For all the good work they (supposedly) do for animals, PETA do have a habit of being extremely annoying and tactless when trying to impart their values on their world.
Recently, they publicly criticised Pete Davidson for purchasing a dog rather than adopting one, and the comedian was so angry about this that he rang up the animal rights group’s Senior VP Daphna Nachminovitch and left this unhinged voicemail for her:
Pete Davidson going off on PETA 😂 pic.twitter.com/Wz7XWrVmjW
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) June 6, 2023
Well I think that’s a fair enough explanation? Not that he should have to explain his decision to purchase a dog instead of adopting, but needing to buy a specific breed because of allergies after your mum’s dog passed away – you can’t argue with that really, even if you’re a condescending idiot like the VP of PETA.
Addressing the voicemail, Pete has now told TMZ:
“I am upset. It was a poor choice of words.
I haven’t seen my mom and sister cry like that in over 20 years. I was trying to cheer up my family. I was already upset that the store had filmed me without my permission or acknowledgement. Then this organization (PETA) made a public example of us, making our grieving situation worse.”
Here’s what PETA/Daphna Nachminovitch had originally said about Davidson:
“It’s tragic that Pete did not seek out a borough-born mutt from a city animal shelter.
Because a scrappy New Yorker with charm, personality, and unconventional handsomeness could have been his perfect match. Since shelters in New York and across the country are overflowing with homeless animals, PETA urges Pete to show some big heart energy by adopting, not shopping, in the future.”
I mean, that is pretty patronising. Obviously I agree that the best way to get a dog is through adoption, as too many die every day without a home because people are getting theirs from breeders rather than shelters. But at the end of the day Pete Davidson is 100% right and it’s really none of PETA’s business that he chose to buy, or what the reasons were.
But then what do you expect from a company that suggests we stop using words like ‘pig’ and ‘chicken’ as insults because they’re ‘offensive to animals’? Sigh.
