Slaughterville, Okla., has been under the national spotlight with a problem that puts some perspective on how far some Americans can still take things out of context.
Slaughterville is battling PETA.
For those of you who do not partake in the vegan lifestyle, PETA is the radical animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
And for all of you who aren’t cowboys, Slaughterville is a small Oklahoma town of about 3,600 residents.
PETA’s beef with Slaughterville is that PETA director Bruce Friedrich, a vegan, deems the town’s name to be too menacing towards the loveable animals that may grace the town’s presence.
This fact is laughable, partially because I do not know any animals clever enough to determine the meaning of a town’s name.
I found further fault with PETA’s argument when they stated in a letter sent to Slaughterville administrator Marsha Blair that a suitable name change would be “Veggieville.”
I would like to write this incident off as a humorous water-cooler story for our parents to discuss at work tomorrow.
But I think it is important to note that the Oklahoma town was named after James Slaughter, a grocer who founded the small town at the beginning of this century.
This makes me wonder why PETA seems so adamant about getting rid of Slaughterville’s name, along with its heritage.
PETA has even promised the town $20,000 worth of veggie burgers for its school cafeterias to serve, which sounds as enticing as taking the family on a vacation to Veggieville.
Ironically, Friedrich is a former resident of Slaughterville. Perhaps Friedrich has a figurative bone to pick with this town, but is it necessary to use the soy-protein muscle of PETA to carry out his pestering of his old town?
Friedrich said the town name brings up images of animal cruelty, and these images are unfair to our animal friends. Besides the fact that I enjoy a steak every now and then, I can sympathize with those of the vegan culture.
Vegans are people who choose to eat only plant matter, making sure to avoid any animal products. Although I am not a vegan, I respect anyone that is. Becoming a vegan is a difficult undertaking, and anyone serious about doing so deserves respect for their choice.
My problem comes when these vegans, usually through the use of PETA, ostracize those of us who are not vegans.
With past acts such as throwing paint on fur-clad women and demanding a cessation of pig races in the Northeast, it becomes clear that PETA doesn’t quite understand the theory behind tolerance.
This sort of radical behavior makes America a mixed-up country. Our country does a great job of protecting any and all minority groups and organizations. The protection of small groups helps ensure that our freedom as a whole will be protected.
These radical minorities, such as PETA, attempt to turn hatred toward the masses. In doing so, they turn their backs on the same country that protects their free speech.
These groups persecute people for not believing what they believe. This is ironic since they receive no persecution from the government for their philosophies, which the masses usually directly oppose.
Until Americans can find some sort of middle ground on tolerance, it seems unlikely that either Slaughterville or Veggieville will be the peaceful site of a community built on togetherness.
But then again, without this kind of bickering, we might never get to find out about towns such as Slaughterville, or even places with names such as Climax, Minn., home of the town slogan, “Climax-More Than Just a Feeling.”
Edd Mullin is a sophomore English major. He can be reached at [email protected].