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

It's the message of the ad in terms of 'all Christmas traditions are crap' not the 'don't eat meat' side of it. I wish I had the time to find the intricacies of a stranger's post on Mumsnet so fascinating...

Difference is that alcohol adverts don't go ooohh come on you must drink, you must, you must do it, here's what happens if you don't... completely different.

Heaven forbid I'd want a nice couple of hours over Christmastime

Come to think it lots of cartoons have scenes like this. The French cook stuffing crabs whilst live Sebastian watches and then putting him live in a pot.

Everyone in Moana saying they'd like to eat the stupid chicken and Moana actually eating pork in front of the pig.

I mean, they don't have the accompanying message which is what I think you are really upset about.

I wish I had the time to find the intricacies of a stranger's post on Mumsnet so fascinating

Well you have found plenty of time to post extensively about a 90 second cartoon.

Difference is that alcohol adverts don't go ooohh come on you must drink, you must, you must do it, here's what happens if you don't

That 90 second ad did none of those things. Your perception is that it did. Your perception is based on your emotional response to the topic not the ad itself.

@RonObvious I agree with this. However I made the choice for my children to be vegetarian until they are old enough to make an informed choice. This means being old enough to watch Earthlings videos as an informed choice means knowing the truth. As we have to choose for them one way or the other when they are small, I chose the same way as me to start with.

Meat is absolutely not murder.

Murder is "the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another."

The slaughter of animals is not murder, however unpleasant, unnecessary or unethical you might find it.

Well if people like you stopped killing animals we wouldn’t need this kind of thing 🤷‍♀️
funny how you’re focused on stopping other people’s violence but so happy to perpetuate violence against animals yourself

In a cinema, you are a captive audience, and it's wholly inappropriate to show adverts which might be distressing to viewers.
People are designed to eat meat. Some choose not to (and I admire their resolve), but it is fighting what is natural to humans. We shouldn't be guilt tripped into thinking that's an evil thing to do.
It's right to make people aware of how their food is produced, but not in a guilt tripping ad at the cinema for a feel good film!

It's right to make people aware of how their food is produced, but not in a guilt tripping ad at the cinema for a feel good film!"

When then?

Seeing a op and many others admit they avoid it at all costs.
Apart from when they want to virtue signal about halal of course.

Where have I ever said I avoid it at all costs? Interestingly, I've never seen it advertised anywhere else. I've said I understand their reasoning behind it (even if it's a stupid advert outside of the key message) and would have no issue seeing it on TV, print, etc.

You said you'd fast forward through it.

Ok when would be appropriate for you to learn. Now? I can send you links?

They've paid for the slot and the ad has been approved.

I hate it when I'm going to see a comedy or lighthearted film and get loads of trailers for horror or war films. So I understand it totally ruining your mood.

Maybe they should have screens in the meat aisle of the supermarket and in restaurants playing it!

I don't need to 'learn' thanks very much. I'm perfectly aware of what goes on.

I don't think you are seeing as you think halal is a crueler method.

If you are distressed by a cartoon turkey going to a cartoon abattoir, you should probably avoid the cinema.

I mean, I feel your pain. I was freaked out by Cruella de Vil threatening to kill those 101 Dalmatians and had to leave the cinema in distress. Admittedly, I was 4 years old...

I mean and yes it's evident you don't want to learn, that's kinda the point.

Well I'm not going to change my mind. Admittedly my wording about Halal may have been misjudged (I've never really had anything to do with it where I live) but I mean the practice of not using stunning devices first rather than the prayer itself. And to me that is crueller than the alternative. I'm not getting further into the intricacies.

As others have said, time and place is my issue. I couldn't really give two shits about whether vegans care that I'm 'cruel' or not. Especially the ones trying to shove their views down my throat by gleefully offering to 'educate' me

If you think it’s wrong to shove one’s views on meat eating down the throats of others in this way you should also start a thread against all the meat-related adverts.

@Spaghettieis I think it's wrong to shove any type of opinion down anyone's throats regardless of topic... and anyway it seems to only have the opposite and not the desired effect doing it this way

I must have missed those big screen adverts in the cinema that said 'oh come on vegans, you pulse eating misery guts, have some delicious, rare meat for your dinner... you must be absolute disgraces for not even considering it'

I can't remember that I've seen any adverts specifically advertising meat at the cinema. I know we used to get Scottish beef ads and so on but there haven't been any of those for ages.

But if cinemas are going to have political advertising then perhaps an alternative view from farmers after the vegan propaganda should be provided for balance. PETA are never going to give you a balanced view.

I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years and I certainly don't want to see this advert, it's not the appropriate time or place. I take my teenage disabled and autistic daughter to the cinema, its one of the few things we can do together and she would be totally traumatised by seeing that. I also entirely agree with pp that this does nothing to help their cause, its a completely off putting campaign. I once joined PETA as a young vegetarian hoping to support the campaign against animal cruelty, and the horrible graphic photographs and marketing leaflets they send me made me drop it all immediately. Fine if you choose to watch the films of animal cruelty, then thats different, but shoving it in unsuspecting people's faces like this doesn't work.

@shearwater2 @InAMess2023 I’m not thinking about ads for meat as a concept but for things like McDonald’s, Burger King etc of which there are plenty. You just haven’t twigged that those are putting forward the idea that eating meat is ok as much as any vegan ad is putting forward the idea that it’s not.

Oh you mean the ones for McDonald's and Burger King that now always include some sort of vegan option.... right...

And again, not being shoved down your throat implying what a heinous human you are if you don't eat meat...

I must have missed those big screen adverts in the cinema that said 'oh come on vegans, you pulse eating misery guts, have some delicious, rare meat for your dinner... you must be absolute disgraces for not even considering it

Why the hyperbole? The advert you are objecting to so vehemently did none of those things to you. It simply pointed out that in order to eat turkey at Christmas, a turkey has to be killed.

No gory, graphic images. No overt preaching just suggesting an alternative. The emotion you apply to it, is your own projection.

The fact is, though, the PETA advert is accurate. (Well, except for the turkey's ability to speak English.) I wouldn't even class it as propaganda, because propaganda involves twisting the facts. The truth is that factory farming involves cruelty to animals. If farmers released a rebuttal advert showing happy turkeys waddling around in fields, eventually being killed "humanely" (how?), it wouldn't be an accurate portrayal of how most meat is produced in this country.

I'm not vegan or even vegetarian. In fact, the only thing I've eaten today is cereal with milk, even though I know perfectly well the dairy industry is unethical. I haven't got the willpower to be vegan, and having struggled with an eating disorder my entire adult life, I don't think veganism would be great for my health. But I still don't think any of us have the right to remain in denial about where our food comes from.