21 Ways People Responded To PETA's Controversial 'Breastfeeding Cow' Illustration

They are doing it on purpose you know. The sly folk over at PETA have become famous for their controversial campaigns, which almost always result in them being roundly mocked online. But they don’t care. In fact, they actually kinda like it. Because for this attention-seeking organization any publicity is good publicity.

Image credits: peta

“PETA is known for causing a stir on Twitter if it means sticking up for animals,” they wrote in a smug article about their latest ‘success.’ “In just the last few months, our viral tweets about animal-friendly expressions and Steve Irwin’s legacy of tormenting wildlife have led millions to challenge their long-held speciesist beliefs and made countless people consider—some perhaps for the first time—that animals have a right to live free from human harassment and exploitation.”

This time, PETA got tongues wagging by tweeting a cartoon of a cow breastfeeding an old man. “Looks weird right?” They wrote. “It’s what you’re doing if you drink cow’s milk. Raise your hand if you know that humans shouldn’t be drinking cow’s breast milk. It was made for their babies — not you!”

Predictably, people reacted with derision and outrage. But PETA don’t care. They got their moment, and they helpfully explained their motives in the aforementioned article. “On social media, PETA uses evocative, emotional messaging, as we have mere seconds to stand out from the feed and grab people’s attention,” they wrote. “We see every interaction on social media as an opportunity to reach people, including those who may never have considered whether it’s unnatural to forcibly impregnate mother cows and steal the milk meant for their babies or for humans to drink milk as adults.”

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So I guess we are all guilty of doing PETA’s dirty work, and all the mocking in the world won’t make a darned bit of difference. If only they spent as much time and effort making a positive difference, rather than churning out one ‘controversy’ after another.

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Perhaps the best thing to do is simply ignore them. It’s a little difficult though when people’s responses are this witty and clever.

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The cartoon was made by ‘vegan rapper’ freebison, founder of the world’s first “vegan art movement.”

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“WE ARE ARTISTS. WE ARE ACTIVISTS,” they write. “Everything is CREATED in balance and just as one can CREATE, one can destroy. BISON is consciousness to protect life, not take it…BISON is family, regardless of difference, race or species…”