Your Kids, PETA’s Pawns: How the Animal “Rights” Movement Targets Children Your Kids, PETA’s Pawns: How the Animal “Rights” Movement Hurts Children 1 Introduction Everything kids see—in school, on television, in matizing,” “beyond insensitive,” and “an abso- magazines, and on the Internet—helps shape lute atrocity.” But PETA shows no sign of slowing their development. But few parents realize how down, and the details of its radical messages are animal rights activists like People for the Ethical unknown to most parents and teachers. Treatment of Animals (PETA), the Humane Society of the United States, the Physicians Committee Meanwhile, PETA’s blatantly extreme actions Psychologists and for Responsible Medicine, and their allies use serve as “cover” for seemingly more mainstream these vehicles to reach kids through clever com- groups such as the Humane Society of the United munications campaigns. States (HSUS)—an animal rights group not affili- school officials have ated with any local humane societies or pet shel- PETA begins a graduated process of indoctrina- ters—and the Physicians Committee for tion with kindly animal “welfare” messages on a Responsible Medicine (PCRM). However, these denounced PETA’s website geared toward young children. By slip- groups are equally radical as PETA—they’re just ping in radical animal “rights” propaganda into more deceptive. the benign “help-animals” theme, PETA lays out the path to its next, more extreme age-specific PCRM advocated for national school lunch child-propaganda as website, “peta2,” its “youth outreach division.” “reform” in 2009. But by reform, PCRM means The blurring line between caring for animals and the complete elimination of meat, cheese, and “liberating” then begins to disappear as teen milk from school cafeterias. The largest single “despicable,” celebrity endorsements, schoolyard demonstra- source of PCRM’s funding is a wealthy animal- tions, and other activities help transition middle- rights activist in Florida who also gives millions to and high-school students from passive sympa- PETA. This helps demonstrate that PCRM’s anti- “traumatizing,” thizers to “PETA’s army of animal rights rebels.” dairy and anti-meat zealotry is motivated more by ideology than health. Most parents would be shocked if they knew the “beyond insensitive,” details of PETA’s marketing tactics aimed at chil- HSUS has its own kid-targeted programs, starting dren. In 2014 for example, PETA was forced to with its “KINDNews” magazine mailed out to publicly apologize after its volunteers surrepti- elementary school classrooms across the coun- tiously distributed comic books to elementary try. As kids grow older, HSUS seeks to keep them and “an absolute school students that contained “graphic photos in the loop by asking them to form a club or to of bulls being de-horned and an infected udder advocate for animal-rights issues. on a dairy cow,” according to the Los Angeles atrocity.” Daily News. PETA even ambushes kids playing an Like PETA and PCRM, however, HSUS is an ani- online Pokemon-themed children’s game with mal-rights group that believes meat and dairy graphic videos of dead animals as “prizes.” products are markers of a “cruel” diet. Unlike PETA, HSUS never drops the kindly animal “wel- Psychologists and school officials have denounced fare” façade, hoping instead to snooker Americans PETA’s child-propaganda as “despicable,” “trau- into thinking that its agenda differs from PETA’s. Your Kids, PETA’s Pawns: How the Animal “Rights” Movement Hurts Children 3 How PETA & the Animal Cult Movement Target Kids With $51.9 million in annual income (2014), eliminate animals from zoos, aquariums, cir- PETA is among the richest, most influential ani- cuses, and rodeos. Its activists campaign mal rights organizations in the world. It sees aggressively to ban fishing, fur, leather, wool, children as a way to effectively maintain its pet ownership, and biology-class dissection in power by ensuring that its violent and destruc- schools. And PETA opposes all medical research tive messages will be promoted for generations on animals (including lab rats) — even to cure to come. Although many parents are familiar diseases like AIDS and cancer. with PETA’s attention-grabbing media stunts, few “ We are after are aware of PETA’s coordinated campaign to PETA’s clever advertising campaigns are neces- bypass parental authority and indoctrinate chil- sary to achieve its goals because most people dren with its radical philosophy. are not naturally inclined to adopt this radical philosophy. As one animal cult leader candidly the kids who The Providence Journal (Rhode Island) reported in told Great Britain’s Observer newspaper in 2003: 2013 that PETA “plans to run ads in bus shelters “We are after the kids who are looking and showing a traditional Thanksgiving image to searching for something.” Through a sophisti- adults and a different, bloody, image to children.” cated campaign designed to convert the next are looking The ad incorporated lenticular technology so generation to its cause, children of all ages are while parents see a benign image, children short- snared by PETA’s predatory net and told that er than 4’3” (the average height of an 8-year old) their search is over. see “two children spattered with blood and horri- and searching fied as the mother cuts into a live bird.” PETA’s graduated process of indoctrination begins when children enter elementary school In the words of its founding president Ingrid and continues through adolescence. At each Newkirk, PETA’s goal is “total animal liberation.” stage, PETA increases its expectations for “ani- for something.” In addition to spelling the end of meat and dairy mal liberation” recruits, going behind the backs foods, this extremist organization has vowed to of parents at every opportunity. — “PETA Kids” coordinator Marci Hansen PETA planned a bus stop advertisement that used lenticular technology to hide its true message from parents. Your Kids, PETA’s Pawns: How the Animal “Rights” Movement Hurts Children 5 Games with sexually-suggestive images indoc- trinate kids with animal-rights messages. An Online Minefield For Chil dren In 2002 PETA president Ingrid Newkirk insisted on Peta2 links to PETA’s other online material, poten- CNN’s “Crossfire” that “everything [PETA does] is tially exposing web-surfing minors to its graphic based at adults.” But at the time Newkirk made and often sexually-oriented messages for adults, that statement, PETA was already operating such as porn star Jenna Jameson’s invitation to several children’s websites, each designed to “pleather yourself” in faux-leather lingerie to “add appeal to a different age group. some flare in the bedroom.” Another page gives instructions on how to “Veganize Your Sex Life” PETA begins marketing itself online to elementary- and stay “cruelty-free between the sheets” with aged children with the “PETA Kids” website. links to vegan condoms and lubricants. Another Internet site, "peta2" targets middle- and high-schoolers and “seeks to inject the concept of animal rights directly into the bloodstream of PETA distributes trading cards like today’s youth culture.” It targets adolescents with these to countless elementary-school kids across America. Using social media posts like this one on its “question authority” theme, featuring games, Instagram, PETA encourages adolescents to violent imagery, and street lingo for maximum rebel against their parents and teachers. appeal. And international youth-oriented PETA websites target young minds in other countries, But even if they manage to avoid straying from Superstars” program, it offers what every kid including specific pitches to kids in India, Germany, PETA’s child-centered websites, kids see invitation craves—validation—in the form of online “celeb- and the United Kingdom. In its 2014 annual after invitation to join “PETA’s army of animal rights rity” status to everyday children who act out in review, PETA boasts that peta2 “reached out to rebels.” Over and over, animal-rights messages are the name of animal rights 241,000 young people." hammered home, including these: PETA gives teens detailed instructions on refus- PETA tries to overrule parents by telling kids “what ing to participate in biology-class dissection to eat,” demanding that they adopt a meat-free, projects that violate their “strongly held religious dairy-free, and egg-free diet. One game on the PETA and moral beliefs.” PETA tells kids to “call the Kids page describes graphic chicken slaughtering Animal Legal Defense Fund,” which will “put you methods, such as “baby chickens have their beaks in touch with an attorney in your area.” seared off with a hot knife and their wings and legs broken” before showing four bloody chicks sliding A cartoon infographic tells children on PETAKids. into a pot of boiling water (it also depicts the com that eating meat is “Mass, Mechanized game’s heroes taking “shots” of chocolate milk at Murder” that destroys the planet. It also attempts “ Everything we do a pirate bar). to convince children that that “Eating meat means eating poop” and “Drinking milk also PETA capitalizes on teen celebrity endorsements means drinking pus.” (including pop superstars and television idols) to is based at adults.” glamorize its message. And with its “PETA Kids — PETA president Ingrid Newkirk denies targeting children on CNN Your Kids, PETA’s Pawns: How the Animal “Rights” Movement Hurts Children 7 Teenage Re bel lion, PETA-Style PETA invests heavily into reaching impressionable lifestyle. But peta2’s “question authority” message children and youth – and claims to have “the larg- is tinged with violent, edgy graphics, and some- est youth membership of any social justice organi- times contains suggestions to commit illegal acts. zation,” including the more than 600,000 kids it says have signed up for its email list. But the ani- As kids grow up and basic animal-rights propagan- mal liberation movement needs more than cheer- da sinks in, PETA gives young adolescents a road ing children: It needs foot soldiers.