PETA’s strategy has always been simple: get people to stop eating meat, wearing fur, and keeping non-domesticated animals as pets. By. Any. Means. Necessary. If that means making the issue about sex, fine. If that means showing you violent videos, or bringing vegan jerky to the Oregon militia, great! And if it means letting you know that your child’s (or future child’s) tiny penis is due to all that chicken you ate on Super Bowl Sunday, well, they’ll do that too. Even if it means that you’ll feel bad about yourself, your body, and your male offspring’s future potential as a sex partner. (Although, it’s always important to remember that bigger is not always better.)
Vice reports that while the organization’s campaign video–which begins with an image of a child crying, presumably because his dick is too small–is making some bold claims, their information is linked to the fact that phthalate (which are chemicals used to soften plastic to make it harder to break and can be found everywhere including tap water and the air we breathe) are also present in chicken feed and therefore in the chicken that you’re eating. And while there’s no definitive proof that eating chicken will shrink your baby’s bell-end they’ve got an NIH study to back up the notion that there may be a correlation between “pre-natal phthalate ingestion” and the “penis size of Swedish boys.” (A sentence I never imagined I’d ever write, but here we are) (Thanks, PETA!)
Is the claim overblown? Like most other things PETA’s said, it’s definitely not something that should be taken at complete face value. PETA has had some notable successes that deserve praise, but it’s important to note that they are, essentially, a propaganda organization. In fact, the company’s Senior International Media Director told Munchies that the video was a “humorous” attempt to warn parents of the dangers of eating chicken, even though Mic points out that research from 2008 PETA’s using never actually mentions “the words ‘chicken’ or ‘poultry.'”
Here’s the ad that PETA definitely wants you to see:
And here are some of the reactions, which range from “I am amused by how idiotic this is” to “twisting research to fit your needs is not an ethical way to do business”:
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https://twitter.com/Astro_Theron/status/715859760264818688
Even Joe Rogan chimed in:
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And then there’s this guy:
https://twitter.com/PackerFaithful/status/715620999639621632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Of course, PETA’s responses have tended towards being glib–except for when they explained why they used the word “dick” instead of “penis” to a confused tweeter–but while they’re staying on message, they’re not thinking about the fact that perpetuating the idea that every dude’s got to have the girth and length of a porn star perpetuates stereotypes that are harmful to body image.
Here’s what popular vegan blogger Fat Gay Vegan posted in response:
The campaign is built around the idea that having a bigger penis is better. The second tweet actually reads ‘your son deserves better’. A ‘big’ penis is a reality for some people, an average sized penis is a reality for the majority of people and a penis considered smaller is the reality for some people.
Just like their fat-shaming campaigns, PETA are ridiculing the idea of people who are not considered to have the best physical attributes. They are not simply saying the chemicals in chicken can harm genital development, they are ridiculing the idea of a person having a smaller penis.
PETA’s response? “Our mission is to get the animal rights message out to as many people as possible – including those who want children with big penises,” the org’s director told Metro. Which they could maaaaaaaybe get away with if people weren’t already accusing them of willfully misinterpreting the study.
https://twitter.com/AliRidhaG/status/715674880700715008
Perhaps it’s not surprising that with all this talk about chickens and penises, PETA insists on acting like a bunch of cocks.
