Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack!

We continue our discussion from last week of space stuff and existential threats that could end humanity, before we rip into the movie Minority Report – and spoiler alert – it doesn’t hold up!

In This Episode

Joke in the Middle

A robot walks into a bar…

Main Topic

Things mentioned in the episode…

* The End Of The World with Josh Clark (podcast)* Twitter May Have Just Doomed Humanity by Trolling an Artificial Intelligence Bot

Team-building activities, ice-breakers, assigning people to tasks they are ill-suited for…the oh-so-many ways jobs strip us of consent under the slimy pretense of pushing us out of our comfort zones…

In This Episode

News

* Beyond Meat Has Top IPO of 2019 (VegNews)* Trump Officials Want to Veto UN Measure Opposing Rape as Weapon of War (Truth Out)* U.S. Forces and Allies Killed More Afghan Civilians in Early 2019 Than the Taliban (Democracy Now)* Abortions by mail are available now in the US. Here’s what you need to know. (Vox)* California Bans the Sale of Most Cosmetics Tested on Animals (ALDF)* People think China have stopped asking brands to test on animals, but this isn’t actually true and we are shook (Glamour Magazine UK)

Nichole’s News Items (Whaaaaaat)

* ‘The Matrix’ hit theaters 20 years ago. Many scientists and philosophers still think we’re living in a simulation. (Business Insider)* Mr. Rogers meme (Instagram)

Joke in the Middle

I used to work in a clown shoe factory…

Other Things in the Middle

We’ll be speaking at the 2019 Animal Rights Conference!!! Hope to see you there!

Main Topic

Nichole recently had a traumatizing experience at work that made her want to talk about all the ways that our jobs force us to do things with our bodies that cause us pain, discomfort, trauma with a smile on our faces. So many commonplace work activities are steeped in ableism and anti-consent, and yet to say anything targets you as “not a team player,” or worse.

This week we talk about Joe Biden’s run for the presidential election, and Just Foods wrapping their shitty eggs in bacon.

In This Episode

News

* Joe Biden Announces 2020 Run for President, After Months of Hesitation (NY Times)* As Comcast Lobbyist Hosts Biden’s First Fundraiser, Campaign Boasts of Support from “Top 1%” (Democracy Now)* Anita Hill says recent conversation with Joe Biden was ‘deeply’ unsatisfying (PBS) – lololololol

Main Topic

We dish (hehe) about the recent kerfuffle over Just Foods serving animal products at a recent event, a similar situation with Impossible Foods, and the Minimalist Baker “scandal.” We revisit our position that plant-based companies and products shouldn’t be labeled or referred to as “vegan” for this very reason – it sets unreasonable expectations and makes veganism look wishy-washy.

Resources

* Vegan No More! JUST, Inc. Serves Dead Pigs and Fish at “JUST Eggs Party” (My Vegan Journal)* JUST FOOD CEO Explains Using Bacon & Fish to Promote Vegan Eggs (YouTube)* Vegans Shocked to Learn Author of Vegan Recipe Blog Minimalist Baker Not Vegan (Vegnews)

And unsettling theme is emerging among neoliberals… In striving for more diverse representation, are we starting to prioritize a candidates identity, over their actual policy positions?

In This Episode

News

* Pelosi: AOC Wing of Party Is ‘Like Five People,’ Dems Need to ‘Hold the Center’ (Common Dreams)* California considers the unthinkable: Canceling horse racing at Santa Anita Park (Washington Post)* Trump Loses Fight Over California’s Immigrant-Sanctuary Laws (Bloomberg)* Billionaires raced to pledge money to rebuild Notre Dame. Then came the backlash. (Washington Post)

Joke

The Past, Present, Future walked into a bar….

Main Topic

After the 2016 election, a lot of political commentators were criticizing the rise of “identity politics”, a phenomenon that basically meant people were *gasp* debating issues and voting based on the “social” issues that impacted their daily lives! Callie and Nichole, in a cross-over episode with The Bearded Vegans, talked about why the rise of “identity politics” not only made sense, but was a good sign of growing inclusiveness.

This week the Prinxesses dust off the term “Identity Politics” to share their concerns with the way this concept seems to have changed in the two years since the 2016 election. What used to mean voting based on the issues that effected our identities, now seems to represent voting based on what “boxes” a candidate’s identity checks.

Links/Resources

Since we mentioned a few different politicians and our criticisms of them, we wanted to provide links to those stories. 

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Cory Booker Joins Senate Republicans To Kill Measure to Import Cheaper Medicine from Canada (The Intercept)

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Presidential candidate Kamala Harris probed over trans rights record (Pink News) 

* *Correction – Callie mistakenly said that Kamala Harris was trying to block the inmates from receiving the medication to transition, it was actually the gender re-assignment surgery. 

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Kamala Harris’ A.G. Office Tried to Keep Inmates Locked Up for Cheap Labor (Daily Beast)

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Bernie being interviewed on Palestine -and getting it wrong- (Facebook/AJ+)

We answer a listener question today about a sign at an environmental rally that appropriates the #MeToo movement, and also PETA is the worst (natch).

In This Episode

News

* Billionaire Hedge-Fund Manager Warns a “Revolution” Is Coming (Vanity Fair)* Net Neutrality Vote Passes House, Fulfilling Promise by Democrats (NY Times)* This California City Is Planning To Open ‘Gayest Chik-fil-A’ In America (HuffPost)

Joke

The furniture store keeps calling me…

Main Topic

Listener Question

I am a college student and I love your podcast, it has helped me develop my activism and grow in so many ways over the past year. 

Recently I participated in the Global Climate Strike (part of the #FridaysForFuture movement), and I saw a poster there that showed the Earth holding a sign that said #metoo. I thought it was pretty gross and distasteful, but my friend (who is a feminist and vegan btw) talked me out of saying something to the person. What do you think of this? I’m not entirely able to put my thoughts into words, but it feels wrong to use that hashtag in this way, even though I understand that the struggles of the movements overlap. Anyways, would love to hear your thoughts on this.

(Thanks Grete!)

Great Article About PETA Post

The Gillette Ad, Vegetable Genitals, and Toxic (Vegan) Masculinity

Inspired by a Tweet from Sidrah Ahmad, the Prinxesses explore the concept of being a traitor, rather than an ally.

In This Episode

News

* ‘Veggie discs’ to replace veggie burgers in EU crackdown on food labels (The Guardian)* Proposed California fur ban would make state first in nation to outlaw the product (KTVU)

Joke

I would like to tell you a chemistry joke but….

Main Topic

Callie has been noodling on this topic for a while, after seeing this Tweet by Sidrah Ahmad on the Purple & Black Anarchism page on Facebook back in the fall of 2018:

Picture says: I don’t want men to be allies. I want you to be traitors. I want you to be traitors to the system that violently holds you up at the expense of women. I want you to betray the silent pact that patriarchy makes with you to have your back so long as you don’t make waves. Revolt. – Tweet by Sidrah Ahmad

This concept brings up so many questions: is the word ally meaningless? Do we need yet another label? What do/es we/she mean by ‘traitor’?

We also talk about a post in the VWPA Society by Meneka that generated a lot of relevant conversation about what it means to be an ally and what the parameters are (the discussion was surrounding the (paraphrased) statement “If your partner is homophobic, you are not an ally”).

Nichole ties some of this into our current administration and how many actions that are simple protest are being labeled “terrorism” and how the word “traitor” fits in nicely, if not frighteningly, into this pattern.

This, and much more ahead!

Listener Julie was kind enough to provide us with research for an episode about service animals: where they come from, how they are trained, what are the alternatives to non-human assistance for disabled folks.

In This Episode

News

* Why California leapfrogged the 2020 primary schedule (CNN)* Chick-fil-A testing new vegan side dish at select restaurants (ABC)* Arkansas Outlaws Labeling Cauliflower Rice as “Rice” (VegNews)*

Joke(s) in the Middle

Do you want to hear a joke about construction? (thanks, Marja!)

What do you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino? (thanks, New Amsterdam!)

Links to Stuff We Mentioned in the Middle

* AOC poppin’ off about “elitism” of Green New Deal (Facebook) – clock those gestures, yes girl!* Chipotle “Pure Imagination” commercial: The Scarecrow (Vimeo)* Check us out on Livegan! Episode #67!

Main Topic

Thank you to Julie for this wonderful research!!!

Content Warning: discussion of use of animals for service, training and breeding practices

Before you listen: we do not want this episode to be interpreted as ableist or blaming those who need animal assistance; rather to shed light on what the reality of service animals are and how we should be trying to shape the world to facilitate these functions without the use of a non-human animal, through technology, process or human assistance.

Topics covered in this episode: where do service animals come from (breeding, training), how are they assigned to folks in need, some services that these animals provide, what the working life of a service animal looks like, ethical issues with service animals, and alternatives.

Resources

* Whitmarsh, Lorraine (April 2005). “The Benefits Of Guide Dog Ownership”. Visual Impairment Research. 7 (1): 27–42.* Breeding Code of Ethics (Guide Dogs UK)* An Investigation of the Complexities of Successful and Unsuccessful Guide Dog Matching and Partnerships (NIH)* Jones, Daisy (2016) Understanding why guide dogs fail to meet their predicted qualification outcomes (MRes thesis, University of Nottingham)* Guide Dogs of America* Guide Dogs of UK* Guide Dogs of West Australia

This week Nichole is joined by guest hosts Molly Woodstock (from the Gender Reveal podcast) and Everett to answer listener submitted questions about gender!

In This Episode

The trans-nonbinary folks take the mic to talk about gender, answering listener questions ranging from raising kids in a nonbinary way, to what the future of gender holds.

Molly hails from the Gender Reveal podcast where they talk about all things gender (HIGHLY recommend if you want to learn more after today’s episode, and just also highly recommend in general). Molly has been on the show several times before, to talk about gender, asexuality, and the Equal Rights Amendment.

Everett is a friend of the show, studies anthropology from a trans perspective (adding a nice academic viewpoint to the show), and runs a custom design lash company for drag queens called Lash Corps where they make g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s lashes for performers (and kitties, lol).

Thank you to our co-hosts for their invaluable input, and to our listeners for their thoughtful questions!

Questions (summarized, full versions read on the show)

Jess (she)

Are there coping mechanisms that have served you well for dealing with being nonbinary in a binary world? Also Jess contributed this meme that made Nichole laugh for like five days:

David (he)

Views on pre-birth baby parties themed on the child’s gender?

Chanel (she)

Advice on raising a child without gender expectations or conditioning, in a world where I know they will be gendered and conditioned based on their presentation?

Mohera (she)

How do you feel about cis/straight folks using the term “queer” (as an identifier, not a slur)

Mallory (she)

How can I break the habit of addressing strangers as ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am”?

Katherine (she)

Should we strive to use gender-neutral pronouns for the animals in our lives?

Laura (she)

Are nonbinaryism and gender-nonconformity the same thing?

Regina (?)

Why is the “ideal” image for beauty and femininity not called “toxic femininity” the way we refer to the ideal image of masculinity as “toxic masculinity”? Aren’t they both harmful?

Katherine (she)

Should we strive for a world where no one is assigned gender at birth? And should we raise our children as non-binary now?

Carolyn (?)

Over the past 20 years, the dialogue around gender has changed from abolishing gender roles and seeing gender as a tool of oppression, to now where gender has become a tool of empowerment, as something to discover, design and take pride in.

In part 2, we finish up our dissection in the classroom discussion by reviewing past and present-day legislation around students’ options for alternatives to dissection, what those are alternatives are and reasons that dissection persists in public education. We also take a long segment in the middle to talk about media we’re watching (Shrill and For The People)!

In This Episode

News

* Gov. Gavin Newsom Suspends Death Penalty In California (NPR)* Senate passes resolution to overturn Trump’s national emergency declaration (CNN)* Trump Issues First Veto After Congress Rejects Border Emergency (NY Times)* Gordon Ramsay Just Told Piers Morgan To “Go F*ck Yourself” After Criticism Over His New Vegan Menu (Delish)

Joke in the Middle

Steak puns are a medium….

Main Topic

Thanks again to Kirstie for her phenomenal research on this topic!!!

In part 2 we talk about the first (U.S.) legislation in California that was established around students’ rights to dissection alternatives and then what the broader laws around it are today, what they are doing in other countries, why teachers are so adamant about continuing this brutal and unnecessary tradition, and what the future holds (spoiler alert: it’s a shrug emoji).

Listen to part 1 for info on the prevalence of dissection, where the animals come from and what students think about it!

Resources Referenced for this Episode

* Jenifer Graham: The First Student to Legally Take on Dissection & Students’ Rights (PDF) | Animals Learn* Student Choice Laws | American Anti-Vivisection Society * Science teachers and the dissection debate: Perspectives on animal dissection and alternatives (PDF) | International Journal of Environmental & Science Education* Instructors Reconsider Dissection’s Role In Biology Classes | The Scientist* The public dissection of a zoo’s lion is essential viewing for meat-eaters | The Guardian* Animals ‘live a good life’ at Copenhagen zoo, where culling comes naturally | The Guardian

Listener Kirstie kindly donated her time to a research topic that we’ve wanted to cover for ages dissection in educational settings. This is our first topic in a while that’s hella vegan, whoop! Nichole had to run to catch a train to L.A., so we are splitting this into two parts. Today’s episode covers the history of dissection in classes, statistics on animals, information about degree programs and requirements, and students’ reactions to dissection.

In This Episode

CONTENT WARNINGS! PLEASE READ BEFORE LISTENING

This episode contains a difficult news item about rape by police (time stamp: 8:24 – 20:34 )

The main content discusses dissection and the treatment of animals sold for these purposes. We tried not to get too graphic, but some of the information could be too much for sensitive listeners.

News

* Fish stocks continuing to fall as oceans warm, study finds (The Guardian)* Salt-Water Fish Extinction Seen By 2048 (CBS News)* 2 Ex-NYPD Detectives Admitted to Having Sex with a Teen After Arresting Her. They Won’t Face Rape Charges. (Vice News)* Exclusive: ICE Has Kept Tabs on ‘Anti-Trump’ Protesters in New York City (The Nation)* H.I.V. Is Reported Cured in a Second Patient, a Milestone in the Global AIDS Epidemic (NY Times)

Joke(s) in the Middle

What will happen if Trump wins the presidency? I used to work in a shoe recycling plant…

Main Topic

Thanks again to Kirstie for her phenomenal research on this topic!!!

In part 1 of our (U.S.-centric) Dissection in the Classroom two-parter goes over a history/overview of dissection in the classroom, the policies or guidelines in high schools and universities, where the animals used for dissection come from, and some criticisms of dissection from students.

Resources Referenced for this Episode

* New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) FAQs* Evaluation of Educator &Student Use of &Attitudes toward Dissection &Dissection Alternatives (NABT)* AnimalLearn FAQs* Everything You Need to Know About Dissection (PETA)* Instructors Reconsider Dissection’s Role In Biology Classes (The Scientist)* Dissection: Cruel or Educational? How This Practice Harms Both Animals and the Planet (OneGreenPlanet)* The Creepiest Cat Collar Collection (peta2TV) – CONTENT WARNING: graphic images of dead cats*