Page 7 | Vegan Christmas Advert: Cinema

InAMess2023 · 2023-12-11T13:53:43+00:00

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

SharSharBinks · 12/12/2023 00:00

I mean if it's all fine and dandy and nothing to see here there's nothing to be mad about is there.

It's not just about whether the choice to eat meat is a valid choice. It's also about whether people have a right to not be heckled about their choice by others that disagree.

There are now rules against pro life protestors standing outside abortion clinics and harassing the attendees. I'm assuming you think these rules are ridiculous because these women made their choices and if that's all fine and dandy there's nothing to be mad about is there?

They made their choice to take a life so if they're fine with that then surely they should take it on the chin, right? They shouldn't get annoyed about others simply pointing out what they've chosen to do surely?

ZoeCM · 12/12/2023 00:02

Come to think of it, I'm now wondering if the reason PETA euthanise so many dogs and cats is that they know that if they find homes for them, their owners will feed them meat.

SharSharBinks · 12/12/2023 00:03

orangeflutterby · 11/12/2023 23:53

@SharSharBinks Nice cherry picking there, but yes the cruelty of industrial farming is part of the problem but if everyone agreed to end that the price of animal products would become very expensive and most people would end up eating a mostly vegetarian diet but to many want their cheap meat on a daily basis and ultimately don't care about the suffering they cause.

If I had to personally shoot every cow I ate I'd be happy to do it. I mean, I wouldn't revel in it but I'd be happy to take ownership. For most of human history the animal has been slaughtered by the people that consume it.

AhBiscuits · 12/12/2023 05:50

ZoeCM · 12/12/2023 00:02

Come to think of it, I'm now wondering if the reason PETA euthanise so many dogs and cats is that they know that if they find homes for them, their owners will feed them meat.

Could be that. They also consider pet ownership to be a form of 'involuntary bondage'. They think animals are better off dead than kept as pets.

PearTreeBoat · 12/12/2023 06:28

This really wouldn't bother me; in fact, I'd find it mildly amusing.

Lots of companies advertise stuff I'm not interested in all the time, this is just another example of that. I'm sure they wouldn't be playing this advert before the Trolls movie, or whatever is the latest kids movie and was obviously deemed age appropriate for Love Actually.

As for the PP who said they find it inappropriate or offensive as they are sick of vegans shoving their viewpoint down their throats, I don't see this advert any different to Tesco advertising their Christmas Turkeys, or Asda advertising a joint of beef. It is just an advert.

mogsrus · 12/12/2023 06:43

The advert in question could be shown with any film audience, as they come from a third party, & have no previous knowledge of what is actually be screened

Thejewellershands · 12/12/2023 06:44

SharSharBinks · 12/12/2023 00:00

I mean if it's all fine and dandy and nothing to see here there's nothing to be mad about is there.

It's not just about whether the choice to eat meat is a valid choice. It's also about whether people have a right to not be heckled about their choice by others that disagree.

There are now rules against pro life protestors standing outside abortion clinics and harassing the attendees. I'm assuming you think these rules are ridiculous because these women made their choices and if that's all fine and dandy there's nothing to be mad about is there?

They made their choice to take a life so if they're fine with that then surely they should take it on the chin, right? They shouldn't get annoyed about others simply pointing out what they've chosen to do surely?

Though I suppose you could also argue that for abortions it's "your body, your choice" whereas eating cows, pigs, chickens, fish etc is someone else's body. You're eating someone else's body.

There's a debate about whether an abortion is murder. There's a debate about whether a fetus is even a baby at all at that point, rather than just cells. With eating meat there is no debate about this. It absolutely is murder, and they are living, sentient beings, unlike unborn fetuses.

TodayInahurry · 12/12/2023 06:47

Tedious, obsessive, woke people forcing their ideas on others. Not a suitable advert for a cinema. Like the obsessives gluing themselves to roads disputing ordinary people going to work.

i would complain

TinkerTiger · 12/12/2023 06:50

roarrfeckingroar · 11/12/2023 14:28

This would piss me off if I had my small children with me

I assume your small children wouldn’t have been watching Love Actually.

TinkerTiger · 12/12/2023 06:53

Love actually has a man and a woman simulating sex while the man rubs her breasts, I’m sure you’ll be fine OP. Festive, indeed

mogsrus · 12/12/2023 06:53

Absolutely no point in complaining, the cinema cannot do anything about it, they have as I just wrote no control

NativityLobsterNumber4 · 12/12/2023 06:57

It seems fine to me. Adverts showing happy animals with lots of room happily living life are probably upsetting to vegans as they’re not true most of the time.

You can choose to ignore the advert if you want, you don’t have to do what it says. They want to get their message out and they did, it’s not inappropriate for them to do that.

MassageForLife · 12/12/2023 06:58

SharSharBinks · 11/12/2023 22:10

B12 is naturally occurring in the digestive system of cows for example. For millennia we would've got it through eating them. The methods of modern farming are neither here nor there in relation to the evolution of humans.

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B12 is naturally occurring in our own digestive system too - but it's too far down the system to actually be much use. If cows get their B12 from their digestive system, why do they need supplementation?

shearwater2 · 12/12/2023 07:00

PETA are nutters who do more harm than good. Why do cinemas bother with film ratings if they show violent and inappropriate ads beforehand?

shearwater2 · 12/12/2023 07:02

NativityLobsterNumber4 · 12/12/2023 06:57

It seems fine to me. Adverts showing happy animals with lots of room happily living life are probably upsetting to vegans as they’re not true most of the time.

You can choose to ignore the advert if you want, you don’t have to do what it says. They want to get their message out and they did, it’s not inappropriate for them to do that.

At home you can ignore or switch over an ad. At the cinema it's a bit more difficult, therefore there is more responsibility over what is shown.

NativityLobsterNumber4 · 12/12/2023 07:03

This would piss me off if I had my small children with me

Why? If you’re uncomfortable with them knowing the truth, maybe you shouldn’t be feeding them meat? Or maybe you should? Are you scared they’ll decide not to eat meat because they think killing animals isn’t right? I haven’t heard of this being shown at films for young children anyway.

shearwater2 · 12/12/2023 07:05

Thejewellershands · 12/12/2023 06:44

Though I suppose you could also argue that for abortions it's "your body, your choice" whereas eating cows, pigs, chickens, fish etc is someone else's body. You're eating someone else's body.

There's a debate about whether an abortion is murder. There's a debate about whether a fetus is even a baby at all at that point, rather than just cells. With eating meat there is no debate about this. It absolutely is murder, and they are living, sentient beings, unlike unborn fetuses.

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Well, eating meat is legal in this country so it remains a free and valid choice.

You don't have the right to force your faddy political opinions down my throat.

NativityLobsterNumber4 · 12/12/2023 07:05

At home you can ignore or switch over an ad. At the cinema it's a bit more difficult, therefore there is more responsibility over what is shown.

I meant ignore it as in font do as it says if you don’t want to. Like if there’s an advert for iPhones at the cinema, you can surely watch it without feeling pressure to buy one.

NativityLobsterNumber4 · 12/12/2023 07:06

don’t

hermioneee · 12/12/2023 07:06

BiscuitsandPuffin · 11/12/2023 14:34

As a vegan since before it was cool (started in 2004), I think this sort of shock tactic messaging has been so overdone it's making everyone desensitised to the message at best, and at worst it's offending people and putting them off exploring the cause.

People who are already vegan will nod along to an advert like that going "YES THIS IS SO IMPORTANT" and people who are not vegan will go "WTF is this?!?!"

It's not a conversation starter. It's not making people think. It's being displayed at a moment when people are shutting down conversation and about to watch a film.

The epitome of bad marketing.

I really wish the v-holes (most of whom are recent vegans) would actually think about what made them go vegan and what might persuade other people to try it instead of launching these sort of emotionally abusive attacks on unsuspecting members of the public then expecting them to fall in with groupthink.

Polarising content like this has no place in converting people to a cause, it's only effective in maintaining people's resolve once they are converts. So maybe critical thinking veg*an types should question who the advert is actually aimed at and what their success criteria is. Are they really trying to get new vegans on board or are they trying to galvanise existing vegans at a time of year when there's a lot of temptation (and pointless animal murder)?

This is why I don't want any part of the newly-minted vegan community (except the recipes lol) and most of my long-term vegan friends feel the same.

Edited

Great post, I feel the same. I wonder how many vegans became so after watching one of these ads. Not many I bet..

AhBiscuits · 12/12/2023 07:08

Thejewellershands · 12/12/2023 06:44

Though I suppose you could also argue that for abortions it's "your body, your choice" whereas eating cows, pigs, chickens, fish etc is someone else's body. You're eating someone else's body.

There's a debate about whether an abortion is murder. There's a debate about whether a fetus is even a baby at all at that point, rather than just cells. With eating meat there is no debate about this. It absolutely is murder, and they are living, sentient beings, unlike unborn fetuses.

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It absolutely is not murder. The definition of murder does not include animals.

Thejewellershands · 12/12/2023 07:19

AhBiscuits · 12/12/2023 07:08

It absolutely is not murder. The definition of murder does not include animals.

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Oh ok fair enough, I didn't realise that.

Ok what I mean then is, one of them is taking a life, the other is stopping a life before it has began.

What I was to trying to say was just that an advert telling women what to do with their bodies is wrong. Trying to guilt and shame women into making life altering decisions is wrong. The consequences of adverts like that are detrimental to women's mental health, physical health etc. trying to persuade someone to have a baby that they dont want, can't afford, is the product of rape etc is completely and utterly wrong. And an advert trying to do that is disgusting.

An advert trying to make you think more ethically about what you eat isn't going to have all of those awful negative consequences. All that's going to happen is you won't eat meat. Nothing bad will happen . In fact it's better for the animals and the planet. So in my opinion the adverts aren't the same.

whirlingdevonish · 12/12/2023 07:21

@BiscuitsandPuffin So you don't like this Wallace and Grommit style ad. I'm interested in what sort of campaign you do favour, as a vegan, to persuade more people to become more plant based (not necessarily full vegan)? It is an important issue after all, which goes way beyond animal cruelty. I'm not vegan but am getting there slowly, mainly on account of DD, who is a climate researcher at a leading university, and has the figures which show how our current agricultural systems are causing us real problems. Is that where you'd favour the effort went? Focussing on that?

I'm also interested in the disdain you seem to have for many more recent vegans. Is there a hierarchy?

Mothership4two · 12/12/2023 07:24

@shearwater2

Why do cinemas bother with film ratings if they show violent and inappropriate ads beforehand?

Cinemas are only allowed to show adverts that are age appropriate to the feature film rating. Cinemas have to "bother" with them to comply with the law. The BBFC rates films not cinemas.

It's a cartoon and nothing overtly violent is shown. The worst thing shown are live birds being hung by their feet. Them being then decapitated while still alive is not depicted but left to the audience's imagination. I think PETA would argue that the most appropriate time to show an advert to make you think about the tradition of eating turkey on Christmas Day is in the run up to Christmas.

shearwater2 · 12/12/2023 07:25

hermioneee · 12/12/2023 07:06

Great post, I feel the same. I wonder how many vegans became so after watching one of these ads. Not many I bet..

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Indeed. Also a lot of people are cutting down on meat. Personally while I eat a lot of vegetarian food and was pescetarian for two years, I would really struggle with the lack of variety and just the sheer amount of effort to be vegan as processed vegan alternatives are absolutely vile, so it would mean cooking from scratch all the time and eating a diet to me that is so sad and boring, denying yourself so much delicious food. As a foodie there is so much lovely food to be eaten that involves meat and dairy products and I don't want to be restricted. Plus when I ate anywhere else at relatives I felt I was being so difficult for no good reason. I love beans and pulses but I don't want them to be my only source of protein.