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Joan Jett's Vegetarianism Gets Rocker Kicked Off South Dakota Macy's Float
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Nov 16, 2013
Modified Nov 16, 2013
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Nov 16, 2013
Modified Nov 16, 2013
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Turns out ranchers and farmers who rely on meat sales to make a living aren't so down with vegetarianism: rocker Joan Jett has reportedly been booted from the South Dakota tourism industry's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float because of her animal rights activism. Guess they don't love rock 'n roll and much as they love hamburger rolls, amirite? Erm.
Apparently, Macy's selected Jett and band the Blackhearts to perform on South Dakota's float this year—not because the state's such a huge fan of Sinner or even Queens of Noise, but because none of their preferred acts were available. But Jett's an outspoken vegetarian and activist with PETA, which didn't sit too well with the folks behind South Dakota's thriving livestock and ranching industry.
And so, Jett and her crew got the boot. Not that Jett gets steak thrown at her in the Mount Rushmore State or anything, since she's apparently played there a few times to enthusiastic crowds. But it looks like South Dakota wasn't into paying $175,000 for a float featuring someone advocating for the downfall of one of their biggest state moneymakers. "Coming from such a rural state where livestock is such a part of our life, we didn't think it was appropriate," Cory Eich, president of the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association, told the Associated Press. Now, Macy's is looking for someone more meat-friendly to perform—Ozzy Osbourne, perhaps?
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joan jett
macy's day parade
south dakota
vegetarianism
Rebecca Fishbein
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