Episode 105: Interview with vegan sociologist Matthew Cole about critical animal and media studies, speciesism and veganism in the media, and an update on the Donald Watson Archive

This week, I am pleased to present my fourth interview with the vegan sociologist Matthew Cole, Senior Lecturer at The Open University. Matthew has been a vegan since 2005 and is the author and co-author of a number of academic articles and book chapters about the sociology of veganism and human-nonhuman animal relations. With his partner, the vegan sociologist Kate Stewart, Matthew co-authored the 2014 book, Our Children and Other Animals: The Cultural Construction of Human-Animal Relations in Childhood. In 2016, an anthology was published that was edited by Matthew Cole, Núria Almiron, and Carrie Freeman, titled, Critical Animal and Media Studies: Communication for Nonhuman Animal Advocacy.

In this interview, we discuss critical animal and media studies, and Matthew tells me about his research with Kate Stewart about human cultural attitudes towards urban-dwelling foxes in the UK. We also explore the place of environmental arguments in vegan advocacy, the use of mainstream and independent media to promote animal rights, how veganism tends to be portrayed by the mainstream media, and Matthew’s more recent writing on the similarities between a Batman storyline and a campaign to rename two species of aquatic animals in the UK. Then Matthew shares an update about the Donald Watson Archive Research Project.

Matthew Cole's Academia.edu page can be found here (please write to him if you'd like to read his writings that are listed there). Matthew's work on OpenLearn, including his short interactive course about veganism and speciesism, can be found here.

Thanks to Matthew for being a guest on the show again!

You can listen to the episode above or on CKCU 93.1 FM's website. You can also download the MP3 file from Archive.org.

You can find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to advocate for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 104: Interview with Ronnie Lee, co-founder of the Animal Liberation Front, about consistency and vegan ethics

This week, I am pleased to present my third interview with the long-time animal liberation activist Ronnie Lee. Ronnie has been a vegan for more than five decades and is best known for co-founding the Animal Liberation Front in the 1970’s. Currently he works to educate the public about the importance of becoming vegan. He also encourages vegans to become more involved in vegan education initiatives, in order to work towards the abolition of the exploitation and oppression of our fellow animals.

In this interview, Ronnie describes what it was like trying to obtain vegan-friendly food in the 1970’s. Then we discuss why war, environmental destruction, and human rights violations are not in alignment with the vegan ethic; why it’s important to challenge speciesism and human supremacism, rather than focusing primarily on cruelty; and how we can more effectively interact with the mainstream media. Ronnie also speaks about the role of anti-vivisection campaigning within the animal rights movement over the years, and he shares his views on celebrity culture within the vegan community.

After listening to this episode, you may be interested in tuning in to the two latest episodes of Still Alive!, the online talk show that Ronnie co-hosts with Roger Yates: The Media and the Message and Vegans and War.

You can listen to the episode above or on CKCU 93.1 FM's website. You can also download the MP3 file from Archive.org.

You can find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to advocate for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 103: Discussion with animal rights advocate Jeremy Hess about engaging in vegan advocacy conversations, recognizing pigs as individuals, and challenging speciesism in the media

Rosebud

This week, I am pleased to present my fourth interview with Jeremy Hess. Jeremy has been a vegan since 2014 and has been involved in various forms of animal rights advocacy over the years. On his website (which will be back online soon) and YouTube channel, he provides resources to help advocates use accurate and non-speciesist language and learn about animal rights theory. He is a co-founder and former co-panellist on The Animal Rights Show on YouTube. With his partner Nisha-Taylor Hess, Jeremy runs a microsanctuary, Respect Animal Sanctuary, in Georgia in the United States.

In this interview, Jeremy and I use an abolitionist animal rights perspective to examine three articles that were published on mainstream media websites, and we explore how we can move away from speciesist language use. We also discuss whether the words that we use in our vegan advocacy are understood by the general public. As well, Jeremy tells me about the experiences of the pigs Rosebud and Daisy at the microsanctuary.

During this discussion we explored some of the ideas of the animal rights scholar-activists David Nibert and Joan Dunayer (see also here). You can find the Unlearning Speciesist Language Facebook group, of which Jeremy is an admin, here!

News articles that we discussed on the show:

• "Two giant pandas from China to arrive at US National Zoo", The Guardian, 29 May 2024
• "Concerned about cruelty, animal rights group wants police at bull-riding event", CBC News, 31 May 2024
• "Water-hungry golf courses plague Arizona’s native javelina-filled landscape", Vox, 25 October 2023
  

At the end of the episode, we'll hear some excerpts from the song, "Creatures Great and Small", by the vegan singer-songwriter Ellie Sarty.

 

You can listen to the episode above or on CKCU 93.1 FM's website. You can also download the MP3 file from Archive.org.

You can find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to advocate for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Jeremy the Ape and
Daisy the Pig

Episode 102: Interview with Wendy McGovern about vegan ethics and language, anti-consumerism, ecofeminism, and anti-vivisection

This week, I am pleased to present my second interview with the long-time animal rights advocate Wendy McGovern. Wendy has been a vegan since about 1997. She has been involved in a variety of vegan and animal advocacy initiatives over the years, including hosting the London Animal Rights March in 2021. She is the host of the Thrive Vegan World podcast and a co-panelist on the Animal Rights Show on YouTube.

In this interview, Wendy and I discuss the importance of viewing veganism as a holistic paradigm shift rather than only a diet, and we explore the issue of consumerism in relation to vegan ethics. Then Wendy speaks about how we can challenge speciesism through our language use, and how ecofeminist perspectives can help us to think critically and holistically about intersecting oppressions. We also discuss why the animal advocacy movement has shifted away from its previous focus on anti-vivisection activism. Finally, Wendy shares her thoughts on advocating for veganism and animal rights in our everyday lives.

Links:

Thrive Vegan World podcast: https://thriveveganworld.libsyn.com/

The Animal Rights Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwKCH_ItjqELgL3NE35hj70YazgZBHfZB

 "Mexico's female matadors return to the world's largest bullring", Archived from NPR.org: https://web.archive.org/web/20240324134816/https://www.npr.org/2024/03/09/1236728490/mexico-bullfighting-women-bullfighters 

Wendy McGovern in discussion with Roger Yates and Ronnie Lee about why the movement's focus shifted away from anti-vivisection activism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTniWsitwSo

Unlearning Speciesist Language Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/553752208470902

Roger Yates and Ronnie Lee's Still Alive! show discussing vegan activism ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z__CQhXkoUM

You can listen to the episode above or on CKCU 93.1 FM's website. You can also download the MP3 file from Archive.org.

You can find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to advocate for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 97: Interview with animal rights author Joan Dunayer about speciesism and language

This week, I am pleased to present my interview with the writer and animal rights advocate Joan Dunayer, who has been a vegan since 1989. Joan is the author of two books: Animal Equality: Language and Liberation, published in 2001, and Speciesism, published in 2004. Additionally, a number of her essays about speciesism and language have appeared in anthologies and other publications, including the books Critical Animal and Media Studies (edited by Núria Almiron, Matthew Cole, Carrie P. Freeman) and Animals and Women: Feminist Theoretical Explorations (edited by Carol J. Adams and Josephine Donovan), among others.

In this interview, Joan tells me about what led her to become a vegan and write her first book. She describes what speciesism is, how it manifests in everyday language use, how we can challenge speciesism through language, and how speciesism and sexism are connected through derogatory language. She also speaks about the moral status of insects; speciesist attitudes within the animal advocacy movement; and the legal rights that she advocates nonhuman animals ought to have.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/61427.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-july-26-2023.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 94: Discussion with Jeremy Hess about anti-speciesist language, speciesism in the mainstream media, and providing sanctuary for nonhuman refugees

This week, the vegan animal rights advocate Jeremy Hess returns to the show for a third interesting discussion! I previously interviewed Jeremy for Episodes 62 and 78 of my show.

Jeremy Hess has been a vegan since 2014 and has been involved in a variety of forms of animal rights advocacy over the years, including working at sanctuaries and doing street outreach to speak to the public about veganism. He was also a co-founder and co-panellist on The Animal Rights Show on YouTube. On his website, VeganInteractions.com, and his YouTube Channel, Jeremy the Ape, he provides resources to help advocates use accurate and non-speciesist language and learn about animal rights theory. He is currently in the process of co-creating a vegan microsanctuary called Respect Animal Sanctuary to provide a safe home for survivors of speciesism in Georgia in the United States.

In this interview, Jeremy and I discuss how we can challenge speciesism in our language use, and we examine a particular speciesist mainstream media article about animal rescuers. We also discuss how we can respond when people ask us about the "breeds" of our dog friends, why Effective Altruism is problematic from an abolitionist vegan perspective, how we can stay motivated to continue advocating for our fellow animals, and what Jeremy and his partner Nisha Taylor-Hess are planning for Respect Animal Sanctuary.

Here are a few more links, based on what we discussed in the interview:

• Andy Atkinson's new documentary, Animal Rights: We're Getting It Wrong
• The recently-published book, The Good it Promises, The Harm it Does, edited by Carol J. Adams, Alice Crary, and Lori Gruen
  
• Speciesist article from the Daily Mail (2019) (Archive.org link): "Animal Rebellion: They're the militant vegan wing of eco-warriors who shut down British cities and now plan to stop us eating meat, fish and dairy. As this undercover report reveals, HATRED is on the menu" (Correction: When speaking about this article in this episode, I said that there wasn't any mention of the victims of animal exploitation, but I was only referring to the title and summary. In fact, later on in the article, the authors did briefly mention that the activists were holding a moment of silence for a cow. However, the authors referred to the cow as a "beef cow", did not suggest that there was any need to show moral concern for the cow, and were mocking and villifying the activists throughout the article.)
  
• Speciesist article from Fox News (2023) (Archive.org link): "Animal 'rescuers' wreaking havoc by stealing farm animals: 'These are criminals, not activists'"
  

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/60577.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-may-17-2023.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 91: Interview with Nella Giatrakou about vegan feminism, veganism as opposition to speciesism, and the vegan movement in Greece

Artwork by the vegan artist, Maria Tiqwah

This week, I am pleased to present my interview with Nella Giatrakou, a vegan feminist and translator living in Greece. Since becoming vegan in 2013, Nella has been involved in a variety of forms of animal advocacy. She is one of the contributors who volunteered her translation skills to help create an ecofeminist anthology in Greek, which was published last year. She is also a co-panellist on the Animal Rights Show on YouTube.

In this interview, Nella speaks about what led her to become vegan, how her understanding of veganism has evolved over time, and what her experience has been like as a co-panellist on the Animal Rights Show. We discuss the importance of viewing veganism as a social justice movement that opposes speciesism, rather than just a diet; connections between veganism and feminism; the problems with reducetarian advocacy; celebrity culture within the animal rights movement; and why some people claim to be ex-vegans. Nella also describes the state of the vegan movement in Greece, and she recommends books and other resources for people who are interested in learning more about veganism, animal rights, and animal liberation.

At the end of this episode, we'll listen to the first movement of Marianna Martines' Sonata in G Major, performed by the vegan piano player Judith Valerie Engel.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/59701.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-march-8-2023.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Gary Francione's Abolitionist Approach Commentary podcast #9, discussing what's wrong with using sexist tactics to promote animal rights

Here is an excellent podcast episode by Professor Gary Francione of the Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights. Gary Francione recorded this podcast episode in 2009, but it is still entirely relevant today.

"Commentary #9: Using Sexism to Promote Animal Rights": https://www.abolitionistapproach.com/commentary-using-sexism-to-promote-animal-rights/

Painting by the vegan artist, Lynda Bell.

Episode 84: Interview with Bob Linden about why veganism needs to be the moral baseline of the animal rights movement

Image by Vegan Sidekick

This week, I am pleased to present my second interview with Bob Linden, the host of Go Vegan Radio. Bob became a vegan in 1984. Since he started Go Vegan Radio in 2001, the show has been broadcast on a variety of radio networks and stations in the United States. Bob is also an event organizer who has put together a number of highly successful vegan festivals and summits. I previously interviewed Bob on Episode 73 of my show.

In this interview, Bob speaks about his experiences as a long-time vegan activist. We discuss how animal exploitation is the foundational injustice in our society; why we, as vegans, should focus our efforts on vegan advocacy instead of welfare reforms or other single-issue campaigns; and why veganism should be the moral baseline of the animal rights movement. Bob also highlights the best thing about being vegan.

At the end of the show, we'll listen to the piano song, "Benediction of Light", by the vegan author and musician Will Tuttle.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/57711.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-september-21-2022.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 82: Discussing the necessity and power of veganism with Marlene Narrow

Painting by the vegan artist Lynda Bell

This week, I am pleased to present my second interview with Marlene Narrow. Marlene is the host of a radio show called Vegan Nation, which is broadcast weekly on WCUW 91.3 FM in Worcester, Massachusetts. She is a long-time vegan activist and a World Peace Diet Facilitator.

In this interview, Marlene outlines her approach to vegan philosophy, and we discuss why it’s important for vegans to be opposed to all forms of animal exploitation, including vivisection and pet ownership. We explore what’s wrong with promoting lab-grown “meat”, and Marlene explains why veganism and animal liberation are necessary in order to achieve freedom and peace for human beings as well as nonhuman beings. Finally, Marlene debunks some common anti-vegan arguments, and she describes the best thing about being vegan.

By the way, during the interview I said that promoting lab meat is a waste of vegan advocates' time. This is true, but I actually think that promoting lab meat is worse than a waste of time, as lab meat involves animal exploitation and perpetuates speciesist attitudes in society.

It was an interesting discussion!

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/57344.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-august-17-2022.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 79: Interview with the vegan sociologist Roger Yates about vegan advocacy, the impact of banning fur farms, and the future of the vegan movement

Vegan Information Project in Dublin, Ireland

This week, I am pleased to present my fourth interview with the sociologist and long-time vegan activist Dr. Roger Yates. I previously interviewed Roger on Episodes 19 and 21, Episode 29, and Episode 50 of my show.

In this interview, Roger tells me about the approach that he takes to vegan advocacy, focusing on animal rights instead of animal welfare. He speaks about the implications of the recent fur farm ban in Ireland, gives his review of Earthling Ed’s new book about veganism (This is Vegan Propaganda (And Other Lies the Meat Industry Tells You)), and tells me about his experiences advocating for veganism on TikTok and on the Irish television program Eating with the Enemy. Finally, we discuss where the vegan movement is headed and how it might evolve in the future.

It was a very interesting discussion!

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/56869.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-july-6-2022.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 73: Interview with Bob Linden, host of Go Vegan Radio

This week, I am very happy to present my interview with Bob Linden, the host of Go Vegan Radio. Bob has been a vegan for 38 years. Since he started Go Vegan Radio in 2001, the show has been broadcast on a variety of radio networks and stations in the United States. Bob is also an event organizer who has put together a number of highly successful vegan festivals and summits. He is unequivocal in his advocacy of veganism as a necessary solution to many of the problems afflicting today’s world.

In this interview, Bob tells me about the mission of Go Vegan Radio and shares his story of becoming vegan and starting the show. He speaks about the feedback he has received from listeners, the importance of incorporating vegan advocacy into our everyday lives, and why veganism is essential for the animals, the environment, human health, and world peace. He also explains why non-vegan vegetarianism doesn’t make sense, why he does not support welfarist animal charities, and why KFC’s Beyond Meat so-called “plant-based” chicken nuggets are not vegan.

I recommend that you listen to some of the episodes from Go Vegan Radio's archives after tuning in to this interview!

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/55035.html.
   
2.  Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-january-26-2022.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 71: Interview with Marlene Narrow, host of Vegan Nation radio show and podcast

Art by Lynda Bell

This week, I am pleased to present my interview with the vegan radio show host Marlene Narrow. Marlene is the host of Vegan Nation, a vegan music and talk show that has been broadcast weekly at a community radio station in Worcester, Massachusetts, since 2015.

In this interview, Marlene and I share our stories of how we started our vegan radio shows, and Marlene tells me about what led her to become a World Peace Diet Facilitator. We discuss the concepts of deep veganism and the Boomerang Effect; why there is no compassionate way to exploit and kill animals; why it’s important to incorporate vegan advocacy into our everyday lives; how we can find the courage to speak out about important yet controversial topics; and what gives us hope for the future. Marlene also speaks about what she has learned from her experience hosting a vegan radio show. 

It was awesome to have the opportunity to speak with this dedicated, insightful, and courageous vegan activist.

Other things we mentioned during the episode:

"Other Uses" page on Be Fair Be Vegan's website

Tao Te Ching, chapter 67: https://terebess.hu/english/tao/gia.html#Kap67

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/54804.html.
   
2.  Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-january-5-2022.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 61: Interview with Sarina Farb about growing up vegan, industry influence over scientific research, and why vegans should not promote lab-grown "meat"

This week, I am pleased to present my interview with the vegan advocate Sarina Farb. Sarina lives in the Midwestern United States and has been a vegan for her entire life. She is the host of the YouTube channel Born Vegan and the host of the Science is Gray podcast. She previously served as the international liaison for the film-making organization Tribe of Heart, and she was a co-founder and co-host of the 2020 Climate Diet Summit. Sarina holds degrees in biochemistry and policy studies and formerly was a high school science teacher.

In this interview, Sarina speaks about her experiences growing up in a vegan family. She explains how these experiences have influenced the way she views the world, why she never wanted to stop being vegan, and why it isn’t fair to accuse vegan parents of "forcing" their children to be vegan. We also discuss why Sarina started her science podcast, how corporations influence scientific research, and why lab-grown meat is not the solution to the problem of animal exploitation.

It was a very interesting discussion. I hope you'll tune in!

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/53491.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-september-15-2021.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 59: Interview with Inge and Thomas, abolitionist vegan advocates in the Netherlands

This week, I am delighted to share my interview with the abolitionist vegan advocates Inge and Thomas, who do street outreach to educate the public about veganism in the Netherlands. Thomas is also the author of a website about veganism and animal rights in the Dutch language, called WaaromVeganisme.nl.

In this interview, Thomas and Inge tell me about what led them to become vegans and start doing abolitionist vegan advocacy. They also speak about their approach to vegan education, the current state of veganism and vegan advocacy in the Netherlands, and how nonhuman animal issues are portrayed in the Dutch mainstream media. Then they share their advice for vegans who would like to get involved in animal rights advocacy, and they tell me how being vegan has changed their lives and what their plans are for the future.

It was really inspiring to speak with Inge and Thomas and learn about the work they are doing to spread the abolitionist vegan message.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/53171.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-august-18-2021.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 56: Why animal rights advocates should promote veganism instead of animal welfare reforms

This week, I am pleased to present my third interview with Elizabeth Collins. Elizabeth, who lives in New Zealand, has been conducting street stalls to educate the public about veganism since 2009, and she is the host of the New Zealand Vegan Podcast. Her advocacy is based on the principles of Gary Francione's Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights.

In this interview, Elizabeth and I discuss why animal welfare reforms are counterproductive to our goal of ending animal exploitation. Specifically, we speak about the problems with the following campaigns: so-called “bans” on live export in New Zealand and the shredding of male chicks in Germany (you can find the Guardian article I mentioned here, and a more recent Wall Street Journal article here); a Canadian company’s decision to stop using fur (but continue using feathers); and a campaign that aims to convince a world-famous leader to eat fewer animal products in order to help the environment.

We also discuss the use of environmental and health arguments in vegan advocacy, and then Elizabeth explains the importance of engaging in abolitionist vegan education in our everyday lives.

At the end of the show, we will listen to the song "My Vegan Friend" by the vegan singer-songwriter Gülce Özen Gürkan.

As we discussed in this episode and on past episodes, eating/using eggs or other animal products will never be ethical, no matter how many animal welfare measures are put into place. I recommend the following essay by Gary Francione and Anna Charlton: Why Welfare Reform Campaigns and Single-Issue Campaigns Necessarily Promote Animal Exploitation.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/52574.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-june-30-2021.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 53: Vegan sociologists Kate Stewart and Matthew Cole speak about speciesism in the media and popular culture

This week, I am pleased to present my second interview with the vegan sociologists Dr. Kate Stewart, Principal Lecturer in Sociology at Nottingham Trent University, and Dr. Matthew Cole, Lecturer in Criminology at The Open University. Matthew and Kate are the authors of the 2014 book, Our Children and Other Animals: The Cultural Construction of Human-Animal Relations in Childhood, as well as a number of academic articles and book chapters about the sociology of veganism and human-nonhuman animal relations.

In this interview, Matthew and Kate speak about the following topics:

• how children are socialized into accepting and participating in animal exploitation in society
  
• how the mainstream media and popular culture normalize animal oppression and marginalize veganism
• why some people become very hostile in response to the mere mention of veganism or vegan food
  
• why, for many of us, being vegan is actually easier than being non-vegan
• whether a vegan world is possible
  
• what we can do to help normalize veganism in society.

We spoke about the Doctor Who television series (as it relates to veganism and animal ethics) later on in this episode. My guests also discussed their research into the speciesism of animal farming games that people play on their mobile phones, among other topics.

It's a very interesting interview, so I hope you'll listen in!

You can also find my first interview with Kate and Matthew on Episode 28 of the Always for Animal Rights.

Note about Doctor Who: At the end of this section of the 2005 Doctor Who episode "Boom Town", the Doctor orders "steak" and chips at the restaurant, and then in this section (still at the restaurant), he lectures Margaret (a murderous alien) about why she shouldn't kill innocent people. We discussed this scene in the interview.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/51787.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-april-28-2021.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 50: Interview with the sociologist Dr. Roger Yates on the animal rights movement, the definition of veganism, impacts of the pandemic on animals, and vegan education

This week, I am pleased to present my third interview with the sociologist, long-term vegan, and animal rights advocate Dr. Roger Yates. In this interview, Roger speaks to me about the following topics:

• the history of the Vegan Society's definition of veganism
•  how the animal advocacy movement has changed since Roger became a vegan in 1979
• the focus and scope of the vegan social movement, and what Roger means when he says that vegan advocacy is new
• the opportunities and obstacles that arise from using different forms of media to promote veganism
• the role that cultural speciesism plays in perpetuating animal exploitation in society
• the impact that the vegan education group Go Vegan World has had in Ireland (you can listen to my previous interviews with Sandra Higgins of Go Vegan World on Episode 17, Episode 20, and Episode 5)
  
• whether the COVID-19 pandemic will affect humans' relationships with nonhuman animals in the long run
• the importance of reading to educate ourselves about animal rights theory
  

It's a very interesting discussion. Thanks to Roger for being a guest on the show again!

You can find my previous interviews with Roger Yates on three past episodes of the show: Episode 29, Episode 19, and Episode 21.

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/51241.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-march-17-2021.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!

Episode 42: Interview with Greg McFarlane about the vegan movement in Australia

Thank you very much to everyone who donated to CKCU FM’s funding drive this year! As of today, CKCU has raised over $140,000, which will help to keep the station on the airwaves for another year.

This week's episode of Always for Animal Rights features my recent interview with Greg McFarlane. Greg is the director of Vegan Australia, which is an Australian non-profit organization that promotes veganism.

In this interview, Greg tells me about the state of the vegan movement in Australia and the ways that vegans are represented by the media. He also discusses Vegan Australia's research into what would happen to Australia's economy and the environment if the country went vegan, and he tells me about his experience speaking to politicians about veganism.

By the way, if you're wondering about the birds chirping in the background, they are Australian wild birds who were singing outside. Greg tells me that rainbow lorikeets, noisy miners, magpies, currawongs, wattle birds, and eastern koels live nearby.

It's a very interesting interview, and I hope you'll listen in! At the end of the show is Gad Hakimi's song "Corona Trap".

How to listen to this episode

There are two ways you can listen to this episode.

1. Listen to the episode on CKCU FM's website at https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/553/49834.html.
   
2. Listen to or download the podcast from Archive.org at https://archive.org/details/afar-november-18-2020.
   

You can also find Always for Animal Rights on Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to receive an e-mail every time there is a new post on the AFAR blog, feel free to enter your e-mail address into the appropriate box in the right-hand sidebar of this site.

Go vegan, stay vegan, and let's remember to stand up and speak up for animal rights today and every day. Thanks for listening to the show!