ANIMAL RIGHTS group Peta has sparked anger online after claiming that cow's milk is a symbol of white supremacy.
The group made the association as part of blog post accusing the dairy industry of inflicting "extreme violence and rape" on cows.
The blog, titled Why Cow's Milk Is the Perfect Drink for Supremacists was actually written last year but came to light after it was reposted on Twitter.
"Cows' milk has long been a symbol used by white supremacists. One more reason to #DitchDairy" Peta wrote alongside the reposted article.
Cows' milk has long been a symbol used by white supremacists.
One more reason to #DitchDairy. https://t.co/EcHYpUmBux— PETA (@peta) October 19, 2018
In the piece, Peta called on the public to '"ditch dairy" claiming that dairy products are "linked to developing heart disease as well as prostate, breast, and ovarian cancer."
"These cows have no choice about what's done to them," the article argued
"Their horns are burned or gouged out of their heads, part of their tails may be cut off, and holes are punched through their ears."
The post also highlighted two examples of movie characters drinking milk as a symbol of white supremacy, writing:
"As when Christoph Waltz's character in Inglorious Bastards drinks a glass of milk and a character in a pivotal scene of Get Out sips the cow secretion, dairy milk has long been embraced as a symbol of white supremacy."
The justification for these claims were as follows:
"Aside from 'lactose-tolerant' white supremacists, cow's milk really is the perfect drink of choice for all (even unwitting) supremacists, since the dairy industry inflicts extreme violence on other living beings. PETA is trying to wake people up to the implications of choosing this white beverage and suggesting that they choose something else pronto."
Peta then doubled-down on their claims linking to another Tweet showing white supremacists drinking milk as a means of insulting people of colour and those who are lactose intolerant.
White supremacists are guzzling cow milk in an effort to mock people of color who are lactose intolerant 😡 https://t.co/HyCzd4wfjc
— PETA (@peta) October 22, 2018
While Peta's concerns over the treatment of cows in dairy farming were viewed as valid, their suggestion of an association between milk drinkers and white supremacists went down badly.
Have you gone insane @PETA? Drinking 'White' milk is a symbol of 'White Supremacy'? Please do some Yoga headstands and pray for your idiocy to drain out of your ears. https://t.co/j3MwcpETxP
— Tarek Fatah (@TarekFatah) October 23, 2018
I don’t always love drinking plain cow’s milk, but I might just go out and buy a gallon just because of the stupidity of this tweet.
— Nathan Weadock (@natejw57) October 23, 2018
— Ⓙⓞⓔⓨ ⑧⑦ (@J0EY87) October 23, 2018
Your article lost its credibility the moment your tweet tried to associate racist colors with a natural drink. Maybe its a way to sensationalise the issue for awareness? If so, i would suggest you use Rakhi Sawant to do it instead of dabbling with racism.
— Amit Chaudhury (@mrGlassHfEmpty) October 23, 2018
Peta has so far failed to respond to the criticism.
