'Feed a fed horse': PETA mocked after call to end anti-animal language

[UEL]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/fee...IWv_e-9ocQh9Tc

Prominent animal rights organization PETA is raising eyebrows with its appeal to the public to remove “speciesism” in conversation by swapping popular phrases involving animals, such as “kill two birds with one stone,” with alternatives like “feed two birds with one scone.”

In a tweet on Wednesday, the group encouraged people to refrain from using common sayings that “trivialize” cruelty to animals.

My response to PETA:

PETA may be trying to lead this horse to water, but can it make it drink. I think they'll end up flogging that dead horse trying to convince us that they are right. They should realise that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and accept that sayings are just that, sayings. Not calls to action. Wild horses wouldn't pull society into changing its ways this way. In many ways, society is like a dog with a bone. Stubborn as a mule. And, like an elephant, we don't forget PETA's past transgressions against animals. I would not look this gift horse in the mouth, but let sleeping dogs lie. Leave it alone, PETA. Don't stand so close to the rhinocerous...

[crocoduck_hunter]

I'm fine if PETA wants to stand closer to the rhino.

[Alarm]

You can't teach an old dog new tricks, UEL. I'm just surprised PETA thinks it can slap lipstick on that pig and think it won't take till pigs can fly for people to start using these...

after all "Feed a fed horse"? Trying walking up to a fed horse with a cube of sugar or an apple and see how "fed" it is...
Or go to one of those drive-thru animal parks, where you can feed the animals...they won't stop because they've been "fed".

[Psihala]

Originally Posted by UEL

I would not look this gift horse in the mouth, but let sleeping dogs lie.

It's not a sleeping dog. It's a fox... with mange...

~Psihala
(*Mocking PETA is like shooting fish in a barrel.)

[smittykins]

There's more than one way to skin a cat.

[Mouse]

Once again, I propose my theory about PETA secretly being a front for the meat industry. I know all you killjoys are going to point out that my theory isn’t true, but I reject your reality and substitute my own! This reality is very poorly written.

[Gutter Monkey]

I think that it was an incredibly effective promotional campaign and it worked exceptionally well for PETA. People obviously aren't going to stop using those phrases but that wasn't PETA's actual aim, what they really wanted is for the news media to print lots of stories about them and for people like UEL to post threads like this on discussion forums and get people talking about PETA.

So congratz to UEL for helping PETA achieve their goal
(I'm also helping them by continuing the discussion, I'm aware of the irony)

[TallGeekyGirl]

Sorry, PETA... you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

[Alarm]

Originally Posted by TallGeekyGirl

Sorry, PETA... you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

but you can make a silk purse from what comes out of a silkworm's rear!

[Beachlife!]

You can't make a a silk purse unless you are a monster who tortures animals...

[dfresh]

Beachlife, I am pretty sure I should have a silk purse by now, then.

[GenYus234]

At least by the cats' definition of torture.

[thorny locust]

Hey, I could make a silk purse out of a cat's ear!

It'll take a while, though . . .

Step 1: acquire a cat. Treat the cat very well; feed the cat, apply pats, provide excellent feline housing including your bed, etc. Allow about 17 to 20 years or so for this stage of the process.

Step 2: despite the best you can do, the cat will eventually die of old age. Bury the body under a mulberry tree.

Step 3: wait for soil organisms to turn the cat into mulberry fertilizer. Probably another couple of years.

Step 4: feed the mulberry leaves to silkworms.

Step 5: well, OK, at this point it would be necessary to kill the silkworms*; which is probably what Beachlife! was pointing out. But then a silk purse could be made. And it would be made (well, partially) out of the cat's ear.



*Or maybe not: https://www.treehugger.com/sustainab...ing-worms.html
Other sites, however, leave the impression that this would produce inferior silk; though I didn't take the time to try to find anybody addressing this in more detail.

[erwins]

What is the environmental impact of setting loose 50,000 silk moths per silk sari produced?

As for the OP, putting aside who is advocating for the change, I could see trying to stop using "beating a dead horse" as an expression. I do think expressions like that can have an impact, and since this one derives part of its meaning from the wasted effort of beating a *dead* horse vs a live one, I might try to avoid it.

[DrRocket]

If PETA could actually get folks to stop using these phrases, it would really be a feather in their cap!

[smittykins]

I've made it a point to stop using the phrase "I don't have a dog in this fight," preferring "horse in this race." Though I'm sure PETA would have an issue with that, too.

[DawnStorm]

Originally Posted by crocoduck_hunter

I'm fine if PETA wants to stand closer to the rhino.

Same here; hell let them follow the rhinos and protect them from poachers.

Does anybody remember a campaign of theirs back in the aughts? They wanted the town of Fishkill NY to change its name to Fishsave or some dumb thing.