Ok first of all, every single person reading this is above an animal because I can assume that you are a HUMAN BEING. I love animals but PETA has lost their mind with this one. Animals don’t understand English so I’m pretty confident that they won’t get offended if I call my friend a chicken, and I would be shocked if somebody heard someone call another person a “sloth” and think “wow I will murder a sloth”. These people are crazy and I almost feel like this has to be a troll. If it is a troll it’s a dumb one because all you’re doing is making people like me make fun of people who actually care about the well-being of animals and put sweaters on them. – Nick J
Animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is urging humans to stop using animals as insults, arguing that it is a form of oppression.
Insults such as “pig,” “rat,” snake” and “chicken,” among others, are considered animal slurs that are part of a “supremacist” and “speciesist language,” the group said on Twitter on Jan. 27.
“Words can create a more inclusive world, or perpetuate oppression. Calling someone an animal as an insult reinforces the myth that humans are superior to other animals & justified in violating them,” PETA said.
“Stand up for justice by rejecting supremacist language,” it added.
In the Twitter thread, PETA stressed how these “anti-animal slurs” degrade animals by apparently applying negative traits humans have to certain species.
“Perpetuating the idea that animals are sly, dirty, or heartless desensitizes the public and normalizes violence against other animals,” the group argued.
PETA also explained that this “speciesist language” is not just harmful, but also inaccurate.
“Pigs, for instance, are intelligent, lead complex social lives, and show empathy for other pigs in distress. Snakes are clever, have family relationships, and prefer to associate with their relatives,” PETA said.
The non-profit organization then called on those “who [believe] in equality and justice to take a look at their personal beliefs and the language they use, and break free of this outdated mindset that denigrates other animals.”
PETA also aptly gave the public some alternatives to the animal insults. Instead of “chicken,” one can say “coward”; instead of “rat,” one can say “snitch”; instead of snake, one can say “jerk,” among others.
PETA, which started in the United States, is the world’s largest animal rights organization that is “dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals.”
Via NewsInfo