There’s that animal on your plate (perhaps a piece of barbecued chicken). Then there’s that animal at your feet (that would be Rover, hoping that you’ll drop a piece of that animal from your plate). And then there’s that animal sitting across the table from you, texting on his iPhone while you try to carry on a “first-date” conversation.
What’s the difference between those animals? Nothing really, says Joaquin Phoenix in a billboard on Sunset Boulevard to promote PETA, the animal rights activist group, and decry what he calls “speciesism.”
The billboard, which is on Sunset just west of Sweetzer Avenue, features an image of Phoenix with a chicken. “We Are All Animals,” it says. “End Speciesism. Live Vegan.”
Phoenix, who has been a vegan since the age of three, also is featured on a PETA billboard in New York City’s Times Square.
Phoenix, an Academy Award nominee, is the star of the recently released film “Joker.” He has worked for PETA in the past and has been an advocate for the rights of dogs, fish, and sheep.
“Speciesism,” according to a press release announcing the billboard, is “the damaging belief that—despite their extraordinary talents, abilities, and intelligence—all other animal species are inferior to humans.”
The billboard may be a testament to the continued popularity of Sunset Boulevard, known for its billboards, which increasingly are dominated by promotions of Netflix shows. It also is appropriate for West Hollywood, which was the first city in the nation to ban the sale of fur products and whose City Council mandated that dog owners be described as “guardians” in city documents.
Nothing more amusing than the musings of elitist egomaniacs from LaLa-Land. Devoid of reality and living in a world of sycophants than makes them think that everyone else should do what they do and do what they say. Well here’s the reality: the chickens and beef that we eat are not animals that exist in nature. They never existed in nature. They are products of selective breeding over centuries for the sole purpose of being turned into food. They would not have, and do not ‘know’, any existence otherwise. PETA and its patsies prefer that these animals not exist at… Read more »
You should CARE about the sentient beings that you are eating. It’s NOT about Joaquin or YOU yet those being murdered for taught addictions to eating flesh. Apparently you are like most Carnist deep in Cognitive Dissonance. The question is why do you not care about animals? There are faux meats these days and no need to cause animals misery, pain and suffering . Evolve for the animals in true ethics, your health and the environment. IF you just don’t CARE then seek to find out why you can’t feel for animals in this holocaust.
This billboard delivers such an important message. Please choose compassion, choose vegan!
Thank you it’s not hard and you feel so much better. Who needs to ingest the fear these poor animals feel before they are killed
Clever! And a valid point–we’re all animals no one deserves to be abused or exploited.
Joaquin is proof that raising kids vegan helps them thrive. We cannot afford to put fleeting taste over climate change, human hunger, water waste, and extreme cruelty to animals before our future.
Wow! This billboard can’t help but grab people’s attention. I hope it makes them think, too.
Joaquin’s ad will undoubtedly give people a new perspective on the other beings who share our planet. Once one realizes that other animals also feel pain, fear, joy, and love, it becomes clear that all living beings deserve to be treated with respect and compassion.
Note to vegans: Soy is often genetically modified, filled with pesticide and disrupts hormones. It’s especially not for men who still want to be a man (gay or straight), “god forbid.” Cats must eat meat (though I give mine some organic, soft vegetables but only ones I know she can easily digest). So where’s your logic now, Joker? You going to tell people to kill their cats with a vegan diet. I eat very high quality, pasture-raised, organic meats from good farms. Wild fish, limited beef but only grass fed and pasture raised. We eat meat. I rarely see a… Read more »
How nice for you
That’s nice. I’m glad he’s doing this. Thank you Joaquin. Public education & awareness is what it’s all about