PETA Just Warned Gordon Ramsay Of An 'Ancient Curse' For Serving Octopus
PETA is more or less the most well-known organization for animal rights. However, they're also known for their controversial campaigns and have been accused by some of having unethical practices. Though PETA stands for "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals," some think the group's methods of achieving that goal either go too far, or do the exact opposite.
For example, near the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, the organization started a promotion with an interesting tagline: "Tofu never caused a pandemic." The idea behind it suggested that meat consumption was one of the main causes of Covid. Insider reported that responses to the ad were varied with some calling it "racist" and "classist", yet others agreed with the premise. The publication also cited evidence from the World Health Organization, writing that "a large number of infectious illnesses in humans originate from animals." However, according to fact-checking from the Poynter Institute, eating meat directly isn't the issue.
This particular campaign is one of many from the animal rights institution. Per Insider, PETA has defended its actions by stating in a tweet that it "must do extraordinary things to get the word out about animal cruelty." So, it may come as no surprise that its latest crusade is focusing on a big player in the restaurant industry, Gordon Ramsay.
The Octocurse of Hell's Kitchen
This isn't the first time the major animal rights group has targeted the celebrity chef. In August, PETA was unimpressed with Gordon Ramsay's TikTok video, in which the "Hell's Kitchen" star was shown in a lamb pen singing, "I'm going to eat you" (via Insider). They suggested that Ramsay's kids should go vegan and disown their father.
This time, PETA aims to encourage Ramsay to stop cooking with octopus with the help of a letter. "By serving octopus in your restaurants at this eerie time of year," the organization wrote, "you put yourself and diners at risk of this fabled, ancient curse, which is said to affect all those who kill, cook, or eat octopuses." It went on to say that octopuses are an intelligent species and due to this, shouldn't be on anyone's menu. The letter also linked to a YouTube video made by advertising agency Grey London demonstrating what the alleged "curse" might do. While the video appears to be in jest, warning octopus-eaters that they may grow three hearts and start squirting ink everywhere, PETA's aims to encourage people to give up meat consumption of any sort remain clear.
At the time of writing, the "Hell's Kitchen" star has yet to respond to PETA's request.