Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack!

We finish off Olivia’s questions with a chat about the value of a welfarist approach, and whether we should work within the system or try to make change from the outside.

In This Episode

For Olivia’s final question, they write:

Finally, just generally, do you think its more effective to build alternatives or reform current infrastructure? Should activists enter the workforce with the intent of unionizing, pursuing pollution reduction, etc. or should our efforts concentrate into building the whole new system from the grounds up and push the old system out of existence?

Joke in the Middle

I bought shoes from a dispensary (drug dealer?) today…

Links and Information

News

* Vegan-Friendly Amy’s Drive-Thru to Open in San Francisco Airport (VegNews)

* True Crime Podcast Luauches for the Animals (VegNews)

* ‘Justice for Laquan!’ Demonstrators Chant, as Chicago Officer Is Convicted of Murder (NY Times)

Our series continues this week with an analysis of the true spirit of “pleasure activism,” and whether tactics that might create short-term harm are ever justified if they result in long-term good.

In This Episode

Olivia’s second question this week:

Another question is, do you think temporary “harm” justifies long-term good? I just read a lot of anarchist and alternative media promoting pleasure as a kind of resistance; living a good, healthy, connected life is inherently rebellious to capitalism’s monotony. But in our current situation that unfortunately means a lot of spending; on nice food, travel, books, media, etc. Do you believe it’s good activism to purchase those things anyway, and promote to others to start prioritizing pleasure over work, understanding that in the short term it will probably spike consumption but in the long term might warm people to more leftist views? The idea of living a more fulfilling life is what draws most people to these ideologies in the first place: is it fair to then demand of these people to halt as much consumption as possible? (I don’t mean this in a pro-consumer way at all, I just know in terms of reaching the average person these are complaints I get a lot)

Joke in the Middle

What do you get when you cross and elephant and a rhino? CALLIE TOLD A JOKE I’M NOT EVEN KIDDING

Links and Information

News

* Banksy Painting Self-Destructs Seconds After Being Sold for $1.4 Million at Auction (The Daily Beast)

* Amazon eliminates bonuses and stock awards for hourly workers (CNN)

* Kavanaugh has the votes to be confirmed to Supreme Court after Collins, Manchin commit (CNN)

* $3 million raised for Sen. Susan Collins’ opponent amid outcry on Kavanaugh vote (USA Today)

* Lady Gaga: Dr. Ford Spoke Up To Protect Us (YouTube)

We’re back with part 2 of our activism series, tackling the first of a few questions submitted by a thought-provoking listener (thanks Olivia!). This week, we discuss if radical change is possible or if we, as activists, should plan on NOT seeing radical change in our lives and keep our day jobs. Do we invest in the radical, or stick to a more certain path? Tune in to find out!

In This Episode

After laying the groundwork in last week’s episode, this week we feel ready to start tackling the intriguing questions posed to us by listener Olivia. For the first question, Olivia writes:

Q. As activists, do you believe we should act as though a drastic outcome (anarchy, socialism, etc.) is possible, or do we take dramatic action understanding that governments and corporations will only allow capitalism to be reformed to a certain extent, say, as a social democracy?

This question largely relates to issues of money and security. Do I spend a lot on activism, launching bolder and riskier initiates, counting on better social structures in the future to make up for the loss of savings? Or do I pursue a lucrative job that covers my needs and invest in retirement, all while pursuing my activism on the side, even if it means less opportunities?

I feel like this is a question that holds back a lot of activists, the hope for a better world but the fear to commit beyond a certain extent because we don’t actually know if a better world is truly possible.

We talk about if we think radical change is possible, what activists should do in pursuit of change, and more!

Joke in the Middle

What do you call a dinosaur that never gives up? (Thanks, Brianna!)

“I am a Vegan” Submission

I Am An African, Atheist, Asexual Vegan by Doreen Yomoah

Links and Information

News

* UN Calls for a “Massive” Decrease in Animal Agriculture (VegNews)

* California Just Officially Banned The Sale Of Animal-Tested Cosmetics (HuffPost)

* A Tumultuous 24 Hours: How Jeff Flake Delayed a Vote on Kavanaugh (NY Times)

* Trump orders FBI probe into Kavanaugh; Senate vote delayed (CNN)

* Women lawmakers stand in protest as male GOP senators rush vote (Think Progress)

We are THRILLED to kick off an activism-themed series for the fall! Turns out, we have a LOT to say on the topic (shocking, we know). Today is episode one of the series, where we lay the groundwork for rest of the series by digging into our philosophies around activism, resistance, decolonizing, The Matrix, and more!

In This Episode

Inspired by all the questions we received from listeners, we decided to turn one episode into many and do a series on activism! Today, we’re discussing activism itself – what is it, how do we define it, how important is it, do we need to do it?

We give general advice for three common categories of questions:

* Who do I donate to? What groups should I support/join?

* I have ____ disability/condition/concern – what kind of activist activity can I do?

* How do I do direct action?

We talk about resistance and decolonizing your mind – activities we feel are arguably more powerful and important than what we typically consider “activism” and yet often undervalued in the activist and social justice communities. Callie describes how this process can lead you to becoming Neo in The Matrix, and Nichole LIVES for it.

Lastly, we dish about capitalism (yes, again!) and discuss why capitalism still has a hand in the evils that occur around the world even when they happen in countries that do not have capitalist economies. Also, that capitalism has happened in conjunction with monstrous dictatorships, so acting like it is somehow superior to other forms of government/economies is erroneous.

Additional Resources

For more info on direct actions and Collectively Free, listen to episode #173 with CF founders Raffi Ciavatta and Lili Trenkova

We recommend recent episodes by The Bearded Vegans and The Vegan Vanguard on the topic of activism as well!

Joke in the Middle

A mathematician, an accountant, and an economist apply for the same job…

Links and Information

News

* Christine Blasey Ford, accuser of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, agrees to Senate testimony about sexual assault claim (CNBC)

* More than 3.4 Million Farmed Animals Killed During Hurricane Florence (VegNews)

Organizations/People We Support

* Food Empowerment Project – About

* PEP Foods

* Collectively Free – Values

* Christopher Sebastian – Patreon

* Dr. A. Breeze Harper – Patreon

* The Freedom Education Centre – GoFundMe

This week we talk about Rocky Coronado’s refusal to serve law enforcement from her food truck in Detroit, and thoughts it raised for us around authority, compliance, cops’ right to kill when feeling threatened, and much more.

In This Episode

Thank you to VWPA Society member, Lisa, for posting about Rocky Coronado’s public refusal to serve law enforcement agents at her vegan food truck, Rocky’s Road Brew, in Detriot, MI last week. The linked article and our last news item brought up a lot of thoughts for us around the bizarre acceptance in the United States for cops and other law enforcement agents to kill when they feel at all threatened or even disrespected, and the concept that “being rude/uncooperative” with authority figures means you deserve whatever trouble follows.

We talk about how this is NOT “reverse discrimination,” as well the importance of self-care when taking a stand, particularly such a public and potentially dangerous one as this.

Relevant Links

* Detroit food truck owner refuses to serve cops (The Detriot News)

* Rocky’s Road Brew Facebook Page (go like and comment, show some support!)

Joke in the Middle

I had a dream last night that I was a muffler…

Links and Information

News

* Brett Kavanaugh Reportedly Accused of Attempted Sexual Assault While in High School (Variety)

* Florence seen testing North Carolina environmental codes on toxic hog waste (Reuters)

* South Carolina failed to evacuate a prison. Inmates are now sitting ducks in Hurricane Florence’s path. (Vice)

* Florence wreaking havoc in North and South Carolina — live updates (CBS News)

* Flooding from Hurricane Florence Threatens to Overwhelm Manure Lagoons (New Yorker)

* Trump administration took nearly $10 million from FEMA’s budget to support ICE, documents show (Vox)

* The ongoing controversy around a black man killed by police in his own home, explained (Vox)

Today we’re doing a news-only episode, talking about our thoughts and feelings around the recent Nike campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings, and the anonymous White House “insider” who posted an opinion piece in the New York Times last week.

In This Episode

We were too bummed out by this week’s (well, technically, last week’s) news to do a fun episode, so we decided to just talk about the news instead. Content warning for Trump, social justice issues, everything bad in the world. Don’t listen if you’re in a bad head space!

The three major news stories we cover with links to the articles we read:

Nike Ad

On September 3rd, former N.F.L. quarterback Colin Kaepernick became the face of Nike’s latest ad campaign celebrating the 30th anniversary of their “Just Do It” campaign, signing a new multiyear deal after being signed but not used by Nike since 2011.

We have mixed feelings about this campaign – on one hand, exposure for activists like Kaepernick is always a good thing, highlighting the work he’s done and the sacrifices he’s made in order to spread his message. On the other hand, we are, of course, wary when corporations profit off of anti-oppression movements, particularly when they exploit people of color to do so.

We break down the strategy behind Nike’s use of Kaepernick, why they are doing it now versus two years ago when his national anthem protests started, the scandals Nike is trying to distance itself from, Nike’s continued relationship to the N.F.L., Kaepernick’s collusion case against the N.F.L., and Trump’s thoughts about N.F.L. players taking a knee and the impact of this on coaches in the N.F.L.

Articles

* Nike Returns to Familiar Strategy With Kaepernick Ad Campaign | Sept 4, 2018 | NY Times

* Colin Kaepernick’s Nike Campaign Keeps N.F.L. Anthem Kneeling in Spotlight | Sept 3, 2018 | NY Times

* At Nike, Revolt Led by Women Leads to Exodus of Male Executives | April 28, 2018 | NY Times

* Ex-Employees Sue Nike, Alleging Gender Discrimination | August 10, 2018 | NY Times

* Colin Kaepernick’s Collusion Case Against the N.F.L. Will Advance | August 30, 2018 | NY Times

* Nike is facing a new wave of anti-sweatshop protests | August 1, 2017 | QZ

Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings

Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on July 9, 2018, to fill the seat vacated by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who decided to retire seemingly out of nowhere. We are, like many U.S. citizens, terrified at the ramifications of Kavanaugh’s nearly guaranteed spot on the Supreme Court, not only because it will tip the scales in favor of a severely conservative court, but also because Kavanaugh is young and could potentially be ruling on case law for generations to come. As we see it, a seat on the Supreme Court is in many ways more powerful than the presidency itself and oh god why is the country burning down around us.

We get into the details around Justice Kennedy’s relationship to the two Supreme Court nominees that Trump has picked in his short one and a half year term as President,

This week we talk about I Feel Pretty, a garbage piece of cinema that reinforces the messages it claims to be fighting.

In This Episode

We’re going in on I Feel Pretty, the recent movie starring Amy Schumer that generated a ton of controversy when it came out due to the confounding amounts of body shaming, mixed messaging, and the corporate sellout ending.

Joke in the Middle

What do you call a pile of kittens?

Links and Information

News

* There Is Not Enough Land on Earth to Support The Diet Recommended by Authorities (Science Alert)

* Betsy DeVos Eyes Federal Education Grants to Put Guns in Schools (NY Times)

* The Company Behind AirBnB and Dropbox is About to Dismantle Meat and Dairy (VegNews)

* U.S. Attempts to Push Excess Dairy onto China (VegNews)

Articles Referenced for this Episode

* In I Feel Pretty, Self-Acceptance Comes With a Price Tag | by Bridget Read | Vogue

* Opinion: Amy Schumer’s New Movie, ‘I Feel Pretty’, is Problematic as Fuck | Cosmopolitan

* ‘I Feel Pretty’ and the Rise of Beauty-Standard Denialism | by Amanda Hess | NY Times

* I Feel Pretty Is a Message Movie That Can’t Stay on Message | by Christopher Orr | The Atlantic

We’re here for another round of advice! We received amazing questions from our listeners that cover a wide range of topics, including supplementation, activism that avoids triggering others, and being vegan while struggling with social anxiety.

In This Episode

We want to thank our amazing listeners who submitted thoughtful questions this week for our advice episode:

Dave

How do I respond to inquiries about B12, especially when they seem like excuses not to go vegan?

Steph

How should I respond to people calling me “picky?”

Ashlea

I’m following a whole foods plant-based diet to help with my chronic illness, but I’m finding social media spaces for whole food plant-based diets to be judgy, triggering spaces. Where should i go for support?

Martha

My boyfriend is sex-shaming me but is otherwise a good partner. What do I do, what do I say to him?

Christine

I am struggling with imposter syndrome at work, and it’s making it difficult to make a big decision about my career path. How do I overcome this?

Nadia

I want to promote veganism, but want to be sensitive about triggering disordered eating in others and myself. I also work with people on food stamps and am aware of their very real lack of access to healthy foods. How do I talk to people while avoiding being triggering or oppressive?

Alyssa

How do I speak to non-vegan activists about veganism?

Marietta

I have social anxiety and it makes being “out” as a vegan difficult and can trigger my disordered eating. How do I navigate a world that isn’t vegan-friendly, and how do I make peace with eating non-vegan foods when I binge to cope?

Joke in the Middle

Why did Karl Marx fail out of school?

Links and Information

News

* Animal Crackers Uncaged In Box Redesign After PETA Pressure (HuffPost)

* Alameda schools’ new dress code: Tube tops are in, shaming girls is out (SF Chronicles)

* Verizon Throttled Firefighters’ Data As Mendocino Wildfire Raged, Fire Chief Says (NPR)

* Why Prisoners Are Going On Strike Today (The Nation)

Callie stumbled onto some disturbing articles on The Intercept that sent us down the rabbit hole researching the scary shit that giant companies like Amazon and Google are up to. We realized that we’re already living in a dystopian corporatocracy, which we’re sure is no surprise to anyone. Buckle in, it’s pretty grim.

In This Episode

So, this week in Everything is Real Real Bad Girl, we talk about the terrifying things that giant tech corps like Google and Amazon have been up to (or have been attempting to be up to). It’s…not good.

Articles referenced for this episode:

* Amazon Promises “Unwavering” Commitment to Police, Military, Clients Using AI Technology (The Intercept)(

* Amazon employees protest sale of facial recognition software to police (The Verge)

* Google is Quietly Providing AI Technology for Drone Strike Targeting Project (The Intercept)

* Google Staff Tells Bosses China Censorship is “Moral and “Ethical” Crisis (The Intercept)

* Google defends controversial China project in meeting with employees (The Verge)

* Google Removes ‘Don’t Be Evil’ Clause From Its Code of Conduct (Gizmodo)

* Blind Loyalty: How a social network is redefining the future of corporate culture (TechCrunch)

* Former employees say Lyft staffers spied on passengers (TechCrunch)

* China doubles down on real-name registration laws, forbidding anonymous online posts (TechCrunch)

Joke in the Middle

What kind of lights did Noah use on the ark?

Links and Information

News

* Masterpiece Cakeshop Owner Sues Colorado After Refusing To Bake Trans Woman’s Cake (HuffPost)

* This Guy Devoured a Slab of Raw, Bloody Meat to Taunt a Vegan Festival (Vice)

* Doctor’s Respond to USDA’s $50 Million Diary Industry Bailout (VegNews)

* USDA Bails Out Dairy Industry with $50 Million Band-Aid (VegNews)

Mentioned in this Episode

* Open Path Collective – therapy resource for mental health care at a discounted rate.

We saw Sorry to Bother You this week, per listener request, and we’re here to talk about it! Also pulling in our thoughts about Get Out and Black Panther.

In This Episode

This week we went to go see Sorry to Bother You, and we’re here to talk about it! We also ended up rewatching Get Out with friends and had some thoughts about it. And finally, an article by our fave, Max S. Gordon, got Nichole thinking about Black Panther and our responsibility to view mainstream media targeting black audiences, while pandering to white ones, more critically.

Spoiler alerts for all movies!

Joke in the Middle

What kind of bee has bad hair days?

Links and Information

News

* World’s Greatest Thinkers Gather to Discuss the Future of Meat (VegNews)

* You might think there are more vegetarians than ever. You’d be wrong. (Washington Post)

Mentioned in this Episode

* A Different World: Why We Owe The Cosby Accusers An Apology | by Max S. Gordon | Medium.com: quote about capitalism linking victim-blaming to “winning” mentality.

* Come Get Your Life, Come Get Your Death: On race, gender, and queer politics in Ryan Coogler’s ‘Black Panther’ | by Max S. Gordon | Medium.com