Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack!

Should meat and animal products be treated as cigarettes, in terms of regulations and warnings? The girls think so. Plus a tangent about the apocalypse.

In This Episode

Callie read an article (linked below) about the effects of the surgeon general’s warning about smoking, how it had a noticeable effect on smoking rates, and it made her think of how a similar approach to animal products could do wonders for the vegan movement.

Interestingly, if not surprisingly, government warnings had a far greater impact when the focus was on how smoking effected others rather than how it effects the smoker themselves. Warnings and education about the harm of secondhand smoke greatly reduced smoking rates in the U.S.

So, could we do the same for meat? If the government would stop promoting meat as part of a healthy diet, and then move to issuing warnings about the health impacts of meat and dairy consumption, it could go a long way towards decreasing meat consumption, forwarding the vegan movement in the U.S. and turning the tide in our efforts to reduce the damage we’re doing to our bodies, the environment and, of course, the animals.

….Aaaaaaaand then Nichole goes on a completely insane tangent about the “inevitable” apocalypse and how she doesn’t have the skills to survive it but does have skills that could greatly enhance the swagger of a group of survivalists.

Links and Information

News

* New York Times Says “Fake” Meat is the Future (VegNews)

* No More Rabbit Meat, Says Whole Foods Market (VegNews)

* Vegan Wins Top Food and Farming Position in UK Party (VegNews)

Related Links & Research

* U.S. smoking warning made history, saved lives (USA Today)

* Treat meat eaters like smokers, warns Jeremy Corbyn’s new vegan farming minister Kerry McCarthy (The Telegraph)

The discovery of Homo Naledi, a new species human ancestor, who shows signs of burying their dead and using fire challenges the very foundation of what separates man from animal. With this discovery, and everything we know about animals, what does “being human” even mean?

In This Episode

We have a new ancestor, Homo Naledi, who is our most primitive ancestor. An intriguing mix of human and primate traits, the recent discovery in the Rising Star Cave in Johannesburg, South Africa of 1,500 fossils has broken our entire concept of what it means to be human. Though primitive, the Homo Nadeli bury their dead in safe, sacred spaces – which is why so many were found in the cave – and also presumably knew how to use fire to navigate the caves dark tunnels.

This, along with many things that we know about animals, from experiments or observation, show that we share a lot more “human” traits with animals and our primitive ancestors than we have been led to believe.

Peter Singer discusses these arbitrary and mistaken presumptions at length in his groundbreaking novel, Animal Liberation, which was published originally in the 1970s. A lot of the arguments for why humans are above animals fall short when looked at closely. Intellectual capacity, empathy, compassion, friendship, plans for the future, potential, consciousness are all traits that were thought to belong only to humans, but have been proven to be situational or false.

This is a fascinating discussion, one we hope to hear from our listeners on!

Links and Information

News

* Landmark Ruling: Animals Can Legally Be Considered Victims, Just Like Humans (The Dodo)

* California Becomes First State to Label Monsantos Roundup as a Carcinogen (Care2)

* Homo naledi: New species of human ancestor discovered in South Africa (CNN)

Interesting Videos and Links

* Animal Liberation by Peter Singer (Amazon) – details animal experimentation and delves into the philosophy of what it means to be human vs animal

* Rats Save Friends From Drowning (BBC)

* Dawn of Humanity Documentary (PBS)

* Leopard Cub Adopts Her Prey’s Baby, Shows What We Can Learn From The Animal World (Huffington Post)

* Vegetarian Lioness Little Tyke (Vegetarismus.ch)

* Highly recommended: Animal Odd Couples on Netflix.com

After watching a TED Talk by Monica Lewinsky on The Price of Shame, Nichole felt compelled to talk about shame: how destructive it is, and how it harms the vegan movement.

In This Episode

Shaming, America’s favorite pastime! The girls discuss the mob mentality that overtakes us when an affair is exposed, a celebrity’s sex tape is released, or Miley decides to show her boobs. The average American froths at the mouth over passing judgement on other people, be they a high-grossing celebrity or an unlucky civilian caught in an embarrassing situation. Vegans, unfortunately, carry on this tradition with ex-vegans, or vegans who don’t meet their high standards.

The vegan movement should be one of compassion and empathy. Our hope is that vegans change the world for the better, and not just the different. Creating a world where animals are given rights to life and freedom while we still rip each other to shreds over mistakes, missteps, or different sexual preferences is a job half-done.

Links and Information

News

* Another Blow to Paleo Dieters: Cavemen Ate Porridge (QZ.com)

* God Save the Cows: Half of UK Dairy Farmers to Quit (MFA Blog)

* Half of Dairy Farmers Plan to Quit per Future Sight Survey (Wester Morning News UK)

Relevant Links

* Monica Lweinsky: The Price of Shame (TED Talk)

Tone policing, or insisting victims of oppression or violence use specific language to be taken seriously, is NOT ok for any social justice movement…except for the vegan one? The girls explore why they believe this to be true.

In This Episode

Callie realized, after having a debate online about Black Lives Matter, that while she’s firmly against tone policing in the social justice movements for humans, she’s for it for the vegan movement. We have to be careful about our approach to try to spread veganism, being abrasive or harsh is not the way to go. We do embrace all different avenues for activism, but disagree with methods that promote being aggressive or hostile to carnists.

Nichole noted that the vegan movement is different from other social justice movements because the victims are unable to speak for themselves, so vegans are advocates instead of victims. It makes the entire approach different, because we have the responsibility of making people listen, since the victims, animals, cannot.

Links and Information

News

* Anonymous Gives Final Warning Against Animal Cruelty Posted By Hunters on Facebook (JayClair.com)

* Canadian Turkey Breeder Found Guilty of Animal Cruelty (VegNews)

* MRSA Superbug in Supermark Pork Riases Alarm to Farming Risks (The Guardian)

* Emails Prove Government-Backed Egg Lobby Tried to Crack Food Startup (The Guardian)

Related Links

* Nicki Minaj Calls Out Miley Cyrus at VMAs 2015 for Controversial Interview (EW.com)

* Taylor Swift & Nicki Minaj’s Twitter Argument: A Full Timeline of the Disagreement (Billboard.com)

From horseback riding, pet ownership, believing animal testing is necessary – all vegans are still at least a little speciesist. And this isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it can be dangerous if we can’t talk about it.

In This Episode

Taking a tough look at ourselves is important for anyone, and we see an inability in a lot of vegans to see the ways in which they are still speciesist. Some even go to the extent of defending their speciesism as a sign of their veganism – for instance, in the case of believing that zoos or rebreeding programs are not only ok but are our responsibility. Nichole and Callie try to talk through some commonly held speciesist beliefs, and discuss how it’s not necessarily always bad to be speciesist, but it is bad to be dishonest about it.

Links and Information

News

* 8 Nations Going Vegetarion to Prove Less is More (Peaceful Warriors)

* No Eggs, No Mayo: FDA Goes After Hampton Creek for Naming Its Vegan Spread ‘Just Mayo’ (Entrepreneur.com)

For Laughs

What do you wish you knew before you went vegan? The girls recap lessons learned from their vegan journeys, pondering what they would go back and say to their newly vegan selves.

In This Episode

Nichole and Callie think back across their experiences being and becoming vegan, to pluck out any faux-pearls of wisdom that they might have for their pre-vegan selves. Expecting this to be a silly episode, both girls were surprised to find it touching and inspiring.

Dating advice, dealing with coworkers, and the merits of faux-meats are all discussed.

Links and Information

* Scientists on 3 continents now have evidence: Some chimps have entered the Stone Age (UpWorthy)

* Vegan Chili Combats Hunger Among Homeless (VegNews)

Episode Sponsor

Driftwood Magazine: travel and culture digest for the graduated vegan. Discover stories of vegan travel adventures, profiles on people, and advancements in the vegan global community.

A lighthearted episode, the girls list out things to avoid doing when interacting with vegans, from asking what they eat to introducing them as “The Vegan.”

In This Episode

Nichole and Callie share several laughs while talking about all the things that omnivores do to vegans that is rude or irksome. Meant to be taken lightly, the girls give advice to omnivores on how to properly interact with vegans in order to avoid these faux pas.

Topics include telling vegans all about the pot roast you had last night, loudly announcing them as vegan at restaurants, and telling them about how you used to be vegan but aren’t anymore because of X.

Links and Information

News

* Heavyweight Mark Hunt Switching to a Vegan Diet After Seeing Pig Farm Footage on Facebook (BloodyElbow.com)

* Veganism Receives Spotlight on Today Show (VegNews)

* Interest in Veganism on Google has Doubled Over the Last Six Years (MFA Blog)

Special Shout-out

We wanted to say a special congratulations to our friend Lacy Davis of the Super Strength Health blog and Rise and Resist podcast who got married this week. We love you Lacy and all that you do, we’re so happy for your union to your amazing partner!!!

Related Articles

* VWPA Advice Column Question: A Vegan is Coming to Dinner, What Do I Do!?

Episode Sponsor

Driftwood Magazine: travel and culture digest for the graduated vegan. Discover stories of vegan travel adventures, profiles on people, and advancements in the vegan global community.

Tackling a tough topic, the girls discuss why they believe in women’s right to choose and how that does or does not conflict with their veganism. General discussion about abortion included as well.

In This Episode

In light of the recent controversy around the undercover tapes taken by a group calling themselves the Center for Medical Progress, who have accused Planned Parenthood of selling fetal tissue for profit, Nichole and Callie decided it was high time for an episode about abortion, and abortion in relation to veganism.

Vegans are often confronted about their beliefs surrounding abortion – a large percentage of vegans are pro-choice, but are always questioned as to why their belief in a right to life for all animals does not extend to fetuses. On the other hand, as Callie astutely notes in the episode, vegans have another conundrum around this issue: how can we tell people what to do with their bodies, i.e., what to eat, while believing in a woman’s right to choose what happens to hers?

The girls work hard to talk through this delicate topic with care and conviction, and strongly encourage the audience to weigh in with them after listening.

Links and Information

News

* Father and Son Killed by Fumes at Pig Farm (VegNews)

* The Point of No Return: Climate Change Nightmares Are Already Here (RollingStone)

Research & Related Articles

Senator Elizabeth Warren melts the faces off the Senate over a debate to defund Planned Parenthood:

Fact Check: How Does Planned Parenthood Spend That Government Money? (NPR) – breaks down what government money actually pays for at Planned Parenthood, and clears up a lot of misconstrued facts. This article confirms that the S. 1881 bill that Elizabeth Warren was fighting in the above video was successfully blocked by Senate Democrats, woohoo!

PolitiFact Sheet: 8 things to know about the Planned Parenthood controversy (Politifact.com) – a breakdown of eight facts surrounding the recent Planned Parenthood undercover tapes, including the fact that it’s illegal to sell fetal tissue but it is legal to donate it and to get some money to cover the costs associated with donation.

For a Laugh

Episode Sponsor

Driftwood Magazine: travel and culture digest for the graduated vegan. Discover stories of vegan travel adventures, profiles on people, and advancements in the vegan global community.

The girls discuss feminism after going to a feminist conference that was…not so great. What does feminism look like, what does it mean, and is it still enough?

In This Episode

Nichole and Callie went to a EcoFeminist conference last weekend and were sorely disappointed to find it full of patriarchy. It got them thinking about what feminism even means anymore, and if it’s still enough. Do we need a new word, or a new definition? How do we approach feminism in a way that’s inclusive of all the groups that suffer from patriarchy, without alienating men and people that don’t fall on the binary gender spectrum?

Links and Information

News

* Google Tried to Buy a Veggie Burger Start Up for 300 Million (Daily Mail)

* Birkin bag: from status symbol to badge of shame (LA Times)

* Idaho Rules Ag-gag Law Unconstitutional (Animal Legal Defense Fund)

* The Death of Cecil the Lion (NY Times)

Feminist Research

* Lauren Southern: Why I’m Not Feminist (YouTube)

* Should Feminism be Renamed Equalism? (The Token Feminist)

* Feminism Now: What the Third Wave is Really About (Everyday Feminism)

Vegan Warrior Princess of the Week!

Kat Von D is our Vegan Warrior Princess of the Week for using her fame and social media platforms to advocate for veganism after the whole Cecil the Lion debacle this last week. She took a LOT of flack for it from fans but she didn’t back down.

You can read my probably too strongly worded comment on this carnist blog post that eviscerates Kat Von D for pointing out that everyone who eats meat really shouldn’t be up in arms about the murder of one lion, and how it’s hypocrisy to call yourself an animal lover if you think it’s ok and good to eat animals.

Feel free to add your own comment but remember to act like an honorable warrior princess ;)

Judging vegans for not protesting is counter-productive and it overlooks other ways of being an activist. We discuss what ways people can be activists other than protesting, why vegan protests don’t seem to be working, and how we can do better.

In This Episode

Inspired by comments at an EcoFeminist conference, Nichole and Callie talk about how we need to stop considering protesting the only form of activism. They also discuss why protesting doesn’t seem to be as effective as it might have been in other social justice movements, and their ideas about what we can do about it.

Links and Information

News

* Bacon Made From Seaweed! (Oregon Live)

* Denmark Bans Halal and Kosher Slaughter Saying Animal Rights Come Before Religion (Independent UK)