The fat man in the back of the bus is not tipping it over, but PETA wants you to think he is.

To capture people’s attention in an era of information overload, PETA is launching a provocative ad campaign that uses fat shaming as a strategy to trigger people to go vegan. The ads will appear on London buses starting in October.

In an interview with a London newspaper, a PETA spokesperson stated that switching to a plant-based diet leads to weight loss and that “People who insist on stuffing themselves with Sunday roasts, bacon, cheese and eggs are throwing their health under the bus.”

In 2009, PETA was widely criticized for launching a similar campaign in which it encouraged human “whales” to lose their blubber by going vegetarian.

Criticism has never stopped PETA in the past, so the organization is unlikely to make any apologizes for its controversial “tough love” approach now. Tapping into people’s insecurities about body image will assuredly offend some people, but the approach could save the lives of many people – and, of course, animals. Do the ends justify the means?

A well-known restaurant in England that accused animal-rights activists of blackmail for protesting its sale of foie gras has taken the “delicacy of despair” off the menu.

The owner of the Bricklayers Arms stands by his right to sell foie gras based on “the laws of supply and demand,” but he will no longer serve it because of the “hatred that has been directed at the pub via social media, email and phone calls” and a six person protest in front of the restaurant on Saturday.

Photo: hemeltoday.co.uk

Hertfordshire Animal Rights, which organized the campaign, thanked the owner for removing foie gras in spite of the fact that he is unwilling to acknowledge that force feeding ducks and geese through a tube inserted down their throats until their livers expand to 10 times their natural size is reason alone to take it off the menu.

Author Margaret Meade once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” The success of Hertfordshire Animal Rights’ anti-foie gras campaign gives credence to these words of wisdom which have inspired and galvanized activists to fight for the animals, even in the toughest of circumstances.

1. It’s unhealthy – Dairy milk is designed for the digestive systems of baby cows, not humans. It’s filled with fat and nutrients that help a baby cow gain almost 2 pounds per day.

2. It’s unnatural – Humans are the only species that drinks the milk of another species. Why do we drink the milk of a cow when we create our own? It’s no wonder so many people are lactose intolerant.

Photo: Viva!

3. It’s illogical – Humans are the only species that drinks milk beyond infancy. If our bodies were designed to consume milk for a lifetime, then wouldn’t women produce it long after their babies stop nursing?

4. It’s cruel – When female cows give birth, they lactate for their babies, not for us. Yet, in order to maximize the amount of milk they have to sell, dairy farmers forcibly separate newborns from their mothers. Female babies are raised to become milk machines, like their mothers, and male babies are often moved into veal crates, one of the cruelest and most intensive forms of confinement. Dairy cows and their babies know nothing but physical pain, deprivation and misery. Here is video of a mother chasing after her baby as he or she is being kidnapped. Don’t be fooled by the green pasture; this footage is taken on a small family farm, not on a factory farm where 99% of dairy cows are raised.

5. It’s outdated – Milk is addictive because it creates opiate effects during digestion. That is why babies want to nurse and why people say, “I could never give up cheese.” But consuming dairy is unnatural, unhealthy, environmentally destructive and inhumane. Why not kick the habit by consuming plant-based milk products which are so similar to dairy that you might not know the difference?

Mom looking for her baby

When I stopped eating fish and other sea animals 10 years ago, I worried that I would miss one of the staples in my diet: tuna rolls. I was so addicted that I once bought a tuna roll at a BP station and ate the raw fish while pumping gas. Oddly, I didn’t miss eating tuna at all when I gave it up. Maybe my tastebuds evolved, or maybe the cravings just disappeared after a week.

Vegetarian rolls from Beyond Sushi in NYC

Eliminating tuna and other fish from my diet exposed me to fantastic options that I would have never considered. When I go to Japanese restaurants now, I order vegetarian sushi, which is delicious, eco-friendly, cruelty-free and less expensive than a sushi roll with someone in it. It’s also a lot healthier than fish contaminated with mercury and other pollutants that we dump into the ocean.

In 2009, actor Jerermy Piven ended his run in a Broadway show due to “mercury toxicity” from sushi. He experienced extreme fatigue, dizziness and neuro-muscular disfunction. Is consuming tuna really worth any level of heavy metal exposure?

If you still eat sea animals, please give vegetarian sushi a chance the next time you eat Japanese – to protect your body, the oceans and, of course, the animals.