I Am An Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA Premieres Tonight

There's an interesting documentary on HBO tonight that I think you should watch. I Am An Animal follows People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals president Ingrid Newkirk and the controversial animal rights group. I recently got a chance to check it out and I wasn't disappointed. As a long time vegetarian, animal rights supporter, and PETA member, I'm excited about the attention the documentary will bring to the organization's causes. Usually the only time I see PETA in the news is during the last few minutes of a local news broadcast, and the tone is usually, "Well, here's a weird news item...". PETA's campaigns are so important that it annoys me to see them trivialized in a 30 second "Odd Items" segment. That's why I was relieved to see this documentary, which gives viewers a much deeper understanding of PETA's mission and Newkirk's passion to educate the masses about animal rights.

If you're weary of tuning in tonight for fear of seeing a one sided argument, you shouldn't worry. I Am An Animal does a good job of presenting both sides of the story, including opposition to PETA, and not the kind you might expect. After all, PETA has had its fair share of adversaries since the group was started some 27 years ago. Furriers, hunters, circuses, fast food chains, companies who test on animals, it would take me all day to list the people who feel threatened by PETA. But who cares about what some redneck squirrel hunter from Alabama has to say about animal rights? I think we all know what his main points are going to be. I'd rather hear the counterpoints of animal rights supporters who disagree with PETA's methods, which is exactly what you get with I Am An Animal.

What you also get is an unflinching look at PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk. I'm excited to see such a personal look into Newkirk's life, because she's a local celebrity in my hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, which also doubles as PETA's hometown. In my middle school years I used to take friends with me to volunteer at PETA's headquarters. Every couple of weeks PETA would host a volunteer and staffer get together, either at a members house or the headquarters. At one such party, my friend and I felt pretty out of place, as we were the only kids there. It wasn't long before Ingrid came over and struck up a conversation with us. She shared stories about her animal rights beginnings and made us feel like we weren't alone in our compassionate view of the world.

It was my dad, however, who had the best Ingrid run-in. He was at PETA's huge public dog park on the Elizabeth River with our golden retrievers when Ingrid came up to him and introduced herself. She wasn't there to convert anybody, just to pass along a friendly hello. After a few minutes of small talk, my dad told her he recently became a vegetarian and Ingrid gave him some advice on overcoming some of the biggest obstacles. She told him that many new vegetarians crave dairy and end up consuming way too much of it. She stressed how unhealthy a dairy-filled diet is and asked if he was going to stick around the dog park for a few minutes. Some people might expect such a passionate animal rights crusader to have come back with videos about the cruelties of the dairy industry. She could have brought my dad pamphlets that spell out the connection between the dairy industry and the veal industry. But her approach was much simpler, much friendlier. When she returned, Ingrid had brought hand-picked vegan gifts from her pantry, including an assortment of vegan cheeses and some soy-based products. This is the Ingrid Newkirk I know. Tonight, get to know her yourself.

I Am An Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA premieres Monday, November 19 at 8 p.m. on HBO.

Watch the trailer below.

Watch more videos at PETA.org

Comments

[DaCynic]

After reading this post, and the comments it elicited, I jumped onto my OnDemand, and saw this documentary.

All of my pre-notions on this woman, based solely on the actions and philosophy of PETA, were proven right.

Ingrid is a megalomaniac. She's sick. She does not represent me (I'm vegan), and paints me a bad light!!!

She needs to be stopped from within.

VEGANS, UNITE!

[Pandu]

Having trouble getting this comment up; sorry if it appears more than once...


I don't agree with all of PETA's methods for curbing animal abuse, but what's the motive for this www.petakillsanimals.com site? Do they care about animal rights? Apparently not.

The "about us" page at the petakillsanimals site reveals that they're a project of the Center for Consumer Freedom. At that site, the 'about us' page states:

"Consumer freedom is the right of adults and parents to choose what they eat, drink, and how they enjoy themselves. Defending enjoyment is what we're all about!"
http://www.consumerfreedom.com/about.cfm

The bias this hedonistic group has againt PETA should be obvious. Those promoting consumer freedom should also support the freedom to not be consumed. That would be nice.

[tyldaktz]

I'm a vegetarian for spiritual reasons. I encourage people to go meatless because I think it's better for people's health and overall happiness. That said, it has to be a positive choice, not one born of guilt. I'm glad to hear positive stories of Ms. Newkirk and her work. That said, I think PETA and others like them do themselves a disservice by being angry and hostile in the advocacy of their points. The only way to really effect change is to inspire people to change from within. Attacking people for their choices (regardless of the right or wrong of those choices) is not going to effect long-lasting, widespread change. Breaking the law (as some extreme animal advocates do) will not help in the long run. To me those who violently rail against those who mistreat/slaughter animals are no different than those who violently rail against those who provide abortion services. Neither of those groups do themselves or their cause any favor by being aggressive.

All that said, I hope this HBO special shows Ms. Newkirk's work in a positive light, and encourages everybody (PETA and its detractors) to take a step back from their aggressive stances.

[rich3324]

"I am not only uninterested in having children. I am opposed to having children. Having a purebred human baby is like having a purebred dog; it's nothing but vanity, human vanity."
Ingrid Newkirk

What a great person.

[ieatartichoke]

Too bad PETA doesn't actually care about animal rights.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/23/EDG11DC9BK1.DTL

www.petakillsanimals.com

[TwinsFanatic]

This is a lovely piece. Ingrid is a personal hero of mine, and I hope that the documentary adequately captures her humanitarianism, too--and not just her animal rights passion.

JMPurser, many humans are not at a level at which they can understand their societal responsibilities either, and yet we grant them rights b/c they are human.

You might profit from reading Princeton Bioethics Professor Dr. Peter Singer's arguments that reply to your criticisms. His book is called Animal Liberation, and I think you might find it convincing.

Thanks to HuffPo for posting this Blog--it's great to see animal rights content on a human rights site.

[ChrissyMatt]

I can't wait to watch this. I have my TiVo set just in case I can't get the kids in bed before 8 p.m.!

[jmpurser]

You know, I agree 100% with the NAME of PETA. I'm all for the ethical treatment of animals. I think it's a human duty and an important indicator of our own civilization's progress.

Then some damn fool has to throw in a phrase like "Animal Rights" and it all goes right in the crapper. Animals don't have rights. Animals don't understand rights. "Animal Rights" is something of an oxymoron since if they COULD understand rights we wouldn't really see them as animals now would we.

So fortunately for me I've got zero invested when PETA launches into another of their self trivializing stunts. I almost pity the poor fools who do care about PETA but then since they don't understand basic concepts like "rights" maybe they aren't really human yet anyway.