Mario on PETA ad
Update 1/16/2010: Imagine my disappointment when I went to Mario’s Twitter page as @MarioSoulTruth and see the following (top) tweet:
Mario tweets don’t sound like he’s against fur, now do they?
Now how do you call yourself “truth,” do an ad against animal cruelty and then leave a tweet shouting out folks wearing fur? I spent all that time defending artists who I was hoping were true to their words and ads for posing for PETA, but it turns out artists like Mario don’t even care. I actually bought his CD because he did this ad. I sold the CD tonight because I can’t respect an artist who fakes like he stands up for a cause and then his true colors come out. It’s very sad. I started to delete this entry altogether but decided to leave it up to show the hypocrisy of if all, and how one fan’s opinions can change so quickly. It looks like I have to send an apology out to Caveat Emptor because he (or she) was exposing the truth too. My most humble apology. Who was I to think that an artist would have enough integrity to pose for a cause he believed in instead of for the money?
Original Opening: I am cheering from my house to yours to find out one of my favorite young singers is doing an ad for PETA. Although sometimes PETA may take the ads a little far, I still respect what they’ve done for animals and to point out animal cruelty.
Hardcore vegetarian over here! But I’m elated to see young, African-American, well-known professionals get into the mix of being against animal cruelty because it’s not often that I meet another black vegetarian or black animal activist, outside of visiting SoulVegFolk.com, as I mentioned during an interview with EarthSaveRadio.
A former PETA employee was one of my most enthusiastic book supporters and vegetarian mentors. It was also great to meet another African-American female vegetarian in the beginning stages so I could learn about the culture. She was also helpful in promoting “Change for a Twenty” through a hip-hop program PETA once developed. If you’re interested in checking out her work, her name is Ain Drew and she wrote a poetry book called “[If] Life’s Rotten, Write to the Core.”
As for Mario, I don’t know if he’s a vegetarian or just against animal cruelty, but either way works for me. If you underestimate his singing ability, check out the opening to “Right and a Wrong Way” on “Go.” He reached deep down into his soul for that one note. Go Mario! Go PETA!
For those who are interested in the vegetarian lifestyle, feel free to check out my ChicagoNow.com blog “So you think you can be a vegetarian?”