PETA vs. KFC

Eaten at KFC lately? Well, shame on you—at least that’s what PETA would say. PETA, of course, is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the most notorious and influential animal-rights group in the country. And KFC is the chain once known, more amply, as Kentucky Fried Chicken. PETA has been on a fierce campaign against KFC, charging that the company treats chickens inhumanely, or at least allows its suppliers to. KFC, naturally, denies the charge. Who’s right? And what is a fan of the Colonel, who is nevertheless a foe of animal abuse, to do?

Start with the fact that PETA does not, or should not, inspire trust in normal people. Despite its beautiful name—who can be against the “ethical treatment of animals”?—PETA is an extremist group. They hold that meat-eating is “Holocaust on Your Plate.” Sharks that maim and kill people have exacted “revenge.” School lunches are “weapons of mass destruction”—that sort of thing.

About the Author

Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.

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Eaten at KFC lately? Well, shame on you—at least that’s what PETA would say. PETA, of course, is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the most notorious and influential animal-rights group in the country. And KFC is the chain once known, more amply, as Kentucky Fried Chicken. PETA has been on a fierce campaign against KFC, charging that the company treats chickens inhumanely, or at least allows its suppliers to. KFC, naturally, denies the charge. Who’s right? And what is a fan of the Colonel, who is nevertheless a foe of animal abuse, to do?

Start with the fact that PETA does not, or should not, inspire trust in normal people. Despite its beautiful name—who can be against the “ethical treatment of animals”?—PETA is an extremist group. They hold that meat-eating is “Holocaust on Your Plate.” Sharks that maim and kill people have exacted “revenge.” School lunches are “weapons of mass destruction”—that sort of thing.