Ep 12: PETA with Ingrid Newkirk
The ChickPeeps Vegan Podcast
Evanna Lynch
4.8 • 619 Ratings
🗓️ 2 February 2018
⏱️ 71 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week The ChickPeeps have an indepth discussion about the world's largest and most formidable animal rights organisation, PETA aka People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Founded in 1980, by Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco, PETA made a name for itself with its trademark provocative, headline-grabbing, Animal Rights' campaigns and demonstrations. However, PETA’s bold and controversial tactics often mean that their reputation, depicted in the mainstream media, obscures their tireless efforts to improve the lives of animals. Evy talks to Tylor about what it’s like to work for PETA and then we interview the fiercely passionate, dauntless and unfailingly kind leader of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk to discuss what PETA was like in the early days and to address the myths that shadow the organisation. Also on this episode…
- ‘Peta has a lot of enemies because we’re making it harder to hurt animals.’
- How PETA grew from 5 members in an apartment in Washington D.C. to a worldwide organisation of 6.5 million members.
- Ingrid shares how to overcome personal doubt and fear when staging a public protest
- "We took a leaf out of all those books of other social movements which is ‘Say the truth and say it strong.’"
- ‘It’s not about the messenger’ - Ingrid explains how to handle the backlash from people who want you to stay quiet about animal rights.
- Pets: Is having a pet ethical?
- Why is euthanasia necessary in PETA’s shelters, and the differences between Open Admission and No-Kill shelters.
- The Monkey Selfie Lawsuit: The reasoning behind why PETA invested in legal defence for photography rights for Naruto, the Macaque.
- Ingrid recounts a near death experience that inspired her will, and how her body will continue her work after she’s gone.
- We ask Ingrid how she processes the horrifying things she’s seen: ‘I cry a lot’.
- ‘Dwelling on your own feelings is not that useful’.
- Tips on how to talk to people wearing Canada Goose jackets.
- PETA’s 2018 goals: ‘Let’s close Seaworld in 2018.’
- Sojourner Truth: Ingrid’s heroine and inspiration as an activist
Links:
HBO Documentary on Ingrid and PETA
How Canada Goose Jackets are Made
Ingrid's Book Recommendation: Animal Liberation
Ingrid's Heroine: Sojourner Truth
Social Media
Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod
Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod
Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast
Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko
Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis
Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr
Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We don't eat |
| 0:02.0 | Do do do do do do do do do do do do do |
| 0:07.7 | Eat your veggies, not your friends |
| 0:12.4 | It's not hard to be vegan |
| 0:14.8 | The |
| 0:15.9 | We don't go away. |
| 0:17.8 | We are the pit bulls and we really won't go away. |
| 0:20.5 | We decided that from the start. If we declare a campaign, we are going to see it through. You just have to hang on for dear life and they have to know that you have a reputation for not giving up and not going away. That is a quote from Ingrid Newkirk, the co-founder and president of PETA, aka People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. And I just love that quote. And I wanted to start the episode that way because I really think it shows their spirit. And this is, if in case you didn't notice listeners, this is episode 12, the episode on Peter. And we are here. I'm here with my co-host, Tyler. Hello, Tyler. Hey, hey, what's up? And we're going to be talking about PETA this episode. |
| 0:56.1 | So PETA is the world's largest and arguably most controversial animal rights organization. |
| 1:02.7 | As most of you all know, we're blessed to have Tyler, who is one of PETA's own staff. |
| 1:09.8 | Tyler is the senior outreach strategist for PETA too, |
| 1:13.0 | and he is our co-host and many wonderful other things. And Tyler's been a guiding light for me |
| 1:19.2 | personally when I've had questions on what's the most ethical approach and challenging situations |
| 1:23.9 | and how best to confront people about the choices they're making that harm animals. |
| 1:34.4 | And pretty much as soon as I was aware of cruelty to animals and that there was animal rights, |
| 1:41.4 | PETA has been synonymous with animal rights in my mind. So I wanted to do an episode on their organization because I also get a lot of criticism for supporting them. |
| 1:47.0 | Their strategies often attract a lot of ire and people sort of sensationalize some of their |
| 1:52.4 | more bold campaigns. And yet I've learned so much from them and been so inspired by their |
| 1:57.6 | nerve and their dedication and their commitment to just walking the walk. |
| 2:01.5 | And I've also found all their employees to be kind, educated, encouraging, as is my experience |
| 2:06.4 | of most activists. So we're doing this episode to try and get an insight into Pitas policies |
| 2:10.7 | and their vision for animals and their take on the negative rumors that shadow them. |
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