Zach Stalcup
Staff Writer
With times as economically challenging as they are, money and work have become as hard to find as a single straw of hay in a needle stack. But all that may be soon to change.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has recently sued Seaworld because of what they believe to be a violation of the 13th Amendment, saying that Shamu should be protected under the rights all of us humans have taken for granted.
“Whales are people too!” shout protesters, such as seniors Molly Martin and Katie Meisel.
If the courts side in favor of PETA, all animals may finally get paid for the work they deserve. But the case may reach out farther than PETA originally thought. If Shamu is indeed being held in slavery, what other animals will qualify as being enslaved?
Some speculate it could jump from performing aquatic mammals and reach the common household pet.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), there are more than 72 million pet dogs in the U.S. and nearly 82 million pet cats. The number is staggering.
All the poor animals that have been left unpaid for their hard work may finally get justice for their mistreatment after all these years.
Just like in the years of reconstruction after the Civil War, we must incorporate the previously enslaved into our society.
“This will be no easy task. Pets will have to start paying rent and taxes,” said junior Charlie Perschau. “The government will have to make new public bathrooms.”
The issues extend further than that. Questions like “What is minimum wage for an animal?” and “Can people now hold the position of household pets?” are now important.
“In the end, I think it would be lovely if we stopped this whole notion of pets altogether,” PETA President and co-founder Ingrid Newkirk told Newsday magazine.
Protesters and advocates of animal freedom each try to imagine a world with freed animals. Freshman Craig Lagger is for pro-animal slavery.
“I think it (animal freedom) is pretty ridiculous,” said Lagger, who doubts a pet’s ability to pay money. “They will have to pay with blood, sweat, and tears.”
While some aren’t as in depth as Lagger, others agree on animal’s inability to pay properly.
Payment by good deeds (or lack of bad deeds), table scraps, and kibble and bits has all been widely discussed in the pet freedom community.
PETA has often been characterized as an overly passionate organization set on animal rights.
While most Americans don’t see anything wrong with the protection of animals, PETA sees animals as equals among men and women.
“There’s no rational basis for saying that a human being has special rights,” Newkirk told The Washingtonian magazine. “A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. They’re all animals.”
Some people would call him crazy, but in the eyes of his supporters he is a visionary, setting forth a path to free all animals.
“Probably everything we do is a publicity stunt,” Newkirk told USA Today. “We are not here to gather members, to please, to placate, to make friends. We’re here to hold the radical line.”
Besides suing Seaworld for slavery and getting a jump-start on animal liberation, PETA has been fighting for animal rights on multiple fronts.
In the newest Mario video game released, the red hated hero is seen wearing a fur coat. PETA responded to Mario by releasing a game of their own.
“Mario Kills Tanooki” is a game available on PETA’s website, where the gamer takes on the role of a furless raccoon who is chasing Mario, trying to reclaim his skin.
Whether they’ve faced slavery or fur theft, PETA speaks out for these silent victims.
