If You're Feeling Attacked by This Billboard, You're Not Alone

I don't know who needs to hear this, but eating meat is not against the law.

Here I was, driving down Route 18 South in New Bedford when a billboard that I've never seen before – and I travel this route daily – popped up and caught my attention.

Nestled between Plumbers Supply and the New Bedford Career Center is a message from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, that is wildly outlandish. The billboard reads:

"Human Jaws Are The Real Predators- Go Vegan."

Now, I don't know about you, but it came off as a bit aggressive. I have no shame in saying that I enjoy eating meat. When it comes to steaks, I like it bloody and I could live off chicken without ever getting sick of it. Let's put it this way, there's not much I don't eat and I'm always looking for new dishes to try.

Before anyone attacks me, I have absolutely no problem with the lifestyle choices of those who are vegan or vegetarian. Not once have I said to myself "Oh, she doesn't eat meat, I can't date her" or "Why would I want to hang out with a vegan?" It's just not something people do or say. So then why the attack on meat-eaters?

In the past, PETA has been known to strategically place their signs near butcher shops, meat process centers and even restaurants such as steakhouses. However, there's nothing surrounding the sign that could lead to strategic placement, so I was curious as to why PETA chose that location, other than the fact that it's a high-traffic area.

Well, we got a press release from PETA, and it turns the strategy has something to do with the location, the Seastreak ferry, Martha's Vineyard, Shark Week and Jaws. The release reads:

"With the fearmongering TV event Shark Week just around the corner, PETA has placed a billboard near the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, where the movie Jaws was filmed, that gives people food for thought about who is really the biggest threat to lives."

So not only am I being attacked for eating meat, I'm being attacked because Shark Week begins on Sunday, the most entertaining week of televised shark footage of the entire year.

Get your act together, PETA, and stop telling me how to live my life. What I do with my jaw is my own business, thank you.

P.S. As I was writing this article, I was sucking down a rotisserie chicken sandwich with cheese and a glass of 1% milk. How does it feel to be attacked now?