Recently I wrote about a United Poultry Concerns planning to protest at a KFC. Apparently they went ahead and protested at a Washington DC-area KFC. An account from the Lexington Herald-Leader reported that while the rain soaked the activists, they carried signs in front of the restaurant with slogans such as “Chickens Have Feelings” and “Imagine How They Feel” (I’d think “Imagine How Good They Taste” would be more accurate, but that’s just me).
Anyway, there were some interesting details in the report. Like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other groups, UPC apparently does some serious padding with its membership numbers. UPC claims it has 10,000 members nationwide and last year raised $122,000. Unless I’m mistaken that’s just $12.20 per member. Since UPC lists its membership dues as $30 for new members, $25 for renewing members, and $10 for students, its hard to see how they have 10,000 new members unless all but a handful are students.
The Herald-Leader quoted protester Jean Colison, 57, of Bethesda, Maryland, as complaining that “Nine billion animals are killed in the United States for food, and eight billion of them are chickens. I think it’s unjust. I think it’s unfair.” (She might be right, maybe we should eat more turkeys and beef so the chickens don’t feel like they’re the only ones being picked on).
Karen Davis showed up to add that, “They [chickens] are very zesty, cheerful beings when they’re not being abused. We speak about loving the earth. Well, if anybody loves the earth, it’s a chicken.”
The best line, though, had to be from KFC customer Loria Suggs who happened to be ordering some chicken strips in the drive-through. Asked whether the protesters had convinced her to give up chicken, she indicated they had not and added, “There are much greater causes they could stand out in the rain for than, ‘Don’t eat chicken.'”
Source:
Animal activists protest restaurant chain’s fare. Frank E. Lockwood, Lexington Herald-Leader, July 30, 2001.