A PETA campaign as tasteless as microwaved pork chops

If you haven't heard the awful story from Dayton, Ohio, of China Arnold killing her month-old baby in the microwave, consider yourself lucky. And I'm sorry to have brought it to your attention.

But then PETA, in yet another show of misplaced priorities, created this ad for veganism:

Nobody media company will place it anywhere, of course.

PETA's comment:

“We understand why our message — that most of the animals killed for human consumption are innocent babies who feel pain and fear just as humans do — might be upsetting,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a Tuesday email. “We encourage anyone who is troubled by the comparison between a baby human and a baby pig to clear their conscience by adopting a humane, vegan diet.”

This isn't the first time the organization has cashed in on human misery, and unfortunately it probably won't be the last.

But why? While some people still naively believe that "there's no such thing as bad publicity", there really is. Does anyone believe that campaigns like this really make the PETA brand more palatable to "soft" animal rights supporters, vegetarians and vegans?

What I'd really like to see happen is for someone to confront some of the celebrities who are all-too-happy to lend their celebrity to the organization — like Pamela Anderson, Joaquin Phoenix, Anjelica Huston, Iggy Pop or Alicia Silverstone with the question of whether they really believe in these marketing tactics.

"I'm getting naked for exploiting dead babies!"

Because PR cuts both ways, you know...