ATHENS, GA. -- One of the foremost activists in animal rights and welfare spoke yesterday evening to promote her new book, which she described as an attempt to “dispel the myth that animal activism is radical and unreasonable.”

Karen Dawn, founder of DawnWatch.com, an e-mail list that alerts subscribers to animal rights and welfare coverage in the media, gave the lecture to a group of about 40 in room 248 of the Zell B. Miller Learning Center. Dawn’s first solo book, “Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals,” makes numerous appeals to engender a greater understanding of animal activism and attempts to better inform those not committed to the cause about the reasons activists pursue the goals they do.

Dawn said that one of the truly distinctive aspects of her book compared to other animal activism literature is the type of appeal used. “It doesn’t yell at you to go vegan,” Dawn explained. She stated that it is not some manifesto intended to make non-followers of the animal activism doctrine seem like evil people who act to the detriment of the planet. Dawn believes that kind of endeavor is ultimately fruitless. “If people change just because they’re scared, they will change back,” she said.

Dawn would begin with an address of the question she claimed is asked far too often to animal rights activists, namely “Why worry about animal rights when there is so much human suffering in the world?” Dawn argued that this question is asked only because society has established a faulty standard that prioritizes human suffering over that of animals. “Compassion isn’t species-specific,” she said; therefore, it is only logical to care for animals the same way one cares for humans. Additionally, Dawn would contend that this question is based on the flawed premise that there is somehow only a finite amount of compassion. Dawn instead chose to define compassion as “a habit we get better as we practice.”

Major components of her argument against the misconception of animal activism’s radical and unreasonable nature were the various notable experiences that drove her to the cause. She said that her hope was for others to understand how such events could have such a powerful impact on the way she viewed the world. First among these examples was the way she was inspired to become an activist. She recalled how about 12 years ago, upon returning home to her New York City apartment, she found a flier in her mailbox. The flier contained images of sows in gestation cages, cramped pens in which the animals spent their entire lives without even enough room to turn around. Dawn said that at first, her response was one of shock and horror, followed by “instant denial.” She convinced herself that this practice was relegated to a single ranch and that this flier was merely sensationalized propaganda, a conclusion, she said, that is probably not unlike the opinion of many of the naysayers of animal activism.

Around two years later, however, Dawn would come across another piece of literature that would change her worldview forever. When she returned to her apartment this time, she discovered a brochure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, one of the leading animal rights organizations in the world. The brochure contained the first chapter of 1975’s “Animal Liberation” by Peter Singer. This offering enticed Dawn to order the entire book, which she read during the period between Christmas and New Year’s. She described that time as “the most depressing Christmas and New Year’s ever.” Following the initial disheartenment was inspiration, and so she decided to “speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Dawn said that she became an activist strictly out of a desire to promote the greatest happiness for all living things, a goal, she said, that can hardly seem radical or unreasonable to anyone.

Another of these experiences is detailed in a chapter from the book entitled “Thanking the Turkey that Changed Thanksgiving.” The heroine of this story is a turkey, which Dawn named “Olivia.” Dawn first met Olivia in 2000 during a tour of a sanctuary farm, a place where animals mistreated at other various slaughterhouses, farms, and ranches are taken and given more humane treatment. Olivia had been living in Florida until Hurricane Floyd wiped out the turkey farm in which she was living. Dawn described how Olivia “hobbled” because her previous owners had cut off the tips of her toes--as well as the tip of her beak--so that the birds would not harm each other in their cramped pens. Dawn reached out to pet the bird and noticed something extraordinary about the her feathers. “I had only felt that kind of down in luxury pillows and marveled at the fact that it was on a living thing,” she described. Olivia then proceeded to curl herself up in Dawn’s arms and fell asleep, her head resting in the crook of Dawn’s elbow. Dawn eventually adopted the turkey and began placing its picture at the center of the table during every Thanksgiving dinner, always a completely vegetarian meal. Dawn said she hopes people will understand the powerful, life-changing qualities of experiences such as this one which maintain her passion to this cause.

Another idea Dawn wished to address was the belief that animal activism is somehow part of only a liberal agenda. She said that this misconception highly hampers the cause: “If we want to make a difference for animals, we can’t have only half the population caring about them.” She stated that there are many conservatives who also support this agenda too. For Dawn, most notable of these is Matthew Scully, a Republican speechwriter for such prominent officials as President George W. Bush and current Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Dawn cited Scully’s 2003 work, titled “Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy,” as a perfect example of a conservative appeal for animal rights and welfare. The book earned Scully a designation from Natalie Angier of The New York Times as a “defender of animals against the depredations of profit-driven corporations, swaggering, gun-loving hunters, proponents of renewed 'harvesting' of whales and elephants and others who insist that all of nature is humanity's romper room, to play with, rearrange and plunder at will.” Scully even offered immense praise for Dawn’s work: “Dawn goes beyond the common categories of liberal and conservative with a message of compassion that speaks to everyone.” Dawn said she is most proud of the way her message transcends political dichotomy and makes the issue important to all.

Dawn’s sentiments struck a chord with virtually all in attendance, perhaps most notably so with Rae Sikora, a 30-year veteran of animal, environmental, and human rights activism and co-founder of Plant Peace Daily, a non-profit organization that promotes what she calls “ethical consumerism.” Sikora said Plant Peace Daily forces people to think about “who and what you care about and how it’s effected in your choices.” Such a goal obviously bears at least passing resemblance to the awareness of animal treatment often promoted by animal activists. Sikora mentioned how it was inspiring to her to see people of significance such as Dawn espousing animal rights. “I used to know everyone associated with this cause,” she said. “Now, it’s exciting to discover all kinds of new people working towards it.”