Whether you love them or hate them, the fact remains that the activist group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has earned a well-deserved spot in American pop culture. From naked protests to throwing red paint on fur designers, PETA always seems to be doing something to grab the media spotlight. Now, with the advent of video sharing sites like YouTube, people from around the world can see PETA’s zany antics with just a click of the mouse.
I’ve been involved with animal rights for a while, and I am a long-time PETA supporter. Recently, I took the time to search through the library of videos on YouTube to find the five best videos produced by or related to PETA. Now, I’ve decided to share my list here on Associated Content. Be sure to check out these videos:
5. Eating Meat Causes Impotence Commercial – Each year, PETA produces a commercial that they try to air during the Super Bowl, and each year the television networks faithfully reject PETA’s advertising as “too racy.” In this recent ad, reminiscent of a cheesy 70’s porn flick, a pizza delivery guy finds out one of the many reasons that eating meat is just not sexy. After watching this video, it’s not hard to see why PETA’s ads are typically deemed “not fit for television.”
4. PETA’s “Vegetarians Make Better Lovers” Tour Goes Gay – Obviously, PETA thinks vegetarians make better lovers, and one particular media stunt that they really like involves two vegetarian activists making out on a public street corner. This particular demo, which normally involved a buff guy and a sexy girl, really turns heads, as you can imagine. Recently, PETA added a fresh twist to this “old trick,” and spiced things up a bit by having two gay men make out to promote vegetarianism instead.
As a gay animal rights activist myself, I was really excited to see this video on YouTube. A big part of my work involves getting people to make the connections between various social justice issues, like gay rights and animal rights. I was really happy to see the activists address both issues in this video. Besides, the two guys in the clip are extremely hot.
3. Chew on This – A lot of people don’t really understand the whole “vegetarian/vegan” thing and can’t imagine why someone would give up meat. PETA has produced lots of videos on the subject, but one of the best is this short film called Chew on This. During the film, viewers are presented with at least 30 great reasons to go vegetarian. Plus, it is less than 4 minutes long, so it doesn’t take long to watch. If you are looking for a good film to share vegetarianism with your meat-eating friends, this is definitely an excellent clip to pass along.
2. ‘Rat Monster’ Scares PETA Activist – Okay, I debated for a while about whether or not to include this video, but it was just too damn funny not to include in this list. Most people have probably seen the show “Scare Tactics” from the Sci-Fi channel, on which people are purposely put in situations designed to scare the living daylights out of them. This particular video clip, from the “Scare Tactics” TV show, features a bona-fide PETA activist who gets hired to work as a janitor to clean up an animal testing lab. Of course, there’s more to this lab than meets the eye…but I don’t want to give away the ending for you. This hilarious clip is definitely worth a quick look.
1. Testing: 1, 2, 3… – I’ve obviously spent a lot of time watching PETA videos, but this one really grabbed me. Whether or not you believe in animal testing, this video poses a lot of interesting questions about the morality of animal research that really make you think. PETA obviously spent a lot of time on this video-even though it’s only a little over 3 minutes long, the music, editing, and actors make this one of the most compelling animal rights videos I’ve ever seen.
