ANIMAL rights activists PETA yet again decided to humiliate themselves, this time by asking Australian rock band to rename itself for the sake of a cheap PR stunt.
After realising that Australian water birds can potentially be under threat this hunting season, PETA called on iconic Australian rock bad Hunters & Collectors to change its name to “discourage people from hurting animals”.
The strange stunt provoked Twitter users to brand the controversial organization as, “idiots”.
PETA even came up with a series of bizarre name suggestions for the band.
Ashley Fruno, PETA’s associate director of campaigns wrote to the band, demanding: “As your Adelaide reunion show is coming up, now is the perfect time for a band name-lift.
“Might you consider ‘Hunters & Collectors of Antiques’, ‘Hunters and Collectors of Vinyl Records’, or even ‘Hunters and Collectors of Beer Cans’ as possible replacements? ”
Without even realising, PETA made it very clear that all it was offering to the band was a cheap publicity stunt to promote themselves “in the name of animal welfare.”
Despite the 36-year-history of the Melbourne band, fronted by Mark Seymour, it’s only now that PETA appears to step up with the complaint.
Social media erupted in outrage, with Twitter users calling it the “most ridiculous publicity stunt this decade” and “PETA’s jumping-the- shark moment.”
Scott Jenkins tweeted: “Why stop at Hunters & Collectors, PETA? You gonna ask Meat Loaf to change his name to Tofu Slice? IDIOTS.”
It followed by many more tweets from other internet users:
Magiceagle999: @peta Hunters & Collectors have been out of the public eye for many yrs. Why do you choose now to force this non issue?. What gives? #auspol
Barry Rose: Someone better tell #PETA they are 4 weeks early with the release of “news” they want Hunters & Collectors to change their name #AprilFool
Gavin Ingham: @peta should change their name to Peter – makes just about as much sense as them lobbying Hunters & Collectors to change their name….”
Matt Scanlan: If Hunters & Collectors change their name for PETA then the world has officially gone mad #surelynot #petaslosttheplot #pcnannystate
PETA was quick to defend itself. It said that that the organisation always uses a tongue-in-cheek approach to highlight issues.
“By using humor, PETA brings attention to serious issues, such as the hundreds of thousands of water birds that are killed every year during hunting season. Our name change suggestions may be funny, but the reasons behind it are genuine.”
Let’s hope their intentions are not as “genuine” as killing thousands of cats and dogs worldwide.
