PETA's Unethical Treatment of 'People'

Nov 16, 2011
Mariko Siegert

Super Mario - Simone Ramella

PETA recently accused Mario of 'sending the message that it's OK to wear fur.' Maybe, PETA needs to learn to treat people ethically.

It may be time for the People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals to learn to treat 'people' ethically.

On November 14, 2011, PETA issued a press release that advertised its new campaign called “Mario Kills Tanooki (Tanuki is a Japanese word for raccoon dogs)” and accused the iconic game figure of ‘sending the message that it’s OK to wear fur’ in the latest Mario game Super Mario 3D Land. PETA added, “We created our game to help inform people that in real life, Mario would be wearing the skin of an animal [which] was beaten, strangled or electrocuted, and it wouldn't give him any special powers other than the power of self-deception.”

Takuki and Leaf: Where It Came From

Does Mario have to kill raccoon dogs or do something violent to animals in the game to acquire the Tanooki Suit? All he has to do is hit the Super Leaf. This originates from a Japanese folklore Bunbuku Chagama where tanuki cheated merchants with leaves to magically disguise as paper monkeys. In the Super Mario game, Mario can become a tanuki with the Super Leaf.

PETA states that Mario is sending the message about fur in the latest game, but the Super Leaf and Tanooki Suit first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3 released in 1988.

A Look at the PETA's Game and Their Standpoint

So, let’s take a look at ‘our game’ that PETA created. Super Tanooki Skin 2D. On clicking the link, you will see Mario holding a head of a raccoon dog, soaked in blood. In the game, you will see Mario flying with a head of a raccoon dog, and you, as a feline-like animal, will have to avoid obstacles to ‘save your skin.’ I tried playing this game a few times, but didn’t receive any message that PETA is trying to convey.

PETA has accused other games in history. In 2008, they released a flash game Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals, highlighting more than 25 vegetarian-friendly recipes introduced in the latest Cooking Mama game Cooking Mama World Kitchen.

PETA's Message: Harder to Receive Than the Ones the 'Games Send'?

Isn’t PETA over-reacting? I don’t play video games anymore, but when Super Mario Bros. 3 came out for the Super Nintendo game console, I played it with my brother. I never thought it was okay to wear animal fur because of the game. It might have been that I was so young that the ‘message’ was difficult for me to receive, but I wonder how many people would have gotten it the way PETA insists. I would say, not so many.

Games are created and played for any number of reasons. Some people play them just for fun, or to wind down or de-stress themselves after a long day. Some may play it for ‘achievements’ in the games. Or there may be people who play them only when they are with their ‘gamer’ friends. Some games are very educational, and I can see the benefits of creating and playing games – and as well as the disadvantages of it, living with a gamer myself. My point is people who play games typically don’t play them to receive particular messages, or to think about social affairs through the games.

What It Really Is

PETA has taken it to whole another level. Although, in literal sense, they accused Mario of killing animals and wearing a fur suit, whom they are really accusing of animal cruelty are the game creators, and maybe, the players of the game, as seen in the response of Majesco Entertainment, the video game publisher of Cooking Mama, to PETA.

If developing and supporting these games are ‘unethical,’ it may be time for PETA to start treating people ethically.