Animal rights organisation PETA are calling for people to stop using anti-animal phrases, saying that our language must evolve in the same manner as our understanding of social justice evolves.
The group say using meat-based expressions is comparable with homophobic and racist language, so they took the initiative to tweet a graphic with possible alternatives to traditional idioms.
Words matter, and as our understanding of social justice evolves, our language evolves along with it. Here’s how to remove speciesism from your daily conversations. pic.twitter.com/o67EbBA7H4
— PETA (@peta) December 4, 2018
In a follow-up tweet, PETA wrote:
"Just as it became unacceptable to use racist, homophobic, or ableist language, phrases that trivialize cruelty to animals will vanish as more people begin to appreciate animals for who they are and start bringing home the bagels instead of the bacon."
The comparison with racism and homophobia was met with anger, with some arguing that PETA was trivialising race and gender issues.
While the alternative phrases may have been said tongue-in-cheek publicity stunt (there's nothing to say that tgey are though), people weren't having any of it:
It’s a strong enough statement to say don’t be cruel to animals @peta I’m not saying people are more important than animals, but you appear to be saying that some people are the same as animals, and that’s what racists, homophobes and ableists say.
— Nicky Clark (@MrsNickyClark) December 5, 2018
Hi, @peta. As someone who has had homophobic slurs shouted at him and seen individuals physically threatened and beaten while anti-LGBTQ epithets were hurled, your stupidity is not even laughable— it is offensive to equate common animal idioms to racism, ableism, or homophobia.
— Anthony Michael Kreis (@AnthonyMKreis) December 5, 2018
