PETA's Outrageous Demand: NY Mayor Accused of Rat 'Demonization' - You Won't Believe Their Reasoning
First the headline is not a satire and it's real! Second both PETA and Eric Adams are a joke. Here's what PETA had to say about rats This is from PETA:
So, the idea of empathy for rats is retarded, BUT! i do agree with the paragraph shown; nyc should be taking steps to clean the garbage and filth off the streets, which would dramatically lower the amount of rats.
Empathy for anything alive that just trying to exist, is not retarded. It's called having a conscience.
If you want a reddit-style nitpicky argument, yes, you're correct. I'm coming from a generalization where we're considering sewer rats to be a health issue for humans, and thus worrying about them to be retarded.