Firm reels billboard in after controversy: PETA ad with a fishhooked dog shocked drivers, company
Man, I leave Houston for a month, and all hell breaks loose, eh? In this case, it appears that too many people simply didn't like what they saw. Rather than consider the message, it was easier to complain about the billboard.
GALVESTON - An anti-fishing sign on Interstate 45 that shows a dog with a fishhook through its bloody lip will be taken down because of numerous complaints, a nationwide sign company decided Monday.
Along with the picture, the billboard, paid for by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, bears the question:
"If you wouldn't do this to a dog, why do it to a fish?"
The billboard went up Aug. 10. It is the first in a national campaign to emphasize the animal advocacy group's contention that fishers inflict torturous injuries and deaths on their catches, PETA spokesman William Rivas-Rivas said Monday.
Pat Murray, executive director of the 50,000-member recreational fishing group Coastal Conservation Association Texas, called the billboard "extremist" and said he's glad it will be removed.
"It's a gross mischaracterization of the sport and the pastime," said Murray, adding that he saw the sign, near the intersection of I-45 and Texas 146, on Sunday. "We're not dog fishing."
I'm not always a big fan of PETA's tactics, though I do generally support their goals. Preventing cruelty to animals and other sentient beings is always a good thing. Yes, I am aware of the concept of the "food chain", but some folks don't see it that way. PETA's problem is that they simply don't know where to draw the line, and too many of their protests or advertising campaigns are simply too far over the top.
In this case, I think PETA's effort was both fairly tame and quite reasonable. Sometimes, in order to force people to consider a different viewpoint, you have to shock them. In this case, though, it appears it took less effort to complain about the billboard than to actually consider the message behind it.
What, really, is so bad about this? How was PETA's billboard any more offensive that then billboards for strip clubs that dot I-45 along the Houston-Galveston corridor? I would submit that this is merely a case of the squeaky wheel getting greased. It sure beats the hell of out actually considering the message behind the billboard, eh?
