P.E.T.A. Ruins the Circus for Kids This Week

Well, the circus was in town this week. Apparently, P.E.T.A. was, too.

After hearing that a neighbor's granddaughter (approx. age 12) attended the circus and wound up "crying the entire time because the elephants scared her." I made further inquiries. It turns out P.E.TA. was standing by in the parking lot with large portable t.v.'s showing video clips of elephants enduring physical abuse at the hands of Ringling Bros. circus employees.

According to two neighbors, these videos were so disturbing, many of the children and some parents walked away in tears. My neighbor's granddaughter cried the entire time they were watching the show, and she refused to watch the elephant act, stating that she never wanted to attend the circus again.

I'm aware that P.E.T.A. does this kind of thing regularly, but I've never known anyone who's actually witnessed it firsthand. I think this is tasteless and shows no respect for the kids. They don't have any concern for the kind of memory this leaves for the innocent young people?

One might ask why parents would even allow the kids to view the video in the parking lot to begin with, but to some degree, I can see an unsuspecting parent and child come upon a crowd gathered around a large t.v. screen playing a video and stop to see what the commotion was about. Unfortunately, the images were disturbing.

I don't know about anyone else, but over the years I've come to think P.E.T.A. is borderline sadistic with some of its methods.

I think this is tasteless and shows no respect for the kids. They don't have any concern for the kind of memory this leaves for the innocent young people?

Uhh, what? That's REALITY for you. You know what kids hate? Being lied to. I haven't seen the videos PETA was showing, but if they were genuine and indeed showed circus employees abusing their animals, then that circus shouldn't be going on. If what they are doing is disturbing, then why are you protesting when people are disturbed by it? I don't think you thought this through.

Someone should open a BBQ stand next to them wherever they show up.

reply to post by Son of Will

Uhh, what? That's REALITY for you. You know what kids hate? Being lied to. I haven't seen the videos PETA was showing, but if they were genuine and indeed showed circus employees abusing their animals, then that circus shouldn't be going on. If what they are doing is disturbing, then why are you protesting when people are disturbed by it? I don't think you thought this through.

I thought this through plenty. If they've got this stuff on video, then why don't they take it to the authorities and have them investigate the situation so they can intervene instead of subjecting young children to those images when they're about to go into the circus to enjoy themselves? I don't care what disturbed the adults because the adults can take action if they want to. All it does to the kids is leave them upset.

If you don't think there's anything wrong with that, then we just disagree.

What PETA was doing is showing the true nature of how most animals are treated in the Circus industry. The truth hurts.

In my opinion, i'd sarcrifice the tears of a few children if it's going to put the Circus entertainment buisness under. In no way, shape, or form do I support it. Watching some of the things trainers do to Elephants, Monkeys, Lions etc. really does show you that Humans are the REAL monsters.

Well, looking on youtube, could this be the video they were showing? Here is a link:

www.youtube.com...

To me, it doesn't really look like they are sadistically beating the elephants. Perhaps the training methods involved seem harsh but I don't think there is any ill intent from the elephant handlers.

P.E.T.A have blown it out of proportion a little bit and have acted inappropriately showing it to children going to the circus.

I don't agree with having animals at circuses but I wouldn't say that it is an out and out case of animal cruelty.

I think Penn & Teller sum up PETA, and what they're really all about, best on their tv show:







I still think zoos and circuses should be shut down though. There's no reason to keep these wild animals caged up when every person in this country can go to a library and find out everything there is to know about them for free. As usual, PETA thinks the only way to win support for a cause is through shock and awe. They should have left the traumatizing videos and pictures at home, and quietly handed out pamphlets to the parents.

reply to post by Torgo

I still think zoos and circuses should be shut down though. There's no reason to keep these wild animals caged up when every person in this country can go to a library and find out everything there is to know about them for free. As usual, PETA thinks the only way to win support for a cause is through shock and awe. They should have left the traumatizing videos and pictures at home, and quietly handed out pamphlets to the parents.

I agree with your statements above. I don't believe we humans should be enslaving animals for our own personal entertainment, especially those whose natural habitat is in the wild. I also believe we would benefit from moving away from meat in our diets. I just don't think it's necessary to traumatize kids with disturbing images in the parking lot of the circus for the purposes of shock value. Whether it's reality or not, it's distasteful and I don't see what great purpose it serves other than to piss off parents and traumatize kids.

Winge winge winge...they ruined our entertainment and made some children cry...think of the children...that is so utterly typical...I say think of the animals that get abused for the childrens entertainment...the spoiled little buggers will get over a few tears, and they will be a little less ignorant afterwards.

reply to post by NightGypsy


I am a member and supporter of P.E.T.A. (People Eating Tasty Animals).

PETA is like many organizations that started out with a noble purpose (e.g. Greenpeace). But then once a select group of unintelligent people in these organizations didn't get their way, they turn to violence and subterfuge.
These are the true terrorist organizations in today's world.

I live in an area where the 'circus' is like something from a Stephen King novel - hell on earth.
No '3 ringers' here - but - a one ring traveling circus - the animals treated in nothing less than HORRIFIC.
As much as I love the culture, (traveling circus's being a part of that culture) I abhor what I see.

I came close to getting arrested last year for trying to 'abduct' a tiny little lion cub, left out in the sun (next to a supermarket parking lot). The poor thing was red and covered with sores... It makes me weep just to think about that little punkin.

Anyway, if I'd been a better person I wouldn't have hesitated when the guard screamed at me to 'get away' - I would have just grabbed the cub and run...but of course he (the kit) was so terrified of people it scrunched up in the back of the cage and I couldn't reach it... And for the cub, especially a sociably dependent lion cub, to be left alone, hurting, and scarred and scared in a cage... Ok, I'll stop, I'm crying again. I'll never forgive myself for not 'taking' him.

Though I did report the circus later? Nothing is going to happen to them when they move from town to town to town.

I'd like to see them eradicated... But then again, culture is culture... I hate being the judge on that balance.

peace

reply to post by NightGypsy


It's tasteless to take your kids to a circus in this day and age. If you cannot conclude that a circus is torturing animals you are a stupid hick that shouldn't have kids to begin with. In my country circuses with animals are illegal in most cities because of this.

But then again we are years ahead of the US in terms of average intelligent thinking so it's kinda like looking at monkeys trying to figure out how to turn a tv on. Those minds make this forum also a circus a lot of the time.

reply to post by no special characters


Please enlighten us as to which country you're in that is so much more intelligent than the US.

Just curious.

reply to post by The Baby Seal Club


Well countries cannot be intelligent it's the entities that live in them that are

What country has.
- liberal drug laws
- euthanasia
- abortion
- strict gun laws
etc..

I'm sure you can figure it out yourself

Originally posted by The Baby Seal Club
PETA is like many organizations that started out with a noble purpose (e.g. Greenpeace). But then once a select group of unintelligent people in these organizations didn't get their way, they turn to violence and subterfuge.
These are the true terrorist organizations in today's world.

True terrorist's in today's world ehh? HAHA that's rich. So what I gathered from that is, you think a collection of people who are concerned for animal's wellbeing are far more notorious terrorists than the likes of, well, the Taliban? You know, the guys actually blowing stuff up and killing people?

I do not endorse or support PETA in any way. There's plenty of so called great causes with altruistic motives. ANd once they get big enough, the overhead takes over the original goals of the charity/NGOs in question. However, animals are sentient, they feel pain, and above all, they are innocent. Humans on the other hand... need I say more.

The repeated arguments that endorse any type of animal usage for human entertainment, such as Flipper, circuses, zoos (etc) are lame at best imho. "it educates kids", "it brings awareness to the plight of their endangerment." Buck that noise, buy a hamster, take yer kids hunting/camping/fishing...This is the age of the internets courtesy of Al Gor. You can learn all kinds of stuff online. We have the History channel, and Discovery Channel. Not to mention "saving the panet" has been pushed onto us for decades if not more.

Putting animals in cages and dressing them up and making them do stupid tricks to make us go 'OoOOOOH!' is barbaric and I'm sure people in the future will not understand how we find this sort of thing, entertaining. I suppose it will have to wait til all these fighting sports (shades of the coliseum in Roman times) become a thing of the past.. or am I daydreaming?