PETA isn’t just targeting the food we eat or the clothes we wear–it’s targeting our speech.
The radical animal liberation group has demanded people stop using colloquialisms such as calling someone a “chicken” if they are acting cowardly. Why? PETA says, “if you believe in equality and justice, it isn’t hard to see how calling someone an animal as an insult can further animal suffering,” according to a tweet.
When Twitter users called out the ridiculousness of these claims, PETA doubled down further, comparing terms like “bring home the bacon” to racist and homophobic slurs.
That seems like a stretch, to put it mildly. After all, it’s not like chickens can understand English. And PETA provides no evidence that sayings such as “don’t pig out” actually cause any harm to animals whatsoever.
PETA tries to equate animals and humans. But feigning moral outrage and trolling are very much characteristics specific to people.