It has perhaps never been more evident that words carry immense power. People are striving to identify racist, sexist, homophobic, and ableist phrases and eradicate them from our language. Unfortunately, many of us also grew up hearing phrases that condone violence toward animals and perpetuate speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. Sayings such as “kill two birds with one stone,” “beat a dead horse,” and “bring home the bacon” all normalize violent acts against some of the most defenseless members of our society.
Since PETA released our list of updated, animal-friendly idioms, people have instead been talking about “feeding two birds with one scone,” trying not to “feed a fed horse,” and “bringing home the bagels”—and we’ve been seeing this nonviolent language popping up on social media. Now you can carry this message with you into the classroom, with our PETA Kids Pencil Set!
