PETA Signs “Octomom” for Ad on Spaying, Proving They Have No Shame.

I very much support the end of discrimination in the United States based most specifically on class, race, gender and sexual orientation. That doesn’t mean that when met with the reality of other causes, I would throw those causes under the bus, to prove my point or make political inroads. I recognize the need to work collaboratively and through coalition in the world of social justice. I also support the ethical treatment of animals, but I can not support an organization that is so willing to humiliate, exotify and make fetish of marginalized communities in the service of creating a noise machine that, frankly, doesn’t change people’s minds about going vegan, vegetarian or to support any of their initiatives. Someone needs to send PETA a memo that being loud isn’t the same thing as being effective.
So I suppose for an organization that is very comfortable being sexist, racist, fat-phobic and classist, it is no big shocker that PETA struck a deal with “octomom,” for $5000 for her to put up an ad on her front lawn about spaying and neutering your pet.

The offer is intended to call attention to the dog and cat overpopulation crisis, PETA spokesman Amanda Schinke said.
“Every year, 6 to 8 million animals enter animal shelters, and roughly half of them are euthanized because of a lack of good homes,” she said.
The unmarried Suleman already had six children when she gave birth to
octuplets in January 2009. All 14 were conceived through in vitro
fertilization.

“Octomom,” doesn’t always make the best media choices, I will say that, but she is also clearly a troubled person and needs help. She is also a product of our voyeuristic culture that loves to watch people fail, fuck up and then judge their choices and their lives. She was the butt of a lot of jokes and judgments last year. Which is just ripe picking ground for PETA’s marketing campaigns.
What’s really interesting is that for all their shockery, PETA themselves euthanized 2,301 pets last year alone. Any reason for that?
If PETA really wants to make change, they need to learn a lesson from the failures of “War on Drugs,” and abstinence-only campaigns. Campaigns of personal accountability don’t work without structural change and support. You can shame people all you want, but that is rarely going to get them to listen to you. This clear oversight in their ground game makes me think that they don’t care about their cause one bit, they just want to create a celebrity driven noise machine, because they can. And I can absolutely see how they appeal to people that have no idea how to create social change and love animals. I mean, we are talking cute furry animalz!!!
UPDATE: Check out some not-PETA vegan blogs
Sistah Vegan
Vegans Against PETA
Vegans of Color
Another vegan noise machine is possible!