
Recently, in many countries all over the world, women have learned to embrace their own sexuality and found that they, too, enjoy it. ‘Conservative MP Alicia Kearns told LBC radio: “It just feeds in to all the worst narratives of the ’90s that women use sex, it’s not something they enjoy, that they should use it as a tool against men. It’s also incredibly focused on straight relationships.”[ladbible].
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Environmental Impact.
Although PETA’s main goal has always been to fight for animals’ rights. They’ve adapted their campaign to appeal to a new demographic, those who desire a more eco-friendly life. People realize that by also treating animals with the decency PETA advocates for, they can help the environment as a byproduct. With our population growth, scientists are researching the most efficient ways to produce food and how these methods impact global warming and greenhouse gasses.
According to many, the solution is moving toward a more plant-based diet. One study conducted at Cornell University found that “the food system produces emissions that are equivalent to approximately 17.3 billion metric tons (17.318 teragrams) of carbon dioxide yearly.”[cornell] While this is bad news for the climate change crisis we face, it is good news for PETA’s cause. Science is on their side, in that statistics show a diet that includes less meat is certainly bound to have a positive economic impact.
Despite their subtle use of “reverse psychology” in claiming that going vegan will do away with “toxic masculinity”, PETA has made a crucial error in their delivery. Many people don’t respond well to being told what to do with their own life, enjoying the freedom to make their own choices. Understandably so, people are responding with contempt and dissatisfaction, which can thereby invalidate the concerns PETA is claiming to fight for. PETA will likely need to find a new angle to campaign in pursuing their hope to make the world go vegan.
What do you think about the campaign? Too far? Not far enough? Let us know in the comments!
Keep Reading: PETA Wants MLB to Start Calling the ‘Bullpen’ an ‘Arm Barn’ over Treatment of Cows
Sources
- “PETA calls for sex strike against meat-eating men ‘to save the World’.” The Telegraph. James Crisp. September 21, 2022.
- “PETA’s history: Compassion in action.” PETA. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- “Tory MP says PETA’s proposed ‘sex strike’ to tackle climate change is ‘sexist’.” The Independent. Holly Patrick. September 22, 2022.
- “PETA calls for women to go on a sex strike against men who eat meat.” LAD Bible. Stewart Perrie. September 21, 2022.
- “Food production generates more than a third of manmade greenhouse gas emissions – a new framework tells how much comes from crops, countries and regions. Alliance for Science. Xiaoming Xu and Atul Jain. September 15, 2021.