Man, I’m not one to be rendered speechless, but this letter from a Jacksonville, Fla., beachgoer just plumb broke my heart:
I would like to express my outrage at a billboard I recently saw in Jacksonville, Florida.
My family was visiting, and I was planning on taking them to the beach to enjoy the beautiful day when i saw a billboard that made me want to cry. It says “Save the Whales,” with a picture of an overweight woman in the foreground.
We all sat there and stared at it for a minute and everyone in the car was silent. No one wanted to mention my weight. I laughed it off as usual, but it really had made me so embarrassed, so self conscious and so ashamed about my weight that I dropped off my family at the oceanfront and left to go home, making the excuse that I wasn’t feeling well.
My embarrassment turned to outrage as I was sitting at home contemplating that distasteful, disgusting billboard. I can’t believe that PETA would be so disrespectful as to use the terms “whales” and “blubber” when referring to obese people. I wish there was something I could do. I’ve already written to them expressing my outrage at their malicious terms and asked them to take it down.
The PETA press release that follows is exactly what you would expect — no empathy for humans whatsoever, just a lot of B.S. about how vegetarianism will make fat people just a little bit less of a blight on humanity. In honor of them, I’ve compiled a list of vegetarian foods that will definitely make you skinny:
- Häagen-Dazs
- French fries*
- Funnel cake
- Nachos
- Onion rings*
- Potato chips*
- Fettuccine alfredo
- Pizza
- Mozzarella sticks
- Bloomin’ Onion/Awesome Blossom*
- Hash browns*
- Belgian waffles
- Twinkies
- Cookies
- Soda*
- Soy venti frappuccino*
- Cupcakes
- Doughnuts
- Brownies
- Veggie corn dogs*
- Chips and queso
- Potato skins
- Macaroni and cheese
- Samosas*
- Cinnabon
- Beer*
Asterisks denote items that are vegan. You could eat nothing but what’s on this list and be a card-carrying vegetarian, but I doubt you’d be thin. I think they owe some Jacksonville residents a huge apology, but excuse me if I don’t hold my breath.
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Meat is almost pure protein, especially if you trim the fat off of your steak or the skin off your chicken, the fat content is pretty low. Now here’s the kicker, protein is the substance most easily converted into muscle mass, so if you have at least a reasonable amount of physical exercise your body will either burn the protein for energy or convert it into muscle.
Know what your body finds harder to convert into muscle mass? Sugars and complex carbohydrates – two things most vegetarian/vegan diets are full of.
What part of a vegetarian/vegan diet is so healthy anyways? The part where you develop an iron deficiency and anemia? The part where you develop osteoporosis in later life because you refuse to eat dairy? Or perhaps the part where I can shamble around like a zombie with little to no energy, a pallid complexion, and a superiority complex the size of the Death Star?
Gee, where can I sign up for that?
I have been a vegetarian off and on for the past few years. I had read a lot about meat industry and got so grossed out that I didn’t touch meat for 7 months…and I gained a ton of weight. Over the past four months I have lost 40 lbs on a diet that has included meat and dairy (and veggies and carbs – a healthy mix of everything). I know first hand that cutting meat out of your diet does not automatically = weight loss.
Not only is the billboard offensive, but it’s also not necessarily true.
That’s the first thing that came to my mind too, corn, fruits, and cane make up all our sugar based food ingredients…the thing that will surely pack the pounds on. And last time I looked, no PLANT has a face on it, in line with their “if it has a face you shouldn’t eat it” slogan.
You also need meat-based protein for brain growth and function, and from what I read somewhere it’s structurally different in soybean protein compared to meat protein. You know, with over half of our national population considered to be “overweight” PETA may just want to rethink this particular ad campaign. That’s a lot of people to piss off.
The vast majority of Vegans and Vegetarians do gain weight because they inadvertendly starve themselves. You have to be incredibly careful if you cut meat and animal by-products out of your diet because it becomes that much harder to get the needed nutrients in the required quantities. A half cup of clams gets you all the iron you need in a day, while you’d need many many cups to spinach to get the same. Plus you need to combine foods to be able to process those nutients.
As soon as their bodies think they’re starving they start to hold on to every calorie and start to create fat stores. It’s really basic evolutionary biology here and PeTA keeps insisting on ignoring it.
The majority of junk food is vegetarian or even vegan. Read the ingredients on a box of Little Debbies or a bag of frozen onion rings-nothing healthy going on there (delicious, but not healthy). Plenty of vegan food can be deep fried. Plenty of non-meat can have cheese and butter and sour cream slathered all over it. The vegetarians and vegans that are thinner than the rest of us would be thin even if they ate meat because they just overall eat healthier.
I still feel hard to have sympathy for people once you hit 300+ lbs…but yeah, PETA sucks.
Horrible and disgusting. Especially since I have battled with my weight for years. First kids, now this. Remind me again why they are still around? Where is Obamapolice when you need them?
My sister is a lacto-vegetarian (she began to eat dairy products after becoming sick often due to lack of nutrients) and she is still much thicker/heavier than me and my younger sister (who are thin compared to the average American female), who do partake in the delicious consumption of meat and dairy. I have always wanted to ask PETA this question, however: What would happen to all of the farm animal species if we no longer ate them or used them for scientific research? We, as humans, would have no need to have them around (since we would not be consuming them), so guess what? They would become extinct!!! (at least that is the argument I make with my vegetarian sibling)
Lets face it they are a bunch of idiots.
Scott F,
It could also be the systemic complications caused by fat soluble vitamin toxicity that makes vegetarianism/veganism so much “healthier”
Koka,
Soy protein is indeed different than animal protein which makes it a bit harder to digest. The real issue is that most plant sources of protein aren’t complete proteins (containing all of the essential amino acids) whereas all animal sources of protein do. Thankfully soy is one of the 5 (I think that’s what it was) sources of complete proteins, but most of the other 4 are fairly uncommon. However, soy still has those other issues what with being similar to estrogen. Not good for a person if soy is introduced regularly after puberty, but at least it’s fine and potentially beneficial if consumed regularly before puberty. Either way though, don’t trust a vegan who gets their protein primarily from nuts.
mEEEE,
Except maybe cows wouldn’t go extinct, but they’d be limited to parts of India.
I am wondering if this falls under the truth in advertising clauses you see prompted by the government. I have also noticed that the leader of PeTard is not a svelt physcially fit individual. She seems to be a few (or more) pounds over weight.
These morons have never heard of Atkins.
mEEEE — What would happen to the animals you ask? Well I think that depends on whether or not the Pigly Wigly has increased the size of their dumpsters.
Imagine what the outcry would be like if this were, say, Southern Baptists, putting up billboards with hateful slogans and imagery about any other group. Better yet, imagine the kind of pompous, self-righteous hatred that inspires this sort of shite.
Then, explain to me how PETA is any different from, much less better than, Westboro Baptist Church. Because I’d love to know.
Or how about putting up posters of the messiah looking like the Joker? Double standard.
Angry Army Wife :
You can’t do that! Dont you know that is racist?!
/sarc
You ever been in an elevator with a vegetarian?
Mustard gas.
Think about it,
What animals are herbivores: cows, deer, goats, sheep, etc
What animals tend to be fatter: cows, deer, goats, sheep, etc
What animals are carnivores: leopards, wolves, lions, tigers, etc
What animals tend to be lean: leopards, wolves, lions, tigers, etc
This isn’t rocket science people.
wow.. i really felt sad for the girl after i read that. because i know what its like, i was heavier a few years ago. i lost the weight now but at the time it was not fun. PETA goes after little kids then people who have weight problems. its seriously rude and not in their place.
As my mother the science teacher says, look at our teeth: we have molars, incisors, AND canines. So we’re biologically equipped to be omnivores, and our bodies respond to that diet best. Denying us either meat or plants makes as much sense as feeding cats vegetables.
I’m so happy to see this on here.
“What animals are carnivores: leopards, wolves, lions, tigers, etc
What animals tend to be lean: leopards, wolves, lions, tigers, etc”
You’re forgetting something. Leopards, wolves, lions and tigers run like crazy to catch prey and don’t sit around the BBQ with a beer in their hand.
Conclusion from scientific study (California, 2009) about the link between obesity/diabetes and vegetariasm:
“The 5-unit BMI difference between vegans and nonvegetarians indicates a substantial potential of vegetarianism to protect against obesity. Increased conformity to vegetarian diets protected against risk of type 2 diabetes after lifestyle characteristics and BMI were taken into account. Pesco- and semi-vegetarian diets afforded intermediate protection.”
Here is the url, I’m sure you can also find other studies to back my case:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19351712?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
I meant to say “vegetarianism”.
Let me assure you that I do not like Peta one bit (what with the pets in dumpsters and whatnot), but it helps to be critical of the facts and not be offended so damn easy. I mean come on, is that the first time that man ever heard an insult to fat people in his life??
I thought fat people were jolly.
We have a Guinea Pig named Snickers. He lives a vegan lifestyle and he’s a fat little bastard. He doesn’t like the water so consequently he has high self esteem.
PETA seriously needs to cowboy up and start heckling and belittling S&M fetishists and motorcycle gangs. All that leather, all that meat. Alllllllll those weapons and instruments of torture…
I need a cigarette, just thinkin’ about it. And I don’t even smoke.
First children and then fat people, which easy target next? Do you think anyone is going to look at that poster and think ‘hey, I’m carrying a bit of extra weight, I’ll go veggie’? Or maybe they’ll look at the poser and think ‘self-righteous c***s’?
I hear ya Beige. Every time I read about PETA throwing paint on fashionistas wearing fur I wonder why they aren’t at Sturgis throwing paint on all the leather wearing bikers? I would pay to see that.
Oh, Jenn, what an image that conjures up! Of course, we all know why the PeTArds aren’t in Sturgis, in spite of all that free publicity they’d get (after they got out of the hospital, of course). What’s a vegetarian/vegan synonym for “chicken?” I suppose you could go with just plain yellow?
I am “only” about 45 lbs overweight (5’6″, 190), which I’ve been trying to lose for awhile. I have too much blubber around my butt and waist and chest. Used to be 145 10 years ago. I quit running/cycling/swimming. And got older. And I look like a baby walrus compared to my 145, and I don’t mind if someone called me that – they’re right. Like Romy said, “it helps to … not be offended so damn easy.”
If there’s no medical reason for weighing too much, then don’t be upset if someone calls you porky. Change what you eat, or how much of it, and maybe throw in some exercise if you can, but do “something.” If there is a medical reason, then just try to ignore the comments.
There are two guys at work that gotta be 300 – I feel sorry for their hearts – they’re working themselves to death. Kinda hard to exercise at that weight.
Don’t know if being vegan will help, but PeTA’s got it right about needing to lose weight (’bout the “only” thing they have right). When I was in South Korea, the joke was “what do you call a fat person in Korea? An American.” Didn’t see hardly “anyone” overweight there.
Got to split a few hairs here. Carnivores in the wild tend to be leaner because they miss their prey more often than they get it. Farmed herbivores are fatter due to being fed over and above what they’d normally get on their own if they lived in the wild. Cattle are feedlot fed, to fatten and make their meat better at slaughter time. Meat with fat in it cooks better and is tastier. Cattle marble their meat with fat, goats pack fat around their internal organs…..not healthy for the goats. Goats don’t do well in a feedlot situation for as long as a cow/steer does. Bison and deer in the wild do not fatten up except in the fall of the year, and that is fat intended to get them thru the winter and breeding season in the fall. Takes a lot of fat to burn to provide energy to keep warm and propagate your species.
Its all according to what food/calories are taken in, and the conversion of fat to energy burned. People are mammals, it applies to them also.
I know why PETA doesn’t go after bikers and S&M folks– it’s because they’re reputed to torture their fellow humans. (Never mind that most bikers are NOT evil gang members, and proper S&M is carefully controlled in order to stay consensual and certainly non-fatal.) Add to it a quote I heard from 2 animal rights activists who did not know each other: “If I saw a kitten and a baby by the side of the road and could only save one, I’d save the kitten.” Surf any PETA forum and you’ll get the message: they hate nothing more than people. It’s the same way with overpopulation worriers; as someone once said, it’s a philosophy of “Just enough of me, way too much of you.”
You’re going soft on us, Holly. It goes without saying, of course, that the PeTards are mean-spirited idiots, but this letter? Come on. Why is it anyone else’s problem that she let a frickin’ billboard ruin her day? Not exactly a personal attack. Is the First Amendment suddenly invalid if the speech hurts one person’s feelings? And the fact is, the PeTards are probably just trying to capitalize on the fact that most of America desperately wants to lose weight, and is mesmerized by The Biggest Loser and infomercials for exercise equipment and ads for diet pills and so on. I mean, this letter was posted to a calorie-counting website. So it probably doesn’t count as hate speech to imply that overweight people want/need to lose weight. The blubber reference is in poor taste, sure, but that’s PeTA. Although actually “blubber” makes me think of Judy Blume…
Les Paul, there are quite a few people who have medical reasons for being overweight, but do you think that there is an easy way to know which are the sick people and which are the weak-willed, useless people who use cigarettes as a substitute for healthy stress release? I mean, alcohol. I mean, drugs. I mean, violence. I mean, exercise-a-holics. I mean, food. I mean,…
Wait. Got it. I mean people who look at someone and judge their entire lives based on how they look. (Speaking of hypocrisy…) And that’s not just at you, that’s at everyone. People, have we learned nothing at all from Barney and Sesame Street?!
In the meantime, I’m a fat girl in Japan. I’m freaking out that they’ll export that billboard and I’ll be on the menu.
Oh this is only the beginning gang.
I actually saw on either CBS or ABC the other evening a report that someone had conducted in the middle of all the health care debate that stated that obesity was approximately 9% of costs in health care. NINE PERCENT.
Your government is wanting to trim the fat, literally. I’ve already heard the stories that suggest a tax be placed on soda pop to ‘curb the usage.’ Because that has worked so well with things like alcohol and tobacco.
I’m already sick of people feeling this strange need to tell me what to do. I really don’t need it, don’t want it, and don’t care the least bit for it.
As for PETA targeting motorcycle gangs, I am SERIOUSLY considering creating a game for the computer about that. Just for giggles mind you. Unfortunately to be anywhere near sensible, it would take just one hit on the ‘hero’ from your regular Hell’s Angel (or even from an Orange County Chopper) to kill him.
To That Person:
“…but do you think that there is an easy way to know…”
No, I agree there’s not. I was going to mention that, but as my posts tend to get long, I took that out. This is basically what I was going to add.
If someone makes a comment towards a person for whatever reason — missing leg, fat, scarred face, etc., if the person is close enough to that someone to let them know that they have a medical condition, or were in a fire, then that’s about the only way they’ll be informed. I suppose you could wear a t-shirt that says “My Thyroid Quit On Me”.
Obviously as I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten much better at not judging a book by its cover. In addition to already having empathy for the overweight, the deformed, etc., the movie Shallow Hal (see? Gwyneth is good for something after all) got me to look at those kind of people a little differently — imagining them to be perfect. Kind of like my lawn that needs mowing — I can see the beautiful manicured greenery lying underneath, but no one else can.
There was a show on TV, can’t remember it, maybe it was Touched by an Angel, something like that, where a guy who had a “spell” on him (for lack of a better word) was visiting this child’s section in a hospital, and made friends with all the kids who were sick with something but he didn’t know what. At the end of the show, I think they were all burn victims, and of course he gets quite a revelation regarding perception. Me too.
Thanks for the reply.
well, if she’s so offended, why doesn’t she work on her problem? And if a billboard can ruin your weekend, you are not such a great person.
Eve, take another look at the First Amendment. If the state forced the billboard to come down, it would indeed be a First Amendment issue. A private citizen pressuring the billboard company to remove the PETA crap is nowhere near First Amendment territory.
This just made me sick. I’ve been heavier all my life. I have pretty large bones for a 5’4″ female (I’ve got some REALLY broad shoulders, and REALLY wide hips – I’ve got a great hourglass figure when I don’t have too much extra fat). My problem right now is that I’m pregnant with my second child. I CAN’T diet currently (even though I’ve lost almost 10 pounds….stupid morning sickness). This billboard is blatantly insensitive at best and inflammatory at worst. I went to college with a vegan who was fatter than I was. Most of the vegans that I’ve met are overweight. Most vegetarians that I know are overweight. Some people are just going to be overweight. It’s just the way of things. And as for the government wanting to “trim the fat” because of that 9%…I’ve got normal blood pressure, low normal heart rate, low cholesterol, and am very healthy – except for my weight.
The one big problem I have currently is that my thyroid is underfunctioning – it was normal before pregnancy, and dropped below normal when I got pregnant. I don’t know why. Just did. So I’m probably going to gain more weight than I anticipate with this new kid. Should people automatically assume it’s because I don’t eat healthy? No. I’m not just eating for myself. So I take my vitamins, eat my healthy home cooked meals and STILL will be overweight.
PeTA can suck my big fat toe. These billboards are cruel to those of us who have reasons for being overweight other than the inability to put a fork down. And imp: How do YOU know that she doesn’t “work on her problem”? Most fat people DO work on their problem – it just never changes.
imp, I think you just might be an ass.
You might want to work on THAT problem. And if that offends you, you’re not such a great person.
Nothing like a little perspective, there…
I’m overweight and this made me really pissed off.
I’m glad I owned this Petard from my school when she drenched herself in fake blood and screamed at us Culinary students.
It was really funny, too.
She was shouting all these PETA “facts”,
Which I dissproved because I actually did my goddamned homework.
She started crying and ran away
@ That person:
Love the Japan reference.
The billboard is insensitive and in poor taste, but I see lots of stuff that fits this bill all the time. Get a thicker skin. If you’re unhappy with your weight, do something so that you are happy with it. If a billboard is destroying your self esteem, there were other problems there to begin with.
For the record, I’m a vegetarian but I don’t like this billboard and I don’t support PETA; I also could care less what anyone else eats.
I’m not surprised that the vegetarians posting here don’t see a problem with the billboard. It’s not that overweight people need to buck up and stop being offended all the time. It’s that they are being judged by a group of people whose advice won’t actually make anyone thin. PETA isn’t a human health organization, and I doubt they have a single qualified nutritionist behind the message on this billboard. Their goal is to get people to stop eating meat out of shame. The delivery is bad, but the implication — “people who eat meat are fatties” — is worse, and also wrong.
@Jrod: Human dignity doesn’t have a weight limit.
THANK YOU, HOLLY.
I missed any reference to “wrecked” “self-esteem” in the woman’s post above; she said she was very embarrassed and self-conscious, not that she was perched on a ledge about to end it all, so step off with the bitchery, Nicole.
People can lose weight, but apparently smug vegetarian pseudoreligious assery is incurable.
I think Peta targeted the right audience… if you’ve ever been to Jacksonville you would know that most of the people here (and in the South in general) are obese. This is an advertising campaign. You should always do your research instead of letting advertisements and emotions lead your choices in your eating habits and otherwise… Just because Coca Cola says their drinks are healthy doesn’t mean it’s true. I’m not a Peta member and not fully vegetarian, but I’m smart enough to realize that most people who are overweight aren’t eating carrot sticks in their lunch. It’s not about vegetarian vs. carnivore, it’s about making smart choices and not getting your size XXXL panties in a bunch over an ad.
Jacksonvillian, that would be great if the ad was about making healthy choices and not “OMG! Meat eater! Fattie Fattie two-by-four!!”
I don’t see why this stupid poster has elicited such hateful opinions about the vegetarian diet (example 1 being Scott F). Yes, this poster is completely inappropriate, tasteless, and one in a string of disappointments coming out of PETA. That said, there are a lot of benefits that come with a vegetarian diet.
As a lot of people have noted, vegetarianism will not make you thin. You can be a vegetarian and make piss-poor dietary choices, just like anyone else (like I did in my teenage years). But neither does vegetarianism mean that you’ll get a pallid complexion, have iron deficiency, etc. Most vegetarians I know take vitamins, eat (lovingly) a good amount of tofu, eat a mix of vegetables every day, and (minus the vegans) eat a good amount of dairy.
I am a vegetarian because as an American living in the 21st century and in an area with a decent amount of access to fresh vegetables, soy products, etc., eating animals is simply not a necessity. Given that it’s not necessary, concerns about the meat industry, animal cruelty, global food supply, health considerations, etc. move me to restrict my diet. Everyone else can make his or her own choices.
This poster doesn’t have to ignite a debate between vegetarians and non-vegetarians. And the fact that it apparently has done just that is disappointing and depressing.
Jacksonvillian, most people, PERIOD, aren’t eating carrot sticks in their lunch. As a society, we generally have appalling diets. Eating healthier is a good goal for anyone, regardless of the size of their panties. This ad isn’t designed to make anyone make smarter food choices. It’s designed to play on the irrational fear of fat that is crazy prevalent in the media, the same fear that makes people run to Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig if their jeans are a little snug one morning, the same fear that triggers eating disorders of all kinds, and the same fear that has been displayed over and over again in this comment thread. PETA’s message isn’t “Hey Jacksonville, let’s eat healthier!” It’s designed to shame and humiliate and shock, as most PETA messages are.
I’d be very curious to hear how fat PETA members feel about this campaign.
(And for the record: I’m fat, an omnivore, and an animal rights worker. I really wish PETA would stop giving the rest of us a bad name.)
I’ve actually gained weight since I became a vegetarian, if you can believe it.
Anyway, I’m going to remember this the next time I’m in an argument online with a PETA person who rails against the idea that veganism is often used as a cover for eating disorders.
Lisa hit the very crux of the problem, here. PETA’s stance is, as usual, utterly hateful, catty, and malicious, so nobody needs to be all shocked that they’ve provoked a fairly fitting response. Have you ever, and I mean EVER, seen anyone change her life and diet, permanently and in a healthy manner, to suit a person who constantly puts her down and shames her? HELL, no.
PETA is interested only in spewing their vicious little brew of misanthropy, not in helping anyone or any animal. They are to assholes what the Freemasons are to fraternal organizations.
…this billboard wants me to start chowing down on anything that has a face. And then challenging the PETA woman to a swimsuit contest. Tell me how well you lose weight with your psycho diet while standing next to an omnivorous twig with a waist and boobs.
The reference to PETA targeting motorcycle gangs reminds me of a joke my 11-year-old son told me: Q. Why does PETA protest fur and not leather?
A. Because it’s a lot safer to throw paint on furcoat-wearing movie stars than on leather-jacketed bikers!
Seriously, though, if fat people are the actual target market for this ad, then it’s a big PR FAIL. Calling someone a “whale” and describing their weight issues as “blubber” are unlikely to engage them with your product or point of view. If you are actually trying to appeal to anorectics, then this campaign might hit its target by sowing fear of fat in the already malnourished. If the idea is to heap further scorn on people who generally already have pretty low self-esteem, mission accomplished.
I laughed,, that makes me a horrible person. I don’t agree with it, and I don’t go against it.
I’m Vegan and I lost close to 40lbs, I eat 6+ times a day, with a lot of vitamins and supplements, I’m a size 1, my health is perfect, I love food! So I see nothing wrong with the billboard, the majority of people just don’t know how or what to eat that will keep their weight balanced and their bodies perfect. It’s not that difficult, nothing a nutritionist, or a few health/food books can’t fix. To those people who gain weight with being Vegetarian/Vegan, it’s called moderation, the carbs is what makes you gain weight [A lot of vegan foods are loaded with carbs], eat the proper portions and you won’t have a problem. A lot believe ‘Oh it’s Vegan, I can eat a lot of it!’ Hence why you gain the weight. Also being active is another biggie, you have to make the time to exersice every day, even if it’s only 15min in the morning and 15min in the evening, it’s enough to keep you at a good weight.
The billboard is obviously marketing towards those individuals that stuff their faces with greasy meat filled fast food, fried chicken, egg sausages and beef breakfast sandwiches, bacon and chilli hamburgers, both sides of the spectrum have their unhealthy foods, it’s why I don’t side with anyone here because it’s in your power to make the right choices about your diet, without being at an extreme.
Balance is bliss.
While PETA is wrong, there is no reason to attack vegans & vegetarians in general. Most of the veg population is doing it to save animals lives, not to look like supermodels.
Huh.
Obviously?
Then why doesn’t it say anything about stuffing your face with greasy meat filled fast food, fried chicken, egg sausages and beef breakfast sandwiches, bacon and chilli hamburgers?
Since you’re so good at interpretation, what does this sign really mean?:
Promote Honesty! Shoot your local PeTA representative!
But attacking overweight people is cool, apparently.
Yeah, PETA does suck, I wish they’d go away. But this is one of their less offensive ads I’ve ever seen.
And it’s also true. On a healthy vegan diet you will lose weight. I lost 50lbs, I feel great, and I no longer have to worry about getting harpooned at the beach.
I think you are being a bit too sensitive.
So now that PETA members–or, in their absence, vegans and vegetarians–set the standards for the rest of us, what’s the limit? How much is someone ALLOWED to weigh, or how should we all be ALLOWED to look, so we don’t offend the delicate sensibilities of a cadre of smug taints who care nothing about us in the first place?
FTFY.
“I’m Vegan and I lost close to 40lbs, I eat 6+ times a day, with a lot of vitamins and supplements,”
I love how ever vegan who advocates their diet goes out of their way to tell you they take lots of vitamins and supplements. Know what that means? YOU’RE NOT GETTING IT IN YOUR FOOD! Congratulations for proving my point that a vegan/vegetarian diet is not a complete diet – if it was, your body wouldn’t need all those extra vitamins and supplements.
I take vitamins too, it’s called a steak.
God I love PETA. Look at all the butthurt
Beige: I don’t care what other people weigh, or look like. That’s your choice. PETA is a bunch of assholes, no one should pay any attention to them.
Scott F: I take no vitamins or supplements. If you are eating properly you really shouldn’t need to.
Holly Won’t: True, it’s just easier with a vegan diet. I’m pretty lazy, which may be why I was so fat.
I think the point is more that sometimes in life you are going to see things you don’t agree with. You don’t have the right to never be offended. PETA is betting they are going to get a rise out of people, by getting all pissed off you are giving the attention they want.
I not only gained 40 pounds, but became extremely ill, on a vegetarian diet. Now I’m a less fat, much healthier, omnivore. I’m also allergic to soy, and become anemic without red meat at least twice a week.
As for that study someone linked to…wow, what idiotic researchers. Unless you actually put people on a vegetarian diet and watch the changes, you cannot say that the vegetarianism of one group is what is making it thinner than the non-vegetarian group. That’s basic science. Most people self-select their diets, and there’s MANY ex-vegetarians who improved their health. If they are heavier, so what. Heaviness does not cause type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance does. And high-carb foods lead to insulin resistance.
See also: http://www.beyondveg.org
If PETA really wants to save the whales, they should aid people who are actually risking their lives to save them in the first place (check out Greenpeace’s website). PETA also needs to look into the places where whale meat is being funneled out, it has almost nothing to do with America.
It’s really sad that PETA displayed their ignorance, and furthermore their discrimination with this ad.
I highly doubt this is about the animals anymore to them, and anyone who gets involved in their cause thinking they’re helping animals is cruising in a wobbly shopping cart for a wake-up call on Aisle Ouch.
This billboard is meant to upset an demean. It is a sad, pitiful attempt at a scare tactic, because honestly? This ad’s apparent “target” audience has already grown so tired of being demeaned this way, why on EARTH would they reach out to a group that refers to them with such slanderous terms?
Any vision of the original goal of HELPING ANIMALS and HELPING PEOPLE TO LIVE IN PEACE WITH & SHARE THE WORLD WITH ANIMALS has been lost to sick propaganda. There is nothing left of this organization worth standing up for.
Save animals, EXPLOIT people?
This does not seem like the mist expedient solution, sir.
All these billboards I have seen on the internet from PETA are sickening, rude, harsh, judgemental, etc. Since we know that these billboards come from PETA, we can automatically assume that PETA itself is a very sickening, rude, harsh, judgemental, etc. organization. Very ironic that they are against cruelty to animals. And for the record, I know fat vegetarians and the reason why they are fat is because they eat tons of sugar. And it has been proven that a diet based solely on vegetables is not good. The reason why is because all the fibers and pholic acids(or something like that) from the over-consumption of greens join together in your digestive system and can actually prevent you from getting all the nutrients you need for a healthy body. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against vegetarians, I’m just against the fact that PETA makes it seem like everyone who eats meat is fat.
“So now that PETA members–or, in their absence, vegans and vegetarians–set the standards for the rest of us, what’s the limit?”
So in your opinion, Beige, all vegans and vegetarians share the same views as PETA? Really? Because, last I checked, I was a vegetarian, and last I checked, I was against PETA. I sense a flaw in your reasoning.
I’m in agreement that the ad is ridiculous, and it rendered me completely speechless the first time I heard about it. BUT, that doesn’t mean that I want to read through the comments and see everyone talking about how awful vegans/vegetarians are. By attacking the eating preferences of vegetarians, all you’re doing is proving that you’re no better than PETA. And you don’t really want to be like PETA, now do you?
And just FYI, I’ve been a vegetarian for several years and, aside from a slightly above-average cholesterol level, I’m perfectly healthy. I get plenty of nutrients (NOT from supplements) and do not “starve,” nor do I lack energy (I’m looking at you, Scott F.). Keep in mind, I’m not attempting to persuade anyone to eat the way I do because, really, it just doesn’t matter. I really don’t care if someone’s fat, skinny, whatever. Everyone has different preferences, everyone’s bodies work differently. Just leave it alone.
Now that I’ve had time to think, I do believe it was also Shallow Hal that had the “sick kids in hospital” scene.
I’m a vegetarian and I find this billboard is hugely offensive. It just perpetuates this stupid vegetarian/non-vegetarian animosity that’s entirely beside the point. I know really thin vegetarians, I know some very fat vegetarians. Kind of like I know some fat meat-eaters and some thin ones. Personally, I’ve lost 20 pounds since becoming vegetarian and I have way more energy and my skin is glowing. In short, it’s been working out great for me because I make really good food choices. But every body is different because every body has a different set of genes. I also notice that the fat person in the picture just happens to be a woman. For once, I’d like to see an ad campaign about “weight loss” be aimed at a man. PETA is just a vile organization whose ignorant, incendiary, and, not to mention, misogynistic ad campaigns should never have even reached the public. Makes me almost want to eat meat again.
Um, I could have sworn that one of the main reasons for our obesity crisis (as well as the reason it seems to affect more poorer people than wealthier) is that cheaper foods tend to be higher on the glycemic index (white rice, for example) and therefore eating more of those kinds of foods increase your weight, which you will do if your choices are going hungry or getting more food for your money. Even if you are very active as a result of the kind of work you do, this kind of diet is pretty much guaranteed to help you gain and keep on weight.
Those foods tend to be all vegetarian/vegan.
ignorance is ignorance. and most of the comments here are completely ignorant. PETA does not represent vegetarians, and in fact, most PETA card-carrying members are meat-eaters.
let’s try some compassion… for all humans, regardless of their weight or diet.
peace for all animals: human and non-human.
Have you READ this thread? Because there’s no shortage of smarmy vegetarians ignoring PETA’s utter assiness in favor of blaming overweight people FOR said assiness. Did I say EVERY vegetarian or vegan belonged to PETA? No. No, I didn’t. I sense a flaw in your observational skills. Leave it alone.
Marty,
That’s a good point about food prices. As a poor college student, I’ve also been taking advantage of the cheapness of such foods. For example, tonight I plan on making Mongolian beef with rice. Reasonably healthy, except that because it’s cheap I’ll probably eat more of it than I would if I made tonkatsu (basically breaded and egged pork chops) despite even knowing that I shouldn’t. Though I suppose knowing that, I can’t blame myself for being a little bit over weight. Not much so much that I’m uncomfortable with it thankfully, but technically still overweight. Speaking of costs though, if one were to bring up the national health care bill, it makes me wonder if the higher taxes will cause people to go more for cheaper, high glycemic foods (that reminds me, going for V8 is more expensive than getting soda (despite the cheapness of vegetables. But then again, sugar and syrup come from plants too) when it comes to beverages with a flavor as well) which will in turn cause more obesity causing health costs to rise again causing still more high glycemic intake? I wonder… Of course, eventually the cycle would break as people reduce intake once they’re already getting food as cheaply as they can, but still.
Okay I totally feel you on how the billboard and calling overweight people blubberous whales was over the line.
And yes, it is possible to be an overweight vegetarian if you are like “omgz no meat I’ll eat bread and beer and fries”… but I’m sure that is not the implication when switching to a healthy vegetarian diet. A vegan diet is completely cholesterol free… and thus the implication of weight loss. It is not encouraged to be a “carboholic” in the same way that it isn’t encouraged to do that if you aren’t a vegetarian.
Really I could go on about nutrition all day but that is even further undermining my ORIGINAL point which is:
There is def something problematic with the way they approached the topic of overweight people and the REAL weight loss potential of being a vegetarian. Discuss that instead of making claims like “blahblah vegetarians are unhealthy and fat too”. It is avoiding the real issue by pointing the finger. I certainly agree with writing to PETA regarding their tasteless billboard.
So’s beer. Doesn’t seem to be working for me.
…a certain amount of cholesterol is HEALTHY.
I don’t have a problem with vegetarians or vegans as long as they stay off my lawn and don’t try to convert me. Same thing goes for various religious groups. A certain amount of vegetarian/vegan backlash is because most of us have probably encountered militant vegans (they’re much…scared…than vegetarians). Which sucks…a lot. It’s exactly the same problem many Christians encounter when people assume that Christian = RABID EVANGELICAL SIGN WAVING DOOR KNOCKING SOUTHERN BAPTIST.
Anyways, I’m rambling in my kinda trying to explain.
Just stay off my freaking lawn.
HA HA HA and also HOW REVOLTING. But wait—what’s with SAVE the whales then? If we’re SAVING the “whales,” then presumably we’re telling them NOT to lose weight?
Yay, PETA finds a new way to get tons o’ publicity and attention!
To Hmmm:
You said, “Speaking of costs though, if one were to bring up the national health care bill, it makes me wonder if the higher taxes will cause people to go more for cheaper, high glycemic foods”
The national health care bill will only raise taxes on people in the higher income bracket. You have nothing to worry about in that regard. As a matter of fact, if lower income and middle class folks aren’t worried about going bankrupt due to the insurance agencies, they will have more in their pockets to buy healthier food with.
I would just like to note that not all animal rights activists support PETA, and I hope that we are not all tarred with the same brush. I’m vegan, dislike PETA, and am disgusted by this ad. Animal rights is a cause that is supposed to be about having compassion for ALL sentient beings, nonhuman AND human. PETA get tens of millions of dollars in donations each year, and how do they spend it? Killing thousands of dogs and cats, crusading against sanctuaries and no-kill shelters, performing racist demonstrations, coming out with campaigns telling people to go vegetarian instead of vegan, buying stock from non-vegan companies, rubbing elbows with fast-food chains, and creating ads that objectify and insult women. Once again, they’ve sunk to another low.
Yeah Isara, and we all know that rich people should be forced to pay for the rest of us to have health care. It’s not like they would otherwise use that money to start/expand businesses that could create JOBS when the economy is freaking failing. But who needs a job when you have the government (and rich people) to pay for everything important you need right?
After all, they’ve committed the unpardonable sin of being successful and having money, so they obviously deserve it.
I’m not going to spend my time arguing the benefits of a vegetarian diet. I made the choice to go vegetarian for personal moral beliefs. Yes, I would love it if more people decided to not consume animals. But my decision was for me- not for any of you.
That said, as someone who hasn’t eaten any kind of animal in 10+ years, I know first-hand that it takes effort to create a balanced diet. Many vegetarians don’t bother.
Eating a vegetarian diet does not automatically make you thinner. Eating balanced meals and exercising does. If you are determined to be fit, it doesn’t matter whether or not you are a vegetarian.
So my main issue is with PETA’s actions. I cannot comprehend how it helps people to shame them. And by posting this billboard, PETA has alienated many people who might have otherwise supported their cause.
Shame on PETA!
Since when is Häagen-Dazs, funnel cake, Twinkies,cookies, cupcakes, doughnuts, brownies, soda, frappuccino, Cinnabon, potato chips and beer food? And the rest of the list is marginal…
Is this the best she can come up with? No wonder obesity is rampant.
Why didn’t she mention apples, pears, grapes, oranges, lemons, melons, bananas, mangos, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, and a hundred other life enhancing fruits? Why didn’t she mention broccoli, avocado, Brussels sprout, lettuce, celery, spinach, corn, squash, lentil, carrots, cucumbers, red peppers, olives, potatoes, tomatoes, and hundreds of other wonderful vegetables? Why did she forget pinto, white, black, kidney and garbanzo beans? Why not mention brown and wild rice, cous cous, amaranth, oatmeal, whole cornmeal, and millet?
Take a glance in the shopping carts of the obese…you will see pastries, pop, chips, processed foods, milk, meat, white breads, cookies, candy, and perhaps a head of iceberg lettuce.
This isn’t a vegetarian issue, this is a epidemic of gluttony and ignorance. Society eats itself sick and health costs soar.
Put down that candy bar doughhead, and awake!
I don’t think anyone is arguing that fruits and vegetables are bad for you, or that you should only eat crap. The question is whether PETA has any right to claim that people who eat meat are fatties. There’s absolutely no evidence that meat and dairy is responsible for the obesity crisis. Unless they have an agenda, no registered dieticians will advise against consuming lean protein (like chicken, fish, yogurt, and skim milk) for people who are trying to lose weight, and in fact people who eat a serving of lean red meat at least once a week lose more weight than people who don’t.
So if PETA doesn’t have basic facts on their side, all that’s left is the fat-shaming aspect of this campaign. And if you don’t see that in the ad, I don’t know that it’s worth the bother for me to point it out.
Look in the carts of welfare people. They eat crap and are overweight because of it. Why, cause they were never educated on eating healthy. And we have to pay for their food and their medical expenses. And it will not just be the wealthy whose taxes will be raised, Obama keeps lowering that rate, to what $150,000 now/family. Yeah, that wealthy.
Considering Cows & Pigs eat nearly 100% VEGGIES then the way I see it having a steak or a burger is just a more efficient way of getting my vegetables.
Scott F. I love you.
PETA can claim anything they want. We can believe anything we want. We all have choices and we all have responsibilities. PETA clearly doesn’t take their responsibility very seriously.
I love animals too but God put all things on this earth for us to eat, including animals. He also gave us free will to make our own choices. I choose a beautiful, 6oz. filet mignon with a yummy baked potato. Broccoli would be very good for me but I gag when I eat it. I don’t think even PETA people would appreciate me gagging on broccoli while they tried to enjoy their raddish. (what are those things anyway?)
The bottom line for me is, why would someone would purposely hurt anyone’s feelings? It’s usually to feel superior because you feel so completely inferior.
PETA can say that wasn’t their intent but of course it was.
Like my new fav guy “John F” (above) said, “Or perhaps the part where I can shamble around like a zombie with little to no energy, a pallid complexion, and a superiority complex the size of the Death Star?” When you look and feel that bad and think you are so above the rest of the human race, I guess you have to have something ugly to say about someone to get through the day. (just like every other 7th grade girl)
Any group – especially PETA – who uses hateful rhetoric to get its message across does more harm to its cause than good. To me, PETA co-opting and taking over the animal rights movement is like the neocons co-opting and taking over the Republican Party. Sooner or later, either PETA will be ostracized from the animal welfare movement or PETA will destroy the animal welfare movement.
Isara,
“The national health care bill will only raise taxes on people in the higher income bracket. You have nothing to worry about in that regard. As a matter of fact, if lower income and middle class folks aren’t worried about going bankrupt due to the insurance agencies, they will have more in their pockets to buy healthier food with”
Because of course forcing one group of people to pay proportionately more than others is ‘fair’ or ‘right’? I suppose that if taxing income then it’s understandable that those with higher income should pay more, just not more on the dollar. Besides that, what makes you so sure that I as an individual have nothing to worry about? Not that it’s necessarily a given that I’d be rich, but doctors don’t stereotypically end up poor, at least. Especially, as Beige mentioned, that the current standard is $150,000. What with inflation nowadays, that’s pretty much upper middle class. Especially in larger cities with higher costs of living that compensate with higher wages. Speaking of which, I will admit I’m not sure, but does anybody know how that affects business owners? I don’t want to be taxed higher because my revenue is $150,000 but my personal income is $75,000. And anyway, people generally aren’t getting near bankruptcy because of the insurance companies. Most people cancel coverage far before then. Unless they’re still continuously benefiting from an ongoing condition. That is to say, they’re making money off the insurance company which is hemorrhaging money to them. True, they might be getting more money hemorrhaged towards them if the bill passes, but then it’s, as you mentioned, well-to-do individuals being forced to pay rather than individuals at least coming slightly closer to actually paying their own share.
Perhaps the biggest problem of all though, from a professional standpoint, is that a lot of politicians are trying to claim that control over the system will cut costs because it will remove superfluous tests done by greedy doctors. As opposed to, you know, doctors being required to do tests if they want to have any chance of avoiding a several million dollar lawsuit for missing something that’s reasonably obscure. If there’s a .05% chance that a symptom may be caused by a condition contraindication of treatment, the doctor is screwed if he doesn’t pay for the test and that condition comes up. Doctors need to protect themselves because the government decided that they are responsible even if the chances are that slim. It’s just easier for them to blame the doctors though. Some of this just comes from people who have a test that comes back negative and so they think it was superfluous. It reminds me of a court TV case I saw awhile back where an ex boyfriend offered to pay for medical expenses after getting into a wreck with his then girlfriend, but he refused to pay for the tests once it was found for sure that she didn’t have a concussion. Because of course the family was just being paranoid to think their daughter with a softball sized lump could have something wrong with her. Unless she actually did. That’s the only time they’d be right to. And sometimes it’s true that a doctor does take unnecessary exams, but it’s far, far more likely that the reason then is because of factitious disorders, malingering, and/or somatizing. That is to say, the patient is faking something for a psychological need, so of course it can’t be found even with tests, but since it can’t be found without them, tests are required to be sure. Or the same event except with the intent to be fraudulent (by the patient, I mean), or with the patient subconsciously coming up with the symptoms. Even if these problems are somehow solved by the bill (and those last three patient situations are pretty much impossibly to get rid of, and as far as malingering goes, a ‘greedy’ insurance angency would be much better at stopping it than the government) the government could at least not lie to the general public by blaming it on the doctors and insurance companies rather than their own malpractice laws and the patients (though those who are somatizing or have factitious disorders shouldn’t be blamed for what’s going on with them, but you know what I mean) and getting support that way. But them again, they falsify most everything else about the bill so hey, why not this too?
We should start a Scott F. fan club.
First, the disclaimers, since people have a tendency to not read carefully and to make assumptions without basis:
1) I am not against vegetarians or vegans
2) I am not against animal rights or in favor of animal cruelty
3) I require a large amount of animal protein in my diet because my body does not absorb vegetable protein
4) I weigh 115 lbs and I’m 5’5″ – well below the obesity level
PETA is not pro-animal, they are anti-human. Their organization at the top level (excepted are genuinely compassionate, lower-level, misguided members) makes no secret about their anti-human beliefs. Their ad campaigns have, since the beginning, been nothing but hateful rhetoric, shaming tactics, cherry-picking data, logical fallacies, outright lies and deception, and even terrorism (by funding radical animal “rights” groups that use violence).
This ad offended me. It should not be taken down because it offended me (and certainly not by government intervention, which is a violation of Free Speech, but no one has suggested that), but PETA should be sent a strong message that their anti-human stance is not welcome. The ad should be taken down because it is false advertising and contains outright lies. But, while they have a “right” to place offensive billboards, that does not absolve them of the consequences that what they say is hurtful and people have just as much right to complain about the offensive content.
Inflicting social pressure to cause a change in an organization’s tactics *is* a viable and legitimate method for regulating society.
As for all the debates over whether vegetarianism is good or bad, my impression was that no one was saying vegetarianism was automatically bad, but people were pointing out the outright lie that vegetarianism automatically led to weight loss. It doesn’t. That’s just factually wrong.
Humans are omnivores, and thanks to modern technology, which brought us supplements and better farming techniques and product shipping methods, some individual humans *can* survive, healthily, on a vegetarian or vegan diet.
But not everyone can.
I tried a doctor-supervised vegetarian diet for several months – I became anemic, I gained weight, and I lost my ability to concentrate on simple tasks. I was absolutely miserable until we discovered that I simply was not absorbing vegetable protein, and supplements did not help. Within a week of adding back lean meat into my diet, all my problems disappeared. I was no longer anemic, my iron count went up, my cholesterol raised to the low end of healthy (it had dropped to dangerously low), my blood pressure raised high enough that I can finally donate blood again, my weight dropped, my muscle tone improved, my energy rose, and I no longer had trouble concentrating.
But not everyone can subsist on my diet. So I don’t try to make them.
And I do not appreciate anyone trying to dictate to me my diet on their moral grounds. Particularly when their version of “morality” includes the hate and hypocrisy and violence and general anti-human stance that PETA’s does, or when their “morality” includes the loss of my life.
I was in actual physical danger on that vegetarian diet, and many of PETA’s own members’ lives would be forfeit if we actually did release all animals everywhere from what they consider “captivity”. Not only that, but now that certain animals *do* exist, it would be more cruel to release them into the wild and make them fend for themselves.
Mass-produced insulin required the use of animals in medical research/production, and one of their top staffers takes insulin for her diabetes while she simultaneously condones the removal of all animals from scientific uses. When asked about her hypocrisy, she responded that the animals’ lives lost in the making of her insulin was a reasonable exchange for her own life, so she could continue to fight for the rights of animals everywhere.
The irony is apparently lost on her. She doesn’t seem to understand that her life will be forfeit if she gets her wish. Or that perhaps *my* life is worth the exchange too.
But really, PETA does not value human life at all. They value animal life and do not consider humans to be even equal on the scale of value.
Except that humans are the only animals that exist that can, species-wide, foresee consequences to their actions, and to make a conscious choice to save another living creature (not of its species or family) at the expense of its own life.
Should humans cease to exist, animals will not then be “better off”, living in “harmony” with nature. Nature is one cruel bitch and doesn’t give a fig for “harmony”. Humanity is nature’s only chance at anything even resembling harmony, but PETA wants to pull the plug on the whole human experiment because they do not value human life.
I find this billboard offensive, stupid and demeaning. BUT.
Why is it that in the comments people feel the need to stat bashing vegetarians and/or vegans? Obviously you can be healthy with both a vegetarian, and an omnivore diet. It’s all about sense, moderation, and excercise. I don’t see how it’s productive to make grand sweeping statements about eithe the omnivore diet, or the vegetarian/vegan diet. The human body is a complex machine – let us accept that what is true for one person might not be true fo another person.
Vera – happily vegetarian since the age of 16
Why not?
As has been repeatedly pointed out, nobody has claimed that vegetarian/vegan automatically = PETArd. But when vegetarians jump on the blame-the-fat-people-for-PETA’s-assery bandwagon, it doesn’t help dialogue, so to speak. It doesn’t make vegans or vegetarians look sympathetic to anyone BUT PETA.
Someone just started a photo blog about sickly looking vegans: http://letthemeatmeat.com/tagged/Sickly_Vegans . Kind of disputes the notion that veganism will take your health where you want it to go.
get a clue about the horrors of farm factories you self centered whiners
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul2cmwJs140
if ur fat you shouldnt be wearing a bikini and if you eat more vegtables you probably wont be as fat as you are now
im a vegetarian and very curvy and think if more people ate less meat or none at all we would be much better off
First off, if you are offended by the billboard; then I would say you evidentially have a weight problem. Who’s fault is that? Not Petas. If you feel offended by the sign do something about it, like start exercising and eating healthier. Almost all the overweight people I know blame everyone else for the way they are, but rarely do they take a real look at where the problem lies… in them. Have some self control and self respect people. It’s not healthy being overweight, never has been never will.
I was waiting for someone to call me fat. I’m actually not. But thanks, Rebecca. I can’t believe it took you more than a week.
If I’m offended by that billboard, I have a weight problem? Seriously? You honestly think that everyone here who stated he/she was offended by the billboard is fat?
Am I missing something here? We’re supposed to respect or feel “empathy” for very obese people now?
If you don’t want to be fat, don’t eat so much. If you want to be fat, that’s your choice, but don’t act all hurt when other people are disgusted by it.
And yeah, PETA’s stupid.
Oh dear….yet another list of American meat eaters slating Peta and vegetarianism.
Personally, as a vegetarian myself, I’m not sure how you figure that vegetarians put on weight. When I became Vegetarian, I lost 1.5 stone and am still losing! Perhaps people who have experienced weight gain believe that a vegetarian diet consists of cheese and chips! If you eat healthily and replace meat with low fat meat substitutes such as Quorn or tofu, you consume a much better source of protein which also doesn’t contain piles of saturated fat which will lead to obesity. After all it is called Vegetarianism because the diet is centered around the consumation of vegetables!
I admit this ad may seem harsh, but we have come to live in a society where we avoid the truth. I’m sure it was very upsetting for this person to see this, but to be fair they knew they were fat hence being offended by this. Unless this person has a disability though, it IS their fault they are fat! Plus all the vegetarians I know including myself are at a healthy weight. This list above also gives the impression that one believes that when giving up meat you replace it with haagen daaz and fries! No wonder you’d get fat!
Moving on to Peta, whilst being a supporter of their campaigns I appreciate why they stir up controversy, as their views are rather extreme. However the foundations of their intentions are for peoples good, and I’m sure no one here can argue with me when I say that obesity doesn’t help anyone, including the person in that situation, farm animals and the environment. 70% of US grain production is fed to live stock, which if we all ate ourselves could be shared out and would wipe out world famine.
In conclusion perhaps if this person had addressed their weight loss earlier, they would not have felt these emotions, and can only help themselves.
@Pam, Lisa, Rebecca and What?: Fat people can (and do) lose weight. But you’ll always be douches, no matter WHAT size you are.
I’m not saying whether or not I agree or disagree with this ad. I will, however say that I don’t think PETA is trying to say that being a vegetarian or vegan automatically makes you lose weight – clearly, that’s not true.
I think they are just trying to find a different way to get people to stop contributing to the meat and dairy industry. Many people who eat meat / dairy don’t react or change their habits due to reports of animal abuse or the “unhealthiness” of animal products. Similar to the way that a smoker may not quit smoking because someone says cigarettes are full of chemicals. They usually won’t quit until they have a PERSONAL reason to.
That being said, I believe PETA is trying to reach those people – people who won’t react to animal abuse but might react to being uncomfortable with their own personal body image. Maybe there will be handful of people out there who say “You know what? I am uncomfortable being overweight. I know vegetarianism and veganism can’t guarantee weight loss, but maybe I’ll look into it and see if it works for me personally.”
Just like a beer ad might say “live the good life!” – beer doesn’t give everyone a good life, in fact, quite the opposite for many. Get my point? Advertisements aren’t guaranteeing that this will work for every person on earth.
If even a few people see the ad and spend less money contributing to killing animals – then great. If you are that outraged and offended by this ad, that might be a mirror for what’s going on inside you personally in regards to your body image.
For the billionth time: I’m offended by the billboard. Supplementary information: I’m female, six feet tall, and weigh 135 lbs.
For those of you out there who use the metric system to promote your douchiness, that’s 183 cm tall and 9.6 stone, according to this handy dandy converter I found on teh intarwebs.
For future reference, whenever someone questions your massive sweeping generalizations about everyone who is X by Y, to quote Admiral Ackbar, IT’S A TRAP. Probably to remind you that wow, your generalization is incredibly stupid, insensitive, and untrue.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, my “evidently [has] a weight problem” ass is gonna go chow down on some bacon and eggs.
Really, Jenny? I don’t see anyone responding to this ad in the way you describe. If I were to tell you that your vegetarian diet is clearly contributing to your ignorance, I doubt your response would be, “You know, maybe she’s right. I’ll look into whether eating meat makes me smarter.” And I’m not saying that as a personal slam, I’m just turning your statement around to show that insulting people and distorting reality with non sequitur statements rarely make a compelling argument.
Moreover, “Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian” — they are obviously trying to say that forgoing meat will help you lose weight. Which simply isn’t supported by any research.
Holly, you have a masterly way with logic. Your kung-fu is the best.
Thanks, Beige. I happen to know a thing or two about the science of weight control and B.S. like this is just crazy-making.
From the perspective of someone losing weight, I not only find this offensive, but if I had a PETA member sitting next to me as I type, I’d be making it a personal project to find the one mental weakness they have so I could drive them to tears. And then I would use it over and over and over again until their spirit was broken.
I am not a skinny girl. I know it, I am changing it (40 pounds down, 60 more to go), and to all the “oh just stop eating, its so easy” a-holes out there, weight loss and diet change is like quitting smoking. Its the hardest thing you’ll ever do.
PETA and the attitudes of people like Rebecca, lisa, and What? dont make someone feel strong enough to change their lifestyle and loose weight, but instead do the exact opposite. You destroy confidence. You hurt. You get lodged in the mind and all you do is force us to fight that much harder to stay away from that cookie, because a cookie has never hurt us the way that you have. You retard the progression for the people who are actually losing weight and for that, you’re a perfect bully. I’ve dealt with a-holes like you but odds are you’d say I was just over sensitive and should just go and lose weight, cause after all, not eating is “easy” (and if you honestly think that, kindly suck an egg, cause losing weight is the hardest thing I’ve ever done).
Last year, in a public pool with my girlfriends, someone with an attitude of “fat people are not human” called me fat to my face. I hit him. Hard. And then, I left the pool, found a corner and cried, because I had never felt so horrible. Until that moment, I had been feeling great. I was 20 pounds down, the smallest I had been in 5 years, and until then, I felt pretty. With two words (“you’re fat”), he destroyed my confidence and pride in my accomplishment, and to this day, I’ll bet he still doesnt understand why I hit him.
That was a year ago, and I still hear that man, even after having lost another 20 pounds, and it still hurts. People still treat me with less respect cause I’m just another fat chick. I struggle with being treated like an equal because so many people look down on you when you’re not a size 2. I still refuse to walk into a gym because I dont trust the people working out to not judge me for being different. I wont swim anymore because of that man (and I was a very powerful swimmer).
I fight that voice, that man and all the judgemental sacks of horse s— out there because NONE of you know how hard it is to do what I have done.
Look at that billboard from the perspective of a fat chick, think about how hard it is to be respected when you’re not ideal, then remember what you’ve said or thought about a fat person you saw walking down the street. Then, just for me, if you are like PETA, Rebecca, lisa, or What?, please kindly choke on your tofu, cause odds are there’s a former fat person sitting near you enjoying a big juicy veal steak.
That’ll be me baby. Delish.
Bravo Reene. I am the same way. It is hard to diet and exercise. And I work out every night. People like this are heartless and without common sense.
Many people here are going by the old doctrine that we need animal-based foods to survive. That’s simply not true. Our anatomical make up is not one of a carnivore or omnivore, but a herbivore. And so that you know, there have been vegetarians throughout the ages who have lived longer than their meat-eating counterparts.
The bulleted list within the main part of this post, listing those vegetarian/vegan items, is misleading. Even though a vegetarian/vegan can eat those items, that is not what a typical vegetarian/vegan eats to get their nutrition. As with all types of diets, there is a right way to follow them and a wrong way. Those who eat animal-based foods can certainly eat those items on that list as well. I’ll agree 100% that all that junk food is bad for everyone. But to say, this is what vegetarians’/vegans’ diet consists of, is simply wrong.
Also, all herbivores come in different shapes and sizes. A cow is not large because he or she is a vegetarian. This is a cow’s physical make up. Let’s not forget they have more than one stomach. Cheetahs and other carnivores are thinner because they have the ability to run fast, thus keeping of the weight, not because of what they eat.
With that being said, there should no longer be any more debates. A vegan diet is the healthiest diet that one can be on due to the fact that it provides just the right amount of nutrition that one needs. In our society, people over do it, which is why there is so much disease.
Our overindulgence has lead to the global warming problem as well, another issue that should no longer be under debate.
So let’s not distort the issue any more by throwing out-of-date beliefs into the mix and focus on the question at hand – Do you find the ad in this post offensive? – Yes or No and why. I think the answers will amaze you either way. What’s offensive to some, may not be to others. I’ve seen poll after poll and the results are usually 60 Yes and 40 No.
I wonder if those who answer Yes, are also offended by the animal-using industries as well–how they treat the animals, our environment and the workers (as well as lying to you the consumers, just to make a profit).
I can honestly see both sides of the issue. Mine is a Yes and No. A lot of people do things to themselves that aren’t very nice, due to the fact that a given individual carries a low self-esteem on their back resulting in emotional eating–yours truly included. On the other hand, changing to a vegetarian diet, then a vegan lifestyle, has changed my opinion of myself a great deal. I still struggle, so I have ways to go to ridding myself of Oreos and such, but I’ll get there.
And to answer the question of what would happen to the farm animals (and farmed fish for that matter) after the world becomes vegan. Well, the answer to the question is quite simple. We would no longer breed them. Those that remain will go back to the natural world they once roamed before we domesticated them. All will be free from human tyranny, including humans themselves, because after all, how we treat each other is directly related to how we treat nature and the rest of the world.
If people were to change to a vegan lifestyle, they would feel so much better about themselves. While ridding your bodies of those toxins, you’re also doing something to clean our environment and improving the lives of animals as well. This creates good karma that leads to peace.
Now be honest, don’t we all want peace?
And one more thing, we humans do not own the world. The world owns us. If even the smallest being were to disappear from existence, everything would cease to exist. If humans, on the other hand, became extinct, everything would grow back and flourish.
The earth itself is a living organism, and like all life, it comes equipped with its own immune system. When this earth has had enough of our destructive ways, it will find a way to rid itself of the human species for the sake of its other inhabitants, including nonhuman animals, plant life and the environment.
Now’s the time to trade in our arrogance and ignorance for something more humble, humane, and kind.
And yes, I have a special place in my heart for those struggling with obesity. I wish them well and hope they can lose the weight through diet change, exercise, and positive thinking.
Actually, it is more likely that many of the domesticated animals would go extinct, as they have been bred to be more docile and have lost a lot of the innate protective instincts that wild animals retain. Animals that have been bred to be meatier may not be able to outrun predators because of their increased mass. The release of all those herbivores on the forests and fields probably would decimate those ecosystems, as the wild plants probably have not evolved defenses against domestic animals. (Real life example: Hawaii’s natural plant life was devastated when pigs and other mammals were introduced to the islands by the Polynesians.) Think overgrazing is a problem now, with humans at least trying to manage it? Imagine vast herds of horses, cows, sheep and goats eating whatever they want, with no limits on when or where. Any wild animals that eat similar foods will need to compete with the domestic animals, and if there isn’t enough food for many of the wild animals now, how would there be enough food when the domestic animals join their ranks? Of course, in less temperate areas, massive die-offs will occur, as domestic animals are not generally not equipped to handle extreme cold. (No more heated barn=freezing to death.) Nice fantasy, but nature isn’t that generous and giving. Domestic animals are bred to have characteristics that are useful to humans, not to survive in the wild. Some do okay when feral, but many don’t. Even feral cats don’t actually have a great survival rate, or a great life, for that matter.
As for a vegan diet being the healthiest diet, says who? Most scientific analyses of human nutritional needs that I have heard of show that at least some animal protein and fats are needed for optimal health. One can survive on a vegan or vegetarian diet, but that doesn’t mean that such diets are better, any more than the fact that one can survive as an omnivore means that being an omnivore is better. As the above posts indicate, some people do better as omnivores, some do better as herbivores. Most primates eat some form of animal, be it insect, amphibian, reptile, bird or mammal, so it isn’t unnatural for a human to be an omnivore.
I don’t think of my fellow animals as “toxins”. I think of them as delicious.
One could argue that famine and disease are the earth and nature’s way of ridding the world of humans, or bringing the number to a “manageable” number. So really, we should be eliminating health care and humanitarian aid to the hungry. Clearly, charity is a violation of nature’s will.
Reene, you kick epic, historic amounts of ass. Bravo. Sincerely.
“Our anatomical make up is not one of a carnivore or omnivore, but a herbivore.”
Alright, then please explain our canines. Explain why so many people develop diabetes, which of course would be the inability of the body to process sugars, of which meat has none. Know of any bodily defects that throws out a person’s ability to eat meat? What about how inefficiently our bodies process carbs? Gee, sounds like our bodies are much better at handling meat than vegetarian products actually.
“With that being said, there should no longer be any more debates.”
Generally, a person who declares the debate is over is well… the loser. If you could actually WIN the debate, it would be over, but it’s not which should tell you something.
“On the other hand, changing to a vegetarian diet, then a vegan lifestyle, has changed my opinion of myself a great deal.”
Here in the Midwest, we call that feeling being a self-satisfied schmuck – and it’s NOT a good thing.
“All will be free from human tyranny”
Yeah, and human vets, human heating systems, human-provided food, and human protection. Sounds like a good deal for us, but not so much for the animals you supposedly care for so much more than your own species. Think a lion would choose the life of a gazelle over the life of it’s cub? You might actually try to learn something from the species you do look up to, because they sure don’t let their morals get in the way of survival.
“And one more thing, we humans do not own the world. The world owns us. If even the smallest being were to disappear from existence, everything would cease to exist.”
Yeah, it’s not like species go extinct every day or anything. Gee, the world is still turning? How can that be when the enlightened and obviously mentally astute ‘ease’ says it can’t be so? My world image is shattered!
“When this earth has had enough of our destructive ways, it will find a way to rid itself of the human species for the sake of its other inhabitants”
Dude, put down the bong and stop watching ‘The Happening’. Nature is passive and it always will be. If it didn’t strike us down over the last eighty years or so of chopping down and paving over everything green in sight, I think we’re pretty safe from mother nature’s smackdown.
ease,
Your post seems full of logical fallacies, contradictions, and outright falsehoods. I’m sure Scott would be happy to go into more detail if you reply to his post, but some particular things I want to mention first are with regards to your blatant and utter falsehood that is your claim that humans are designed to be herbivorous rather than carnivorous or omnivorous. Most people that I know who are stupid enough to make such a claim, don’t even mention omnivores since that kind of destroys how the argument was probably learned; namely, by saying since we don’t have a carnivorous body structure, it must be herbivorous. But, no. Since you mentioned omnivores, I’ll go into a bit of detail here. In regards to the canines (and incisors) of carnivores mentioned by Scott, yes we have molars, like herbivores. You know what other animals have both? Omnivores. Not carnivores, not herbivores; omnivores. Want to go into detail on the digestive tract? The human digestive tract is a bit shorter than it should be if we were carnivorous. So obviously, it could only possibly be a herbivorous form, right? No. Not at all. Because you see, it’s also a bit to long to be herbivorous. Guess what kind of animals have one that’s right in between? The answer may surprise you (if only because your mind seems to be a little warped). No, it’s not malformed herbivores. Even malformed, their tracts generally get (on technicality) longer. It’s omnivores and only omnivores. Scott also mentioned some nutrition and organic chemical factors which were also mentioned by AllyKat, so I’ll skip that for now to go onto something more interesting. Eyes. What do eyes have anything to do with what something eats, you may ask? Well, I suppose such a question would be expected from somebody so blatantly ignorant of animal behavior, evolution, and biology in general. You see, eyes are good for seeing things; namely food sources and/or predators. What kind do herbivores have? Side placed eyes designed for having a wide range of view nearly 360 degrees even without turning. What do carnivores have? Front placed eyes that, although limiting field of view, provide depth perception to enable them to hunt and actually catch pray that doesn’t just sit there hoping it doesn’t get brutally killed in one of the most violent and disturbing deaths one can imagine (like plants are every day). But which do omnivores have? Obviously some kind of form in between, yes? No. Omnivores maintain the completely carnivorous, front-facing form for eyes. There is absolutely nothing about humanities basic body structure that supports even the possibility of the idea that humans are meant to be herbivorous except in the minds of those lacking certain brain functions that allow for logic or those simply blatantly ignorant about that of which they speak.
One final question though in regards to nature destroying humanity in the name of self-preservation. Does that mean it’s considered natural justice when nature uses a volcano to utterly destroy an island completely untouched by man and never inhabited by humans while when humans live on a similarly sized island they inhabit 1/8 of it, farm 3/8 and go out of there way to protect animals and plants on the remaining half from going extinct at the hands of their fellow animals and plants is, of course, wanton destruction of nature? A sort of destruction that will result in retribution by nature destroying another uninhabited island? Or is nature just a bad shot, and when it eventually destroys the island only half populated by people, that the entire destruction of said island will be its justice?
AllyKat: As the domesticated animals are first set free, yes, survival will be tough, but nature has an innate way of working itself out. Something we humans know nothing about. When arguing about the lives of domesticated animals, let’s not forget that it was us that domesticated them in the first, taking away their ability to survive on their own–one of man’s greatest mistakes. If we were to learn how live in harmony with nature, nature could survive as it should. That’s something to think about.
As far as your comment on the vegan diet not being the healthiest: I’m wondering where you’re getting the “scientific analysis” from. Let’s not forget that a lot of people in the field of study are paid to alter their results in favor of those industries that the study is centered around. Even the American Dietetic Association carries the meat, dairy, and fish industries in their pocket. I also recently found out that Coke is paying them as well. With that being said, a vegan diet has already been proven to be the healthiest by so many who have correctly adopted the diet.
Your comment on animals being delicious rather than toxic is not worth commenting on. You lost me there.
And famine and disease is not nature’s way, but man’s monetary system that has created so much inequality in this world. But you enjoy the flesh you eat, for the food fed to the animal could have gone to feed the hungry.
ScottF: I will not spend time paragraph by paragraph explaining your errors, but I will say:
* When something’s been proven, there’s no point in debating it any more. Do you still believe the earth is flat?
* I think it’s sad that you think creating a higher self-esteem is a bad thing. I’ve never been to the mid-west, but it sounds like you’re against evolving into a better and humane person.
* Finally, earth’s destructive ways have been more prominent today than ever before. They come in the form of hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes. I guess you don’t watch too much news, History, or Discovery. On the other hand, nature may be cruel, but there’s no comparison when it comes to man. A lion can rip a man to pieces, but can it build a bomb to destroy the world. In other words, we might do ourselves in before the earth does.
In closing, it’s apparent that it’s difficult to have a conversation with people who have grown to believe one thing and are unwilling to see the other side. I, myself, have done things I’m ashamed of, but have evolved to a point where my compassion includes even the smallest being. That is what it means to grow.
If I’ve been unable to do one thing, that would be developing a compassion for those who are uncompassionate and realize that everyone’s doing the best they can until they know better. I still have ways to go.
Let’s all hope for a humane future for all.
Peace.
Ease – “I think it’s sad that you think creating a higher self-esteem is a bad thing. I’ve never been to the mid-west, but it sounds like you’re against evolving into a better and humane person.”
Higher self-esteem isn’t a bad thing, it’s the looking down your nose at others that makes you a self-satisfied schmuck. Your entire argument is filled with examples of how much better and more compassionate you are, as well as the fact you obviously think you’re more intelligent than the rest of us who actually presume to eat the diet we were designed to eat. See, your statement implies that you are in fact more evolved and ‘better’, that’s textbook doucheyness.
No, I don’t believe the Earth is flat, because we’ve been able to calculate it’s exact circumference since the 1200′s, and it’s pretty hard to deny once you see pictures from the space shuttle. My point being, we have definitive proof. Other than your assertion that it’s been ‘proven to be the best diet for you’, you provide NO proof. Myself and others have already pointed out biological and evolutionary evidence for our omnivorous nature, this is not propaganda, this is BASIC biology. For someone who wants to claim that I don’t watch History or Discovery, you might want to watch a series called “Evolve” that covers evolution from single celled organisms to modern animals. It clearly explains the reasons for various adaptations, such as eyes, teeth, skin, ect. We have a whole slew of adaptations that are only present in carnivores/omnivores and you’ve steadfastly refused to even address the reason we have them if not to eat meat.
Grow up, and please realize your diet doesn’t make you a ‘better’ person. In fact, if you’re any indication, it makes you snide and close-minded to basic scientific principles.
Know how many field mice, rabbits, hedgehogs, snakes, ect. are killed ruthlessly by the mechanized harvesting equipment that brings you your ‘vegan’ food? See, those of us in the Midwest, who actually grow the food you apparently think just magically appears at your supermarket, understand the cost of survival for any species. Every species on Earth literally lives on death – be it the death of a plant, an animal, or even a microbe. Your own diet is responsible for the deaths of uncounted numbers of small mammals, rodents, insects, and anything else that gets in the way of harvest time. The only difference between us is that I’m at peace with my place in the universe while you fight tooth and nail to deny yours.
First, sorry for the double posting. My first post never came until after Mmmm’s posting came up. Now there’s two.
Mmmmm, I won’t waste my time in reiterating what I’ve already said. And I’ve heard most of your arguments by others who find those reasons to justify their actions. But it is a fact that our intestines are not made for animal-based foods. For example, meat can sit in your intestines for years, which is why people get disease. Nothing like a rotting corpse sitting within your own body for a long period of time.
And sorry if I offended you by including omnivores in the mix. I never like to leave anyone out of the discussion. Including omnivores in my discussion doesn’t mean that man is omnivorous. Those beings do exist, but not amongst the human species. To go against our natural herbivorous selves is going against nature.
There’s no point in a discussion if people lack the compassion and empathy to have an open mind. I’d rather discuss the ad’s offensive with other vegans and animal rights people.
Peace.
Claims of being more “evolved” than those who disagree with you don’t actually prove anything. Well, they DO, but it’s usually something sad. About you. Those claims also don’t serve as aids to productive dialogue, but there I go, borrowing flower-child moonbiscuit lingo again. DAMN.
ease,
“But it is a fact that our intestines are not made for animal-based foods. For example, meat can sit in your intestines for years, which is why people get disease”
Actually, that’s completely false. The body is fully capable of digesting meat and in fact can do so better than some plant sources which are utterly indigestible. There aren’t any indigestible components of meat. As for it sitting in the stomach for years, I don’t recall having heard any cases quite that long (and trust me, I read a lot of health and nutrition based case studies). A couple months, maybe, and only from excessive meat intake at one time. Kind of like what can happen just as easily with excessive plant intake over even a somewhat more prolonged period of time. Too much fiber can cause overcompaction. As for anything rotting though, most things rot in the digestive tract. Generally plants do moreso though. The reason being that normal flora is sometimes needed to break down certain parts of foodstuffs and the process by which they do it is, essentially, rotting. Where did you think methane and other gases come from in the GI tract? Anyway, in general, the body is better able to convert meat sources on it’s own and more likely to need normal flora for plant sources which means, basically, plants rot more often than meat in the GI tract, although both do to an extent. Oh. And I wasn’t offended by your including omnivores. I was just saying that normally people who make similar arguments don’t and so they at least have an excuse for there falsehoods.
“Let’s not forget that a lot of people in the field of study are paid to alter their results in favor of those industries that the study is centered around. Even the American Dietetic Association carries the meat, dairy, and fish industries in their pocket. I also recently found out that Coke is paying them as well. With that being said, a vegan diet has already been proven to be the healthiest by so many who have correctly adopted the diet”
So, basically, results must be untrue if coming from a source that’s funded by a meat based industry, but couldn’t possibly be flawed in any conceivable was if the study is conducted by somebody who already wants the results to be a certain way and are, not to mention, also funded by organizations and groups that want studies that support veganism and vegetarianism?
Oh. And as for disasters occurring more often now, that’s not true either. Maybe you should watch History and Discovery. If you did, you’d realize that whenever discussing disasters, it’s always random people or people with degrees in unrelated fields that say they’re more common, whereas it’s actual geologists, historians, oceanographers, and meteorologists who point out that that’s just plain false. The only real difference that could be said, is that now more people die when one does happen because there are more people in general and even then, the percentages dead based on the total population of the affected area are less.
“There’s no point in a discussion if people lack the compassion and empathy to have an open mind. I’d rather discuss the ad’s offensive with other vegans and animal rights people”
I agree completely on that first sentence, but unfortunately, we’re stuck having to discuss it with you. As for your second sentence, I understand that it’s so much easier to have an open mind when you don’t have to worry about pesky facts and the such entering into it
I like when an “open mind” means “agreeing with what I have to say.” That’s so open.
*passes out Scott F. fan club t-shirts*
**puts on Scott F. fan t-shirt**
The basic problem with PETA is that they are mainly PITA memebers, that’s Pains In The Arse for those that don’t know. Back about sixty years ago, Manatee county in Florida got permission to capture a Manatee (Sea Cow) to keep as the mascot of Manatee county. Sixty years ago very little was known about Manatees and a pregnant female was captured. Several months later a bouncing 80lb male, named Baby Snoots was born, shortly after the mother died of complications from the birthing. IF PETA had their way, the baby would have been released back into the wild to fend for himself and would most assuredly died. Fast forward about FIFTY years when the museum he was living at wanted to enlarge his living arrangements… Because of the Marine Mammal Protection Act the new facility would have to meet certain guidelines and be large enough to accommodate three Manatees. After raising the money, there had to be a public meeting before the new facility could be built, since the museum was on public land that was leased to the museum. PETA fans showed up and insisted that Snooty be released back into the wild. Even though there was proof that Snooty would not survive in the wild they still insisted that he was better off dead than in captivity. A couple of years earlier one of the Manatee keepers daughters had proved for her science project that Snooty would not eat the vegetation he would have to eat in the wild, because he had been fed on lettuce, carrots, apples, for the most part of his fifty years. Thank heavens their voice didn’t hold any weight, because tens of thousands of children and grown up in Manatee county visiting the museum and seeing Snooty during school field trips and many of these were adults many of whom supported the Museum. This year Snooty celebrated his 61st birthday with a couple of companions in his new facility. With PETA’s help Snotty would have died years ago, luckily they didn’t get their way and an entire generation grew up knowing what a Manatee looks like and why it’s important to keep them alive.
I want one of those T-shirts too. So does my husband. My kids, OTOH, want Scott F. “yunchboxes”.
Can my Scott F. t-shirt be customized with a picture of Snooty on the back?
Vegan corn dogs?? Where?! I’ve been looking forever!
I really don’t understand the whole conflict. Being vegan doesn’t make you skinny. And it doesn’t make you fat. You can be fat and vegan or fat and omni or fat and vegetarian. And you can be skinny and vegan or skinny and omni or skinny and vegetarian. And you can be an owl and be fat. And you can be gumby and be all gumby-like. Obviously what you exclude from your diet doesn’t have much of an impact on your weight as a rule of thumb. You can make it that way and you can manipulate your diet to help you to lose weight, but just saying “no more ______” isn’t going to drop the pounds unless ______ is like “calories” or “food”
Isn’t a vegan corn dog just an unbuttered cob of corn on a stick?
Mark: That is a great example of how some “animal rightists” are not true animal lovers. It is true that one has to accept a certain amount of “the circle of life”, and allow nature to take its course even though it is not always easy and warm and fluffy. But once humans accept responsibility for an animal’s care, they are responsible for providing food, shelter and other necessities for life. If this can be done in a naturalistic fashion, great. If the animal is unable to survive in the wild, and humans have given it any care, there is a moral obligation to continue care until the animal can no longer survive in captivity (euthanasia is acceptable to me if the animal is terminal and can not be kept free from pain). The animal is already out of its natural environment, let it live in peace. Remember, Keiko (Free Willy) didn’t really like being “free”.
i’ve been a vegetarian for awhile, but i’m still “chubbier” than some of my meat-eating classmates. i don’t usually mind, because i didn’t go veggie for my health and i’m not OVERweight, i’m just not skinny. anyone, meat-eating or otherwise, can be thin (or fat) depending on what kinds of foods and how much of them they eat. besides, being stick-thin is not the most important thing in the world, as the media (and PETA) would have us believe. what i believe is more important is being healthy and humane to the world around you.
also, i heard somewhere that most people actually do gain a bit of weight after becoming vegetarian because we have to eat more to be full. (meat is more filling because it is almost straight protein.) just a little thought for all you trying to loose weight!
okay, okay, one more thing: i don’t like PETA. it truley gives animal rights a bad name. i love animals AND people, and i wish there were a group that supported that viewpoint instead of the, er, slightly more “nutty” one PETA takes. (haha, “nutty,” get it? lol)
RENEE YOU KICK BOOTY!
To the person who said Meat is almost all protein, what meat are you eating exactly? What part of the vegetarian diet is so healthy you ask? Well, where to start exactly? Beans for one are a better source of protein then most steaks out there. It’s ignorant to assume vegetarians are just wasting away and unhealthy. Funny how veggies always end up having to defend themselves with meat eaters, yet as a vegetarian I have never asked anyone why they eat meat. I don’t have a single vegetarian friend who harasses or asks “What DO you eat?” to a meat eater. I’ve personally noticed the meat eaters I know tend to experiment less with food then I or my veggie friends do. I don’t even know why I bother commenting on these things. Meat eaters usually don’t care to just let vegetarians do their own thing, instead they’d rather belittle and argue. Ridiculous.
Amber,
“Beans for one are a better source of protein then most steaks out there”
False. Beans have roughly the same amount of protein by weight as beef. And that’s non-lean beef (with a reduced fat by weight which means everything else rises in comparison). However, beans have less than .75 the bioavailability of beef, requiring larger amounts to get the same amount of protein into the human system. Also, no type of bean has complete proteins.
“Funny how veggies always end up having to defend themselves with meat eaters, yet as a vegetarian I have never asked anyone why they eat meat”
That’s a personal experience. Obviously most of us have been harassed by more vocal vegetarians than you claim to be.
“Meat eaters usually don’t care to just let vegetarians do their own thing, instead they’d rather belittle and argue. Ridiculous”
That’s a great final comment to place immediately following talking about how people with a different philosophy than you are just belittling others.
I’ve actually learned some respect for PeTA from this. And that’s pretty amazing.
The foods you so kindly list are what the fat vegetarians would eat, not the healthy ones. It is entirely possible to have a low-fat balanced vegetarian diet cheaply and easily. Fatties need to wake.the.crap.up
But see, Hazel, the billboard doesn’t assert that there ARE any “fat vegetarians”. Being fat comes from eating meat, remember?
Shut. The crap. Up.
The problem is that the majority of American’s don’t know about the health factors related to the food their packing down their throats. Being a healthy vegan is not an easy task. It requires lots of research and lots of planning. I think it’s safe to say that in addition to eating better vegans and vegetarians alike live healthier lifestyles. Was Peta’s ad a bit harsh? Sure it is; however, 99% of Americans are too ignorant and narrow minded to carry on a peaceful conversation about an alternative lifestyle. How many of the people complaining about Peta’s “inhumane” tactics have animals as pets and still continue to use Dove shampoo (Dove is very active in animal testing), wear fur and leather or heaven forbid EAT MEAT? Animals may not reason like us but they definitely feel pain. If you’re going to continue to be ignorant you should at least be able to stomach watching the causes of your way of life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLQmYNsgKy0
-Will McDonald
Will,
“Animals may not reason like us but they definitely feel pain”
Plants may not feel pain in the same way way do, but they definitely experience it. Read up on plant physiology. How come plant eaters get a pass when it comes to inflicting egregious amounts of pain on living things? Because they’re selective in which types of organisms have to suffer for their insatiable appetites for destruction of life and infliction of unendurable suffering? Well you may feel content to swing around the word ‘ignorant’ I have a little word for you called ‘prejudice’
harsh. but true. most people just wont do something about it. Its gross how many people just let them be fat. sorry someone has the guts to straight up tell you what you need to hear. YOUR FAT! its an eyesore to walk around and all you see is fat discusting people. shut your trap and quit whining to peta cuz you cant take care of yourself!
For every animal you do not eat, I will eat three. (With thanks to Maddox)
Ive been a vegetarian for 4 years. As long as you pay attention to what your body needs you will lose weight. Not eating sausage, bacon, and other fatty meats; not eating meat in general; does prevent you from packing on saturated fat that is almost impossible to get off. If you eat junkfood, it doesn’t matter if you’re a vegitarian or not; you will gain weight, but having the dietary restriction makes you more conscious of what you put in your body. as long as you are aware that you need to orient your meals around complete vegetable proteins, you will be quite healthy, i assure you…. also if you go on binges and eat junkfod, non-animal products contain no cholesterol almost 0 saturated fats… vegetarianism is the most effective way to prevent heart desease and other cardiovascular killers.
I am a vegetarian and have been for about 4 years. I don’t have a iron deficiency…as a matter of fact my iron levels are too high. Dangerously high. Which is still no good but I think it’s a common misconception about vegetarians. I will admit though that I did gain a substantial amount of weight after I decided on the diet change. Mainly because I was eating all the wrong things. Anyway I disagree with the PeTA billboard. They are cruel and undeserving of the donations and reputation they receive.
Maybe it’s not the ad that is the issue. The issue is that society pampers people that let themselves go. It is given a disease status. Yes, some people cannot help it, and for them please forgive me for what I have said. But some people just are lazy and don’t care.
ps. your list of so called vegetarian items, isn’t working. By calling that vegetarian, why not include Oreo, or Italian ice, pure sugar, cool whip.
You can mentally add Oreos to my list, but I don’t see how excluding them makes the list not work..?
“I can’t believe that PETA would be so disrespectful as to use the terms “whales” and “blubber” when referring to obese people”
Well I feel for you, but do you show outrage to when people demean animals like referring to pig as a porkchop? It’s the objectification of it that makes it demeaning.
Honestly I see no problem with the billboard, its’ demeaning but it’s freedom of speech. And it touches on a good point using imagery and subtle humour to make light of a serious issue. Instead of what they’d be considered to campaign for (saving beached whales or something) they’re tricking you and playing on words.
It’s ok to be fat because you can be born like that (varying body sizes), but obesity is not natural or normal. It’s people letting themselves eat to such massive proportions that they balloon up in weight. These are people who throw caution to our environment and could not care about issues of conservation or moderation.
To be fair, Billybong (nice username), pretty much ALL advertising uses wordplay. And to be fair to you, yes, there’s no excuse for gross obesity; if you’re overweight, fine, if you have a health issue, fine, but there is NEVER any reason to ever weigh something like 300+ pounds.
That said, it’s still a horrible practice, however, to go out of one’s way to not only shame the overweight (Vegan, veggie, or omni) who do have a health problem or are actively trying to lose weight, but also to shame the entire omnivorous populous by calling all meat-eaters “whales” that need to “lose the blubber” by “going vegetarian”. They are doing nothing wrong by eating what they do and it is NOT PETA’s place to tell them that eating a diet that the human body was biologically, anatomically, and evolutionarily built to consume. In fact, it’s not *anyone’s* place, ever, to tell you how and what to eat (unless you want them to, and if so you’re probably on a diet already or about to start one).
As so many people have already said above me, the problem is NOT with vegetarians or Vegans in general – the problem is with PETA being Anti-Human and with *self-righteous* vegans/vegetarians that insist the diet is a healthier one when there is very little evidence to support that theory that isn’t propaganda, pure fabrication, outdated, or guilt-tripping.
The fact is, this billboard is offensive and was clearly intended to shock and offend, which has been PETA’s Modus Operendi since before I was even born. I weigh 116 pounds, am 5’4″, and am rather scrawny. I have a fast metabolism, one that just doesn’t work on an all-vegan or all-vegetarian diet. I am *always hungry* no matter what I do; thankfully I’ve learned to eat something filling (like peanut butter) or ignore the pangs that come as shortly after eating as an hour later. And I find this billboard offensive. There’s simply never any good reason to make someone feel ashamed of a behavior they either cannot help (obesity with a health issue as the cause) or need to engage in to get proper nutrition for THEIR SPECIFIC BODY (as I must do with mine – I simply do not have a choice). There’s really a point when you have to go back to the old adage of Survival of the Fittest – if an animal has to die for me to live, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to feel all torn up that it had to die so I could live, either. There is a food chain, and we are on top of it.
Some common Vegan/Vegetarian fallacies:
1. Slaughter is inherently Inhumane. False. Only some slaughter methods are as inhumane as you believe, such as stun-bolting, which can leave the animal only partially stunned and fully alive to experience pain. Stun-bolting can also leech prions into the meat; prions are mutated proteins that can mess up *your* body’s proteins, and badly, but most prions (like all proteins) are denatured by cooking. Slitting an animal’s carotid (jugular) artery is actually less cruel than stun-bolting, because the animal bleeds out almost instantaneously due to the very high-pressure blood coursing through it. The animal is out cold instantly, unable to feel pain, and dies of a lack of oxygen to the brain within twenty minutes or sooner. Many religious practices (Kosher particularly) require this method of slaughter. What is more cruel is the practices some use before slaughter, but this has largely fallen out of favor due to increased FDA laws.
2. Going Veggie is greener for the Environment. Also False. The required farmland and resources needed to grow enough soy to feed the average vegan or vegetarian is nearly twice that of the farmland needed to feed a heard of slaughter cattle. That many plants releases much more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming (This is what is meant by ‘carbon footprint’). Vegetarianism and veganism, in this way, leaves a much larger carbon footprint than simply eating an omnivorous diet.
3. Humans are naturally herbivorous. False on so many levels it’s just silly. Humans are, in fact, omnivorous. As many have pointed out above me, humans have many anatomical features that are found only in omnivores, such as mixed teeth (canines, incisors, AND molars) and a mid-length digestive tract that is neither smooth like a carnivore’s or totally rough like an herbivore’s. In addition, human beings have front-facing eyes like all omnivores and carnivores, and also have digestive enzymes optimized to handle the break-down of meat, including bile, which breaks down animal fats. In contrast, humans cannot break down the fiber in plants so well, which is why the average omnivorous human diet includes green vegetables mostly for crude fiber and some nutrients.
4. You can get whole proteins from beans, soy, nuts, tofu, etc. Mostly false. Soy is one of the five sources of whole proteins in plantlife, yes, but it is the only one listed above. Nuts and legumes have a lot of protein, but are not whole proteins. They must be combined with other plant-based proteins to be whole (which is why it’s common to see beans and rice together, for example). What is meant by “whole proteins” is that the source contains all essential amino acids.
5. You can get all available nutrients on a Vegan or vegetarian diet. False, you cannot, not without some form of supplement or VERY careful meal-planning. Certain fat-soluable vitamins and fatty acids are found exclusively in animals – for example, Omega-3 fatty acids are found mostly in fish, shellfish, and… not much else. Omega-3s are not only good for your brain, they’re also good for your heart. Other nutrients are simply more abundantly found in meats – yes, iron is abundant in, say, broccoli, but it is much more abundant in red meats like beef.
6. A vegetarian/vegan diet will help you lose weight/make you feel healthier. False for some and True for others. As pointed out above, not everyone can handle a vegan/vegetarian diet. Some people gain weight on it even when eating a balance diet, whereas others lose so much weight it’s simply unhealthy. Some (like me) never quite feel healthy on an exclusively vegan or vegetarian diet and suffer low energy, fatigue, and constant hunger even when their meals are well-balanced; others simply glow inside and out on a vegetarian/vegan diet. The safest bet is simply to either try it for yourself or just stick with what nature intended, along with eating healthier and being more active.
7. Meat is unhealthy. False. Lean meats, such as chicken and fish, are actually very healthy. Leaner cuts of red meat are also extremely beneficial, and as previously stated meats contain certain amino acids (protein components) and vitamins that veggies just do not have. The only real way to make sure you’re getting everything you need is to eat a balanced diet that includes meat or a very well-planned vegetarian/vegan diet; a serving of meat is one hamburger patty or a piece of steak about the size of the palm of your hand. No food, besides man-made processed junk food, is inherently unhealthy.