First-Ever Female Sisyphus to Conquer Cheese Challenge on World Vegan Day
For Immediate Release:
October 30, 2023
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
Inspired by the Greek myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned to roll a stone up a mountain only to have it roll back down to the bottom every time, PETA’s very own Sisyphus—dressed in a loincloth circa 1 million B.C.—will set out to push a giant vegan cheese wheel up a hill on Wednesday, which is World Vegan Day.
When: Wednesday, November 1, 12 noon
Where: In front of Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge (near the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue), Nashville
The prehistoric display aims to call in the people—many of them men—who are dedicated to healthy and humane eating yet say they “just can’t give up” dairy cheese. To prove how easy this is, everyone who shows up to witness PETA’s feat will be treated to complimentary creamy, dairy-free cheese wheels from Babybel, just one of the many tasty vegan cheeses on the market in 2023.
“Unlike the original Sisyphus, who was forced to work futilely for all eternity, animal rights advocates are succeeding in drawing even the most stubborn, cheese-addicted men into the world of delicious vegan cheese,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s World Vegan Day display aims to remind everyone that kicking cruel and unhealthy dairy cheese to the curb is not a Sisyphean task.”
In the dairy industry, calves are torn away from their mothers, often within a day of birth, so that the milk meant to nourish them can be stolen and sold to humans. PETA’s investigations into dairy facilities have found workers electroshocking cows in the face, hitting them with poles and a cane, and abusing them in other ways. Once their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and offers a free vegan starter kit on its website.
For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.
