May 10, 2002

10:24 AM

PETA Protests "Packers."The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has written a letter to the principal of Austin (Minnesota) High School, demanding that he change the school's "offensive" nickname ("Packers" is short for "Meatpackers," and the school is so named because Austin is the headquarters for Hormel Foods). PETA's suggested alternative? "Pickers," which would "promote a healthier, plant-based diet." No word yet on a response to that proposal from PETV (People for the Ethical Treatment of Vegetation).
posted by pardonyou? (43 comments total)

I know, I know, another PETA thread. But it's been a while, and I thought this one was particularly funny. Why PETA focuses its energies on changing high school nicknames is a mystery to me. And here's another question: what high school nickname couldn't be interpreted as offensive to somebody? My high school was the "Churchill Chargers" -- perhaps the British would find that to be a mischaracterization of Churchill's war strategy?
posted by pardonyou? at 10:27 AM on May 10, 2002

Looks like PETA finally found me out. That's right, I only eat meat because there's some high school in the midwest called the "Packers". If they change the name, I have no reason to eat meat anymore! What will I do?!

Christ......some people really need a fucking hobby.
posted by emptybowl at 10:33 AM on May 10, 2002

Jesus Christ. These people need to learn how to choose their battles.
posted by eraserhed at 10:33 AM on May 10, 2002

Is anyone else thinking of the teasing you'd get from other schools with a nickname like "pickers"? I'm just imagining the giant nose mascot parading on the field.
posted by JanetLand at 10:36 AM on May 10, 2002

PETA sends out "change your high school nickname" letters because it's incredibly cheap and effective advertising for them. WIth one letter, they got a story about them in the local newspaper. Now they're on MetaFilter - again. And each and every time they're mentioned, while they do piss a lot of people off, they undoubtedly wind up with a few more converts.

I'd say the strategy is "crazy like a fox", but that would be so anti-canid of me.
posted by yhbc at 10:37 AM on May 10, 2002

These people need to learn how to choose their battles.
And we probably need to learn how to choose our FPPs.
I mean, another PETA dumb shock tactic, give me a break
And anyway, "pickers" is offensive too. Reminds me of cotton
posted by matteo at 10:37 AM on May 10, 2002

matteo: "And we probably need to learn how to choose our FPPs. I mean, another PETA dumb shock tactic, give me a break."

Hey, relax buddy. It's Friday. And anyway, my search shows that my post is the first one in two months -- apparently the longest no-PETA span in recent history. The last five PETA posts were: March 10, Feb 21, Jan 15, Dec 31, and December 12. At least it wasn't another I/P thread.
posted by pardonyou? at 10:54 AM on May 10, 2002

...while they do piss a lot of people off, they undoubtedly wind up with a few more converts.

Hmmm. No, I doubt it.
posted by norm29 at 11:09 AM on May 10, 2002

Based on this link, PETA = Pickers. Nit-Pickers.
posted by brownpau at 11:11 AM on May 10, 2002

PETA, like the Republicans, need to get back to their core beliefs:

PETA should make sure that baby seals and carnival animals are not beaten and clubbed.

the Republicans should go back to keeping the government small and out of our bedrooms.

may i suggest that they both work on legalizing cannibis.
posted by tsarfan at 11:17 AM on May 10, 2002

Insert your own "PETA Peckers Pick on Packers" joke here.
posted by briank at 11:26 AM on May 10, 2002

At least they're not suggesting a change to the Red Devils.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:39 AM on May 10, 2002

At least it wasn't another I/P thread.
pardonyou,
you are so right on this. Hallelujah, brother
(don't get me wrong, it's not personal or something
-- I just consider
many of PETA campaigns as the public relations equivalent of trolling -- piss off lots of people just for the sake of it. I may be wrong tho).
Anyway, I am sick as you are of I/P stuff
:)
posted by matteo at 11:49 AM on May 10, 2002

My high school mascot was the Red Devil. I'm shocked it hasn't been changed. In middle school it was Satan! I think that has been changed. Since it was in Graham, NC we students always thought the Graham Crackers might be more appropriate.
posted by allpaws at 12:09 PM on May 10, 2002

allpaws, I went to an elementary school named Gramercy, and "Graham Crackers" finished second (to Grizzlies) in the student vote for a new mascot during my fourth-grade year. It was close, though. I would have loved to design the t-shirts for that one.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 12:17 PM on May 10, 2002

Personally, I support one of the other PETA organizations out there, mmmmm meat.... yum....
posted by jkaczor at 12:22 PM on May 10, 2002

good lord...you know, as a vegan, nothing...and i mean nothing, does more harm to any reputation as a reasonable adult making a personal choices about my diet more than PETA.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to explain to your midwestern, german family (who eat pork with every goddamned thing...i mean EVERYTHING) that it is a reaonable idea not to eat meat when these freaks exist?

jesus...
posted by das_2099 at 12:25 PM on May 10, 2002

i get the feeling that PETA's undisclosed mission statement reads something to the effect of:

"Any infraction of the PETA moral code, however small, deserves the full force and attention of our resources. Bac~Os® may be soy-based, but we'll be damned if they don't taste like bacon, and that's wrong."
posted by o2b at 12:33 PM on May 10, 2002

and while I'm thinking about it, there must be some clause in there about "the first ideas get attended to first."

if you were PETA, wouldn't you want to prioritize the high-profile targets first? like, say, oh, the Green Bay Packers?
posted by o2b at 12:38 PM on May 10, 2002

Bac~Os® may be soy-based, but we'll be damned if they don't taste like bacon, and that's wrong."


... but ... but ... ummmm ... exactly how would they know?
posted by jkaczor at 12:59 PM on May 10, 2002

anecdotal evidence is all it takes.
posted by o2b at 1:18 PM on May 10, 2002

Check out the name and logo of Richland High School, Richland, Washington. Found politically incorrect by some, school board tried to change mascot, logo and nickname.
posted by Mack Twain at 1:30 PM on May 10, 2002

One time I accidently typed in "meatfilter.com" instead of "metafilter.com." I sure hope PETA doesn't find out.

PETA... thppt.
posted by thatweirdguy2 at 1:54 PM on May 10, 2002

I also wondered why they aren't going after the Green Bay Packers. Maybe because the request would go right into the round file?

And my high school team was the Raiders. The mascot was a big pirate, called the "Rowdy Raider." Now, isn't that promoting criminal behavior? Worse yet, the mascot is wearing an earring, even though the dress code specifically prohibits males from wearing earrings (at least it did back when I was in high school). Oh, the horror!
posted by SisterHavana at 2:21 PM on May 10, 2002

My high school mascot was a Viking. And yet, not once did anyone set their hair on fire and try to conquer the school district next door...or build boats and discover a warmer land...frankly, we didn't have all that many blondes, cheerleaders excepted. Hmmm. Mostly everyone was smoking a lot of pot and swimming in the pool...but somehow, I don't think the Northeast Stoners woulda gone over really well. :)
posted by dejah420 at 2:30 PM on May 10, 2002

I just thank god that the Acme Packing company took over the Indian Packing Company in 1919 and sold the company team to a community-backed consortium, otherwise they might still be the "Indian Packing Company Packers" or, given the shortening effects of time, maybe the "Indian Packers" and then we'd *never* hear the end of it.
posted by hob at 2:45 PM on May 10, 2002

if you were PETA, wouldn't you want to prioritize the high-profile targets first? like, say, oh, the Green Bay Packers?


They did, two years ago.
posted by nath at 4:17 PM on May 10, 2002

PETA fights against great wrongs, and seeks to publicize that fight. They, like right-minded people everywhere, are outraged by the unnecessary pain and suffering visited upon sentient beings.

Thanks to "pardonyou" for the additional publicity.

And after all is said and done, PETA is in fact in the right. Destroying and eating animals because "they taste good" is on precisely the same moral level as abusing and molesting children.
posted by fold_and_mutilate at 4:44 PM on May 10, 2002

PETA fights against great wrongs, and seeks to publicize that fight

To summarize some above comments, they'd get better publicity by protesting something that actually matters.

Brace yourself for a flaming, by the way.
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 4:52 PM on May 10, 2002

Ahhhh, I think I'll stop and get a couple bacon cheeseburgers on the way home tonight. Being told I'm on the same moral level as a child molester simply for eating meat makes me so gosh-darn hungry!
posted by kindall at 5:13 PM on May 10, 2002

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals contends the southern Minnesota school's nickname is offensive and should be replaced.

I contend that PETA is offensive and should be replaced.
posted by epimorph at 5:18 PM on May 10, 2002

And the flaming commences! But f_and_m is right on one thing - that it is great publicity. I was going to chime in earlier about the Green Bay Packers thing, but I didn't know that they had tried that before. They've obviously learned, since then, that going after high school mascots is an even better way to generate enough outrage and indignation that at least some of the message gets through.

My HS team name was the Cyclones, BTW. That's right, we celebrated a destructive force of nature. And one which periodically did swoop through and tear the snot out of towns and cities, not to mention trailer parks. Is it any wonder I don't go to the reunions?
posted by yhbc at 5:20 PM on May 10, 2002

Brace yourself for a flaming, by the way.
It's not like he ever responds after dropping one of his little turds in these threads.
posted by darukaru at 5:48 PM on May 10, 2002

Oh, and if anyone takes offense at characterizing foldy's posts as turds, I take offense at being characterized as a pedophile.
posted by darukaru at 5:49 PM on May 10, 2002

I have an idea -- let them rename the team the "busybodies" in honor of PETA.
posted by clevershark at 6:58 PM on May 10, 2002

Peta members are either:

A) insane

B) cause whores
posted by McBain at 7:02 PM on May 10, 2002

Now, McBain, that's not fair. It's entirely possible they're both.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:08 PM on May 10, 2002

f_and_m: "Destroying and eating animals because "they taste good" is on precisely the same moral level as abusing and molesting children."

Oh, yes. Precisely the same. Making a ludicrous analogy is a great way to make your case. Very effective.

"Thanks to "pardonyou" for the additional publicity."

You, sir, are more than welcome. Always happy to help my mushy-headed friends. Although, to be perfectly fair, you really should thank The Obscure Store, which is where I found the link.
posted by pardonyou? at 8:37 PM on May 10, 2002

Now, McBain, that's not fair. It's entirely possible they're both.

Yo, crash: good reply- and the first out-loud laugh I've had today.
posted by davidmsc at 11:53 PM on May 10, 2002

There was a thing on NPR's Morning Edition years ago about an experimental high school run by a University--their team's name:

*drumroll*

The Fightin' Kittens.

Now, that's my kind of team name.
posted by y2karl at 3:37 AM on May 11, 2002

Is anyone else remembering In Living Color's "Men on Film," when that Wayan hack was lisping:

"This week's game is the Oilers versus the Packers..."
posted by adampsyche at 5:20 AM on May 11, 2002

It's not like he ever responds after dropping one of his little turds in these threads.

har. Dakaru, that is very perceptive of you, and I like how you put it.
posted by dr_emory at 3:18 PM on May 11, 2002

I actually find hard-core absolutism of Fold and Mutilate to rather frustrating as a vegetarian. It's not that I believe that he is wrong in pointing out that killing animals entirely for your personal culinary pleasure is ethically problematic. The problem is that I don't find the radical animal rights movement or vegetarianism to be on a perfect moral ground either. A better one perhaps but not perfect. For example, there is no form of agriculture except perhaps for mushroom gathering that is not free from collateral damage. Growing vegetable and grain crops produces a horrifying toll of carnage directly through cultivation and harvesting, and indirectly through degradation of environments and water pollution.

Granted, switching from a meat- based diet to a vegetable-based diet does reduce the overall total footprint. However I don't believe that absolute statements of ethical superiority are either accurate or the best way to engage in dialogue about these issues.

I think that PETA does some good things, but they probably would be better off publishing cookbooks.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 10:48 PM on May 11, 2002