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Summary: PETA launched an anti-McDonald's campaign targeted at young children. The "McCruelty" protests began at a dozen McDonald's chains nationwide. Parents and children leaving McDonald's were given "Unhappy Meals", which were splashed with pictures of a rather demonic Ronald McDonald, holding a knife and a dead chicken (picture attached).
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PETA launched an anti-McDonald’s campaign targeted at young children. The “McCruelty” protests began at a dozen McDonald’s chains nationwide. Parents and children leaving McDonald’s were given “Unhappy Meals”, which were splashed with pictures of a rather demonic Ronald McDonald, holding a knife and a dead chicken (picture attached).
Do you know what is inherently wrong with PETA’s claim that it is defensible for them to distribute these images to children on the basis that “Children see much worse in video games and movies”? Besides the fact that they are assuming that all parents expose their children to violence in video games and movies (when in fact, all of the parents that I know personally do *not* let their Happy Meal-aged children watch horror films or play violent video games); kids who play violent video games tend to think its “cool”. The violence is glamorized to them, and they then tend to be drawn towards the more violent images.
So good job, PETA. You gave those kids, who you clam are your target audience, pictures of Ronald McDonald, now looking like Batman’s “Joker” character, holding a knife that they think is awesome, because they its similar to whichever slash ‘em video game they are probably going home to play. You may have just glamorized, and made humorous, animal cruelty to them; well done.
If I didn't know better I would swear you were hired
I am not sure if PETA actually knows what they are doing. They are using the wrong tactics and I am furious that they mailed one of these UnHappy Meals to my house! My daughter is 3, she has never been exposed to violence. I thought it was a different package and allowed her to open it! Needless to say, it scared her.
I posted about it here:
http://flyinggigglesandlollipops.blogspot.com/2009/09/is-peta-taking-it-too-far-images-not.html#comments