PETA Acts Not Dumb
Yesterday PETA launched a $1 million contest to convince some mad scientist to come up with a way to create meat in a lab setting that “would mimic flesh and could be cooked and eaten”–what it’s calling “in vitro meat.” PETA claims the contest is a way to advance its so-called anti-cruelty agenda, stop harming the environment, etc.
I think it’s really just an admission by the group of what carnivores and omnivores have always known: meat tastes good. So good that it seems the overwhelming majority of manufactured vegetarian food–plant life that didn’t grow from the ground (or ocean)–serves little more than to provide calories that mimic the taste of meat.
Alas, I could go on about how awful PETA really is, but I must instead respond to a vegan friend, who wrote me this morning, regarding the PETA contest, with this challenge:
I dare you to put up a positive blog post one of these days about vegetarians or vegans and something they do or eat.
So here goes: this contest is a great idea. Bravo to PETA. This is exactly the sort of thing groups like PETA should have been doing all along. Not terrorizing or suing or intimidating what should be free choices made by peace-loving meat eaters. But putting their money where their breasts mouths are in order to effect voluntary consumer change. All while helping vegetarians eat better tasting food.
One final note… I wonder if the chicken breast cutlet photo PETA used to announce the contest comes from chickens killed specifically for its campaign, or whether they nabbed the photo from a provider like Corbis. Just wondering.
5 comments posted
Posted by: Vegan Friend - 04/22/2008
Surely you’d have no objection to this, especially on Earth Day?
Posted by: Jessica Lee - 04/22/2008
I went on a vegetarian diet to save the planet and gained 15 pounds. I am finally just about back to normal but will not be a veggie again.
Posted by: Eric - 04/22/2008
I never had a nice thing to say about PETA until this story. Just as we witnessed the fall of the Soviet Union, perhaps we will see PETA become even more marginalized?
Posted by: Alan - 04/26/2008
For once I don’t want PETA to be marginalized - at least on this issue. If they can find more creative ways to be pro-animal AND pro-human, they might have a future.
Posted by: Gerda99 - 04/30/2008
Great PeTA-idea. For more backgroud-information, technology, ethics and success-criteria on „in-vitro-meat“ (others call it „cultured meat“) visit http://www.futurefood.org . There are still many obstacles to overcome. On this website other alternatives to animal meat are presented, too. An inspiration for the future
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