PETA is receiving major backlash after they shared their rejected Super Bowl ad on social media.
In the ad, animals ranging from snakes to bears, are taking a knee as an ode to Colin Kaepernick’s social injustice protests. The ad ends with the phrase, “Respect is the right of every living being. #EndSpeciesism.”
“THIS is the PETA #SuperBowl ad the @NFL apparently didn’t want you to see and pressured @FOXSports to snub. It envisions a world where respect is the right of every being and pays homage to Kaepernick and movements rejecting injustice. peta.vg/2plb #EndSpeciesism,” PETA’s official Twitter account tweeted.
Apparently, the ad was not chosen to be aired during Super Bowl LIV. People on social media couldn’t get over how tone-deaf the ad was to what Kaepernick was really fighting for, which was to bring awareness to the mistreatment of minorities in this country.
One Twitter user said, “How y’all take a gesture that’s symbolic of black Americans’ fight against police brutality, apply it to animals & think it’s a good idea???”
Another user tweeted, “Given PETA’s history of appropriating symbols of black social & political struggle, I guess I shouldn’t be shocked by this. But I’ll admit it. I didn’t see “Super Bowl commercial where a grizzly bear takes a knee” coming. There are critical, difficult, illuminating conversations to be had about the historical—and contemporary—intersections of race and animality. This isn’t that.”
Kaepernick was blackballed from the NFL following his non-violent protest. He spoke out about why he chose to take a knee during the National Anthem at his games.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
Watch PETA’s new ad and check out Twitter reactions below.