PETA’s ‘Tone-Deaf’ Ad Campaign Blames Meat-Eaters For The Coronavirus Pandemic
Image via PETA
Back in May 2020, animal rights organization PETA released an ad campaign suggesting that eating meat was the reason for the coronavirus pandemic.
The ad depicted a smiling tofu block with the slogan reading, “Tofu never caused a pandemic.” It was featured on billboards, park benches, and on face masks that could be purchased via PETA’s online merchandise store. It even included a full-size tofu costume sporting the tagline.
Though the campaign debuted in May, a social media post with the ad on a park bench went viral recently, sparking furor among internet users. Some decried that the message was “tone-deaf” and intentionally “guilt-tripping” people as it disregarded socioeconomic and cultural factors that come with eating meat.
Some of the reasons are noted to be food accessibility, as well as financial resources, as factory-based animal protein is cheaper than free-range or vegan meat alternatives. One user stated, “A lot of it is also extremely privileged, and tone-deaf. Sometimes meat is just cheaper…”
Others have also remarked that the contentious advert could have been paid by the meat industry to discredit vegans for their food choices. One user expressed the theory “that PETA is actually the meat lobby trying to make veganism seem tone-deaf and annoying.”
PETA responded to the tweet by stating, “Unlike our opposition—mostly large corporations—PETA must do extraordinary things to get the word out about animal cruelty. Scientists have warned for years about the role filthy farms [and] markets play in pandemics. 70 percent of new human diseases originate in animals. Not true of tofu.”
Okay I have this crazy, long standing theory that PETA is actually the meat lobby trying to make veganism seem tone deaf and annoying pic.twitter.com/m7Gx8xBTap
— ellory smith (@ellorysmith) August 10, 2020
Unlike our opposition—mostly large corporations—PETA must do extraordinary things to get the word out about animal cruelty. Scientists have warned for YEARS about the role filthy farms & markets play in pandemics. 70% of new human diseases originate in animals. Not true of tofu.
— PETA (@peta) August 11, 2020
A lot of it is also Extremely privileged, and tone deaf.
— Schadefox stands against racism! (@SchadefoxArt) August 10, 2020
Sometimes meat is just cheaper.
Growing really really poor, protein was oftentimes a bag of bones for stew/soup because it was cheaper than a bag of lentils.
Even today a kilo of bones is cheaper than 500g of lentils.
This kind of guilt trippy bullshit is why I find joy in shitting on vegans.
— Beelze-Bob-Ross (@HappyHellscapes) August 11, 2020
They could just let people do their own thing, but no they gotta aggressively push this shit and try to force it on people, it’s fucking annoying.
[via Insider, cover image via PETA]
