PETA pitches for The Pet Shop Boys have said they're "unable to agree" to a request by animal rights organisation PETA to change their name to "Animal Shelter Boys". According to the pop duo's website, they got a nice letter from PETA's Special Projects Manager, Yvonne Taylor, which began: Dear Neil and Chris, You have many loyal fans of …
Maybe more appropriate for them to ask they call themselves the "rescue shelter where snuffy gets snuffed as it's easier than finding him a good home" boys.
Or a 'find your lost pet in the dumpster out back, deader than a doornail' boys.
Or, as a bow to the 'sea kittens' renaming thing, the "airborne douchebags'.
Could this be the same PETA who have a less than enviable reputation in the US for the lifespan of animals taken into their shelters?
http://consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3859
Perhaps not a good time to raise their heads above the parapet......Never been too convinced by them anyway since they never seem willing to campaign in the countries they themselves say are the worst offenders, perhaps because those countries have a more robust way of dealing with protestors.
Strange name change request given that PETA killed 95.8% of the pets dropped of that its animal shelter last year, according to their own reports to the State of Virginia.
http://www.petakillsanimals.com/
Data PETA reported to the State of Virginia:
Year Recv'd Adop'd Killed Transf'd % Kill'd % Adop'd
2008 2,216 7 2,124 34 95.8 0.32
2007 1,997 17 1,815 35 90.9 0.85
2006 3,061 12 2,981 46 97.4 0.39
2005 2,165 146 1,946 69 89.9 6.74
2004 2,655 361 2,278 1 85.8 13.60
2003 2,224 312 1,911 1 85.9 14.03
2002 2,680 382 2,298 2 85.7 14.25
2001 2,685 703 1,944 14 72.4 26.18
2000 2,681 624 2,029 28 75.7 23.27
1999 1,805 386 1,328 91 73.6 21.39
*1998 943 133 685 125 72.6 14.10
Total 25,112 3,083 21,339 446 85.0 12.28
Speaking as a die-hard, life-long hippie/leftie who's been called an anarchist to his face and taken it as a compliment, all I can think of to say about this is:
D'ahhh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haaa -- oh, damn, I've wet 'em again.
It's no friggin' wonder that even within The Movement™ at large, the animal-rights people are largely considered a joke.
On a related topic, I think that caving in to similar pressure from the PC feminist types is what ruined the Weathermen -- uh, sorry, Weather Underground. (see what I mean?)
As PETA exterminates a bigger percentage of animals they "rescue" than any other animal welfare org., maybe they should look at sorting that out before wasting their time on nonsense like this.
Oh, and they support terrorists, so **** them anyway.
If PETA rescued a penguin, chances are they'd kill it.
After all, 'PETA' contains the letters 'PET' which is very offensive to late 1970's Apple users, and of course refers to the keeping of beautiful animals as household slaves, when they could be out roaming as free animals as MotherGoddessGaiaNatureHareKrishnaRamaLindaMcCartney intended.
Bloody Annoying Nonsensical Animal Liberationistas makes far more sense.
I could have been much, much worse, I assure you.
I must admit though, it's hardly a bootnote is it?
"Most dogs and cats sold in pet shops are sourced from profit-hungry breeders who may have bred them in cramped, filthy conditions"
In other words, supplying dogs and cats to pet shops is a BUSINESS, and businesses have the POTENTIAL to act immorally, so stop buying cats and dogs from pet shops. In fact, while you're at it, stop shopping full stop. Grow your own food. Make your own clothes from cotton you grow yourself. Get off the grid. Stop giving money to PROFIT-HUNGRY companies now!!!
As for "most" breeders being profit-hungry ... I wonder which breeders are not? Interesting career move, breeding animals at a loss.
I heard they were called The Petshop Boys due to their perversions with small rodents. - the act of inserting a small rodent through a tube into one's anus and blowing crack through said tube, exciting the animal's brain to abnormal levels of activity causing it to have repeated muscle spasms and in doing so give the petshop boy great pleasure.
PETA annoy me on several levels.
The first being that from a purely philosophical standpoint I tend to agree with the idea of vegetarianism (even though I am weak and like tasty juicy burgers a little too much). For me personally this gives them an annoying moral high ground element which I find hard to argue with.
Secondly, even though I have somewhat got some sympathy for their beliefs, they constantly go round pulling stupid fucking inane stunts like this, the whole renaming fish 'sea kittens' (srsly) and various other bullshit which makes them look like a collective of phenominal twats.
They have an almost supernatural talent for damaging their own cause basically.
Kinda funny really considering the use to which gerbils have been put before now.... Maybe they could get Richard Gere involved too. Oh yes.
http://www.audiosparx.com/sa/play/port_lofi.cfm/sound_iid.39122
Maybe the metal band Tygers of Pan Tang could become the Tamil Tygers of Pan Tang to raise awareness of the Sri Lankan-minority's plight.
"Most dogs and cats sold in pet shops are sourced from profit-hungry breeders who may have bred them in cramped, filthy conditions" - I am reminded of the old saying that sex is only dirty if it's done right. What's wrong with sex in cramped, filthy conditions? Does PETA expect animal owners to book their gerbils a honeymoon suite at the Paris Hilton?
PETA really isn't about saving animals these days is it?
Their aim is just to get in the news as much as possible by doing stupid things and making daft statements.
They are doing the old branding trick, don't try and sell people stuff (Or ask for money in their case if they are a charity) Make them aware of your brand first, then it sticks in your head which may affect your choice later, hopefully in their favour.
Unfortuantly for them the internet has helped to make their name stand for "People Eating Tasty Animals"
Go away PETA your just getting boring now
Seriously, what is it with PETA?
I am a confirmed carnivore but even I will admit that I prefer my food to be reared as naturally and as cruelty-free as possible. Quite apart from any moral argument happy, healthy animals taste better than ones reared in the dark in tiny cages and pumped full of hormones.
I am starting to suspect however that PETA are not actually what they say they are at all, but are funded by the intensive farming industry. I cannot think of any other explanation for their continuous undermining of the real issues with stupid stunts and 'own goals'. Seriously - the only purpose they seem to serve is to make the vegetarian and animal welfare movements appear to be ridiculous idiots (which most of them are not, even though I don't always agree with them) and to drive anyone that has the slightest sympathy for the cause away for fear of being associated with such a bunch of infantile loonies.
.. In the caring, sharing way of Bunny-Hugging 2.0, PETA might take on board a few suggestions from the 'bacon sarnie' thread and consider changing their name to reflect something the rest of us might consider acceptable:
"people eat tasty animals" while obvious, is both factual and catchy enough to lead to a series of commercial spinoffs - cook books, ready meals, specialised cookware (what do you cook diced panda with bamboo shoots gravy in, for gods sake?) and maybe the odd TV show with that bloke with the dodgy barnet.
A couple more suggestions to get the ball rolling:
"Perpetuating Enthusiasm for Terrine of Arthropods" is probably too much of a minority interest as it's not a very practical dish in the UK.
"Perverts for the Extensive Tagging of Anteaters" is likely to reflect an arrestable offence under UK terror law.
"Promoting Edible Turtles for All" might not be so good for biodiversity, but would at least improve travel opportunities for staff.
OK, answers on a postcard.
Anyway, considering how the Pet Shop boys are reputed to have got their name, i'm not sure the suggested 'animal shelter boys' is really a flyer.
Oh FFS - another in a long string of stupid things from PETA.
This, coupled with the Cooking Mama thing (which I think had the opposite effect - I loved playing that) and the Seal thing for WoW just shows that they don't really have a protest strategy or effective leadership in place to make any difference.
I'm on the fence with animal testing as I think there are times when its extreme and un-needed (dogs for some cosmetics) to needed (primate testing for some medicines). What I do not like is the un-needed horrifying pictures of animals when they are stood down at the shopping centre especially when my children are around (that is too in your face). And I condone any threats or terrorism by the more extreme rights groups on workers (and their families) in the industry.
Perhaps legislating with the MP's and government think tanks and change the laws in an effective manor would provide a better approach to the whole protest.
Its that irresistible urge to do the exact opposite of whatever the kaftan wearing, self-righteous, do-gooder brigade want you to do.
-----------------------------------
"In a word, Neil and Chris said "no", but did concede the suggestion "raises an issue worth thinking about""
-----------------------------------
Thinks, better be nice to these people or they may dig up my granny.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/westmidlands/series6/siege_village.shtml
These can be scary people to get on the wrong side of. Al-qaeda are pussies compared to Animal Rights loons.
"you would help raise awareness about the cruelty involved in the pet trade and encourage your millions of fans to consider giving a home to an abandoned or unwanted animal from an animal shelter"
When I was shopping for a dog I tried all the shelters, pounds and rescue agencies within 100 miles. I could get a purebred from a breeder for less money than a unknown breed, unknown age, unknown health and unknown temperament mutt. They complain that they need more homes for these animals but then demand over $250 for them.
The pet shop boys didn't meet in an animal shelter, I thought they got their name from meeting in a petshop.
I wonder if PETA's transformation into a parody of itself is intentional? If so maybe they could start a weird al yankovich style parody song group... The PETA shop boys?
Ask you self now can you forgive her.... If she likes vegan food...
Plants are living and growing beings, just like animals. But who gives a fat **** about THEIR feelings. The next time PETA sets up one of their insane stunts, perhaps a new organization should set up a counter stunt across the street. Call themselves PETPV-People for the Ethical Treatment of Plants and Vegetation. Every time PETA holds up "Save a cow! Live longer!" or the like, PETPV can counter with something like "Save the grass! Have more oxygen to breathe!" Perhaps PETA won't find their stunts to pleasing when they are themselves stunted on.
"As for "most" breeders being profit-hungry ... I wonder which breeders are not? Interesting career move, breeding animals at a loss."
The ethical breeders are the ones looking to maintain their breed's standard. They pay close attention to genetics, and breed away from issues. They are not in it for profit, because there isn't a profit in ethical breeding. These are hunters, pullers, herders, guards, etc. ... dogs that have a job to do, and are bread to do it well. Even if they wind up as pets. Even the dogs that are bread as pets (companion dogs/toys, and non-working breeds). These dogs are conformationaly correct, and have as few as possible genetic deficiencies that lead to long-term problems for the eventual owners.
The unethical breeders are the ones looking to make a quick buck. They don't give a rat's ass about breed standards, nor genetics. All they care about is quantity, because they know all puppies look cute and are wholesalable. They are purely in it for profit. These are the puppy-mills & clueless backyard breeders. They don't care about hip issues, eye problems, heart issues, lung issues, cancer probability, back problems, or any of the other myriad potential genetic issues that dogs can pass on to their offspring. All they care about is litter size and litters per year.
These are the people who have pretty much totally trashed German Shepards (Alsatians), Standard Poodles, retrievers, pointers, setters, Collies, Dalmations, Great Danes, Mastiffs, Dobermans, Rottweilers, and almost every toy and terrior breed that exists here in the USofA.
These are the same shysters hawking "designer dogs" like the labradoodle and goldendoodle (Want a hypoallergenic water-dog duck retriever family pet? Get a Standard Poodle & teach it to hunt! That's what Standard Poodles were bread for, FFS! I've got a deep-freeze full of duck that were taken over a Standard Poodle ... and no doubt he's curled up, sound asleep with his boy as I type. Buck's a family pet first, but in the field he's all hunter).
I won't go into the various portmanteau-named toy-dog crosses. These were all (and I mean ALL) invented to sound cute in their naming, thus making it easy to separate little old ladies from their retirement income.
Dogs & humans have co-existed for a very long time. If you need a dog for a specific reason, and want a specific body/coat/color/size/temperment combination, I'll bet you a lot of money that there is already a breed out there that will fit the bill (assuming you don't want something totally daft like a hairless lapdog for hunting polar bears).
Here in the states, I seriously recommend only purchasing from a breeder with an AKC registered line of dogs ... and then, do your homework & try to see the puppy's surviving ancestors before writing the check.
If you have to go with a backyard breeder, ONLY purchase from people who are willing to let you meet the parents of the pup and several other generations of their dogs, and talk to people who have that breeder's dogs in advanced years. Otherwise it's a crap-shoot.
I'll never recommend purchasing from a so-called pet store.
However, you are your own agent. Purchase from backyard breeders and/or pet stores if you like, but don't come crying to me when the critter comes down with genetic diseases and/or congenital defects.
"But AKC dogs are so expensive", you whine ... Personally, I'd rather purchase an AKC Whippet from a known good line for $2,000 and feel secure that the critter will not have expensive and painful health issues down the road (my guy's mom & dad were happy & healthy for 18 and 19 years, although I didn't actually pay for him. Long story.) ... Or, you can pay $250 to a backyard breeder for a Labrador who comes down with hip displaysia at age 2, and then two kinds of cancer a couple years later, leading to a total of over $12,000 in Vet bills ... and then having to explain to your kids why the 6 year-old dog needs to be put down (my idiot neighbor).
But whatever. People are stupid. Believe what you like.
Yes, it's a pet peeve. And I'm probably tilting at windmills again.
"Pet Shop Boys are so named after the fetish of using animals for sexual purposes."
No, they are not. It's an urban legend. See:
http://www.snopes.com/risque/homosex/gerbil.asp
I've been waiting for someone else to point this out ... and I'm VERY surprised that nobody has up to this point. I was under the (mis)impression that the readers here had a better education than most of the rest of the rubes on the planet. I guess I was wrong.
No, I'm not a PetShopBoys fan. When it comes to music, I require talent, not hype.
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