Not 'chicken,' but 'coward': Cruz shreds PETA for demanding an end to using animals as insults

Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz has had it with the language police.

When the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals group tweeted this week that people shouldn't use names of animals as insults, he lost it.

"This is bull$#&!" he tweeted in response, using another animal reference.

PETA had earlier tweeted: "Words can create a more inclusive world, or perpetuate oppression. Calling someone an animal as an insult reinforces the myth that humans are superior to other animals & justified in violating them. Stand up for justice by rejecting supremacist language."

The animal rights group said instead of calling someone a "chicken," people should say "coward." Replace "rat" with "snitch," "snake" with "jerk," "pig" with "repulsive" and "sloth" with "lazy."

PETA later wrote: "Speciesist language isn't just harmful, but it is also inaccurate. Pigs, for instance, are intelligent, lead complex social lives, and show empathy for other pigs in distress. Snakes are clever, have family relationships, and prefer to associate with their relatives."

Beyond Cruz, others on social media also mocked PETA.

"I'm trying to write satire for The Babylon Bee and people just keep tweeting out things better than I could ever come up with," wrote one person on Twitter.