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My Life As A Member Of PETANov 23 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line I am proud to be a member of PETA.
During the summer of 1990, when I was 13, I spent time as a volunteer at my local animal shelter. Having been an animal lover all of my life, I thought that this was the perfect way to help animals and to get to spend some time with them. But I came away from my experience as more than an animal lover, I came away an animal rights activist. While working there I would spend my break talking to other volunteers and staff and looking through animal rights-related magazines, particularly "Animals Agenda". It is through these conversations and reading that I was introduced to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA for short. I became an official member of PETA in October of 1990, on my 14th birthday, and have been a member ever since. While I do work with other animal rights groups, PETA is the only group I am an actual paying member of. They are my first, last, and only choice as far as animal rights groups go. What mainly drew me to PETA is the fact that they protect the rights of all members of the animal kingdom, both non-human and human. I am happy to work with a group that protects the rights of even animals that we find disgusting or that we don't think about much...for is it a flea's fault that it is a flea? Protecting the rights of all animals doesn't mean you cannot defend yourself against the attack of any animal, whether it be a bear or a flea. What it does mean is protecting animals and giving them the right to live...whether they know they live or not. Sponges are animals, and while it is doubtful that they even realize they are alive, we at PETA do protect their right to live, as we do with all members of the animal kingdom. In my 12 years as a PETA member and activist I have found that I have to have a tough skin. I have seen some atrocious cruelty, and the absolute worst in what the human animal can inflict on non-human animals. I have seen animals tortured so badly they had to be euthanized. I have seen pictures of cat who was tortured to death by her owners who then took pictures and had them developed at Walgreens. I have seen the worst in people; but I have also seen a lot of good. I have seen people go vegan. I have seen people, like the photo lab workers at Walgreens, turn people in and try to stop the cycle of cruelty. PETA is sometimes portrayed as a violent group. We are radical, but not violent, and most intelligent people know this. Being a pacifist, I wouldn't have joined PETA if they were violent, nor would I have joined if they said "we protect the rights of all animals except humans". Yes, we can be controversial, but we also get things done. There is a reason why we are the largest animal rights group in the world, and our numbers grow everyday. I do all I can not to harm any animal-though sometimes it cannot be avoided. We have all accidently stepped on insects, and I am sure that when I rub my eyes I accidently kill the mites that live on my eyebrows and skin (don't get grossed out. Those little animals are actually beneficial to us, as anyone who has ever taken a high school biology class will tell you. And yes, PETA even protects the right to live and exist of these animals, for when we say all animals, we mean that.)but I at least do all I can to stop suffering and respect the right of all animals to live. I am not a saint, I am simply doing the best I can. The fact is that PETA is always going to be around to protect the rights of all animals and I am always going to be a member of PETA. I wouldn't give up this life for anything.  |
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