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PETA pulls a lame stunt

Posted: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 11:45 AM by Allison Linn
Filed Under:

We have a lot of sympathy for the cause that the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals seeks to promote. We don’t have much sympathy for their increasingly goofy attention-seeking antics.

The latest dustup the animal rights nonprofit has created involves their attempt to get NBC to air a completely inappropriate ad during the Super Bowl, and then to complain when the network rejected the softcore porn.

The ad, featuring women in bras and panties getting extremely busy with some vegetables, was rejected after NBC deemed the content too racy, according to an e-mail from NBC that PETA made available to msnbc.com. A network spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Image: "Veggie Love" video
PETA

(Yes, msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal, but that doesn’t influence our editorial decisions, about this ad or any other.)

Let’s face it: It’s extremely unlikely a network would air an ad like this during the Super Bowl, unless they wanted every mom and dad in America to blanket them with angry e-mails. Not only that, but most people who created an ad like this would understand that sex with vegetables, while perhaps acceptable for late night television, is not typical midday fodder, even on Super Bowl Sunday.

A spokesman for PETA, Michael McGraw, said the company was surprised the ad was rejected, and that they didn’t think it was more risqué than other commercials that have aired during the Super Bowl. The company has instead put the ad on its Web site, along with documentation about the rejection.

It’s true that Super Bowl advertisers have regularly tried to push the envelope on what is acceptable on Super Bowl Sunday, but this one strikes us as pushing further than most.

It’s one thing for PETA to shock people with videos of people blatantly mistreating animals, to draw attention to the very real cause of animal abuse. It’s another thing to create an extremely steamy video, and then complain about their supposedly unfair treatment.

Instead of making us think about the plight of animals, it made us think that some people will do anything to get attention.

Go to PETA's Web site to watch the ad.

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Comments

Agreed - while PETA occasionally makes a good point, such as with the instant ad that vegetables are good for you, I actually found the ad tasteless and more than a little offensive.

DC, Washington, DC (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:14 PM)

Please.  This is no worse than any of the Godaddy.com ads in the past.  People need to lighten up.  Seriously, the ad is not even that risque.  There are far more disturbing things on Nickelodeon.

JC, San Antonio, TX (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:15 PM)

What was PETA thinking? My young daughter will watch the game. I'm glad someone had sense to ban it.

KD, Lancaster, PA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:15 PM)

PETA has always gone after the most terrorist-like attention seeking methods... scare tactics and on.  

Yes, animal cruelty is a real thread and should be taken seriously and dealt with with some degree of urgency, but really, scaring kids with pictures of dead animals with no skin?  I am sure they'll join the cause... right after they can sleep through the night again, given they dont become traumatized.  It is a noble cause, but with the wrong ads.  And great, now they are turning from abuse to animals to abusing veggies?  Do we need a PETA for veggies next?  Give me a break.  They are the worse attention seekers since some celebs (not saying names!).  Maybe that's their goal all along.  Grow up, PETA.

Alexandra, Salisbury, MD (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:16 PM)

...wow. If they toned it down a couple notches, this commercial would fit right in at the superbowl. But at that level it's way inappropriate. Other than that, it's pretty funny and I suppose it gets the message across.

Kristen, SC (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:17 PM)

I checked out the add by Peta.

I like to watch the Supper Bowel with my 13 year old son, family and friends.  You saved me from turnining off the TV and looking for something else to do.
Thanks for not showing that that add.  

Lloyd, Capitola, CA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:20 PM)

I watched the ad to form my own opinion...what a shock!  Good job NBC for rejecting this ad; it is totally inappropriate and offensive for family viewing.  I do not support PETA as they are too radical in their views.  This just adds "fuel to the fire".

Debby M, Mount Vernon, WA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:21 PM)

Watched the ad... Was it steamy? Yes. Too steamy for TV? Not likely. I found it more humorous than anything else. It did make me hungry for chicken wings though. (PETA...People Eat Tasty Animals)

Jim (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:24 PM)

I watched the ad on PETA's website and was disgusted by it. It is degrading and perverted. Those PETA people have really become freaks! I had been considering becoming a vegetarian but PETA's ads and off-the-wall antics have convinced me that if that's the way vegetarians act, I want no part of it. Foi Gras for everyone!

Leah Anderson (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:26 PM)

"IT IS NO ACCOMPLISHMENT TO BE CONSIDERED SANE IN AN INSANE WORLD", a very wise person once said ... and given the sheer insanity of the greed and corruption bubbling to the surface lately, PETA's brilliant "Veggie Love" psychosocial satire is a gleefully healthy, thought-provoking blast of pure oxygen.  H.L. Mencken's immortal Boobus Americanus is more safely entertained by cartoon bears waggling their toilet paper-shred festooned behinds at the viewer, while a battery company breaks its arm patting itself on the back for donating truckload of batteries to a children's hospital so the kids can send remote-controlled toys zooming around the hospital corridors.  And they'll wonder why Johnny's computer0-controlled ventilator suddenly went haywire during surgery, and sucked out his liver.  It's no crime to be Just Plain Stupid.  But it ain't no great honor, either.

Tom Cervasio, Staunton, VA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:26 PM)

Made me want to eat some broccoli.

baton rouge, la (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:27 PM)

The whole thing is just for shock value. The whole tone does not make a person respect what they are trying to say. The sexy tone wasn't sexy it was lame at best. Following it up with the blood and gore just made me not want to have anything to do with them.

Jean Hess, Spokane WA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:36 PM)

how can they even call them self a nonprofit if they can afford 10 mil. or more for a super bowl add all it shows they have more money then brains and they don't any more money from me or any body else.let them tighten there spending like we have to they need to get a real job

edski (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:38 PM)

If they had a girl humping a cucumber , hows that have any connection to mistreating animlals?
There are very simple people that are going to be watching this kind of thing and surely will not have the pedigree to catch on to hidden satires... and will subsequently go abuse vegetables and themselves sexually more often because of this ad.

russ reed (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:40 PM)

Nothing worng with that ad!!! Definitely makes me want to eat more veggies!!!

Dan, New York, NY (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:41 PM)

If eating meat will kill you, then I'm looking forward to a long and delicious death!

H. Burger, Hamburg, PA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:00 PM)

I love animals and I support PETA.  I agree they sometimes go overboard but I support them with their goal of "Ethical Treatment of Animals".

Darcy Omaha NE (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:15 PM)

Here's something else for PETA to chew on. Let's say that a law prohibiting the sale of any animal for human consumption is enacted today worldwide as PETA harps on how the grain and water used to feed these animals could feed (millions of?) starving people. First off, the demand for "vegetarian" foods would be huge and impossible to meet! Second, we would still need to feed all of these animals whose lives were saved because letting them lose to forage on their own would not work. Since we can’t let them lose, who then would pay for their food and vet bills? Who would pay to have them fixed so they could no longer procreate? We would be awash in critters in no time and I can just see the headlines now…. “Man convicted of “murder” when forced to  shoot cattle trampling his vegetarian garden”!

I could go on and on about this lame organization and their seriously stupid and ill thought out ideas but I actually have a life!

Mark in PA, WA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:15 PM)

richard from orlando was right on. america is ridiculously immature about sex,nudity,etc.but is ok with depictions of violence and it's aftermath (a dead human)of a most graphic nature.that's some kind of "healthy" culture/society,huh? the rest of the world just stares gape-mouthed at america's prurient attitude towards sex and nudity,all the while,violence and mayhem on TV is just OK!another example of the "pro-life" crowd in action.

dennis (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:26 PM)

Why so serious?

Jeff, Wisconsin (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:26 PM)

Ah HA! See what happens when you don't eat meat? You become a vegophile! Will someone please investigate, indict, prosecute and punish these terrorists? Dangerous wackos!

Laurie Boston, MA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:32 PM)

I love organizations like PETA.  When folks buy into what they're pushin', it means more steaks, chicken and pork chops for me.  

Matt, Dallas, TX (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:58 PM)

Since when did Cheerleaders become more appropriate than the  girls dressed with lettuce.  What a hypocrisy?.
If you really loved animals you wouldn't be eating them.
Your pet dogs and cats are considered a delicacy in certain parts of the world, you know..So why dont you donate your pets to the starving people! When did a Cat become a better animal than a pig or a cow? Only in the eyes of the hypocrites like you. You deserve the obesity and the cancers that come along with eating meat.! Enjoy, Your karma will eat you up when you are alive!!

rab, troy, ny (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:01 PM)

darnit, you all beat me to the People for the Eating of Tasty Animal joke!

anyway, I support animal rights, however PETA is a fringe, bordering on terrorist organization. Other more sane voices need to speak for those who can not. Not pumpkin lickers and breast milk ice cream makers.

John Doe, Seattle, WA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:26 PM)

Why all the uproar, especially from men? Perhaps it's because the ladies of PETA appear to be having a good time with veggies, rather than boyfriends. Now contrast this ad with the assorted beer commercials, that will most certainly run, that do nothing if not promote under age drinking. (Family time???)

But it is sad that, at a time when shelters are full of abandoned animals, the ad provokes so many morons to comment with a full measure of compassion.


Stan Risdon, Atlanta, Georgia, 30324 (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:27 PM)

What a family fun time is our Super Bowl. Guys trying to take out the opponent in an way possible. Leg chops, late hits, cream the QB when you can, go for the gut.
Nice family fun fair seems to me. Bring it on.
Love to hear them bones crunch.

joel, harrisburg, pa (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:36 PM)

Oh please......it wasn't any better or worse than a lot of other prime time commercials played during football games. This is FOOTBALL, people!!!!! You know......guys battering each other for every yard while hot, scantily clad cheerleaders bounce around on the sideline.

KirkinDallas (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:41 PM)

Seriously, how is this worse than the Victoria's Secret commercials, GoDaddy.com, Doritos, etc.???????  This article was much ado about nothing and only promted me to go to PETA's website to view the thing.  Does anyone remember 'Banned in the USA'? No one would even know who 2 Live Crew was if Tipper Gore hadn't made a big fuss about it.

Angela, Jacksonville, FL (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:42 PM)

I agree with Mel! If they can't show this, then they shouldn't show Viagra, Cialis and Levitra commercials, along with all the other suggestive, sexist ads all through sporting events on tv! What a double standard!

Jane Doe, Los Angeles, CA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:42 PM)

Just watched that ad and another one that they have on their website about being denied airing during SuperBowl.  TOTALLY offensive!!!!

gina, edwardsville, il (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:45 PM)

Just Google "PETA kills animals" to find out how hypocritical their organization is.  They killed over 20,000 in Virginia alone.  They're no longer about animals.  They're about sensationalizing things to scare gullible or fanatical people into sending them money.  That money is not going to help any animals other than the human kind that run their cult.

SAM, Los Angeles, CA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:47 PM)

If PETA really loved their animals they would stay monogamous. Make love to animals, not veggies

carnivore, Seattle Wash. (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:55 PM)

I'd just like to say I'm a proud vegetarian.

In between bites of meat.

Really though, what's PETA's message?  Respect animals, debase women?  I don't get it.  

But I wonder if I could get some of those models as a side dish to my veggies now...

Brian, Pueblo CO (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:55 PM)

I really don't think PETA ever had any real intention of getting the ad on the Superbowl. It was designed to create some controversy and thereby get a lot of people going to there website to look at it. I don't see it as that big a deal and suggest that it was clever and edgy but hardly pornographic. I am against blatant cruelty to animals but PETA seems to take it to an extreme and they tend to get a bit radical in their approach.  There's lots of good reasons to eat vegetables as they taste good and are good for you however I still want my meat, just obtain it in a way that doesn't cause unnecessary pain and suffering to the animal. As for the veggies, for all we know they may have some unknown sort of feelings too, they are also life forms. You might argue that it was cruel to humiliate those poor veggies in the ad, then again you might say 'what a way to go!'

Meateater (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 6:56 PM)

All that said, PETA accomplished just what they wanted. MSNBC is actually directing people to their web site and many many people who wouldn't even consider visiting their more than fringe web site have now done so. Any publicity...

David B (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:04 PM)

Sooo how much did you get paid to promote their add?

SeeU (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:10 PM)

I am a member of P eople
                E ating
                T asty
                A nimals.

Ernest Hart, Austin, Texas (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:19 PM)

PETA, as usual, exploits women to sell their beliefs. It's amazing that there are still feminists out there who actually support them.

Between their brainwshing of children, their terrorist support, and thier constant exploitation of people, especially women, PETA should be turned into just another speed bump on the road of culture.

Blue Fielder Damian, Ft. Wayne, Indiana (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:22 PM)

Hi. I make porn for a living. You people are seriously as interesting as watching paint dry. This ad is totally harmless. Unless you live in Kansas.

tahoezo (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:28 PM)

PETA sucks!

HGD, Sarasota, FL. (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:36 PM)

peta just wants you to know it's ok to have sex with your veggies and animals too

d. spicable, roseburg, or (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:44 PM)

Please, PETA, do something really good like protect us from all those so-called miricle drugs that promise cure and at the same time, send us to our graves.
If you don't like meat, so be it, but the video's you showed are in the minority.  Lean meat is actually good for you in moreration.  In the bible, it says that man has dominion over all the animals.
Man seemed to survive because od hunting animals.  I love vegatibles, but leave me alone and let me eat my meat!

Gene, Tennessee (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:50 PM)

There is some confusion here.  The ad was actually for a group known as Pumpkin Eating T & A.

Wasn't it?

Richard, Washington State (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:55 PM)

did anyone consider that in displaying all these veggies it was their collective intelligence?

d. spicable, roseburg, or (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 7:56 PM)

PETA is doing exactly what they intended. All the publicity they could ask for, without the huge cost of running the ad at the SB. They knew full well there was no way it would be run, and now they can get free publicity as they cry about it not being broadcast. PETA played NBC and a lot of other people who will rant about this, hook, line and sinker.

Peta is playing you, Addison, Il (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 8:01 PM)

Just saw the ad.....found nothing inappropriate....the women were beautiful and PETA succeeded in getting their message about going vegeterian across well...much ado about nothing....

Craig from Reno (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 8:05 PM)

First off, PETA is not a looney tree hugging organization.  They simply bring to light the way in which animals are treated.  Budweiser, Go Daddy, and numerous other companies make much more obscene commercials.  People who have no knowledge of anything are quick to call PETA "tree huggers".  Investigate, because knowledge is the greatest retort you will ever have.  Watch a video on a slaughter house and tell me PETA doesn't have a point.

R Ted W (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 8:05 PM)

(Quote): The add was not that bad, go daddy.com has done worse ( end quote).
But then, go-daddy.com will not be shown on prime time TV where many children will be watching.  Get a life.

Gene, Tennessee (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 8:05 PM)

PETA is a fraudulent cause...although they claim to love animals, they have a hidden agenda.  Their hidden agenda is that they don't want any one to have pets at all.  They also harm more animals than they have helped.  INdeed, they are responsible for killing many shelter animals.

Mia, York, PA (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 8:07 PM)

The ad is dumb...I doubt men who watch football are going to put down their chicken wings and say "Hey, wait a minute, PETA's right!"  The world will always be full of meat eaters..just accept it.

Mike (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 8:12 PM)



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