The Sheer Brilliance of PETA

Oh Internet, I have officially seen it all. The two subjects I write most about--video games and politics--have come together once again! Let's not get into what kind of a sick human being is hugely interested in both video games and politics and instead talk about skinning raccoon dogs! We all know and love (hate) PETA: which of course doesn't stand for People Eating Tasty Animals as peta.org once linked to, but for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (and is also far more convoluted).

It seems they have gotten their oft uncomfortably bunched panties into a bunch again over the upcoming Nintendo 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land releasing this statement along with a flash game where the aforementioned raccoon dog errrr... gets his skin back: 

When on a mission to rescue the princess, Mario has been known to use any means necessary to defeat his enemy—even wearing the skin of a raccoon dog to give him special powers.
Tanooki may be just a "suit" in Mario games, but in real life, tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur. By wearing Tanooki, Mario is sending the message that it's OK to wear fur. Play Super Tanooki Skin 2D and help Tanooki reclaim his fur!

 Mario does indeed wear the aforementioned raccoon dog suit to give himself special powers. I have a question though. What kind of a suit does PETA members wear to make themselves super douchebags?

What a deplorable animal abuser... either that or he's a fictional character with fictional powers in a fictional world where animals are not skinned for their fur because the characters in the world have been created by the developers to provide an entertaining platforming experience that takes no philosophical positions outside the context of the game. But which is the better sounding sound byte? 

So in an effort to appeal to kids, who don't vote or influence public policy in any direct way, PETA unnecessarily tries turning a gaming icon into some sort of merciless animal slayer? The website also comes complete with all the G-rated, family friendly violence you've come to expect from the kind of reputable organization that supports domestic terrorism.
You know, I've played Mario games for years and I can't recall ever skinning an animal and parading around in its literal skin. Mario has more to say about blue balls than the issue of fur trading. PETA's pathetic attempt to shoehorn their agenda into the release of Super Mario 3D Land is simply laughable. I think I speak for most gamers when I say: fuck off. Stop exploiting the medium to make cheap political statements to a demographic, children, that couldn't give two shits about the issue you're trying to raise.