Wednesday, November 16, 2011

PETA Uses Tiny Texas Town For Latest Publicity Stunt

I applaud a lot of what PETA has accomplished over the years. But as I've said before, I think a lot of the group's stunts are in poor taste and do more harm than good for the cause of animal welfare. Their latest gimmick is asking the town of Turkey, Texas to change its name to "Tofurkey" for Thanksgiving. The incentive is that PETA will prepare a vegan Thanksgiving feast for the whole town.

Turkey is a tiny town, fewer than 500 residents, in west Texas, roughly between the cities of Lubbock and Amarillo. The town was named for the large numbers of wild turkeys that inhabit the area, a fact that PETA ignores in its attempt to use the town in its argument against the slaughter of domesticated turkeys. The town's main claim to fame is being the home of the late country music great Bob Wills.

Turkey Art in Turkey, TX
What I find demeaning about PETA's stunt is this: PETA seems to be saying to the the residents of Turkey that because it is a small town in a rural area, the town's history and heritage doesn't matter. Hey, we can just use your town for our latest publicity stunt. Who cares, it's only a few hundred people out on a flat prairie somewhere. I'm sure if Dallas had happened to be named Turkey, PETA wouldn't be offering the million or so residents of that city a free vegan dinner.

Hey, if PETA really wants to get some attention, there's a certain country between Greece and Lebanon that might like some free tofurkey.

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