Readers of the Financial might be delighted by some of the animal friendly coverage over the last week. On election day, the financial Times gave some positive coverage to California's Prop 2 (I assume all know it passed) and this past weekend, the paper included a huge write-up on PETA's Ingrid Newkirk.
Reporter Matthew Garrahan election day article was about both Prop 2 and Prop 8 in California. It led with Prop 8 and the article was headed, "California gay-marriage vote too close to call." (Pg 3).
As one of the spokespersons who was singled out by the Prop 2 opposition to be featured in their ad campaign (my proudest moment) I was interviewed by Garrahan for comments on the measure. After a brief opening specifically about Prop 8, the article continues with:
"Critics of California’s ballot proposition process say public referenda are costly and unpredictable and can cause great uncertainty in state budgets...
"Supporters say the propositions are a vital way of giving the electorate a voice because they can bypass the state's deadlocked legislature, which requires a two-thirds vote to pass new laws.
"We tried to get a law passed a few years ago that would have banned veal crates and sow gestation crates . . . but despite 70 per cent of people supporting it the legislature killed it," says Karen Dawn, a spokeswoman for the Yes on Prop 2 campaign, which seeks to ban inhumane egg farming.
"'People support animal welfare but the farm lobby is too strong for us to fight in the legislature,' she adds. Ballot propositions 'reflect the will of the people, rather than the will of industry lobbyists'."
(Note: I actually said we tried to get a bill passed, not a law, and that the Agricultural Committee asked for it but then wouldn't pass it out of the committee to the floor. Peter Singer and I wrote together about that earlier legislative attempt in the Los Angeles Times, see http://www.dawnwatch.com/oped-june8-2003.htm)
You'll find the full Financial Times election day article on line at
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2ee4da16-a9e6-11dd-958b-000077b07658.html
or at this Tiny URL:
http://tinyurl.com/5p77of
The Los Angeles Times had argued that the legislature, not the ballot, was an appropriate place for such battles; it was gratifying to see the Financial Times piece quash that argument.
Then on Saturday, November 8, the Financial Times published a huge article about Ingrid Newkirk, by Suzanne Glass, headed, "The Peta principal."
The article tells us that PETA "has nearly two million members, including high-profile celebrities such as Paul McCartney, Sarah Jessica Parker and Pamela Anderson, who espouse Newkirk’s mantra: 'Animals are not ours to kill, eat or experiment with.'"
We read:
"Peta boasts an annual income of almost $40m, making it the third biggest animal rights organisation in the world, after the RSPCA and the Humane Society of the United States."
Newkirk is quoted:
" I’m not trying to get humans and animals to compete. I’m trying to get humans to modify their behaviour. We think we’re teaching our kids compassion, but then they have a choice between a beef burger and a veggie burger, and they go for the beef, which causes suffering. I care less about philosophy than the fact that we should avoid being demonstrably cruel by endorsing factory farming and the slaughtering of cattle.”
She explains that the animals being "equal to us" does not mean the same as us: "Happiness for a bird is not the same as happiness for man. I’m not suggesting we buy the chicken a golf-club membership, but if he has wings, let him fly and don’t keep him in a cage. Let him be who he is."
The article covers various PETA stunts, such as this one:
"Newkirk has also gatecrashed Vogue’s Manhattan premises, prompting Anna Wintour the magazine’s redoubtable editor-in-chief, to barricade herself in her office. Wintour and Newkirk have met before – a few years ago, Newkirk dropped into the Four Seasons to serve Wintour a dead raccoon. Wintour covered it with her napkin and ordered coffee."
We read of Newkirk's early exposure to animal cruelty and learn just a little about her personal life, which the article suggests is somewhat minimal due to Newkirk's dedication to her work.
The piece notes just a few of PETA's successes: "It was after Newkirk’s intervention that Burger King introduced the veggie burger, McDonald’s began auditing its slaughterhouses, Calvin Klein abandoned furry cuffs and collars, Mercedes-Benz began offering a pleather upholstery option, and Gap stopped importing leather from India."
The article contrasts PETA's work with that of other organizations such as the RSPCA and the Humane Society of the United States, which "follow a significantly more conventional protocol."
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, is quoted: "Let’s just say we are less provocative ... and we don’t suffer from a lack of coverage in the press because of it."
We read:
"He thinks her sensationalism alienates some would-be supporters. She thinks he compromises too much. Yet, despite their differences Pacelle admits: 'Newkirk has had a major effect in raising awareness. She’s also had important successes in forcing industry to consider what it’s doing in terms of cruelty to animals. She forced General Motors to stop crash-testing on animals. She forced Benetton to stop animal testing for their cosmetics.'
The article discusses Newkirk's focus on young people, and her intention to help create a "generation of the kind." The piece ends with:
"Her most ardent supporters, were they able to express themselves, would surely be animals themselves. Her denial of the hierarchy between man and beast and its implications for business will remain highly controversial, but Newkirk is the loudest voice the animal kingdom has ever known. If Dr Dolittle talked to them, then Newkirk talks for them."
You'll find the full article on line at
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8c8d285c-aad2-11dd-897c-000077b07658.html
or http://tinyurl.com/5zf436
The appearance of this balanced, detailed piece in the Financial Times, on the work Newkirk and PETA, is surely a wonderful sign of the times. The animal protection movement, encompassing the more radical antics of PETA and also the powerful legislative pushes from HSUS, Farm Sanctuary and others, is being taken seriously as a societal force. Finally.
Whether you are a supporter of PETA in particular, or Prop 2 in particular, or of animals in general, you can comment accordingly, but please let the Financial Times know how much we appreciate the recent focus on animal issues. If you are a regular Financial Times reader, I urge you to write and express your appreciation.
The Financial Times takes letters at letters.editor@ft.com
Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published. And please be sure not to use any comments or phrases from me or from any other alerts in your letters. Editors are looking for original responses from their readers.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com to read reviews of Karen Dawn's new book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals” and watch the fun celebrity studded promo video.
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Date: Tue Nov 11 16:40:26 2008
