PETA Gets Roasted for New PSA Asking People to Stop Using Animal-Related Insults

People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA, stirred up controversy on social media after they asked people to forgo using animal-related insults. In a Tuesday tweet, the animal rights activist group said calling people names such as "chicken," "pig," "sloth," and other terms was insulting to animals, the message quickly becoming the source of mockery.

In the post, PETA asked social media users to choose to "create a more inclusive world" rather than "perpetuate oppression," calling on them to "stand up for justice by rejecting supremacist language." In a nifty graphic, the group offered up some alternatives to what they deemed insults that reinforce "the myth that humans are superior to other animals & justified in violating them." In order to avoid perpetuating speciesism, PETA suggested replacing "chicken" with "coward," "rat" with "snitch," "snake" with "jerk," "pig" with "repulsive," and "sloth" with "lazy."

In the tweet thread, PETA went on to state, "anti-animal slurs degrade animals by applying negative human traits to certain species," and said "perpetuating the idea that animals are sly, dirty, or heartless desensitizes the public and normalizes violence against other animals." The group urged "everyone who believes in equality and justice to take a look at their personal beliefs and the language they use, and break free of this outdated mindset that denigrates other animals. Always be kind and consider not using insults at all."

The post immediately rose eyebrows, and the organization found themselves on the receiving end of plenty of mockery, something PETA isn't necessarily a stranger to given their provocative statements and campaigns. Many users simply found humor in the post, though others roasted PETA for the suggestion. Scroll down to see what Twitter had to say about PETA's request.