
Instead of bacon, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) wants us to "bring home the bagels." Instead of "killing two birds with one stone," why not feed them a scone?
In a tweet on Tuesday, the animal rights group called out the "speciesism" of our everyday conversations in order to encourage compassion for animals. They also included an infographic of their suggested alternatives.
Words matter, and as our understanding of social justice evolves, our language evolves along with it. Here’s how to… https://t.co/X893u2zPhH— PETA (@PETA)1543958601.0
PETA suggests that such idioms should be phased out just like how it has become "unacceptable to use racist, homophobic, or ableist language."
The comments immediately made headlines, with some people criticizing the organization for equating common sayings with the struggles of marginalized communities.
Shermichael Singleton, a contributing host of "Consider It" on Vox Media, said PETA's tweet was "extremely ignorant."
@peta @peta - This tweet is extremely ignorant. To compare “anti-animal language” to racism is blatantly irresponsi… https://t.co/Wkb5IykRXc— Shermichael Singleton (@Shermichael Singleton)1544032017.0
Journalist Monique Judge also wrote on The Root: "It is utterly and egregiously offensive to make the comparison you have made. Racist language is inextricably tied to racism, racial terrorism and racial violence. No matter how you try to twist it, it is not the same thing as using animals in a turn of phrase or enjoying a BLT."
Other critics have said that PETA's own suggested phrases are bad for animals. For instance, feeding scones to birds can harm them and feeding a horse that's already fed would be overfeeding. Another person said that pulling a flower by its thorns kills the flower.
"Animals are sacred but plants don't count?" a Twitter user chimed.
@peta I have a few follow up questions. Why would feed a bird scones? Couldn’t bring home the bagels be seen as a… https://t.co/vIfxz3NW21— Verikey (@Verikey)1544016258.0
EcoWatch asked PETA for a comment on the varied responses to their tweet. A spokesperson emailed us back with a previously released statement:
Words matter, and as our understanding of social justice evolves, our language evolves along with it. Just as it became unacceptable to use racist, homophobic, or ableist language, phrases that trivialize cruelty to animals will vanish as more people begin to appreciate animals for who they are and start "bringing home the bagels" instead of the bacon.
With so much negativity in the world, why not lighten up, smile a little more, and use language in a way that encourages being kind to animals?
At first glance, you wouldn't think avocados and almonds could harm bees; but a closer look at how these popular crops are produced reveals their potentially detrimental effect on pollinators.
Migratory beekeeping involves trucking millions of bees across the U.S. to pollinate different crops, including avocados and almonds. Timothy Paule II / Pexels / CC0
<p>According to <a href="https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/israeli-kitchen/beekeeping-how-to-keep-bees" target="_blank">From the Grapevine</a>, American avocados also fully depend on bees' pollination to produce fruit, so farmers have turned to migratory beekeeping as well to fill the void left by wild populations.</p><p>U.S. farmers have become reliant upon the practice, but migratory beekeeping has been called exploitative and harmful to bees. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/10/health/avocado-almond-vegan-partner/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported that commercial beekeeping may injure or kill bees and that transporting them to pollinate crops appears to negatively affect their health and lifespan. Because the honeybees are forced to gather pollen and nectar from a single, monoculture crop — the one they've been brought in to pollinate — they are deprived of their normal diet, which is more diverse and nourishing as it's comprised of a variety of pollens and nectars, Scientific American reported.</p><p>Scientific American added how getting shuttled from crop to crop and field to field across the country boomerangs the bees between feast and famine, especially once the blooms they were brought in to fertilize end.</p><p>Plus, the artificial mass influx of bees guarantees spreading viruses, mites and fungi between the insects as they collide in midair and crawl over each other in their hives, Scientific American reported. According to CNN, some researchers argue that this explains why so many bees die each winter, and even why entire hives suddenly die off in a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder.</p>Avocado and almond crops depend on bees for proper pollination. FRANK MERIÑO / Pexels / CC0
<p>Salazar and other Columbian beekeepers described "scooping up piles of dead bees" year after year since the avocado and citrus booms began, according to Phys.org. Many have opted to salvage what partial colonies survive and move away from agricultural areas.</p><p>The future of pollinators and the crops they help create is uncertain. According to the United Nations, nearly half of insect pollinators, particularly bees and butterflies, risk global extinction, Phys.org reported. Their decline already has cascading consequences for the economy and beyond. Roughly 1.4 billion jobs and three-quarters of all crops around the world depend on bees and other pollinators for free fertilization services worth billions of dollars, Phys.org noted. Losing wild and native bees could <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/wild-bees-crop-shortage-2646849232.html" target="_self">trigger food security issues</a>.</p><p>Salazar, the beekeeper, warned Phys.org, "The bee is a bioindicator. If bees are dying, what other insects beneficial to the environment... are dying?"</p>EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
Australia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to more than 7% of all the world's plant and animal species, many of which are endemic. One such species, the Pharohylaeus lactiferus bee, was recently rediscovered after spending nearly 100 years out of sight from humans.
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