In the wake of revelations that Dr. Fauci’s NIH tortured beagle puppies without any scientific reason, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is keeping its focus on the important things. With the start of the World Series this week, PETA is suggesting that Major League Baseball retire the use of the term “bullpen” because it “references the holding area where terrified bulls are kept before slaughter.”
Believe me, you haven’t even heard the most ridiculous part yet. PETA has even come up with a more “animal-friendly” term for Major League Baseball to adopt: arm barn.
“Words matter, and baseball ‘bullpens’ devalue talented players and mock the misery of sensitive animals,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA encourages Major League Baseball coaches, announcers, players, and fans to changeup their language and embrace the ‘arm barn’ instead.”
PETA explains that cows are “hung upside down and their throats are slit in the meat industry, while in rodeos, gentle bulls are tormented into kicking and bucking by being electro-shocked or prodded—all are typically held in a ‘bullpen’ while they await their cruel fate.”
Okay. And? Is this really something PETA wants to make an issue out of? Is getting worked up over the term “bullpen” really the best use of their time and resources, especially given recent events? In fairness, PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo did say in an interview with Newsmax that she believes Fauci should resign over the revelation of the cruel puppy experiment at the NIH, but when they make suggestions like this, it’s hard to take anything the group says seriously.
“It has perhaps never been more evident that words carry immense power—even within the baseball diamond,” writes Danny Prater on the PETA blog. “People are striving to eradicate racist, sexist, homophobic, and ableist phrases (or team names) from our common language. But unfortunately, many of us also grew up hearing phrases that condone violence toward animals and perpetuate speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.”
According to Prater, “Sayings such as ‘kill two birds with one stone,’ ‘beat a dead horse,’ ‘bring home the bacon,’ and ‘bullpen’ all normalize violent acts against some of the most defenseless members of our society.”
PETA really needs to get its ducks in a row.
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