In its crusade to protect animals and give them rights, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), suggests that as 'humans' we should be sensitive to the idioms we use in our daily lives. For example, it would be insensitive to use 'anti-animal language' with phrases like — 'beat a dead horse' or 'take the bull by the horns' or 'kill two birds with one stone'. And as people with a sane argument, they also came up with solutions. Alternate idioms to be used, in place of hurtful phrases.

So ‘take a bull by the horns’ can be replaced, according to PETA, by 'take the flower by the thorns', similarly, 'kill two birds with one stone' becomes 'Feed two birds with one scone'. While this seems like a silly joke or an idea sprouted after a case of munchies, at a late night vegan party, this is actually a serious matter, again, according to PETA.

Would changing an idiom, make a difference? PETA thinks so. They tweeted in support of their new idea. “Words matter, and as our understanding of social justice evolves, our language evolves along with it.” PETA has a history of inflammatory movements to stop the use of fur in fashion, saving turkeys from Thanksgiving etc. But this new addition of changing phrases and idioms seems whimsical.

Bringing home, the bacon is insensitive, and should be bringing home the bagel, well, even if they do manage to sensitise people to this, what about the idioms in other languages. I doubt there is any language in the world where there is zero reference to animals in stories or phrases.

When we are already grappling with the other fly in the ointment, the new millennial afflictions of abbreviations like YOLO, OOO, TTYL and more, WTF are we going to do with idioms that are changed to sound like failed poems.

Even in different languages, for example, in Hindi, we often use idioms like ‘ghar ki murgi dal barabar’ - to cite how we never appreciate what we have but crave for what is off-limits. Or the almost hurtful ‘kala akshar bhains baraabar’ where you suggest a person is as illiterate as a buffalo. Both these phrases mock animals, but I doubt the hen or the buffalo mind.

It is no revelation that Twitter’s reaction to PETA’s suggestion has been a cold fish. People have been flexing their puns and phrases, to mock this weird crusade. Clearly, PETA has its heart in the right place, but this time, they are trying to ‘beat a dead horse’ or as they suggest, “feed a fed horse”.

Sharon Fernandes is a journalist based in Delhi.

First Published:Dec 6, 2018 4:44 PM IST