This time, it’s the animal-rights group PETA that’s getting a taste of how completely humorless Twitter is.
A flurry of tweeters is accusing of PETA causing offense and belittling sexual assault for for using the phrase “Grab a Pussy” to encourage people to adopt cats.
Grab a pussy. Adopt a cat! Provocative PETA ad could help find cats homes. https://t.co/6kkunPQLOM pic.twitter.com/bPImDny1vE
— PETA (@peta) October 14, 2016
Riffing on Donald Trump’s recently exposed secret tape recording where he’s heard talking about women and saying “grab them by the pussy,” PETA has launched a “purrvocative ad” to encourage New Yorkers adopt one of the more than 20,000 cats taken in by city-run shelters each year.
But many people missed the joke and criticized the “offensive” advertisement for promoting sexual violence and trivializing sexual assault.
Jayson Flores, a writer for radical feminist site Everyday Feminism, asked PETA to take the ad down and apologize. “This joke is highly insensitive,” Flores added.
@peta I love and support your work and I implore you to please take this down and apologize for it. This joke is highly insensitive.
— Jayson Flores (@gayonabudget) October 14, 2016
Other Twitter users shared similar sentiments, saying the ad is deeply offensive and “triggering,” and slammed PETA as “disgusting” and “misogynistic.”
@peta this is offensive and triggering for women who have been abused. You are disgusting.
— RideorDieMinion (@HexsMinion) October 14, 2016
@peta you care about animals so much but you can't NOT joke about/make a reference to sexual assault, pic.twitter.com/UCL6CmZBaP
— pun queen kait (@spookedae) October 14, 2016
Ah look. Still as misogynistic as always.
(also, remember PETA shelters kill close to 90% of animals that come to them) https://t.co/x7yvAZlFi7
— Another Spoopy Witch (@stavvers) October 14, 2016
@peta this is truly disgusting. Delete this and apologize. Stop trivializing sexual assault. Vile.
— Nyssa Pierre (@kneezurr) October 14, 2016
I normally back PETA and im all for adopting cats but this is stupid and highly offensive. I'm upset https://t.co/cV0vpHqfjD
— Vegan Temptress (@NikiBellaa) October 14, 2016
How dare y'all try to make light of a derogatory and offensive comment, shut up peta. https://t.co/OnCAwfadET
— jo (@grungeweenie) October 14, 2016
// sexual assault
your daily "PETA is trash" tweet https://t.co/30RmFv7wiM
— the Moon (@ChazieHamilton) October 14, 2016
.@peta Delete your account
— Crab-O-Lantern (@Sedna_51) October 14, 2016
