Easter isn’t exactly "happy" for everyone

While some of our readers exchange well wishes today, PETA India reminds us that Easter, a day traditionally associated with searching for hidden eggs, isn’t a joyous day for everyone [via Nirali]:

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in have drummed up a new campaign in Kerala. They want eggs banned in the state since they feel eating eggs amounts to committing murder.

“We are showing that eggs signify life and that we should not be eating eggs because chickens also feel the pain,” said Roshini D’Silva, PETA activist…

“Be it Sunday or Monday; don’t eat ‘ande’. From shell to hell” – these slogans will help gain publicity, especially when Easter is nearing. But are there any takers for the ‘anti-anda’ campaign?… [Link]

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p>Have you ever noticed how PETA protests often involve some sort of nudity or semi-nudity? No word on whether or not the “chick” they refer to below was naked, but one can only imagine.

By having a human-sized chick emerge from an egg and distribute leaflets, volunteers People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will seek to draw attention to the cruelty meted out to chickens in modern animal factories and to how people can help stop it.

Easter, a press note issued here said, is traditionally associated with Easter eggs. But PETA has a different and more humane idea… “Eggs are as vegetarian as your chicken tikka or mutton biriyani. They are apart of the chicken’s reproductive system. To produce eggs, the birds spend their entire lives in battery cages housed in dark, crowded sheds were they are treated as egg-laying machines. Baby birds have their beaks cut off with a red-hot blade. Young `layer hens’ are kept in complete darkness except at feeding time. [Link]

PETA India’s website also reveals that they recently had another tiger-in-a-bikini protest to bring attention to abusive circuses. Anyways, in a show of solidarity I am only going to consume vegetarian eggs on this Easter Sunday.

36 thoughts on “Easter isn’t exactly "happy" for everyone

  1. So are they going to “rescue” the eggs, put them down, and throw them in dumpsters like they do with animals?

  2. i am vegetarian (trying to avoid egg as far as possible too), but as far as peta goes, the less said the better!

    imo they haven’t really given much thought into their position—for the most part, they are so extreme that i wonder if their purpose is limelight for themselves rather than achieving something.

    and this i can’t resist—for those who haven’t heard: peta=People Eating Tasty Animals 🙂

  3. bytewords

    i wonder if PETA’s purpose is limelight for themselves rather than achieving something.

    Any person or organisation that instructs others over personal preferences (food, dress, music etc) has only one purpose in mind: Limelight for themselves via control over others.

    M. Nam

  4. The Jalebi Liberation Front agrees that this is a terrible crime, and we at the JLA (military wing of the JLF) stand at the ready to give the necessary assistance to our Ovine brothers and sisters.

    Mr Kobayashi JLA Spokesman

  5. Any and all statements made by the Liberation Front of Jalebi (LFJ, or so-called “yellow” jalebis) are unrelated to the true path represented by the Jalebi Liberation Front. We disassociate ourselves from the LFJ and its fascist kowtowing.

    We only have the true interest of jalebis at heart. And eggs too.

    And chicks.

    On behalf of the JLA,

    Mr Kobayashi

  6. All jalebis, red and yellow, are welcome to join my splinter group, PETA- People for the Eating of Tasty Animals. Our motto is “If God didn’t want us to eat animals, He wouldn’t have made them out of meat.” This will hopefully lead to eventual dentente and raprochement between the red and yellow factions, leading to the formation of an army of orange jalebis that will overthrow the dominant liberal-atheist-secular-humanist-sophist-jacobite-lockean-monophysite-arian-pelagian-menshevik-anti-federalist-i-can’t-believe-you’re-still-reading-this-list elites. Otherwise the terrorists will win.

    Speedy

  7. As chief of the Yello Jalebi tribe I’d like to thank Colonal Manju for his counter-insurgency efforts. Though I am not part of the govenment, the emerging Jalebi Consciousness Movement brands me a regime collaborator, because of my strong anti-Communist beliefs. However, before Jalebis are liberated we must defeat the Red Menace and follow the true path of Jalebi freedom, as represented by the LFJ.

    Chief Mangosuthu Buthelejalebi.

  8. I’m not a vegetarian, but I don’t wear fur, down, or cosmetics tested on animals. I don’t agree with a lot of things PETA does, but I think they serve a useful function for the moderates in the animal rights movement, by setting the bar high and making moderate stands seem palatable instead of radical as they would if PETA didn’t exist.

  9. Well done sirs. This is the funniest thing I’ve read in a while. Python-esque if I must say.

    I once knew a carpenter who was deemed a trouble maker and an insurgent…..

    Thanks for making me laugh Mr K and Manju

  10. I don’t agree with a lot of things PETA does, but I think they serve a useful function for the moderates in the animal rights movement, by setting the bar high and making moderate stands seem palatable instead of radical as they would if PETA didn’t exist.

    That’s an interesting point that I hadn’t considered. I didn’t (and still really don’t) know very much about PETA until I read a piece in the New Yorker about them a few years ago that was pretty unflattering. I also just found this somewhat macabre piece that’s somewhat disturbing. I do enjoy the fact that they’ve developed a rationale for throwing red paint on people though.

  11. From the article you linked Rah:

    In 1991, PETA killed 18 rabbits and 14 roosters it had previously “rescued” from a research facility.

    Damn, I would have loved to throw some red masala on that. Get some of that lapin tikka in motion…

  12. As Leader of underground Jamoon Jamoon (Jalebis Are Morons Of Overwhelming Nastiness, Jamoons Are Masters Of Outstanding Niceness), I condemn our government’s collusion with LFJ, representatives of the inferior Jalebis.

    Jamoon Jamoon only colludes with saffron.

    Death to Mr. Kobayashi, Colonial Manju, Speedy, and MangoSuthu Buthejalebi

  13. Spokesmen are weasels. Not only are they weasels, they are deliberately kept out of the loop, evidenced by all of your acronymed organizations which are supposed to be inverted acronyms when translated into english or are not supposed to match letter-by-letter to english.

    Confused? You should be.

    Silly neophyte resistence movements.

    Nuestra Arma es Nuestra Palabra!!!!!!!!

    (throws Molotov cocktail)

  14. Unless they are actually laying saffron-coated jalebis, what a racket in the hen house.

  15. Eggs are kind of in the “borderline” zone when it comes to deciding if it is veg/non-veg. Personally, I fancy myself a vegetarian, but I do consume eggs, gelatin and dairy occasionally. Eggs sold in US supermarkets are usually not fertilized and so it won’t develop into a chick. However, the hens and roosters (and other farm animals for that matter) need to be treated humanely.

  16. Ok.. chicken eggs are only potential life if they’re FERTILIZED. Chickens will lay eggs no matter what. Eggs are an animal by-product, like milk. So, if you don’t have a problem with milk, then eggs are ok.

    PETA should focus on creating a better environment and standards for the chickens. I think it’s ridiculous that they have to specify chickens are being fed a veg’n diet.. chickens ARE veg’ns by nature..they should NOT be fed non-veg diets!!

    BTW – some Jain friends said they don’t eat honey because bees are harmed in the process. I had also questioned them on mushrooms, since a lot of Jains avoid roots veggies.

  17. What about the rights of Jangiris? Once again the south is scorned in national politics!

    BTW, the national egg corporation’s (NEC) relentless campaign on TV (Doordarshan) in the late 80’s of “Khana meri Jaan Andey hi Andey” coupled with the disinformation by doctors on how eggs complement the otherwise under nourishing Indian veggie diet of their children made egg Kosher to a generation of Indians. I personally know a sizable % of my friends started eating eggs (in separate stoves and vessels) in homes that traditionally avoided a dukhan that sold eggs. And now there is a whole generation that calls them vegetarian to mitigate their non-meat eating superiority ha ha

    They were simply suckers to a well led government campaign to boost egg production and support poultry farming along the lines of Milk revolution (Amul in Gujarat was first). I believe India did a good job with Milk revolution – providing price controlled, quality milk by directly buying from Milk farmers at good prices, have heard Milk shortages were phenomenal (black marketing) in neigbouring countries in the early 80s.

  18. In 1991, PETA killed 18 rabbits and 14 roosters it had previously “rescued” from a research facility.

    Euthanizing an animal that’s in pain is a kindness.

  19. Hey Ashi,

    Great points. I totally agree with you on the eggs, although they are kind of annoying to use so I usually reserve them for cookies. 😛

    Interestingly on the Jain point, having many Jain in-laws (BIL married a Jain) I’ve learned the following:

    Honey – not only does it contain botulism bacteria (that’s why kids under 2 are not supposed to eat it) the larvae are also fed the honey and are contained in the combs when they are extracted from the hives to get the honey and are usually killed. Honey cannot be pasteurized because the consistency is ruined so it’s kid of gross if you think about it: sugar syrup steeped in bug juice and germs.

    Figs – bugs lay eggs in them. ‘Nuf said

    Mushrooms – apparently the Jains friends/family I know are kid of split on this issue, although the biologists really tend to shun them. The reason is that when characterizing their cell type they are not really plants. Plants (kingdom Plantae) have cells referred to as prokaryotes with a distinctive cell structure and nucleus, and kingdoms Animalia and Fungi and most members of Bacteriae (? forgot if this is part of animalia) have cells referred to as eukaryotic which have neuclei, mitochondria etc. much like ours. Basically I think the reason for shunning the ‘shrooms would be that they are more closely related to animals then plants.

    I’m a total nerd. I know.

  20. well… madamoise and monsieur PETA, what about the eggs from vegetarian fed, cafe free hens? (p.s. I know they can’t hear me, but aren’t they forgeting something?)

  21. sugar syrup steeped in bug juice and germs.

    What about yogurt? It’s rotting milk full of germs.

    Some hardcore vegans don’t eat honey either. Or wear silk.

  22. What about yogurt? It’s rotting milk full of germs.

    Yeah, I hear ya, although lactobacillus and bifidus and the other “probiotics” already live in most people’s digestive systems and all over our bodies besides (keeps many other organizms from taking over like members of the genus candida) whereas botulism bacteria don’t. Still, yuck. When my kids don’t drink their milk it turns into “yogurt” in the sink overnight if I forget to rinse the cup.

    Yeah, and the way they make silk is just plain sad.

    I’m not a vegan but if I was I think I would have to live on sustainably farmed organic fair wage eco soy chocolate. 😛

    well… madamoise and monsieur PETA, what about the eggs from vegetarian fed, cafe free hens?

    PETA would probably insist on non-cafe free hens, because don’t all hens have the right to their morning frappuccino? 😉

  23. oh semidesi, when i saw you misspelled organisms, i thought your spelling mistake would be very interesting.

    thoroughly disappointed :(.

  24. byte:

    Haha! Sorry, it was a typo (z is just below s and I’m tired) but I actually met a guy who said it twice in one hour. He was showing a room for rent in a place that turned out to be illegal. Lucky I didn’t rent it – I wouldn’t have wanted to know what kind of orgazms ;P were living there!

  25. In 1991, PETA killed 18 rabbits and 14 roosters it had previously “rescued” from a research facility.

    Which would you prefer? Humane killing of creatures who’ve been badly damaged/injured in a research facility (which what PETA did)or letting the facility continue torturing them for as long as they’re ‘useful’ to the facility?

    Thanks for a great post, Abhi.