ELAURA LIGON

Literature Review for ENC1102

PETA: PEOPLE FOR

ETHICAL TREATMENT OF
ANIMALS
The Extremity of Animal Rights Activism

Elaura Ligon

The Beginning of Animal Rights Extremism

Animal Rights activism has been an occurrence since the 1800s,
however one of the first major radical activist groups that was formed
was the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) in 1962. Though they were
dedicated to non-violence attempts to prevent animal abuse, there was
a small internal group that named themselves the Band of Mercy that
did not believe they were doing all they could to prevent animal
cruelty. They thought there was something more they could be doing,
which is what lead to the imprisonment of Ronnie Lee, former member
of the Hunt Saboteurs Association, now founder of the Animal
Liberation Front (ALF), and previously sent to jail for more than six
years for participating in a firebombing campaign in 1985-1986 as an
act of illegal liberation for abused animals with the other members of
the Band of Mercy. (Huxley)
Though these groups were created in the mid-1900s they have
inspired many groups to take further action as animal rights activists
including the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), whose
tagline is Animals are NOT ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for
entertainment, or abuse in any other way. Though PETA was inspired
by early animal rights extremist groups, when asked What is PETAs

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position on the Animal Liberation Front (ALF)? They answered the

following:
Throughout history, some people have felt the need to
break the law in order to fight injustice. The Underground
Railroad and the French Resistance are both examples of
people breaking the law in order to combat injustice. PETA
is a legal activist organization, but we realize that other
groups have different methods and we try not to condemn
any efforts in behalf of animals in which no one is harmed.
The ALF, which is simply the name adopted by people
acting illegally in behalf of animal rights, breaks inanimate
objects such as stereotaxic devices and decapitators in
order to save lives. It burns empty buildings in which
animals are tortured and killed. ALF raids have provided
proof of horrific cruelty that would not have been
discovered or believed otherwise.
Despite their seemingly harmless front, there have been many
questionable events in Animal Rights history that depict just how
similar the action of PETA may seem when compared to that of the ALF
or the HSA (Young). Whether the actions were non-violent, illegal, or
entirely legally sound, there is still no debate when stating that PETA,

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much like the groups before it, could be what is considered Animal
Rights Extremist Groups today.
The Purpose behind Animal Rights Activists
Animal Rights Activists may not always be extremists or radicals;
in fact, there are many groups that have done justice to the animals
that have been abused and neglected over the years like the Friends of
Animals (FoA), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (ASPCA), and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
Greenpeace is also a group known for preventing crimes against the
environment as well as the animals living in it, but they are a slightly
more confrontational organization in comparison to the others named.
Their purpose is to give a voice to animals since they cant speak for
themselves. (Waldau) Many animal rights activists believe that animals
are much too similar to humans to be treated with such cruelty, which
is why in some extreme cases of domestic violence people have been
able to be protected under laws that promote animal rights in order to
have a chance at liberation. Humans and animals alike have been
protected and fought for under the same assumption that despite the
genetic composition, we are similar and our hearts all beat just the
same. Some activist groups just take that to heart more than others,
thus forming the radical groups. (Pettinen 4)

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Connecting with Society

With PETA specifically, they have taken precautious steps in their
activism by promoting vegan products, creating articles on items that
are cruelty-free and are guaranteed to not have been tested on
animals. But even further than that, they almost aggressively reveal
the poor living conditions, abuse, and neglect that certain companies
inflict on their animals in order to make products efficiently (Beers).
This is where they begin to impact society; as a very technological
generation, we spend much of our time on social media, browsing the
internet when we hear about new products and trends, or watching
YouTube videos our friends recommend to us even if we dont know
exactly what its about. PETA and other animal rights activist groups
create profiles and ads to put up on websites that sponsor their cause,
they make promotional videos and they post pictures and links on
Facebook or Twitter to show their followers what they see. They have
an impact on our opinion of animal abuse and our actions either for or
against the cause. (Deckha 47)
Our Perspective
Its not just how they impact us, but its how we see them as
well. When we look at organizations like PETA and their cause to fight
for animal rights, there are many mixed views within society. Theyre

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seen as dedicated activists, animal lovers, and kind-hearted workers

with a cause. However, they can also be considered radical or extreme,
overwhelmingly forceful, and judgmental in their public exposure of
wrongdoings

towards

animals

(Pettinen

7).

Without

effectively

integrating into their subculture or understanding how or why they

promote and present certain actions and products, we can never fully
understand the extremity of PETAs animal rights activism. As activists,
they are entitled to a certain amount of productive action for their
cause; peaceful confrontation, legal acts of defense, and in some cases
undercover investigations to find out the truth about whats taking
place in a certain environment. However, to what end? How far is it
acceptable to go before youve gone too far in your search for the
liberation of animals globally? With activists, there is often a blurred
line between what is considered extreme and radical and what is
considered sound, and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
seems to glide back and forth over that line to present a bold idea to
society about what needs to be done.
Despite the extremism of PETA as an animal rights activist group,
they fight for a good cause and they are always presenting new ways
for the community to fight for the cause with them. If youre looking for
more information or you want to get involved, go to www.PETA.org and
join their campaign.

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Proposal for A Better Solution

Because of these circumstances, I have drafted this legal
proposal to aid the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the
noble or misunderstood actions regarding animal rights activism. The
following legal demands are vital:
I. I request that legal action is taken in order to register and record the ownership
and containment on each property that contains more than 5 animals present.
This is to ensure maintained awareness of the registered or unregistered
animals, with the request that chips or tags are registered to the animals
present.
II. In order to maintain the responsibilities of all companies, landowners, and
animal caretakers alike, I request a series of random annual inspections of the
premises in which the animals are contained and registered. This is to ensure
that proper care and maintenance is given to these animals year round, and
that all registered animals are present and accounted for. If an animal has died
of natural or understandable causes, or was sold to another landowner, it is to
be recorded on the online database with their case number upon the creation
of the first request in this proposal. (I)
III. An increase in fines or prison time for the misuse, mistreatment, or cruelty to
animals is also requested. By increasing the sentences or consequences for
animal cruelty at the legal systems leisure, our hope is that the act of animal
cruelty will drastically decrease thus the necessary action for organizations
like PETA will lessen as these requests are taken into effect. An increase in
prison time depending on discussed offenses, and a fine of $50,000 as a
minimum payment offer as well as 60 hours of community service combined
with the payment of the fine is sufficient. The options for said crimes can be
discussed upon approval of this proposal, and does not require my advisory or
presence. This proposal is strictly to seek council, to protect the rights of all
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animals under containment within the United States, as well as to prevent

extremist actions from taking place in order to obtain said animal rights.
Upon further research within the case database and the articles
from one of my sources, the diary of the complete actions of the ALF
and PETA over the last 30 years presented by Peter Young, I found
many viewpoints that are against my proposal and my ideas towards
the correction or reduction of Animal Rights activism and animal
cruelty. Many find that the actions of such animal rights extremists are
justified through their purpose for action and the positive outcomes
of their actions. However, I do believe that there is a limit to what one
can achieve when acting through anger and sadness rather than with
sound mind and body. If a legal approach is taken and stricter laws are
put in place, I believe we can help correct the animal rights extremist
agenda and put a stop to animal cruelty.

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Annotated Bibliography:
Beers, Diane L. For the Prevention of Cruelty: The History and Legacy of
Animal Rights Activism in
the United States. Athens, OH: Swallow/Ohio UP, 2006. Print.
This source was a text that I found when I was researching the
history of Animal Rights Activists to see if there was also a sense of
extreme behavior or if it was a more recent adaptation of the
subculture. Its validity and credibility is shown through the information
supplied by Beers when she depicts memorable events throughout
history that she was a part of specifically. She presents quotes and
images that helped me to better understand historical events and
actions that had taken place.
Deckha, Maneesha. "Disturbing Images: Peta and the Feminist Ethics of
Animal Advocacy."
Ethics & the Environment 13.2 (2008): 35-76. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
This was an article I found online that aided in presenting the
extreme behavior of PETA over the years, and exactly what it is that
they see when they go into the field. Though PETA isnt the only group
of Animal Rights Activists, they are one of the most extreme or radical
activist groups today, under the impression that they are fighting
entirely for the rights of animals, and that the morality of their actions
is entirely sound. It was a very interesting read and it helped me
greatly in my research.
"History and Evolution of the Animal Rights Movement." : An All Creatures
Animal Rights Article.
N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015. <http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/arhistory.html>.
This website, much like Beers text, was mostly about the history
of Animal Rights. However, this website provided articles and
informational sessions about how it has evolved from then to now,
which is the introductory aspect of my paper. The website has many
articles about animal rights activists and their history, so I found quite
a few on PETA since my paper is predominantly about their group.
Huxley, Hodgkin. "Policy." The Early History of Animal Rights Extremism.
Understanding Animal

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Research, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

<http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/policy/animal-rightsextremism/the-early-history-of-animal-rights-extremism/>.
Since I was researching PETA as an extremist group as well as
the impact of the animal rights activist subculture on society, this was
an excellent source to help me find out how Animal Rights Extremism
started and how it relates to PETA and their ideals towards their cause.
They often deny that they are at all related to the ALF or other early
animal rights extremist groups, but when I did a comparison with the
information given to me by this source I found a few correlations that
helped me to make a conclusion about their organization.
"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The Animal Rights
Organization." PETA.
N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <http://www.peta.org/>.
This is obviously one of my main sources since it is the website
for the organization/subculture I wrote my paper on. It gave me a lot of
the details I needed to compare and contrast PETA with other
organizations as well as the quotes and data I needed to depict their
actions towards the abuse and neglect of animals.
Pettinen, Katja. The Role of Radical Action in the Animal Rights Movement.
N.p.: n.p., 2002.
Print.
This source was a main contributor in my research on the
specific actions that took place with the ALF, HSA, and PETA. It helped
me to piece together which actions took place where like the
firebombing campaign and the undercover investigations done by the
animal rights activists.
Waldau, Paul. Animal Rights: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford: Oxford
UP, 2011. Print.
Waldau presented the introductory facts on Animal Rights
Activism that I needed to get a general idea of what I wanted to piece
together in my paper. He presented simple aspects from the activist
perspective and how they impact generations differently as time goes
on. This source helped me to better understand the thoughts of the
extremists and the activists from a new perspective.

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Young, Peter. The Animal Liberation Front: Complete U.S. Diary of Actions:
The First 30 Years,
1979 to 2008. United States: Voice of the Voiceless Communications,
2010. Print.
With the small section I added about the influence the Animal
Liberation Front had on PETA, I had to make sure I had the facts
straight about the events that occurred and how they impacted the
organizations they had inspired through those events.

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