Nov27
A New Video: Give Animals a Voice
Posted at 11:57 AM | Permalink
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Comments (12)
When this new video for the holiday season was debuted at a recent meeting, a lot of PETA staffers were really excited about its potential. To be quite frank, I was not one of them. But now that I’ve watched it a few times, it is starting to grow on me a bit, and I’m fascinated to hear how people react to it — both people who already believe that it’s important to care about animals, and those who are still “on the fence” about the issue (or, as I like to put it, “stuck in the dark ages”).The idea behind the video is a powerful one — that the great social justice issues of our time have always met with widespread resistance from people who are resistant to change, and that those issues were only brought into mainstream thought by people who weren’t afraid to dedicate their lives to an unpopular idea that they knew was right — to give a voice to the voiceless. I’m still undecided about whether that point comes across in this video, though it’s clear that there’s a lot more to it than I thought when I first watched it. I'd love to hear what you think about it.
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Comments
I can certainly see how a lot of people will find that video offensive. But those people probably also already feel AR is not a worthwhile cause.
However, I have another issue with the video: animals DO have a voice, they just aren't always heard. How many stories are there of animals escaping their captors? How any screams do vivisectors hear? Just because we don't speak their language doesn't mean they don't have a voice.
Posted by: Elaine Vigneault | November 27, 2007 01:21 PM
yeah..i'm kinda with him on this one- i must need to watch it a lot more..oh well good message anyway
Posted by: Russell | November 27, 2007 01:56 PM
My dog is still barking after I played this in my office. She definitely thinks it's a great video!
Posted by: Laura F | November 27, 2007 03:20 PM
Now I'm a big fan of John Lennon. But I've always found it ironic that he sang "Imagine a world without possessions" in the song Imagine. And with the money from selling that CD he bought an apartment in Manhattan to store his fur coats. Although I wouldn't hold that against him, I mean back then they used to think smoking was good for you(not really, but sorta). I mean, ignorance is bliss and in a way, we're all hypocrites.
Posted by: AnimalLib | November 27, 2007 06:48 PM
Though I completely agree with the importance of learning from past social justice movements, and that all forms of oppression are equally wrong (i.e: racism, sexism, speciesism) all are interconnected...
I find the strength of each persons words is lost in the animal sounds. though i find it clever, and a good idea in theory. I don't really like the end result. sorry. i usually love pretty much everything peta comes up with.. but as far as linking voices and movements goes... I feel that earthlings does it best.
you guys still rock though!
Posted by: lucas solowey | November 27, 2007 11:52 PM
I'm not crazy about this video. At first, I was wondering if the speakers were being made fun of or if it was a type of joke. Then I see the message in text and I then understand it.
I don't know...
Posted by: Jaclyn | November 28, 2007 11:36 AM
I think I would rather see a video that inspires people to be the voices for animals. A video that lets people know that we can make a difference.
Sorry I'm not being too detailed. I have the ideas in my head but they seem to be too long to explain in text.
:o)
Posted by: Jaclyn | November 28, 2007 11:42 AM
I agree that animals do have a voice, as do very young children. But both need advocacy and this video illustrates that in a fantastic way. Kudos!
Posted by: Suzanne Merriman | November 28, 2007 02:50 PM
m..not sue about this 1. it dose have very important people in it and we will remember then 4 ever but im not sure it gets people straight to the point. at first i was confused. think it has a very good message but they need to put the plan of the advert in a better form. still love peta tho. and im only 13!
Posted by: Amy | November 28, 2007 03:06 PM
Amy
Mentioning ur age doesnt make u sound any better. Now answer this, is Dubya a good Prez? (The correct answer is: WTF would u be asking that ? anyway? Were u dropped ur head as a baby?)
Posted by: Caboose | November 30, 2007 11:00 PM
The video, in my opinion, appeals to a certain type of person. The images of these social revoulutionary giants are a call to those who have the ability to bring about change to the world. It is a call to the giants of our day. And I believe that those people who can read into this parable, what it was produced to communicate are people urgently needed in this critically important issue.
Posted by: Kimberly | December 1, 2007 08:52 PM
Why, oh why, would anyone include John Lennon among those great men on a Peta website? He was a creep and a dairy farm supporter.
Posted by: Karmah | December 23, 2007 09:10 PM