In this presentation, Hope will explore the recent trajectory of the animal advocacy movement toward encouraging industries to transition to cage-free systems and other animal welfare campaigns. Cage-free eggs are now 40% of the US egg market and both the industry and animal advocates are promoting this as a major victory…but is this something to celebrate? Hope talks about social justice strategy, Effective Altruism, incremental change, and propose that our movement’s focus is out of balance. She cautions that we are relying too heavily on impractical strategies and fragile legislation that may not lead us to farmed animal freedom.

Resources:

(Book) The Good it Promises, the Harm It Does: Critical Essays on Effective Altruism

(Podcast) Episode 76– Measuring Our Movement with Krista Hiddema, podcast focused on Effective Altruism

(Podcast) Reason for Vegan Series #3- Cage-Free and Free-Range Explained with Hope Bohanec

(Article) Which Eggs Are Ethical to Eat? By Hope Bohanec

Bite Size Vegan, Emily Moran-Barwick

How We Will Win Animal Freedom, Laila Kassam, Animal Think Tank

Please support this podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Do you want to know the truth about grass-fed beef? Regenerative grazing? Free-range eggs? This episode is jam packed with the jaw-dropping reality of greenwashing. Vasile Stanescu is an Associate Professor and Chair of Communication at Mercer University. He received his Ph.D. in the program of Modern Thought and Literature (MTL) at Stanford University. Vasile’s research focuses on greenwashing in animal agribusiness, critiques of humane meat, in vitro meat, and consumerist options for social change. He is the author of numerous publications on the study of animals and the environment including in the Journal of American Culture, Rhetoric of Health & Medicine, the American Behavioral Scientist, and Animal Studies Journal. Vasile is also the co-founder of the North American Association for Critical Animal Studies (NAACAS).

Vas talks about what is really behind regenerative grazing and the false messaging around supposedly “new” methods of animal farming. We also talk about the detriment of chicken farming, how beef is so often cited as the worst culprit for the environment, and the myth that if you just switch to chicken, it’s so much better. Vas dives deep into how interconnected all animal farming industries are and how the supposed “green” meat movement is just another marketing tool for industrial agribusiness. He also shares how he feels that it is critical to eliminate the stigma on veganism and have Vegan Pride.

Resources:

Humane Hoax Online Conference details and free registration

Learn more and support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Studies cited in this episode:

Joseph Poore, University of Oxford

Tara Garnett, Food Climate Research Network at Oxford University

Please donate to Compassionate Living to support the continuation of this podcast. Thank you! 

Learn More and Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

We open today’s episode with Hope sharing some thoughts on the destructive EATS Act making its way through US legislation and then we have JH Burnett joining us from South Africa. JH spent years farming in both the sheep industry on his family’s sheep farm in South Africa as well as in the dairy industry. The experience sent JH into a deep depression and he left farming to dedicate himself to animal liberation and recently released a vegan memoir and offering services as a life coach. Join us for this incredible story of transformation.

Resources:

Veganism Has Won

Learn More and Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Lisa Barca is a lecturer in the Honors College at Arizona State University, where she teaches humanities, writing courses, and seminars on the ethics of humans’ relationships with other animals. Her current research centers on critical animal studies, media ethics, rhetoric and ideology, and the intersections of feminism and animal rights. She holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures and is a contributing author to the volume Meatsplaining: The Meat Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial and also to The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs.

Lisa and Hope talk about how animal farmers are treated favorably in media and how stories of farmers using alternative and “better” farming methods are featured and praised without question or an opposing view. Lisa explores the “absent referent,” or the erasing or hiding of animal’s identities and how it relates to the humane hoax. She also talks about how the new “humane” do-it-yourself slaughter normalizes violence toward animals and she offers advice to journalists, and to us all, on language that helps the animals to be seen and heard in media stories about them. We also hear about Lisa’s band Scarlet Rescue and her musical outlet for the vegan message. BONUS: We end the episode with one of Scarlet Rescue’s songs, BBQ Protest.

Resources:

Order the Book! The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs

Lisa’s Music Videos:

BBQ Protest

Keycard to Hell (Monkey experimentation at Arizona State University)

Sign the petition: Change.org petition for the monkeys

Hope’s Upcoming Events:

June 8, 2023- Online Presentation about the book for Animal Activist Mentorship. Register here.

June 10, 2023- In Person Book Release Presentation for The Humane Hoax in Eugene, Oregon. Info here.

On this episode we have our second session of the Humane Hoax Book Club with two of Compassionate Living’s Humane Hoax Team volunteers Marian Erikson and Fireweed. We talked about a few of the chapters from the new anthology, The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs. A fascinating chapter we examine is called “Murder She Wrote” about the memoirs of Femivores, women who own farms and dominate and kill animals in an attempt to gain equality in the male dominated spaces of farming, hunting, and butchery. We explore other chapters that focus on speciesist language, the cognitive dissonance of consuming animals, and we expose foodie culture for its celebration of violence.

Resources:

Order the Book! The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs

Humane Hoax Online Conference, May 20: Register here

Marian Erikson’s Plant Based Briefing podcast

The wait is over! Hope Bohanec’s book is finally out! Our host of the Hope for the Animals Podcast, Hope Bohanec, has released an anthology called The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs published by Lantern Publishing and Media. As humanewashing and greenwashing become more prevalent and pervasive, this volume, with 18 contributing authors, activists and academics, exposes the humane hoax from every angle.

We have two guests on the podcast today for our first session of the Humane Hoax Book Club to discuss the book. Alastor Van Kleeck has a Ph.D. in English and co-founded the Triangle Chicken Advocates Sanctuary as well as The Microsanctuary Movement. Alastor also co-founded The Humane Hoax Project with Hope and wrote a chapter for the new book. Much of Alastor’s writing is available at strivingwithsystems.com. Also joining us is Sena Crutchley. Sena is an associate professor and long-time animal rights and environmental activist. She is a founder and board member of Piedmont Area Vegan Educators and also founded and runs Ruby’s Refuge, a microsanctuary for chickens and fishes. Sena is a volunteer on the Humane Hoax Team.

Resources:

ORDER THE BOOK! The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs.

Register: Virtual Book Launch Party, April 29

The Humane Hoax Project

On today’s episode we have a recurring guest joining us, Hope’s husband, Cogen Bohanec. Hope and Cogen start us off with a big announcement and then Cogen discusses his work as a constructive theologian in the Dharma Traditions and how he connects Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Dharma with environmental and animal rights issues. He talks about eco-psychology, eco-theology, karma theory, and the dangers of “human exceptionalism.” Cogen also talks about his recent writings regarding animal personhood, animals’ intrinsic value, and how we can remove systems of oppression through religious and cultural transformation.

“It is a false binary to say that we are either altercentric (other centered) or egocentric. That’s a false binary. Actually it’s more of a dialectic, care for ourselves is care for the other. Care for the other is care for the self. It’s a both/and solution.” – Cogen Bohanec, PhD

We would like to thank A Well-Fed World (AWFW) for their generous support of this podcast! A Well-Fed World is an international hunger relief and food security organization advancing plant-based foods and farming to create a sustainable, nourished, and climate-friendly future. Learn more at awfw.org.

Resources:

Vegan, Animal Advocacy and Veganism is an online, self-study course with Hope Bohanec, offered by Arihanta Academy. Learn more and register for the spring semester here.

Other Episodes with Cogen:

Episode 48: Vegan Love and Rescue with Cogen and Hope Bohanec

Episode 57: The Vegan Hypocritical Imperative with Cogen and Hope Bohanec

Dr. Jason Hannan is Associate Professor in the Department of Rhetoric, Writing, & Communications at the University of Winnipeg. He is the editor of Meatsplaining: The Animal Agriculture Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial. Jason and Hope talk about this edited volume and about “meatsplaining” as a PR tactic of the animal agriculture industry. They talk about how animal exploiters use the law, social media, anti-vegan trolling, and the humane hoax to justify and sanitize atrocities in animal farming. They also talk about Jason’s current book project, New White Saviors: The Colonial Mythology of Meat, which examines the meat industry as a form of cultural and ecological imperialism. He is also the Chair of the Winnipeg VegFest, the largest vegan and animal rights festival in central Canada.

Resources:

Meatsplaining: The Animal Agriculture Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial 

Episode 48: Love and Rescue with Hope and Cogen Bohanec

On this episode we are joined by Christopher Jain Miller, the co-founder and Vice President of Academic Affairs of Arihanta Academy, a Jain Dharma college. He completed his Ph.D. in the study of Religion at the University of California, Davis and is the academic advisor for the global Jain Vegan Initiative. Chris and Hope dig deep into the parallel philosophies of Jain dharma and vegan living. They explore the concept of Ahimsa, Sanskrit for non-violence, and how young Jains are seeing veganism as a way to practice their principle of non-harming in a modern context.  They also discuss Arihanta Academy, a new online Jain college, and Hope’s class in starting Sept 24 called Ahimsa, Animal Advocacy and Veganism.

Resources:

Arihanta Academy

Hope’s Class- Ahimsa, Animal Advocacy, and Veganism

Chris’s Classes- Jain Philosophy in Daily Life, Yoga Sūtra: The Classical Yoga of Patañjali

Instagram- @thejainveganinitiative

Why not dog meat? Molly Elwood is the vegan activists who created the website, Elwood’s Organic Dog Meat which launched in August 2021 and has gone super viral with over 1.3 million unique views. The Facebook page has over 42k followers, and one post has reached nearly 10 million people and has 21k comments and 42k shares! This fictional farm raises dogs for meat with claims like “local,” “organic,” “free-range” and “ethical.” The idea was to satirize meat industry’s messaging, encouraging consumers to explore their cognitive dissonance around the animals they choose to put on their plates. Molly and Hope discuss the emotional and visceral reactions that this unique campaign has created, the use of satire in political action and change, and how Molly herself fell for the humane hoax before going vegan.

Resources:

www.elwooddogmeat.com

This episode we welcome back to the podcast Hope’s husband Cogen Bohanec. Cogen and Hope reminisce about giving vegan talks together in the early 2000’s, how enchanted they were with each other’s integrity and ethical values, and how some (almost) raw sushi was a symbol of their love. They then explore some vegan philosophies they have debated over the years. The first is what Cogen calls the Hypocritical Imperative, arguing that it’s better to be hypocritical than complacent. They also discuss vegan vs. plant based labels and if plant based offers a more inclusive option or a watered down ethic. They also investigate a philosophy they call Directional Ethics, which examines whether or not to support a restaurant or store or product based on their vegan “direction.”  They also discuss quantifiable and unquantifiable measures of effectiveness for veganism and activism. 

Resources:

Episode 48: Vegan Love and Rescue with Cogen and Hope Bohanec

Happy Earth Day! Today we have a special Earth Day episode where we are exploring solutions. Hope starts us off with some inspiring green living ideas and then we have a fascinating conversation with Karthik Sekar, PhD. Karthik has a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University researching bioreactor design and systems/quantitative biology. He works as a Senior Data Scientist at Climax Foods and has written the book After Meat: The Case for an Amazing Meat-Free World. In this episode, Karthik uncovers the inherent inefficiencies of animal products and how we need “disruptive technology” to replace meat, dairy, and eggs. He debunks regenerative animal agriculture and reveals the important innovations in fermentation-based products that can revolutionize plant-based eating. Join us for an inspiring discussion about solutions.

Resources:

Website: AfterMeatBook.com

More Podcasts for Earth Day:

Reason for Vegan Series 10: The Environmental Impact of Animal Agriculture

Episode 25: Greenwashing our Food: Exposing Sustainable Lab

Hope’s flying solo today with a sweet story of rescue. Kakkuta the rooster was covered with blood when Hope found him in a parking lot. This rescue story will touch your heart and open your eyes to the plight of roosters in the egg industry. Hope explains why Kakkuta almost died because people believe the myth that backyard chicken keeping is a more ethical way to obtain eggs. Wherever there is a situation where hens are being kept for their eggs, we must always ask, “Where are their brothers?” Join us for this powerful story of rescue and get ready to open your eyes and heart to the truth that eating eggs, no matter the label, causes suffering.

Resources:

United Poultry Concerns- Backyard Eggs Info

The Reason for Vegan Series: “Cage-Free” and “Free-Range” Eggs Explained

On this episode, Andy Tabar joins us again to have a conversation with Hope about effective online communication for vegans and animal advocates. Andy was the co-host of much beloved and missed The Bearded Vegans, a podcast that was dedicated to discussing the ethical grey areas of living a vegan life. Andy is also the owner of Compassion Co, an organic, USA made clothing line.  Hope and Andy discuss online trolls, self-confirmation bias and the backfire effect, the detriment of misanthropy, and the importance of being culturally and racially sensitive. They offer tips and suggestions for making your social media experience the most positive and effective it can be.

Resources:

The Bearded Vegans Podcast

Compassion Co

Episode 24: Fat Justice and Veganism with Andy Tabar

The Social Dilemma (film)

Coded Bias (film)

Continuing our Microsanctuary Series, we are joined on the podcast by Gwendolyn Church, founder of Friends of Philip Fish Rescue. Friends of Philip is an aquatic animal rescue and sanctuary in Sonoma County, California. Their goal is to expand the animal rescue conversation to include fishes and all aquatic animals, and to foster the connection between people and aquatic lives through sharing the stories and vibrant personalities of their rescued fishes. Gwendolyn shares sweet stories of rescue and recovery. She also talks about the wide range of emotional and social behaviors she has observed, the environmental impacts of wild caught tropical fishes for the “pet” fish and aquarium trade, and how anyone who is interested could rescue fishes!  

Resources:

Friends of Philip Fish Rescue

Creating Sanctuary for Aquatic Animals

Vegans with Fishes Facebook Group

The Dark Hobby (film)