Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack!

It’s easy to forget why we’re vegan, why we’re activists, what made us so passionate in the beginning. Everyday life takes over, you get lost in the tasks on your to do list, you’ve been vegan a while and have gotten comfortable. But remembering why this fight is urgent is important; this episode is a reminder of that.

In This Episode

Callie was inspired to talk about complacency in your passion around your veganism and in your activism. She’s been feeling a little complacent lately, and hopes that talking about it openly can help others as well as re-inspire.

Links and Information

News

* Popular Science: “The Cow Will Become Obsolete” (VegNews)

* Jon and Tracey Stewart to Expand Animal Sanctuary (VegNews)

Mentioned in this Episode

* Another Round Podcast Episode 48: Revolutions are Hard, Eyeliner is Hard: interview with Bahraini human rights activist Maryam Al-Khawaja that inspired Callie to do this episode. She highly recommends this show in general, and this episode in particular!

Since schools aren’t teaching us how to act on social media, the princesses thought they’d take a crack at it! Hear our tips for interacting on Facebook in an effective, happy way.

In This Episode

Nichole and Callie talk about Facebook etiquette, particularly thinking about what you post before you post it, considering using Google instead, and, you know, just generally not being a fucking asshole.

Links and Information

News

* Cut Out Most of the Meat, Say New Netherlands Dietary Guidelines (TriplePundit)

* Vegetarian Food Options Up 633 Percent in Germany (VegNews)

* Maine Med Plants Seeds for Doctors to Focus on Health Impact of Food (Press Herald)

* This Woman Is Making Black People More Visible In The Vegan Movement (Huffington Post)

Anarchy (Urban Dictionary Definition): Mostly seen nowadays when posers write it on their bags or hands. They never have any idea what it means, and probably have no interest in politics whatsoever.

Don’t be a poser, man – find out the true meaning of anarchy in today’s conversation with Jeremy and Jordan of Which Side Podcast!

In This Episode

Veganism and anarchy are two things that often go together, particularly in the punk/straight-edge crowd, but anarchy was something that Nichole and Callie knew little-to-nothing about. So we invited our friends Jeremy Parkin and Jordan Halliday from Which Side Podcast to talk to us about anarchy and a whole smattering of other things, and despite Jeremy and Jordan’s protests that they are not anarchy experts, they provided tons of great information for people who know nothing about anarchy to get an idea of what it’s all about, plus referrals to some great resources (links below in the Links and Information section!).

We had an awesome conversation that veered into discussions around sexism, capitalism, consumerism, how we can work within the system while still trying to change the system, security culture and much much more.

Anarachy: absence of all forms of government or hierarchy, and absolute freedom of the individual; regarded as a political ideal. A society in which individuals cooperate as equals.

Plus, Nichole discovers that she’s an anarchist! Hurrah! (updating OK Cupid profile now….)

Links and Information

News

* New Virtual Reality Aquarium Exhibit Spares Animal Lives (VegNews)

* New Crop – The Vegan Venture Fund Fighting for Animal Rights (The Guardian)

Resources

* SNL Skit- Veganville with Justin Timberlake (YouTube)

* Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Surprise You! -David Graeber

* Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber (Book on Amazon)

* Tim Minchin – Confessions (YouTube)

* Josh Harper – The Talon Conspiracy

* Jerry Vlasak – North American Animal Liberation Press Office

* Huntingdon Life Sciences – SHAC 7 (Wikipedia)

Quick-witted Ruby Roth talks about her new vegan cookbook for kids, The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids, how to talk to your kids about veganism and how to help your kids navigate this non-vegan world.

In This Episode

The Princesses were delighted to talk to Ruby Roth about talking to kids about veganism, how vegan kids can deal with being different, and how important it is to get kids cooking!

Ruby talks to the girls about how to talk to your kids about your new veganism, how to help vegan kids talk to their non-vegan friends, and ultimately how important it is to just be honest with children so they can feel secure and think critically. She speaks a lot of her step-daughter who is vegan, and how these tactics have helped her navigate this carnist world.

Ruby has a new cookbook out, The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids, which Nichole and Callie are OBSESSED with. It’s so cute and the recipes are fantastic not just for kids, but busy adults, too! Cooking with kids is an important piece of helping kids learn to be self-sufficient, and also can help them with their veganism. The recipes in this book are very accessible and all based on whole foods to help kids learn healthy eating habits while they have fun in the kitchen!

Ruby Roth is an artist and the world’s leading author and illustrator of vegan and vegetarian books for children.

To answer her elementary school student’s curiousity with her veganism, Ruby was inspired to create her first vegan kid’s book, That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals, in 2009. Since then she has also published Vegan Is Love: Having Heart and Taking Action and V Is for Vegan: The ABCs of Being Kind.

Roth’s newest title, The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids is designed to get all kids into the kitchen to chop, sprinkle, mix, mash, and roll their way into healthy eating habits!

Roth lives in L.A. with her partner and her step-daughter, both of whom are also vegan.

Follow Ruby Roth on: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Links and Information

* Maryland Governor Expected to Ban Bee-killing Pesticides in US First (Inhabitat)

* Iran Bans Wild Animal Circuses (VegNews)

With Easter just behind us, many vegans have to navigate this carnist holiday with Christian family members who may use their religious beliefs to excuse eating animals. The princesses talk about ways to approach these conversations, particularly if you are Christian yourself.

A special thanks to listeners Danielle and Becky who contributed invaluable perspective and information to this conversation!

In This Episode

Even though Nichole and Callie are both atheists, they know not all of our listeners are so they wanted to have an episode to give some tips and advice for dealing with conversations about veganism and Christianity. For those of us that are atheist or agnostic, this information can still be helpful in your conversations with friends or family that are believers!

Easter

Easter is a surprisingly speciesist holiday – between consuming actual animals (roasts, hams, eggs, dairy-filled candies), there’s a lot of carnist imagery around Easter: cute bunnies and chicks are used to represent new life, but are also the shapes of candies consumed by children. Eggs are colored, hidden, and treated like disposable objects. Many people get bunnies or chicks as pets for children, to then be soon neglected once the kids lose interest and the animals grow out of their baby-cuteness. For a holiday built on the celebration of life, many vegans may look around and see only death.

Christianity

Christians want to live like Christ; loving, compassionate and kind. Kindness to animals is a great show of compassion – giving a voice to those who can speak for themselves (in a language that we can understand) – so therefore perhaps the most Christ-like thing a human being can do.

The other side of this, is the question: Do you think God would punish you for NOT eating animals? Many Christians say that God put animals here for us to consume, but (we hope!) few would actually believe that God demands animal consumption. There is certainly no scripture that says that man must eat animals.

The bible details a vegan diet in the Garden of Eden, which would lead us to assume that that is the ideal way to eat. A Jewish-vegan perspective expands on this: that a vegan diet is the diet that we were supposed to eat; that animal consumption was part of our “fall” from grace, and that we should aim to eat like we did before the fall.

Since Nichole and Callie are atheist, they didn’t feel comfortable digging too much into scripture; fortunately listeners Becky and Danielle were able to do so for us, adding many interesting insights to the conversation, particularly around “dominion” and it’s heavily debated true meaning.

Hope

For many, religion represents hope. It gives them a sense of control and stability in a wild, unpredictable, and sometimes scary world. Veganism can also be a source of hope. Veganism allows you to make a difference three or more times a day. It allows you to live by your ethics and be constantly aware of your values and in a perpetual state of re-committal, much like faith. If more Christians could see the parallels between veganism and faith, they might be able to find some of the same joy and comfort in it.

Links and Information

News

* Florida’s Largest Beef-Packing Facility to Shut Doors (VegNews)

* Barcelona: “A Friend of Vegan and Vegetarian Culture” (VegNews)

* Scientists Warn of Perilous Climate Shift Within Decades, Not Centuries (NY Times)

Jonathan Levy, the “Zero Waste Guy,” joins the Princesses to talk about zero waste, veganism, and the small steps we can all take towards reducing waste!

In This Episode

Jonathan Levy, the Zero Waste Guy, talks with Nichole and Callie about his journey into veganism through his zero waste lifestyle. He discusses the similarities between living a zero waste life and a vegan life – the two are closer than you might think!

The trio also chat about the wastefulness of large events, tips for ways you can start reducing your waste, and the hierarchy that exists in both lifestyles.

Jonathan Levy has a Bachelor of Science, Technology and Operations Management and a certificate in Sustainable Resource Management. He consults with with a variety of companies and organizations on recycling and organics diversion projects, including Republic Services, Los Angeles, Unified School District, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

Additionally, Jonathan is the Zero Waste Guy, which is a blog that he created to help other everyday folks find ways to reduce their impact on the planet without getting totally overwhelmed. Zero Waste Guy has great, easy tips and tricks on reducing, or refusing, waste, as well as Jonathan’s musings on living a vegan, zero waste life.

Links and Information

News

* Raw Milk Sickens Senators During Raw Milk Bill Festivities (VegNews)

* Chile’s Salmon Farms Lose $800 Million as Algal Bloom Kills Millions of Fish (The Guardian)

* In Switzerland Its Illegal to Own Just One Guinea Pig Due to Loneliness (Techly)

* Victory: SeaWorld Will Never Breed Orcas Again (The Dodo)

Mentioned in this Episode

* The Story of Stuff: an amazing 20 minute video that shows where our stuff actually comes from, and where it goes, drawing connections between many environmental and social issues through the lens of our insatiable consumerism.

* Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed (Raptitude): article about how 40 hour work weeks make us prone to consumption

* Use lent as an excuse to give up these seven items for good: Zero Waste Guy article with GREAT tips for making small changes.

Are you a health vegan? An ethical vegan? Are you vegan or plant-based? VWPA talks about the potential power of labels and the danger of the vegan hierarchy.

In This Episode

Nichole and Callie, inspired by a message from listener Sky, talk about labels and the vegan hierarchy. While the girls have stated in the past that labels can be powerful, they have been sad to see so many in the vegan community use labels as a way of dismissing certain types of vegans or those who are vegetarian or “pregans” (people who are on their way to becoming vegan or are “veg-curious”).

The concept of a vegan hierarchy is very strongly felt the moment you become vegan and start associating with other vegans. This is a toxic and ultimately pointless practice – we need all the vegans we can get and everyone has a journey to go on, so condescending to certain types of vegans is only going to hurt the movement.

Links and Information

News

* SeaWorld Admits to Spying on PETA for Years (VegNews)

* Official Oscar After-Party Features Vegan Dessert Buffet (VegNews)

* Vegan Startup Makes Molecular Copycats of Animal Products (VegNews

Meet Us in L.A.!

We’re hosting a meet and greet before the L.A. Vegan Street Fair on March 20th, come say hi! Facebook Event here.

Callie and Nichole tackle annoying questions like, “Is sperm vegan?” “What if you were stranded on a desert island?” and they’re favorite, “But lions though.”

Content Warning: use of ableist language “stupid” and “dumb”

We realized after taping that “stupid” and “dumb” are ableist language. We humbly apologize for using these words so frequently in this episode, and vow to do better in the future. Our schedule did not allow for a re-taping of the episode, and we think that it is otherwise one of our favorites, so we’re going to let it stand with the acknowledgement that we need to do better with our language. We’re still learning and growing. We understand if anyone needs to skip this episode because of this but please just know we are working on it.

In This Episode

The princesses have a blast going through a collection of annoying, infuriating, ignorant questions that vegans get asked:

* Is sperm vegan?

* Ewwwww! VEGAN cheese/meat!? What’s it made out of?!?

* What about lions?

* What if you were stranded on a desert island…and other gotcha questions

* What if you ate a veggie burger, but then found out it was a real burger. Would you still be vegan???

* How do you make tofu taste good? It has no flavor!

* Is this just a phase / would you go back / what would make you go back?

* Don’t you wish you were eating this? / What foods do you miss?

* Do you mind if I eat this (animal product) in front of you?

* Will you eat meat when you’re pregnant? Will you raise your kids vegan?

* Aren’t you worried you won’t be able to find a husband/wife?

Links and Information

News

* New Vegan Products Hitting Walmart and Target (One Green Planet)

* Europe Declares Rabbits More Important Than Eye Shadow (Take Apart)

Special Shout-out

A special thank you to Punk Rawk Labs who fueled this episode with their generous donation of vegan cheeses. We were completely blown-away by how delicious all the cheeses are, particularly the Nacho Cheese and Smoked flavors. We seriously can’t recommend them enough:

* Punk Rawk Labs Website

* Buy Punk Rawk Labs Cheese on Vegan Essentials (Click here for the Nacho flavor)

* Punk Rawk Labs Facebook Page

Come Join Us!

VWPA will be at the Vegan Street Fair in L.A. on March 20th! We’ll be hosting a meet and greet beforehand, stay tuned for details! The meetup will be post on our Facebook page, follow us to be notified!

Is veganism a moral imperative for feminists? A video on Everyday Feminism prompted the princesses to do a reaction episode, outlining why the video was so misguided and harmful for dialogue around this topic.

In This Episode

Everyday Feminism published a video that asks, “Does Feminism Require Vegetarianism or Veganism?” The article introduced vlogger Celia Edell who made the video, with the description of her as “a feminist vegetarian who doesn’t apply her choice to others.”

The video is misguided, sloppy and made by a vegetarian who should not be weighing in on vegan issues. The intersectional internets basically exploded with pissed off social justice warriors and vegan advocates, including us!, rushing to express anger and frustration at such an important topic being handled so poorly on such a large platform.

Nichole and Callie, both enraged by the video and not wanting to miss out on the fun, taped this episode as mostly a response to the video, but also to discuss the topic as a whole and, hopefully, with a bit more insight. Aph Ko’s amazing Facebook response is referenced several times, and linked to down below in the resources page, we highly recommend reading it. It won the internet that day.

Links and Information

News

* Vegan Business Owners Work to Open All Vegan Kitchen in West Baltimore (Baltimore Sun)

* United Nations Links Climate Change to Zika Ebola (The Hill)

* Pamela Anderson and PETA Working to Change Prison Meals to Vegan in Louisiana (The Vegan Herald)

Other Responses to Everyday Feminism Video

* Aph Ko’s face meltingly awesome Facebook Rant

* Striving With Systems’ Non-human Animals are Others: On Learning to Judge and the Limits of Choice

VWPA welcomes honorary Vegan Warrior Princess Kim Socha to the show to talk about atheism and veganism: why atheists should be vegan, why they aren’t, and overlapping problems in both movements.

In This Episode

Kim Socha blew the doors off VWPA industries with her stellar interview. We talked about atheism and veganism, veganism and religion, sexism in the atheist and vegan movements, and many other big topics.

Kim published Animal Liberation and Atheism: Dismantling the Procrustean Bed, a book that inspired many of the topics discussed during the episode. If you enjoyed this interview with Kim, we highly recommend purchasing her book to delve further into these, and other, fascinating subjects.

Kim Socha, Ph.D., is a community college professor, animal advocate, and social justice activist.

She has written multiple books, including Animal Liberation and Atheism: Dismantling the Procrustean Bed, Confronting Animal Exploitation: Grassroots Essays on Liberation and Veganism, and Women, Destruction, and the Avant-Garde: A Paradigm for Animal Liberation ; and has been published in several publications on the topics of atheism, critical animal studies, veganism, feminism, and radical pedagogy.

Find out more about Kim Socha on her Amazon page, or email her at [email protected].

Links and Information

News

* Whole Foods’ Ethically Sourced Beef Supplier Destroys Over 1,000 Wild Horses (Cowspiracy)

* There’s a Recall on Milk Containing Too Much Poo (Ecorazzi)

Mentioned in this Episode

* New atheists must become new vegans: Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and the extra burden on moral leaders by Steven Stankevicius: the article that blew up the atheist group on Facebook.

* Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy by Matthew Scully: a book from a religious perspective.

* Peter Singer – The Genius of Darwin: The Uncut Interviews with Richard Dawkins: a look at what Dawkins thinks of social justice movements and h ow he processes moral arguments.