Guest guest Posted February 2, 2002 Report Share Posted February 2, 2002 Owners of vegetarian businesses may wish to consider sponsoring particular activities of groups like PETA, with enthusiastic volunteers and staffers who could and would educate the public about various kinds of plant-based diets. For instance, characters like " Super Soy " and " Lentil Lou " and " Vincent Veggieburger " might go a long way towards helping folks SEE the legitimacy of focusing our diets on plants. Remember, it's ISSUES which are " played " by antagonists, and producers and suppliers do well to educate on ISSUES. OTOH, look at the legitimacy given claims to parental rights to " shelter " their children from the scientific and ethical issues around food and agriculture... What do Americans and even religious people think about this with respect to the many health and prudential issues related to food and diet, including disease and illness and the corresponding rise in health care costs, which many DO realize is an overwhelming issue with moral dimensions. Let's talk. - msc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/620279/posts Meat eaters confront Kernel Corn from PETA By Janet Rorholm The Gazette Friday, February 01, 2002, 10:01:08 AM CEDAR RAPIDS -- Protesters eating chili, hamburgers and chicken while holding signs " Honk if you eat meat " were on hand to greet PETA's new anti-meat mascot, Kernel Corn, when the large cob arrived at Pierce Elementary School on Thursday. More than two dozen high school students from Kennedy High School, which is next door to Pierce, 4343 Marilyn Dr. NE, protested the cob's visit. " Parents have the right to decide what is the best diet for kids. These are growing, developing children and they need protein, and meat is the best source for that, " said Arick Sabin, a senior at Kennedy, who was among the protesters. Sabin said PETA should have focused on older students, not young children. " These are impressionable young kids. Everybody has a right to say what they want to, but to target young kids is an underhanded strategy. " Pierce parent Lori Heaton, who was picking up her children from school, said she didn't like the idea of PETA targeting young children, either. " People need to let families raise their kids the way they want to and that includes food, religion, whatever, " she said. Pierce Principal Rebecca DeWald said she received a number of phone calls from parents on Thursday supporting her decision to not allow PETA inside the school. " They were glad that we were protecting that learning time, " she said. This was the fourth and final stop on Kernel Corn's vegan campaign through the Midwest and the only one that attracted protesters, according to Dan Shannon, vegan campaign coordinator for PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. A vegan does not eat animal products. He said he didn't mind the protesters. " If we have a right to be here, so do they, " he said. PETA is promoting a vegan lifestyle and targeting younger students because health studies show more and more children with health problems, which he said are related to an unhealthy diet that includes meat. PETA hopes to expose students to an alternative to the traditional food pyramid promoted by the meat and dairy industry and typically taught and served in schools, he said. Younger children are often more supportive of PETA's message, he suggested. PETA's visit drew support from a couple of local parents, including Angela Brubaker. Brubaker made the decision to become a vegetarian eight years ago. Her 8-year-old daughter has also made that decision, she said. " We eat meat out of tradition, not out of necessity, " she said. Shannon called the visit to Pierce a success even though PETA didn't talk to many elementary students. PETA supporters and employees did have discussions with many of the high school students protesting, which made it worth it, Shannon said. Auctions Great stuff seeking new owners! Bid now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2002 Report Share Posted February 5, 2002 I can't resist commenting on this. Of all the objections to come up with and they raise the issue of PETA preying on young, impressionable children! What about McDonald's (among others) marketing strategies geared toward influencing children to encourage their parents to bring them there - the commercials, the toys, the play areas, and of course Ronald McDonald. What about the meat and dairy industries preying on young, impressionable children with their biased food pyramid? I think they have it backwards. Maybe PETA should start with the parents and educate them first so they won't be so afraid of " new concepts " . Has anyone here read the book " Fast Food Nation " by Eric Schlossberg? Great book, highly recommended and it addresses just these issues. Kennedy High School and the Cedar Rapids could use a few copies for their libraries. Susan C. - Maynard S. Clark <MSClark <Veg-Biz Saturday, February 02, 2002 9:55 AM Meat eaters confront Kernel Corn from > Owners of vegetarian businesses may wish to consider sponsoring particular activities of groups like PETA, with enthusiastic volunteers and staffers who could and would educate the public about various kinds of plant-based diets. For instance, characters like " Super Soy " and " Lentil Lou " and " Vincent Veggieburger " might go a long way towards helping folks SEE the legitimacy of focusing our diets on plants. Remember, it's ISSUES which are " played " by antagonists, and producers and suppliers do well to educate on ISSUES. > > OTOH, look at the legitimacy given claims to parental rights to " shelter " their children from the scientific and ethical issues around food and agriculture... What do Americans and even religious people think about this with respect to the many health and prudential issues related to food and diet, including disease and illness and the corresponding rise in health care costs, which many DO realize is an overwhelming issue with moral dimensions. Let's talk. - msc > > http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/620279/posts > > Meat eaters confront Kernel Corn from PETA > By Janet Rorholm The Gazette Friday, February 01, 2002, 10:01:08 AM > > CEDAR RAPIDS -- Protesters eating chili, hamburgers and chicken while holding signs " Honk if you eat meat " were on hand to greet PETA's new anti-meat mascot, Kernel Corn, when the large cob arrived at Pierce Elementary School on Thursday. > > More than two dozen high school students from Kennedy High School, which is next door to Pierce, 4343 Marilyn Dr. NE, protested the cob's visit. > > " Parents have the right to decide what is the best diet for kids. These are growing, developing children and they need protein, and meat is the best source for that, " said Arick Sabin, a senior at Kennedy, who was among the protesters. > > Sabin said PETA should have focused on older students, not young children. > > " These are impressionable young kids. Everybody has a right to say what they want to, but to target young kids is an underhanded strategy. " > > Pierce parent Lori Heaton, who was picking up her children from school, said she didn't like the idea of PETA targeting young children, either. > > " People need to let families raise their kids the way they want to and that includes food, religion, whatever, " she said. > > Pierce Principal Rebecca DeWald said she received a number of phone calls from parents on Thursday supporting her decision to not allow PETA inside the school. > > " They were glad that we were protecting that learning time, " she said. > > This was the fourth and final stop on Kernel Corn's vegan campaign through the Midwest and the only one that attracted protesters, according to Dan Shannon, vegan campaign coordinator for PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. A vegan does not eat animal products. He said he didn't mind the protesters. > > " If we have a right to be here, so do they, " he said. > > PETA is promoting a vegan lifestyle and targeting younger students because health studies show more and more children with health problems, which he said are related to an unhealthy diet that includes meat. > > PETA hopes to expose students to an alternative to the traditional food pyramid promoted by the meat and dairy industry and typically taught and served in schools, he said. > > Younger children are often more supportive of PETA's message, he suggested. > > PETA's visit drew support from a couple of local parents, including Angela Brubaker. > > Brubaker made the decision to become a vegetarian eight years ago. Her 8-year-old daughter has also made that decision, she said. > > " We eat meat out of tradition, not out of necessity, " she said. > > Shannon called the visit to Pierce a success even though PETA didn't talk to many elementary students. PETA supporters and employees did have discussions with many of the high school students protesting, which made it worth it, Shannon said. > > > > > > Auctions Great stuff seeking new owners! Bid now! > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2002 Report Share Posted February 5, 2002 Just a P.S. to my original message. What bothered me about the PETA story was that there was this implication that PETA's views were wrong, distorted, misleading, etc. Why do they think that PETA's message is worse than McDonald's, Disney or Mattel? PETA's right to target children of all ages since most of they are already being influenced from other areas and need to learn the truth. What better place to start than elementary school. These parents should not be afraid to discuss the issues. PETA's not forcing anyone to become vegetarian, just trying to educate. This is freedom of speech, not coercion. I think the parents are afraid that their children will come home and demand to eat vegetables instead of beef for dinner. Ironically, this is one of the reasons why I homeschool my children. Bad ideas and misinformation in that get passed along in the school environment. Susan C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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