At the web site for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, you can see a holiday snow globe featuring Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. The "snow globe" shows Vick in an orange prison jumpsuit, surrounded by armed guards, a wall topped with barbed wire, and a barking dog. He's playing football by himself. In an appearance on ESPN today, PETA spokesman Dan Shannon said the snow globe is "lighthearted" and "tongue-in-cheek," and talked about how it was just an opportunity to have a laugh. There are two problems here. The first is that there's nothing funny about it: There's no wit or humor involved, it's just a cartoon of a guy standing around in a prison yard. Who finds that funny?
The second, more serious, problem is that PETA has spent months telling us how horrible and cruel dog fighting is. If dog fighting really is horrible and cruel, PETA shouldn't use it as a source for humor. It's tasteless and inappropriate. I suppose this is supposed to get attention for PETA, but I think it will alienate more people than it attracts.


Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
12-19-2007 @ 4:29PM
Joe Adelsberger said...
Michael Vick is a joke and, he is exactly where he should be albeit not for as long as he deserves.... I would have given anything to hear them give him 5 years. The metaphor for this would be "The animals has turned into the animal."
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 4:46PM
Brian Hutchinson said...
PETA's snow globe shows no class. Way to show your true colors. I thought you were supposed to be better than that.
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 4:53PM
Kelsey said...
I think the snowglobe is great. :)
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 5:03PM
Jordi said...
Isn't there also the small issue of making money off someone's likeness without their permission?
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 5:08PM
Joel said...
"I suppose this is supposed to get attention for PETA, but I think it will alienate more people than it attracts."
This statement is true of almost everything PETA does.
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 5:14PM
Janelle said...
was i supposed to laugh at that?! NOT FUNNY!!!
whoever idea that was to make that is L-A-M-E!!!!
KEEP YA HEAD UP MIKE VICK!!
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 5:17PM
FitConnect.com - Fitness Social Networking said...
The type of people that go to that website probably love it though. No one would bother going to see it if they weren't a crazy obsessed with dogs person. However, what Vick did was terrible, i supposed let the animal lovers have their revenge.
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 5:31PM
Grer The Sarcastic Bastard said...
Tasteless. Inappropriate. Unprofessional. What would expect from a
group that would throw red paint on someone that offends them by
wearing fur, and not have the balls to stick around and face the
reprocussions of their actions?
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 6:08PM
Pacifist Viking said...
I'm an animal rights advocate, and on issues I'm mostly in agreement with PETA--but stuff like this is exactly why I'm not a member.
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 6:23PM
Elaine said...
I love PETA's e-card. Michael Vick and the other animal abusers on the card deserve to be kept in the spotlight for their cruel deeds.
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 6:25PM
Chris said...
I like PETA's e-card. Animal abuse is a tough subject to get people to focus on because it's so much easier to ignore it. PETA knows how to get attention through humor/sex appeal/eye-catching stunts for causes society ignores, like dog-fighting or the abuse of animals by meat companies like KFC. If they just issued reports or put out somber press releases no one would listen. I hope PETA keeps it up.
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 6:25PM
Gina said...
I've been a Peta member for 3 years & this is not a good idea. It's to benefit animals & I'm sure it was researched & tested as a potential good seller. But a line has to be drawn & Peta needs to be above such tactics. It's no better than the college t-shirts with Vick hanging a dog.
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 6:45PM
FootballOnuts said...
Don't care for PETA myself. But that.....well that's just funny. I would never hurt ot torture an animal for fun or money. He's an IDIOT!!!!!
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 8:20PM
Di said...
Animal abuse is unforgivable. I don't care what you knew or didn't know Michael. You ARE responsible for everything that went on your property. If you hurt animals, may you rot in hell.
Reply
12-19-2007 @ 8:53PM
LB said...
PETA is turning into a bad joke
Reply
12-20-2007 @ 12:01AM
henry tate said...
peta have little kids with sign saying i hate vick,what is that teaching our kids to hate a person not the act.vick grew up fighting dog he was 20 when he start puting money.still what he did was wrong,but young people make mistake.paris,lohan,spear and the other are say to be young when they do someting wrong.
Reply
12-20-2007 @ 1:31AM
B.R.V. said...
NOW THAT MIKE VICK IS PAYING HIS DEBT TO SOCIETY AND ALL OF THE HYSTERIA HAS DIED DOWN WE HAVE PETA STRUGGLING AND DESPERATE TO PROVE THAT THEY STILL MATTER.....WELL HERE'S A NEWS FLASH, YOU DONT!!! YOU'VE BEEN RELEGATED BACK TO BEING A FRINGE, TERRORIST, LAW BREAKING CULT. YOUR TACTICS ARE DISPICABLE AND CRIMINAL....YOU SHOULD BE PROSECUTED AND JAILED FOR YOUR CRIMES AND PAY YOUR DEBT TO SOCIETY. MIKE VICK WILL BE RELEASED IN LESS THAN A YEAR WITH GOOD BEHAVIOR. HE'S SERVING HIS TIME IN A MINIMUM SECURITY CAMPUS. THAT'S RIGHT CAMPUS...NO BARS, NO CELLS....DORMS. FREE TO WORK OUT, READ, SLEEP, AND EAT. HE WILL COME OUT MORE FIT AND LESS BANGED UP THAN WHEN HE WENT IN. HE WAS THE BEST ATHLETE IN THE NFL WHEN HE WENT IN AND HAS A VERY GOOD CHANCE OF BEING THE BEST ATHLETE WHEN HE COMES OUT. THE NFL TEAMS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN HIS TALENT WILL BE STANDING IN LINE BECAUSE, HE GIVES ANY TEAM A BETTER CHANCE TO WIN. WINNING IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. MOST PEOPLE AGREE THAT ONCE MR.VICK HAS PAYED HIS DEBT TO SOCIETY THAT HE SHOULD BE GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE. THAT'S THE GOOD OLD AMERICAN WAY. YOUR FUTILE ATTEMPTS TO GET ATTENTION WITH OUTRAGEOUS TACTICS WILL BE SEEN AS ZEALOTRY AND DESPERATION. AMERICANS WANT TO MOVE ON AND LEAVE THE PAST IN THE PAST. YOU'VE GOTTEN ABOUT THE MOST MILEAGE OUT OF MIKE VICK STORY AS YOU CAN...IT'S OVER....LET IT GO.
Reply
12-20-2007 @ 4:36AM
Alexia said...
Remember that the guy tortured and killed dogs, the very same animals that we all hold dear to our hearts. He deserves what he gets. PETA are the the world's biggest animal rights organisation for a reason - they are headline grabbing and it DOES get results for the billions of animals suffering on a daily basis.
Reply
12-20-2007 @ 6:59AM
ramsey said...
PETA's attention-grabbing Vick snow globe is right on the mark. This is a fun way to remind people of Vick's involvement in dog fighting. While this is light-hearted, PETA's behind-the-scenes work on behalf of animals is commendable.
Reply
12-20-2007 @ 7:12AM
Gina said...
I thought it was a real snow globe Peta was selling. But saw the e-card, maybe a little inappropriate, not bad. Vick's saga is filled with misery & pain, so depressing. Maybe Peta wants to lighten up for X-mas after dealing with the heavy mess of Vick & dog fighting for months.
They exposed the brutality, demonstrated with signs of wounded Pitt Bulls, deformed & scarred from fighting. Still receiving tips from citizens concerning suspected dog fighting where they live.
Met with Satan for a class to teach him empathy for animals. I don't know how they faced him with civility & an open mind but they did, though Vick stands for everything they're against.
Reply