PETA asks NCAA to ban Gamecocks nickname

Okay, while I don't think cockfighting is a noble sport (and apparently most of the US doesn't either because it is illegal just about everywhere) I do feel that PETA would better spend their time and resources addressing real animal abuses. Their argument that the name "Gamecock" inspires people to honor cockfighting is just plain weak. They have in no way shown that by using a gamecock as a mascot, these communities are more prone to animal abuses.

What I would like them to address (and here is where my own hypocrisy steps in) is chicken farming. I am an eater of chicken, I admit, and I do buy my chicken from the store, so I am as much to blame as anyone else for this industry. I was stuck behind a chicken transport truck the other day on the highway (there are a lot of chicken farms here), and it was almost enough to make me stop eating chicken, at least mass produced chicken. I can't even begin to describe the smell coming from that truck, but that is not the worse of it. This truck was hauling chicken cages but not one of the cages was more than 9 inches tall. It seems most birds are taller than that because not one of them was standing upright, they were all hunched over or laying down. I felt so bad for them cramped in those cages like that, probably scared shitless (hence the smell), not knowing what was happening to them next. It truly was a sad sight to see.

Why can't PETA take on some of the ridiculous livestock issues that we just turn the other cheek to in this country? I know that there are farms out there that do take treatment of animals seriously, and I applaud their efforts but mainstream America is still going to buy the cheapest chicken they can find and that means the status quo for most farmers. PETA's efforts would be taken more seriously by me and many others if they were trying to make real changes and not just trying to make headlines over idiotic issues like mascot names.

(Note to those that will argue that PETA does a lot of good in other areas that don't make headlines, I know that. I also know that they have addressed the livestock problems in this country. My issue is not that they don't have good results, it is that when they address stupid issues like mascots, they take credibility away from themselves and all of us who do believe in treating animals right.)