Please complete your profile to unlock commenting and other important features.

Please select your date of birth for special perks on your birthday. Your username will be your unique profile link and will be publicly used in comments.
Narcity Pro

This is a Pro feature.

Time to level up your local game with Narcity Pro.

Pro

$5/month

$40/year

  • Everything in the Free plan
  • Ad-free reading and browsing
  • Unlimited access to all content including AI summaries
  • Directly support our local and national reporting and become a Patron
  • Cancel anytime.
For Pro members only Pro
Summary

A Viral PETA Tweet Is Telling You To Stop Calling People Snakes & Chickens

They call it 'Speciesism.'
Contributor

A viral PETA tweet making the rounds online is telling people to stop referring to each other while using animal terms.

The animal rights organization is speaking up against society's use of animal verbiage to insult and degrade each other in the place of words that already exist in our vocabulary

Editor's Choice: Canada's Hotel Quarantine For Travellers Has Been Explained & There's A 3rd COVID-19 Test

Calling someone an animal as an insult reinforces the myth that humans are superior to other animals.  PETA  

PETA took to social media to call out people and ask that they stop saying words that "perpetuate oppression" towards animals.

"Anti-animal slurs degrade animals by applying negative human traits to certain species," the nonprofit said.

They believe that these words make animals seem weak, dirty and heartless which in turn 'desensitizes the public and normalizes violence against other animals."

In the photo posted online, which has over 18,000 replies and over 23,000 retweets, they highlight how humans use animals to express behaviours seen in humans. 

For example, calling someone a chicken when referring to them as being a coward or using the word snake when referring to someone being a jerk.

What's more, they call this conduct 'speciesism,' which is defined on their website as one species believing they are better than another.

"Always be kind and consider not using insults at all," they said.

Explore this list   👀

    • Osobe Waberi was a Toronto-based Ethiopian-Somali Francophone writer at Narcity Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a specialist degree in journalism and a news media diploma from Centennial College. Before Osobe’s gig as a national trending writer at Narcity, she worked at Toronto Star, The Canadian Press, VICE, and CBC.

    This enchanting small town set on a BC island was named among North America's 'most peaceful'

    Sandy beaches, ancient forests and a cozy town — anyone?. 🌲

    This Ontario gem with waterfront towns and beaches is one of Canada's 'best' spots to live

    It has "large" homes "priced much lower" than major Canadian cities.

    New data reveals the 'most peaceful' places to live and Canadian towns demolished US ones

    Five Canadian towns were named the most serene on the continent. 🍁