At some point in almost everyone's life, they will describe something by using an animal. The thousands of terms and meanings have been introduced in many languages, but PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) believes that using animals to describe people or situations is some sort of hate speech. This week, the organization shared their opinion on Twitter, and it has recently begun circulating online, causing the public to question if PETA has just gone too far.
"Words can create a more inclusive world, or perpetuate oppression," the group tweeted. "Calling someone an animal as an insult reinforces the myth that humans are superior to other animals & justified in violating them. Stand up for justice by rejecting supremacist language." And yes, they gave examples of what they're referring to.
PETA shared an image that showed words that shouldn't be exchanged for animal terms. For example, don't call someone a "chicken" if you mean "coward," and so goes for "rat" and "snitch," "snake" and "jerk," "pig" and "repulsive," and "sloth" and "lazy."
"Anti-animal slurs degrade animals by applying negative human traits to certain species," PETA tweeted in a follow-up post. "Perpetuating the idea that animals are sly, dirty, or heartless desensitizes the public and normalizes violence against other animals." Not everyone agreed with the extremist animal group and you can check out PETA's posts, as well as a few reactions, below.
