This was an artifact spread around by the organization PETA in 2004 that was widely rejected by the public. PETA is an acronym for the organization “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.” They are known for their animal rights campaigns and the tactics they use to promote equal treatment for animals. Their arguments are often based off of commonplaces held by people, pathological appeals, and explicitly stated facts. In fact, their tag line is “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way.” My initial perception of PETA was not at all bad. I thought their purpose was just to support animal rights. But upon further research, I found that their use of appeals are twisted and more than a little problematic.

The commonplace of this ad is based around the tragic events of World War 2 and the deaths that ensued from the Holocaust. This event is something that everyone knows about, it is a historical fact known by all. They used this commonplace to compare it to something that is going on today. By doing this, they trivialize the horrific events of the time period in order to promote their cause. The use of the term Holocaust is fundamentally incorrect because it refers to the specific event that took place in Germany.

This ad also utilizes facts in an appalling fashion. They compare the deaths that resulted from the Holocaust to the deaths that take place every hour in Europe because of the meat industry. While this fact may be true, it is ridiculous that they chose to compare such facts. It is an inappropriate usage of the Antisemitism the millions of people faced. It is wrong to state these facts while completely dis-acknowledging the circumstances of Hitler’s rule.  All over, the facts used are inappropriate to make a statement.

And finally, this ad makes a clear pathological jab at the audience with the stomach-turning images employed. The use of a man suffering from the inhumane treatment of the Holocaust  to promote animal rights just doesn’t make sense. The two events are not congruent and should not be compared. The images are disturbing and send the wrong message. The scrawny cow next to the malnourished man are distasteful in getting the message across. The fact that the organization could even fathom showing images as jaw droppingly inappropriate as this just does not make sense.

Overall, this ad fails at its attempt to fight for the rights of animals because of its insensitive usage of appeals. PETA tries to make a comparison that the public can understand because of how known the Holocaust is. But in trying to do so, the organization made appeals that were completely aloof. They failed to realize the magnitude of the Holocaust and the connotation it has. It is an unspoken rule not to joke about or trivialize the events that took place then. PETA effectively broke these barriers with this distasteful ad. Their pathological attempt failed by simply creating disgust and their facts are used in the wrong connotation. PETA is now a source that is skeptical and  cannot be immediately trusted. Their claims may be true but they fail to pay attention to social etiquette and rules.