Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack!

Inspired by a frustrating family dinner conversation, Callie wanted to talk about the dangerous implications of our collective concern for the perpetrator in the era of #MeToo where people wring their hands over “lives being ruined” by accusations for things that “happened a long time ago” or “aren’t that bad” aka what we’re calling Accusation Phobia. Lots of “air quotes” ahead.

In This Episode

After a family conversation about #MeToo, Callie wanted to talk about how victims are completely erased in conversations by moderates when they twist themselves in concern over the potential of false accusations or the loss of career for people who did things that they consider “not that bad” or happened “a long time ago.” Nichole talks from her experience of feeling silenced by this attitude, how it perpetuates a fear in victims that what happened to them isn’t bad enough or important enough to warrant justice. We also discuss the concept of restorative justice and why a culture of it would help everyone in these situations, but also why it’s nearly impossible to implement in today’s environment.

Joke(s) in the Middle

What snake is exactly 3.14 meters long?

What kind of doctor was Doctor Pepper?

Links and Information

News

* Bank of America Freezes Family’s Accounts After Demanding Proof of Citizenship (Fortune)

* Two Thirds of Americans Would Eat Clean Meat (VegNews)

* Judge orders full restart of DACA program (POLITICO)

It’s a weird week for us so we’re talking about a mix of things that are kind of weird together! Nichole has some thoughts on Master Chef Junior, and then our main topic covers some thoughts both the Princesses are having around dating as they approach it from different angles.

In This Episode

After a busy week, we realized we hadn’t thought of a topic for the show so we dug into our current experiences for material and realized we both have a lot of thoughts about dating. A mish-mash of what’s in our brains right now as we navigate dating and sex from different angles, thinking about all the ways dating makes us confront how humans treat each other when evaluating each other for sexual or romantic partnership.

Nichole also has thoughts about Master Chef Junior.

Joke in the Middle

Why didn’t the lifeguard save the drowning hippy?

Links and Information

News

* Dairy Farms Block Ireland from Meeting Climate Emission Targets (VegNews)

* Bernie Sanders Introduces Bill to End Money Bail (The Intercept)

We’re back to talk about season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale, a season that offered glimpses of brilliance but ultimately doubled-down on the “color-blindness” and white feminism of season 1. We’re totally fired up, proceed at your own risk!

Clarification: I’m having anxiety that our comments about June’s behavior not “having consequences” may come across differently than intended. We did clarify during the episode, but just to make sure – we don’t think anything June did during this season, or last season, should have consequences. She is living under an oppressive regime, one that has warped all the rules of what good and bad behavior look like. For instance, she shouldn’t be punished for refusing telling an abusive, disgusting man to go fuck himself. However, within the narrative of the show, we see endless examples of how other women, Serena Joy even!, suffer extreme punishments, while June goes by comparatively unscathed for similar conduct.

So when we say “behavior without consequences,” we mean within the structure of what this show itself has shown us to be true about Gilead and the women and men within it. “Behavior without consequences” is Max S. Gordon’s genius way of explaining what he was referring to a June asserting her ‘whiteness’ in the show, as part of his critique of the lack of racial analysis in The Handmaid’s Tale. And it certainly means specifically, without consequences to June directly, as so many other people in the show pay the price for her actions.

This season was hard to watch, June was in some horrendous situations that made our stomachs turn; we don’t want it to come across as if she’s had a walk in the park in Gilead. The rape that she suffered this season was horrific, and we certainly aren’t dismissing it. It’s simply that in relation to others, she is able to assert herself without serious (relative to what others have suffered for similar “crimes”) repercussions, and often others suffer the brunt of her decisions while she seems unaffected by her impact on those around her, and this makes no sense within the narrative of this show or the show’s insistence that June is some sort of hero. – Nichole

In This Episode

We had hopes for season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale. Hearing that creator Bruce Miller had received the criticism that season 1 did not properly address racism in Gilead, or his misguided “color-blind” casting choice, we hoped that Miller had given creative control over to a diverse staff of writers who would understand the nuances missing from season 1.

Sigh. Alas, this did not happen.

Instead, season 2 is arguably MORE racist than season 1, in its clumsy attempts to throw a few more faces of color into bit parts that go nowhere. The Handmaid’s Tale is obsessed with June, turning her from a selfish, reckless, “resistor” with nothing really at risk because she knows she’s pregnant in season 1, to a full-on action hero by the end of season 2. The absurdity in this is only overshadowed by how White Feminist this fucking show is.

We referenced a few articles for this episode. Those written by Max S. Gordon on Medium are simply stunning, we HIGHLY recommend reading them if you have a moment. He puts everything wrong with race in The Handmaid’s Tale into perfect focus. His writing is clear, engaging, and poignant. The other article by Alex Zaragoza has one of our favorite summations of the issues with this show:

And too often, as a woman of color, it seems like the ones most freaked out about America becoming Gilead are white women with minimal experience with violent discrimination and oppression at an institutiona...

We were lucky enough to catch a screening of ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ at a local theater last weekend and were quite moved by it. Today’s episode is our thoughts around Fred Rogers’ radical version of activism.

In This Episode

This week we’re talking about thoughts and feelings after seeing ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’, the recently released Mr. Rogers documentary that’s making everyone cry. The documentary brought up a lot for us around alternative forms of activism, what it means to be truly radical, and how fierce love is fuel that can last a lifetime.

Joke in the Middle

What do you call a clock on a belt?

Links and Information

News

* WeWork Tells Employees Meat Is Permanently Off the Company Menu (Bloomberg)

* Plastic Straws Aren’t the Problem (Bloomberg)

After having time to get acclimated back home, we’re ready to talk about the 2018 Animal Rights Conference!

In This Episode

We recap our overall thoughts, feelings, and experiences from the 2018 Animal Rights Conference, in this post-#TimesUpAR era. Nichole is feeling sick from the heat, so show notes are sparse today, love y’all!

Joke in the Middle

What did the cell say when his sister stepped on his foot?

Links and Information

News

* Government says it may need more time to reunite some separated families (CNN)

* A Woman Who Takes Lady Liberty Seriously (The Atlantic)

* Woman who climbed Statue of Liberty in anti-Trump protest says Michelle Obama inspired her (NY Daily News)

* Following Michelle Obama, Statue of Liberty Protester Therese Patricia Okoumou Says “I Went as High as I Could” (The Mary Sue)

* A Black Woman in Handcuffs For Climbing The Statue of Liberty on Independence Day is a Perfect Metaphor For America (The Root)

Additional Articles

* Alex Hershaft: An Animal Rights Pioneer with a #MeToo Problem

* Amanda Houdeschell’s Facebook post about Alex Hershaft at the 2018 Animal Rights Conference

Exhausted from a whirlwind week at the 2018 Animal Rights Conference, we talk about intent vs impact in terms of what that really means and how it can be applied to building stronger relationships.

In This Episode

Having a lot of recent experience, directly and indirectly, with conflict and advocacy, we take a moment to talk today about intent vs impact. When you become an ally, you are told that intent doesn’t matter, only impact does. But this is a simplification if we’re talking about building lasting, strong relationships and practicing restorative justice. This is a VERY nuanced conversation, we hope our listeners can hear what we are saying. There’s certainly no requirements for how a victim should process their experience, but there’s also a disheartening trend in social justice warrior (SJW) spaces to burn each other to the ground over mistakes or honest misunderstandings. We hope that together, by practicing restorative justice and giving each other space to come together and process (when appropriate), we can build a stronger, inclusive, compassionate movement.

Joke in the Middle

What do you call waffles on the beach?

Links and Information

News

* Superbug Found in 80 Percent of Supermarket Meat (VegNews)

* Vegan Bake Sale to Raise Funds for Migrant Families (VegNews)

* Canadian Prisons Reinstate Inmate-Staffed Dairy Farms (VegNews)

Referenced in this Episode

* 50-Mile Rule Regulation: California Stands up for Children of Farmworkers, Lifts Key Barrier to Education (Farm Worker Family)

This week, Andy was kind enough to join Nichole to do an analysis of Darren Aronofsky’s latest mindbending masterpiece, ‘mother!’ – a film that Callie has NO interest in, lol. Nichole and Andy discuss the themes presented in this movie, as well as their interpretations and opinions of what happened in the story.

In This Episode

Andy and Nichole dig into the very many aspects of the dreamy-then-nightmarish tale that is ‘mother!’, including:

* Notes about the movie’s influences, development, message, etc.

* The relationship between Him and mother

* The theme of creation

* Humans and humanity

* Surrealist chaos and violence

* …and other things of note!

Overall, this movie fascinated us and seems to get better with every viewing. Knowing the themes and message of the movie can completely change a viewer’s experience, and we certainly found this to be the case when we each screened it for the second time. It is Nichole’s opinion that this is Aronofsky’s finest work, and that is saying a LOT as ‘Requiem for a Dream’ is one of her all-time favorite movies. However, the violence and surrealism likely makes this movie inaccessible to large groups of people, so we don’t know if we can exactly recommend people go watch it if they don’t have a good understanding of what they are getting into.

Joke in the Middle

What is the difference between a good joke and a bad joke?

Links and Information

News

* 4 Wounded In Shooting At Ontario Meat Festival (Plant Based News)

* Nestlé Pivots Focus to Meet Vegan Demand (VegNews)

mother! Resources

* Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! is an explosive retelling of creation in fire and blood | by Alissa Wilkinson (Vox)

* ‘mother!’: Darren Aronofsky Answers All Your Burning Questions About the Film’s Shocking Twists and Meanings | by Anne Thompson (IndieWire)

* Mother! Ending Explained | ScreenPrism

We’re answering some listener emails this week that allow us to expand on recently covered topics: public access to bathrooms, the oppressive nature of dress codes, and what we really mean when we say veganism shouldn’t be “mainstream.”

In This Episode

After receiving several interesting emails, we decided to respond to some of them on air this week in order to further conversations around bathroom access, dress codes and mainstreaming veganism:

Bathrooms:

Sarah gave us an update on public restrooms in Germany; then Crystal asked a great question about restricting bathroom access due to drug use issues. Article referenced in response: Public Restrooms Have Become Ground Zero in Opioid Epidemic (DrugAbuse.com)

Dress Codes:

Teresa asks our opinion on dress codes, and really clothing in general, which led us to a great conversation about the fashion industry, fashion as a form of self-expression, and the inherently and historically oppressive nature of corporate dress codes.

Mainstream Veganism:

Imogen closes us out with a GREAT question about what we mean when we say veganism shouldn’t be “mainstream,” pointing out that most vegans want veganism to be adopted by the majority so that the world will stop eating and exploiting animals. We loved this question because it helped us to realize we need to clarify this when we talk about it in the future.

Thank you to our amazing listeners Crystal, Sarah, Imogen, and Teresa for the thoughtful emails!

Joke in the Middle

What does bread do after it’s done baking?

Special Shoutout

A very special thank you to the organizers and attendees of VegFest Calgary! We had a great time at the event despite the wild weather, and loved meeting the listeners who came out to say ‘hello!’

Links and Information

News

* Dairy Farmers Make Beer as Milk Industry Sours (VegNews)

* CA Senate Passes Mandatory Vegan Prison-Food Bill (VegNews)

* PayPal CEO: “Dead-Cow Wallets” to Be Obsolete by 2028 (VegNews)

* Horse-Drawn Carriages To Be Banned In Montreal (Plant Based News)

* 20 Highly Influential LGBTQ+ Vegans (Plant Based News)

Callie is joined by guest host Molly Woodstock of the Gender Reveal podcast to talk about the Equal Rights Amendment! Should it be ratified? Do we even still need it? Will it do more harm than good? Callie and Molly discuss this relic of send wave feminism and it’s modern day implications in this Trump era nightmare we’re living in.

 

In This Episode

Callie and Molly discuss the Equal Rights Amendment, a proposed amendment that would guarantee equality under the law on the basis of sex. The ERA was first introduced into Congress back in 1923 and has been re-introduced into every Congress since the ratification deadline in the 1980’s. The ERA never had enough states approval, but with Illinois just passing the amendment, it is now only one state short from being ratified.

While it would be fantastic to see sex discrimination officially outlawed in the constitution, Callie and Molly discuss how they feel about the amendment using the word “sex” and not “gender”… though Molly brilliantly counters with the example of how even though Title 9 also says sex, it has still helped to increase protections for transgender individuals.

This was a super fun conversation that included everything from our love of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to the annoying Men’s Rights Activists, to “reverse sexism” and the draft, and to to uterus’s effecting car insurance.

Joke in the Middle

No Joke this week! (Muahahaha!- Callie) 

Links and Information

Links

* Equal Rights Amendment

* One More To Go: Illinois Ratifies Equal Rights Amendment (NPR)

* Know Your Rights: Title 9 (U.S Department of Education)

* The Equal Rights Amendment is Suddenly Within Reach. Does It matter? (Elle)

We talk Ag-Gag laws this week with guest Cristina Stella from the Animal Legal Defense Fund: the history of these laws, their purpose, where they exist and what litigation is currently occurring to challenge them.

In This Episode

Cristina Stella from the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) was kind enough to come on the show and walk us through the basics of Ag-Gag laws, or laws that criminalize undercover investigations at animal farms, a topic we have wanted to cover for a long time. Cristina walks us through some history and background around Ag-Gag laws, and then talks about what is being done legislatively today by the ALDF to overturn or prevent them from being passed.

Joke in the Middle

What sound does a raw vegan cheesecake with allergies make?

Links and Information

News

* Frontline Exposes Human Trafficking at Ohio Egg Farm (VegNews)

* Plant-Based Business Bootcamp Debuts in London (VegNews)

* Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act Passes in California Senate (VegNews)