By Jessie Fillingim

They are outspoken about PetSmart, elitism in the American Kennel Club and Michael Vick, not to mention the “Trollsen Twins” campaign featuring “Hairy Kate” and “Trashley.” But when it comes to the largest beef recall in history, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) remains silent.

When I first heard about the recall, I immediately went to PETA’s Web site (www.peta.org) to get more information. After all, this is the perfect chance for them to use all of that bad press to actually benefit the cause they claim to stand for. They can finally emphasize the connection between animal abuse and meat consumption. With 21 million pounds of beef flying off shelves, it is very likely that the meat-eaters in America have consumed the meat of these sickly cows.However, instead of finding the infamous video of the conditions at the California meat company, I was greeted with a picture of Pamela Anderson followed by an article about her protest of the clubbing of baby seals. Even after diligently searching the Web site, I found no mention of the animal brutality associated with the beef recall.

Maybe I’ve been hanging with the wrong crowd, but I haven’t seen many people wearing baby sealskin coats lately. There is only one Michael Vick (thank God) and two Olsen twins. But since meat-eaters make up most of the United States population, one would expect an organization devoted to animal rights to take the opportunity to shift the focus of the media’s attention from the health issue to the animal cruelty at its roots.

So the question remains: Where’s PETA? What could motivate an organization aimed at stopping animal abuse to remain silent about possibly the most relevant, widespread case of animal cruelty ever? Is it possible that such an organization has forfeited its initial goal of animal rights in exchange for ideas so liberal that even vegans question their validity?

Simply put, PETA is only interested in attention. What will gain more publicity (and therefore money, since PETA is a charitable organization): nude celebrities protesting fur or the same story that’s been all over the news? The unfortunate answer is that PETA has given up the fight for the ethical treatment of animals. PETA has become a tabloid magazine, focusing on the rich, famous and bizarre while ignoring the affecting, the real and the pertinent.

PETA’s apathy toward the well-being of animals on the most basic level actually deteriorates the animal rights movement. PETA’s media domination takes away attention from other sincere groups who hold animals as their first priority. When PETA abuses media attention to focus on extreme issues that affect a smaller amount of people, the animal rights movement misses an opportunity to raise awareness about the meat industry.

Most people would admit that one of the consequences of living in such an advanced society is that we don’t have the ability to know exactly where our food is coming from and what process it had to go through to get to us. We frequently find ourselves putting a great amount of trust in the companies that feed us. But few people would be so cold as to consume the meat of these abused animals if they had to watch firsthand the inhumane process that their food went through.

PETA is sacrificing a rare opportunity to have consumers face the disgusting truth of the meat industry. By refusing to acknowledge the animal abuse relating to the recent beef recall, PETA is impeding the ethical treatment of animals through the unethical act of disguising their organization as an advocate for animal rights.

Jessie Fillingim is a first-year law student. You may e-mail her at [email protected].