PETA Claims 'Pet' Is Derogatory Term, Offers Substitute That Leaves People Confused

You can't spell PETA without 'pet,' but the group now wants people to stop using the word, leaving [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

You can't spell PETA without "pet," but the group now wants people to stop using the word, leaving everyone very confused. Earlier this week, Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, suggested using the phrase "animal companion," and said people should refer to themselves as "guardian" instead of "owner." The comments sparked debate, as some thought PETA was calling for the term "pet" to be banned.

"Referring to an animal as a 'pet' or as 'it' reduces a sentient being with a personality and emotions to an inanimate object - a possession to be used in any way the 'owner' wishes," Newkirk said in a statement to PEOPLE. "Contrary to some reports, we are not seeking to ban these words; we're simply suggesting that it would be more respectful to refer to the animals in our homes as 'animal companions' and ourselves as their 'guardians' in the same way that all social movements concerned with cultivating respect have made appeals to stop using terms that are racist or sexist or that otherwise imply that the subject is less important than the speaker."

The controversy began on Monday, when PETA senior media officer Jessica White appeared on Good Morning Britain to explain how the group feels about the word "pet."

"A lot of people at home who have dogs or cats will call them pets and refer to themselves as owners and this implies that the animals are a possession, like a car for example," White said on the show, reports Fox News. "When you refer to animals not as the living beings as they are but as an inanimate object, it can reflect our treatment on these animals."

White tried to explain that using the term "pet" creates a perception that the animal is disposable. GMB host Piers Morgan hen asked White if they planned to change the name of the organization.

"I think you're missing the point, White told him.

PETA also became a lightning rod for criticism on Super Bowl weekend after it released a commercial calling for the end of "speciesism" and mistreatment of animals. The ad showed animals kneeling in a way meant to evoke Colin Kaepernick's protests of racial injustice, which Twitter users found to be trivializing his message.

Photo credit: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images

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