13 February 2013
PETA: peta2 and PETAKiDS are secondary websites created by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) aimed at “youth.” However, their gruesome games are far from suitable for this particular age group.
By Isabel De La Garza, Senior Writer
In summer of 2002, peta2 was launched by PETA in an effort to expand its crusade for ethical treatment of animals. It specifies that its target group is the “youth” but never defines that age group. In order to make an account, one must be at least 13 years old, a stipulation common to many U.S.-based social networking sites. PETAKiDS, aimed at children, does not have an “age limit,” but it does have a disclaimer which reads “Note: If you’re under 18, please make sure that your parent or guardian has read this disclaimer before you use the site, ’cause we don’t want to get yelled at.”
Each site focuses on PETA’s main slogan: “animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment.” While it is not so pronounced on the PETAKiDS site, the slogan is shown in the header of the peta2 website in a striking font superimposed over images of animals. Each site has disclaimers, but they are located in a small text link at the very bottom of each page. Every organization wants to spread their messages widely and achieve their goals; however, PETA’s tactics are not ones that will allow its users to make informed, rational decisions.
Each website has interviews and testimonials from vegan and vegetarian celebrities, so the users can look up to famous people that have the same ideals as PETA. The peta2 homepage has many links to articles about PETA’s successful work against animal abuse. These are all perfectly fine methods of getting the message across in a way that allows children to make reasoned decisions.
The sites even have a few games, all of which are accessible whether you have an account or not. Pokémon Black and Blue, for example, was launched the day after Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2 were released in the U.S. PETA claims that “much like animals in the real world, Pokémon are treated as unfeeling objects and used for such things as human entertainment and as subjects in experiments. The way that Pokémon are stuffed into pokéballs is similar to how circuses chain elephants inside railroad cars and let them out only to perform confusing and often painful tricks that were taught using sharp steel-tipped bullhooks and electric shock prods.”
Not only is Pokémon a fictional game, but it also seems PETA does not grasp what the game’s premise is. Pokémon are inherently endowed with abilities and powers, which make them superior in physical strength to human beings. In the game, novice Pokémon trainers are warned not to walk in the wild without a Pokémon to protect them because other Pokémon may attack. Additionally, Pokémon learn their “tricks” through sparring experience, not through the usage of electric shock prods or bullhooks. The only thing PETA grasped with Pokémon Black and Blue is that Pokémon have super powers so they can overpower humans, and thus created a game in which they do just that: attack and seriously injure Pokémon trainers and researchers who are all portrayed as unfeeling, heartless and ugly monsters. Pikachu leads the Pokémon and battles Cheren, the underage rival of the protagonist in Pokémon Black and White, first. Cheren is depicted holding a bat and a bottle of alcohol while covered in blood stains. Once you defeat Cheren and “free” his Pokémon, you continue on your quest only to be rewarded with PETA’s infamous “Meet Your Meat” short film which shows graphic depictions of animals being mistreated in slaughterhouses and egg and dairy farms.
These are not the only games PETA has on its websites; there are also Bloody Burberry: The Fur Fighters, Mario Kills Tanooki and Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals. In the first game, you play as an animal with a spray paint can and vandalize Burberry stores’ products. In the second game you play as a skinned Tanuki (a raccoon dog—a canid that looks similar to the raccoon native to Japan) trying to get his skin back from Mario, who in the original video game obtains the suit through game play instead of Tanuki skinning. The last game is similar to other Cooking Mama games. You follow a recipe and cook. Only this time, you are cooking a turkey your “Mama” just went outside to kill, rather than with store-bought ingredients. First, you pluck the turkey. Then you disembowel it. Next, you cut off its head and use its neck and innards to make gravy. Then, you put in the stuffing and cook it until it’s nice and covered in green, pus-filled structures. After that, Mama shows you how to make a tofu turkey instead, and the game says “because of you Mama loves animals” as a reward.
Not only do all of these games portray meat-eaters and people who train fictional animals to fight fictional battles as sinister, but they also imply that violence or property crimes against them is perfectly logical and suitable punishment for them. Although PETA said, “Nothing on this Web site—including reports, promotions, calls to action, or anything else—is intended to condone, approve of, or encourage illegal activity,” in Pokémon Black and Blue, legal and normal activist tactics such as “educate” and “protest” just make you lose the game, making it counterintuitive to the whole “not encouraging illegal activity” disclaimer. The fact that these games target impressionable children who do not understand the true nature of violence is a scary thought. Additionally, many of their games exploit copyrighted material. In Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals, the Cooking Mama sprites from the game are used to portray Vegan Mama, and in Pokémon Black and Blue the names of Pokémon, trainers and moves are used with slightly modified sprite images. Overall, it is extremely obvious which characters PETA has been illegally infringing upon.
The worst part is that the games foster fear and hatred towards individuals who eat meat. They portray mothers who cook meat as ruthless killers of innocent, helpless animals. These hateful portrayals of individuals who could be upstanding members of society and the gruesome depictions of death and maltreatment towards animals only drive youth towards PETA’s waiting arms rather than listen to both sides. Hate and fear do not lead to understanding and enlightenment—only closed-mindedness, which should not be the goal of an organization for the “ethical treatment” of anything.