The Bearded Vegans

In this week's mini-episode, The Bearded Vegans break down the recent disruption of Bernie Sanders in the name of anti-dairy activism. They'll discuss the pros and cons of this particular action. What are the goals of this type of activism, are they achievable? How did the media reaction, how did other vegans react. Is the timing of this disruption strategic? Is there ever a wrong time to advocate for justice? You can always reach The Bearded Vegans by emailing TheBeardedVegans@gmail.com or visiting TheBeardedVegans.com.

This week the bearded duo weigh in on the speech that broke the vegan internet. As Joaquin Phoenix accepted his Academy Award for Best Actor, he remarked upon the commonality of oppression, giving specific examples of the horror of the dairy industry, and eventually turned to introspection on the nature of forgiveness and second chances. It was a ton to pack into a 3.5 minute speech and the internet has a LOT to say about it. Paul and Andy discuss their feelings on the content of the speech before looking more broadly at the Vegan Community's feedgasm, how well non-vegans understood his message, and several pieces that slammed Phoenix for not speaking about other injustices. This is a whopper of an episode as it touches on privilege, earning redemption, using one's platform for good, and much much more! You can always reach The Bearded Vegans by emailing TheBeardedVegans@gmail.comor visiting TheBeardedVegans.com

In today's "mini" episode we talk about the complicated case of a student animal rights group being denied official status with the college due to both the "emotional risk" of the nature of their activism as well as the "repetitional risk" of being associated with PETA. We'll talk about the messy world of free speech and if / where a line can be drawn on what should or shouldn't be allowed on a college campus. Additionally we will discuss the motives of Truman State University for denying vegan and vegetarian groups for three years in a row, whether or not activism requires inherent emotional risk, and beyond! You can always reach The Bearded Vegans by emailing TheBeardedVegans@gmail.com or visiting TheBeardedVegans.com

We took the month of January off and wow did a lot of lawsuit related things happen during the time! We'll go over what we missed, including ethical veganism being named a protected characteristic in the UK and Ben and Jerry's removing the "happy cow" label from their packaging. Plus we'll talk about the "meat patch" and rant about media literacy after the news that Starbucks is supposedly going dairy free. All that and much much more! You can always reach us by emailing TheBeardedVegans@gmail.com or visiting TheBeardedVegans.com

This week we bring back a whopper of an episode this week as we do a deep dive into the Amazon forest fires and the subsequent vegan reaction. Many in the animal rights community were quick to condemn meat eaters for their contribution to the cow flesh industry which is a leading contributor to deforestation and insist that going vegan is the most effective means of combating the fires. We'll do our best to ask whether this is accurate rhetoric and examine the nuances of the situation as well as some crucial aspects that seem to be almost entirely left out of the news cycle. Vegan Piggybacking abounds! This is the fourth and final part in our Starter Guide in which we attempt to make it a little easier to break into our 200+ episodes with a few suggestions of episodes that don't require too much prior knowledge and also exemplify the types of conversations one will find throughout our catalog. You can always reach us by emailing TheBeardedVegans@gmail.com or visiting TheBeardedVegans.com

This week we are taking a look back at episode 101 in which we discuss why we feel misanthropy (a hatred of mankind) is counter productive to the vegan goal of total liberation for all. Using an unfortunate incident in which a vegan food truck owner expressed appreciation for the death of several meat eaters due to the number of animals it would save, and then moving on to several examples from prominent vegan activists, we'll discuss why a vegan message is unlikely to make progress while embracing misanthropy. This is the third part in our Starter Guide in which we attempt to make it a little easier to break into our 200+ episodes with a few suggestions of episodes that don't requiremuch prior knowledge and also exemplify the types of conversations one will find throughout our catalog. You can always reach us by emailing TheBeardedVegans@ visiting TheBeardedVegans.com

This week we bring back a discussion about the peril's of ultra realistic vegan meats by asking if it is possible to create a perfect replica of animal's flesh without ever harming animals. With the recent revelation that Beyond Meat used animal flesh in A/B tests during production of their burger, it is evident that this question will become more and more relevant to the progress of plant based meats and how vegans will navigate the ethics of consuming or promoting them. This is the second part in our Starter Guide in which we attempt to make it a little easier to break into our 200+ episodes with a few suggestions of episodes that don't require too much prior knowledge and also exemplify the types of conversations one will find throughout our catalog.

In the first part of our Bearded Vegans Starter Guide, we take a look back on Episode 96 - How Do We Combat The Backfire Effect? This is a phenomenon that nearly all vegans have likely experienced in which in face of presenting irrefutable evidence in a discussion, the other person not only remains unconvinced but actually because even more entrenched in their false belief. We'll discuss what's the deal with our brains not accepting new information, look over the available research and then try to suss out how we can possibly combat the backfire effect, or perhaps even use it to our advantage. This is the first part in our Starter Guide in which we attempt to make it a little easier to break into our 200+ episodes with a few suggestions of episodes that don't require much prior knowledge and also exemplify the types of conversations one will find throughout our catalog. You can always reach us by emailing TheBeardedVegans@gmail.com or visiting TheBeardedVegans.com

We are The Bearded Vegans, a podcast featuring a dissection of all things vegan. We've been putting out an episode every Wednesday for over four years and that adds up to a LOT of episodes. We know it can be daunting to break into a new podcast with such an extensive back catalog and we are often asked what is the best place to start. Since things have evolved so much since our inception, we figured episode 1 wasn't the best place to enter, as it isn't necessarily representative of the content we put out these days. So to that end we have put together a Spotify playlist of some of our favorite episodes that we think encompass what we are all about pretty well and will give newcomers a better idea of what to expect. You can find that playlist at thebeardedvegans.com/starthere and we'll also be dropping the first four selections (with new introductions and edited down to just the main discussion) into our feed over the next month. Happy listening!

Happy new year, beards! This week we usher in 2020 with a review of Vegan 2019, a documentary that takes a look back on veganism (or at least, plant based eating) in the past year. The film acts as a trip down memory lane for many of the stories we covered and a few we missed. In addition to reflecting on the past year, we'll discuss if there is a place for docs like this and who it could possibly be for. You can always reach The Bearded Vegans by emailing TheBeadedVegans@gmail.com or visiting TheBeardedVegans.com.

Happy New Year, beardos! We thought it would be fun to start off 2020 right by providing access to some of our favorite bonus episodes that have previously only been available behind the paywall to Patreon backers. For the month of January the following episodes we will available for FREE to all: 1. Will The Million Dollar Vegan Campaign Help Anyone? 2. Old Men Yell At Burger: Cross Contamination & The Death Of Knowing Things 3. How To Start A Podcast Click the links above to listen to any of the episodes.

This week Paul and Andy continue their winter break film review series with an in depth review of From The Ground Up, a film that follows former college football player Santino Panico as he interviews a wide variety of plant based athletes. In addition to discussing the merits of plant based eating, the film also explores the connection between eating meat and masculinity. From The Ground Up has garnered plenty of comparisons to The Game Changers, which it predates by 2 years, and the Bearded Vegans will see if it can outdo that Jim Cameron money. You can always reach the podcast by emailing TheBeardedVegans@gmail.com or visiting TheBeardedVegans.com

This week Paul and Andy begin their winter break film review series with an in depth discussion about The Animal People, a new documentary that chronicles the Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty campaign and the subsequent government repression that ensued. The film acts not just as documentation of one specific campaign and those who suffered under the law for it's success, but also as an introduction to radical grassroots activism, and a meditation on the nature of violence and free speech. The Bearded Vegans discuss the content of the film as well as a few of the broader themes it touches upon. You can always reach the Bearded Vegans by emailing TheBeardedVegans@gmail.com or visiting TheBeardedVegans.com

It's mailbag time and The Bearded Vegans are getting real jolly on this one as Paul and Andy strap into their battery powered sled to respond to listener questions, comments and concerns. Topics covered range from whether vegans should celebrate hunting accidents to eating disorders and staying positive in a system that constantly bails out Big Ag. All that plus much much much more! You can always reach The Bearded Vegans by emailing TheBeardedVegans@gmail.com or visiting TheBeardedVegans.com

This week, The Bearded Vegans bring you an unconventional mini-episode in which they simply have a conversation about Paul's future. As he nears the end of his post graduate studies, he is left wondering whether it's better to go work at a non-profit or to take a job in the corporate sector. Does the ability to make more money, and thus donate it to others doing good, but vastly underfunded, work justify working for a large corporate entity that doesn't align with his values? Is there such a thing as a truly vegan job? How do we weigh out struggling under the weight of capitalism while still providing for ourselves and staying active for justice? Where is the line?! You can always reach The Bearded Vegans by emailing TheBeardedVegans@gmail.com or visiting TheBeardedVegans.com