If we’re talking about mock meats that strongly resemble the corpses of other animals, okay, this is problematic in the context of a deeply speciesist society. However, if we are talking about chunks of protein that are shaped and flavored and don’t resemble anyone, then these are foods I’m not especially worried about.
Continue readingV-Rated: Sexualization as a Mechanism of Food Justice Depoliticization
Veganism is depoliticized by patriarchal practices of sexual objectification and capitalistic practices of commodity fetishism. Sexualization transforms veganism from a mode of resistance into a mode of complicity.
Continue readingVegan Geographies in Ireland
More than a land of “meat” and potatoes, Ireland exists as a relevant, if overlooked, participant in Western vegan thought.
Continue readingThe Troubles (Animals in Irish Society, Episode 5)
This episode discusses the persistence of animality in Irish Republicanism in the late 19th century and the 20th-century protests under British occupation during the Troubles. While Britain applied animality to Irish rebels as a measure of control, the Irish would strategically adopt animality as an illustration of their oppression. The episode also discusses some mid-20th century vegan activists and their response to civil rights injustices of the era.
Continue readingThe Great Famine (Animals in Irish Society, Episode 4)
Ireland has endured a number of colonialization attempts, including that of the Vikings, the Christians, and the Normans. However, British colonization in the 16th and 17th centuries was the most arresting and long lasting, dramatically manipulating property use, agricultural practices, and quality of life for humans and other animals alike. This episode explores the injection of industrialized “meat” and dairy production in the Irish colony and its implications for Irish wellbeing, culminating in the disastrous famines of the 1800s.
Continue readingVeganism and Alternative Facts
The Role of Scientific Claimsmaking in a Rationalized Movementscape One of the defining features of the 21st-century Nonhuman Animal rights movement is its move to increase rationalization. This is a process that prioritizes efficacy, control,Continue reading
Is Honey Vegan?
Is honey vegan? In short, no. It is an animal product produced by Nonhuman Animals for human consumption. Honey consumed by humans is taken nonconsensually from exploited bees. However, many nonvegans (and those who identifyContinue reading
Can a Meat Tax Advance Animal Rights?
Vegan activists typically position speciesism as a matter of supply and demand, yet elite control over both our food supply and our government makes “voting with your dollar” a relatively impotent tactic. The problem isContinue reading
Save the Lambs! Why I Reject Antioch College’s Lethal Lamb-killing Classroom ‘Experiment’
To the Editor of Yellow Springs News: I am writing to express my strong disapproval of the Antioch College lamb-killing project. I have read the president's response to the campaign to end this antiquated andContinue reading
Vegan Sausage Rolls are Resisting the Brexit
In the United Kingdom, a number of grocery chains ranging from Aldi's to Sainsbury's unveiled a new line of vegan options for the start of 2019. One such chain rolled out a rather unassuming veganContinue reading