Vegan Christmas Advert: Cinema

[InAMess2023]

Had a lovely festive day out with the girls yesterday and went to see Love Actually (20 year re-release). Settled down to watch a film and an advert came on... it's a cartoon turkey (voiced by Jane Horrocks) looking at all the Christmas traditions and singing a jolly Christmas carol... no idea what the ad is for...

All of the sudden the turkey (still singing) is grabbed and thrown in a van...we then see the full journey of it being hung up by the neck, electrocuted, and the screen goes black just as it's killed. The caption? 'Kill tradition this Christmas. Not a Turkey - go vegan this Christmas' - it's an ad for PETA.

Now I have absolutely no problem with vegans, can understand the reasoning around it, etc. but I don't have a desire to be vegan. Probably am a bit hypocritical as I am an absolute animal lover but yes I do eat meat (although not a ton of it).

Just feel like the ad was really inappropriate for the cinema and especially what is meant to be a festive feel-good film! Do I complain to the Cinema Advertising Associates/ASA?

YABU it's an important issue and you shouldn't complain
YANBU totally inappropriate - make a complaint

Regardless the ad hasn't had the desired effect and nor will it

But you started a thread about the ad and have brought it to the attention of people who wouldn't otherwise have seen it. You've prompted discussion about the morality of eating meat and veganism. Surely that was exactly what PETA wanted?

Yabu and you're not an animal lover if you eat them.

I think it's had exactly the effect it was meant to.

Shovk advert like this.
Goes straight over some heads.
Makes some people irrationally angry.
These people talk about it (or post online)
Other people look at advert and some are shocked and some are not.
Those that are shocked might start to question why
Those that are not shocked might question why others find it shocking.
And yes, eventually some people may become vegan. Unlikely due to just that advert, but it may start to unravel the cognitive dissonance they've built around eating animals.

I mean yes, those thick as mince crying about carrots being pulled from the earth or how crop farming also harms animals are not going to go vegan overnight, no.

But perhaps next time op you are looking at your lovely puppy or a wild squirrel you might think about how you'd feel if it was suddenly decided we'd treat them as farmed animals are.

I think you are bothered. Its up to you whether you explore those feelings or not. No one is forcing you and your lovely carcass adverts will be in abundance over the next few weeks.

If freedom means anything at all it means being able to tell people things that they do not wish to hear.
George Orwell.

Interestingly I switched to veganism as a direct result of seeing a shocking clip so clearly these things can and do work at getting people to make the change. I find it hard to believe I'm the only person in the world it worked for. Therefore it's worth still showing stuff like this.

I also had to re-read this to see it was a cartoon?! Come on op! A cartoon!

If you feel bullied watching aPETA and, so you also feel bullied watching commercials? There's no difference

There's a difference between a company trying to sell me something, and an organisation trying to tell me what I can and cannot eat. I wouldn't go as far as to complain to the TV station, but I would switch channels sharpish. I won't be preached to by a bunch of self righteous, hypocritical fools.

I have never understood how people square this circle.

Yummmm... turkey.

They actually need more ads like that one as it's important to educate the public. It's easy to kid yourself the turkeys have a wonderful life and then have a 'quick and humane' kill right at the end.

Also I see meat adverts everyday that I find offensive. Meat is absolutely everywhere. And this uproar about ONE ad spreading an alternative message. It's ridiculous. I'm still laughing that it's a cartoon too sorry.

Ohh I always thought all the mmm bacon trolls were incel males. Exciting to find a wild one on Mumsnet.

Quiche...

It's a bad cartoon at that. Terrible graphics!

Maple cured gammon....

Square what circle? It is an animal reared for its meat. If you didn't have the picture on the right, then you wouldn't have the picture on the left. Simple as that.

I've never understood how something so cute (lambs) turns into something so revolting (ewes). If i eat lamb, I save it from that fate.

Vegans have to see adverts all the time for dairy and meat products.

I suppose we all have to just get on with it and move forward. It's just an advert

What are you struggling with? I don't get it.

Generally people pay to go somewhere and enjoy themselves, not be made to feel uncomfortable.

No, it's all about context.

Making sex videos with your partner is perfectly ok but you wouldn't want them screened at the cinema either.

Humans are omnivores.

Personally I think Love Actually is more like appropriate....

Imagine the reverse....

Big bloody steak with the caption 'vegans, you don't know what you're missing'.

Somehow I don't think they'd be happy with it working both ways. 😂

If you join any vegan group online I guarantee you will see that in around ten seconds flat.

It's a false equivalency because this advert is coming at it from a moral angle. A similar advert directed at vegans would be something like, 'Vegans, don't let this abattoir worker starve this xmas.'

Actually I feel very sorry for people who work in the meat industry. It's poorly paid, often dangerous and many of them end up with serious mental health issues because unlike o and others, they can't hide from the truth.

Imagine having to kill an animal that doesn't want to die for money.

So you’re happy for Aldi to get a cartoon carrot to tell you to eat turkey this Christmas, but not for Peta to get a cartoon turkey to tell you to eat vegan this Christmas?

Whay are Peta hypocrites? Do you suspect they are troughing pigs in blankets when no-one’s looking?

Love Actually is a 15, the ad sounds fine for that audience. The fact that it's made you feel so bad might be worth reflecting on a bit more.