They're at it again.

Once again, PETA's in the news. This time, their attention is turned to Canada, and how awful a country it is because of the seal hunt.
PETA has no shortage of critics, but until recently, I thought that most people with PETA memberships have good intentions but were just lacking in perspective and common sense. I maintain that PETA appeals to two kinds of people- hardcore anti-human vegan nuts and new converts to the cause of animal rights. Anyone who genuinely cares about animals and has a degree of sense outgrows them rather quickly; generally right after one of these ill-chosen publicity stunts. Any good they accomplish by raising awareness is quickly negated by the absurdity of their publicity stunts. PETA is counterproductive to the cause of animal rights by making more moderate and sensible activists look bad by association.
I'm a supporter of anything that causes less suffering in the world to any animal, human or otherwise. I can't bring myself to think it a bad thing that there are people out there who want to look out for creatures smaller and more helpless than ourselves... but in general, PETA activists fail to grasp that as humans, we should make other humans our priority. That's not to say we turn a blind eye to the suffering of animals; but we are obligated to make wise choices and support things that do not cause harm to people in favour of animals.

PETA's crossing that line with their new campaign.

The front page of their new Olympic protest site sports animation in which blood-soaked Inuit, brandishing primitive clubs, race across the screen in pursuit of a wide-eyed, fleeing baby seal. Explore the site further, and there's even a colouring page for children with the character in question triumphantly holding his bloodied club aloft as the corpses of several small, adorable seals lie in pools of gore at his feet. (The e-cards, while not racist, are pretty gory and unintentionally funny- I will be emailing them out to friends and family all afternoon.)
The Inuit are an often misunderstood people who have had their homeland and traditions eroded, and their traditions come under further threat every year when thousands of people worldwide make the mistake of equating the sustenance hunting of this relatively small community with the much larger commercial seal hunt. PETA's new campaign portrays Canada's native peoples as bloodthirsty barbarians and vilifies their already threatened way of life and traditions.

As it turns out, this isn't the first or only time PETA's supported questionable causes in favour of animals, nor is it the first time racist imagery has been used.

The same anti-Olympic site has a link to an article glowing in support for Israel, because Israel is poised to ban fur. No mention of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but it's not a worry, since the animals are safe.

Check out this site, for a bizarre billboard campaign filled with racist imagery that PETA wanted to put up at the US/Mexico border.

Next up, we have PETA opportunistically using the murder of an abortion provider as an intro to veganism... the images used of fluffy yellow chicks on the billboard make one wonder if they make are capable of making any distinctions between a dozen eggs and a dozen human babies. This is a very recent campaign, by the way- that article dates June 2nd, only ten days ago.

They also used white supremacist imagery in a protest against the AKC, and misused holocaust imagery- equating the persecution and incarceration of millions of Jews in concentration camps with chickens in factory farms. (See images here and here.)

PETA may have failed miserably to champion animal rights with these campaigns, but they've done some good. They've added weight to the argument that racism is patently anti-human and demeans us all.