The Vegan Vanguard

Rundown Flipping it on ya today! In more than one way. First off, Mexie is solo on this podcast as Marine is focusing on an exciting new IRL endeavour (go Marine!). And secondly, we’re flipping our very first episode, Why Leftists Should Be Vegan, to detail some of the near endless reasons why veganism without anti-capitalism is ultimately going to be insufficient to provide animal liberation, a “cruelty-free” world or environmental sustainability. This was inspired by the Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack! podcast’s latest episode where they brought to light that 2 slaughterhouse workers per week suffer amputations on the job. The profit motive does not give a f*ck about human or non-human life, and its expansionary nature means it will never be sustainable nor will it stop harming animals. We need action on both fronts – committing to animal liberation in the here and now and also confronting the larger systems that perpetuate violence against all living beings. Sources and Links * Food Empowerment Project’s Chocolate List: http://www.foodispower.org/chocolate-list/ * Marine’s video, Why Veganism Must Be Anti-Capitalist (NOW!!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbT2y8VR7WE&t * Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack! podcast: http://veganwarriorprincessesattack.com/ * Wasley, Cook and Jones, 2018. Two amputations a week: the cost of working in a US meat plant: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/05/amputations-serious-injuries-us-meat-industry-plant * Mexie’s video, Decoupling the economy is horseshit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zZyCCqYTBo * Mexie’s video, Radical food politics: hunger is political: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqE5YUOGK_g * Mexie’s video, Precarious work! The reserve army of labour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgJlsBCmrUA * Why Leftists Should Be Vegan: http://veganvanguardpodcast.com/2017/11/15/why-leftists-should-be-vegan/ * “Insectageddon”: Bee autonomy, (anti-)capitalism, and building a multi-species commons: http://veganvanguardpodcast.com/2018/06/21/16-insectageddon-bee-autonomy-anti-capitalism-and-building-a-multi-species-commons/ * Factory farms and environmental racism: http://veganvanguardpodcast.com/2018/03/29/10-factory-farms-and-environmental-racism/ * Universal basic income: panacea or dystopia?: http://veganvanguardpodcast.com/2018/03/01/8-universal-basic-income-panacea-or-dystopia/ Support the Show  

Rundown In this episode we dig into the way that capitalist society teaches us all from a very young age to prioritize the form over the substance, and what implications that has for our collective well-being as well as for collective resistance to capitalist oppression. We talk about how we are groomed in school to view many experiences as worthwhile only if they can be capitalized on or marketed to build our “personal brand”, using examples from our lives and the lives of our students. We talk about how we are often well aware that the titles or credentials we have are fairly baseless but we’re all forced to ‘play the game’ and create spectacles of our ‘success’ or risk not being desirable to employers. This creates a society where many people’s sense of self-worth is tied directly to how effective an employee they can be or how much money they can make for a company regardless of whether or not they believe whatsoever in what that company is doing or what it stands for. Prioritizing a spectacle and not the substance of what is being done translates into other realms of life as well, like romantic relationships, and keeps people defending broken systems because without them, they have no substantive sense of self. We conclude on a positive note and give some thoughts on how to build self-worth and relationships that have substance, not just form. Sources and Links * Octavia Butler, 2017. Emergent Strategy: https://www.akpress.org/emergentstrategy.html Support the Show  

Rundown This is really a NO HOLDS BACK episode. Who’s ready for TMI?? But no, seriously, we lay a lot on the line in this one. We start by discussing some rather shocking statistics about the imbalance of pleasure in cis-hetero sexual encounters. We apologize from the outset that this discussion is fairly binary and focuses mostly on cis-hetero sexual politics. The story changes when you start to look at non-heteronotmative relationships, which we think underscores even more that we need to break down the male-gaze and the patriarchal way that sex is often presented to us. We deconstruct the construction of masculinity and femininity and how this influences sexual dynamics and creates anxiety around either giving orgasms or performing them. We talk about our own experiences growing up in this environment and how toxic it is for both parties in the encounter. We provide some great resources on ‘female’ pleasure (again, sorry for the binary language) and on sex-positivity in general, and end with some tips we have to improve communication between partners and nurture more honest, intimate, and ultimately satisfying relationships and sexual experiences. Sources and Links * OMG Yes: omgyes.com  * Conor and Brittany’s Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64ZVJ-UfwaM52umSn2SZaw * Conor and Brittany, Stimulating THE CLIT || Are you over or under?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlsVC86DT6Y * Conor and Brittany, The Hard and Fast Confusion || Why to vary speeds and styles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZq4KZ5fcM4 * Conor and Brittany, How to Eat Pussy Like A Champ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSZXU3Bd_hQ * MissFender, An Honest Conversation About Orgasm Inequality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erixhOPTpQY * Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack!, Talking Asexuality with Molly Woodstock from Gender Reveal Podcast: http://veganwarriorprincessesattack.com/165-talking-asexuality-molly-woodstock-gender-reveal-podcast/ Support the Show  

Rundown In this episode, Mexie interviews Becky Ellis, a bee expert and PhD candidate at the University of Western Ontario. Becky explains what’s been causing the alarming decline of our pollinators and what implications this will have. She digs into the political economy of honeybee production and the “pollinator services” industry and how this is affecting the health of bees and the sustainability of our food system. We then move into a discussion of bee autonomy and agency, and how we might co-create a multi-species commons that challenges the capitalist and speciesist system which is currently debilitating life for both humans and non-human animals. We end on a message of hope – we can “crack capitalism” and create an environment in which humans and non-human animals mutually flourish. Sources and Links * John Holloway, Crack Capitalism: https://libcom.org/files/Holloway%20-%20Crack%20Capitalism.pdf * Tony Weis, The Ecological Hoofprint: http://ecologicalhoofprint.org/ * Thomas Seeley, Honeybee Democracy: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/9267.html * Sylvia Federici, Caliban and the Witch (detailing the way capitalist accumulation destroys people’s connection the non-human nature, and also women’s power within communities): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/403846.Caliban_and_the_Witch * Lisa Jean Moore and Mary Kosut, Buzz: Urban Beekeeping and the Power of the Bee: https://nyupress.org/books/9781479827381/ * Dave Goulson, a leading bumble bee researcher: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/goulsonlab/ * Sanaith Suryanarayanan, The Sorrow of Bees: https://aeon.co/essays/bees-have-feelings-too-and-scientists-should-respect-them Becky’s Work and Social Media * Permaculture for the People  – https://permacultureforthepeople.org * P4P facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/permaculturefortheppl/ * Twitter @Permacultureppl * Instagram @Earthygrrrl * Becky Ellis, 2018. Save the bees? Agrochemical corporations and the debate over neonicotinoids in Ontario: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10455752.2018.1494748 Support the Show  

Rundown This week Mexie interviews Josh Walker, a comrade who fought with the YPG in the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria. Josh lays out the history and political ideology of the revolution, the extent to which feminist ideals are incorporated into their revolutionary praxis, and he addresses some of the common criticisms of the movement including their strategic military alliances or agreements with the U.S. and the Assad regime. He also talks about his time with the YPG and the importance of internationalist collaboration, and honours his comrade Anna Campbell of the YPJ who was killed in Afrin. Sources and Links * Abdullah Öcalan, Liberating Life: Woman’s Revolution: http://www.freeocalan.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/liberating-Lifefinal.pdf * Abdullah Öcalan, War and Peace in Kurdistan: http://www.freedom-for-ocalan.com/english/download/Ocalan-War-and-Peace-in-Kurdistan.pdf * We Are Plan C, A Real Revolution is a Mess of Contradictions: https://www.weareplanc.org/blog/a-real-revolution-is-a-mass-of-contradictions-interview-with-our-member-in-rojava/ * Ercan Ayboga, The Geopolitics of the Kurds and the Case of Rojava: https://socialistproject.ca/2018/02/geopolitics-kurds-rojava/ * Marcel Cartier, Afrin and the Rojava Revolution: https://socialistproject.ca/2018/01/afrin-and-rojava-revolution/ * Matt Blake, British Woman (Anna Campbell) Killed Fighting Turkish Forces in Afrin: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/19/briton-kurds-anna-campbell-dies-fighting-turkey-syria-afrin Support the Show  

Rundown This week Marine interviews Yazan Al-Saadi, a Syrian-Canadian journalist and researcher, about the war in Syria. Yazan’s work has been featured in Al-Akbar English, Muftah, Raseef 22, Democracy Now, Russia Today and Lebanon support. We solicited listener questions for Yazan, ranging from questions around anti-imperialism, the refugee “crisis”, and chemical weapons, to questions around solidarity with other oppressed peoples and the potential for an alternative, united approach going forward. These are incredibly controversial topics in current leftist discourse, but we feel that it’s important for leftists to take seriously the critiques and aspirations of people with a genuine stake in what happens in Syria, regardless of where one might fall ideologically. Yazan provides thought-provoking analysis that will hopefully spark some productive (and perhaps uncomfortable) conversations. Sources and Links * Marine’s video “Making Sense of Syria ft. Yazan Al-Saadi”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v-FND8xg1w * Yazan’s comics at The Nib: https://thenib.com/yazan-al-saadi * Yazan on Democracy Now!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrwJDmNw7DA Support the Show  

Rundown In this episode we analyze the links between the antinatalist, vegan, and anticapitalist movements. We start by discussing what antinatalism is and distinguish it from merely a personal preference not to have children. We then take a look at how it’s been expressed in the vegan movement, with what implications and problematic assumptions (particularly for consumerist vegans!), including a discussion of the business of adoption. We critique the issue of “overpopulation” from a political economy standpoint, explaining how capitalism is a major driving force of population growth and environmental degradation and why relative ecological footprints matter. We then discuss the limitations of antinatalism to actually save animals and transform the systems that abuse them, as well as the idea of forced sterilization of both pets and humans. We close by looking at the arguments for and against antinatalism in the anticapitalist movement, and once again point out the limitations of antinatalism to actually challenge or transform the system. Sources and Links * A Privileged Vegan, Is it Orphan Adoption or Child Trafficking?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6B8uHg7Gjk * Mexie, The Problem with “Overpopulation”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYuo2QdNu88&t * Mexie, Precarious Work! The Reserve Army of Labour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgJlsBCmrUA&t * David Benatar, “Better Never to Have Been Born: The Harm of Coming Into Existence”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199549265/ref=as_at?creativeASIN=0199549265&linkCode=w61&imprToken=deEY9NuZImWU1Pmc0jb6tA&slotNum=0&tag=thneyo0f-20 * Marxist Student Federation, “Anti-natalist philosophy: hysteria, pessimism and capitalism’s decline”: http://marxiststudent.com/anti-natalist-philosophy-hysteria-pessimism-and-capitalisms-decline/ * The Anarchist Library, “Antinatalism as Revolution”: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/anonymous-antinatalism-as-revolution * Vegan Feminist Network, “Vegans, Procreation, and “Overpopulation”, Oh My!”: http://veganfeministnetwork.com/vegans-procreation-and-overpopulation-oh-my/ Support the Show  

Rundown In this episode we talk about our experiences in the minefield that is online (leftist, vegan) activism. We talk about vulnerabilities, gendered responses to our work, speech habits, view counts, the efficacy of debates, and much more. We also discuss how to navigate the real world as an online activist, and finish with some tips for people looking to build community around them in real life. We hope it’s as therapeutic a listen as it was to record! Sources and Links * Mexie’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/Mexie * Marine’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Highonfruit1 * Mexie on Rev Left Radio talking climate change, veganism and radical food politics (shameless plug): https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/food-and-the-environment-climate-change-hunger-veganism Support the Show  

Rundown In light of the recent Vegan Vibes tour organized in Israel, Marine interviews Laura Schleifer– a Jewish pro-intersectional vegan and free Palestine solidarity activist who spent time in the Palestinian West Bank on a theatre tour. Israel wants to grow its reputation as “The Vegan Capital of the World” and is using diverse tactics to spread this message (Vegan Birthright, vegan army gear, vegan conferences, vegan food tours). Brand Israel has long used social justice causes to promote itself as a cool, progressive, innovate hub, in order to distract us from looking at its atrocious human rights track record. After gay rights (Pink Washing), the environment (Green Washing), we discuss how veganism is being leveraged to “Vegan-Wash” the Israeli occupation. Sources and Links Video with Marine and Laura “Israel and Palestine: An Overview, Veganwashing, Gary Yourofsky, BDS, and more” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAhcgrtlKwQ&t=176s Laura’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/laura.schleifer Palestinian Animal League: https://pal.ps/en/ The Electronic Intifada: https://electronicintifada.net/ Occupation 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDK6IfZK0a0 Vibe Israel: http://vibeisrael.com/vibe-israel-tours/ * Gary Fields, Enclosure: https://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520291058 * Media Roots: Abby Goes to Palestine: https://soundcloud.com/media-roots/abby-goes-to-palestine * Media Roots: “Great March of Return” Massacre, Killing Gaza : Interview w/ Max Blumenthal & Dan Cohen Support the Show  

Rundown In this episode we explore the intersections of speciesism, capitalism, racism, and climate change by taking a sobering look at the threats to public health and safety for communities living near factory farms. From respiratory diseases to brain damage to anti-bacterial resistance, the impacts of concentrating animals into large-scale killing operations (for profit) go far beyond the already devastating consequences for animals and our environment. We discuss how and why poorer communities of colour are disproportionately targeted and impacted by these operations, and close by highlighting some ways in which communities are organizing to resist the construction of new factory farms. Sources and Links * Anna Dorovskikh, “Killing for a Living: Psychological and Physiological Effects of Alienation of Food Production on Slaughterhouse Workers”: https://scholar.colorado.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2157&context=honr_theses * National Association of Local Boards of Health, “Understanding Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and Their Impact on Communities”: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/docs/understanding_cafos_nalboh.pdf * David Post, “Across Rural Minnesota, People Are Saying NO to Factory Farms”: https://landstewardshipproject.org/posts/blog/923 * Emily Kolbe, “”Won’t You Be My Neighbour?” Living With Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations”: https://ilr.law.uiowa.edu/print/volume-99-issue/wont-you-be-my-neighbor-living-with-concentrated-animal-feeding-operations/ * Food Empowerment Project, “Slaughterhouse Workers”: http://www.foodispower.org/slaughterhouse-workers/ * Food Empowerment Project, “Environmental Racism”: http://www.foodispower.org/environmental-racism/ * Rebekah Barber, “VOICES OF RESISTANCE: Organizing Where Racism and the Environment Intersect”: https://www.facingsouth.org/2018/03/voices-resistance-organizing-where-racism-and-environment-intersect Support the Show  

Rundown In this episode we break down the term “carceral feminism,” which refers to movements that seek to redress violence against women through increased prosecution and harsher punishment for abusers. We discuss the history of this approach, including monumental crime bills that have shaped how we (still) respond to gender-based violence. We then take a look at some of the dangerous consequences of such an approach for the very victims ‘carceral feminism’ seeks to help, providing some illuminating stories of victims who found themselves on the receiving end of unjust carceral punishment. We discuss how this approach lends itself to the neoliberal agenda of rolling back the welfare state, and how this rollback leaves women even more vulnerable to abuse, violence and harassment. We then take a look at the #MeToo movement and analyze the kind of activism it has been spurring. We end on a more positive note, talking about important alternative ways to treat the root cause of the problem and not just the symptom. Sources and Links * Alex Press, #MeToo Must Avoid “Carceral Feminism”: https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2018/2/1/16952744/me-too-larry-nassar-judge-aquilina-feminism * Alix Langone, What’s the Difference Between the #MeToo and Time’s Up Movements?: http://time.com/5189945/whats-the-difference-between-the-metoo-and-times-up-movements/ * Angela Hill, 2011. “This Modern Day Slavery”: Sex Trafficking and Moral Panic in the United Kingdom: http://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/etd/ucb/text/Hill_berkeley_0028E_11637.pdf * Ava DuVernay’s documentary “13th,” on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741 * BCRW Videos, More Laws = More Violence: Criminalization as a Failed Strategy for Anti-Violence Movements: https://vimeo.com/104752683 * Beth Richie, Arrested Justice: Black Feminist Reflections on Carceral Feminism and Prison Abolition (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei4mJV9k4Wc * Dean Spade, 2011. Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics and the Limits of Law: https://www.amazon.com/Normal-Life-Administrative-Violence-Critical/dp/0896087964 * Elizabeth Sweet, Carceral Feminism: Linking the state, intersectional bodies, and the dichotomy of place: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2043820616655041?journalCode=dhga * INCITE! Critical Resistance Statement: http://www.incite-national.org/page/incite-critical-resistance-statement * Inner Hoe Uprising, “The OGs of the Me Too Movement”: https://soundcloud.com/innerhoeuprising/the-ogs-of-the-metoo-movement * Laura Augustin, The New Abolitionist Model: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/12/sex-work-the-pimping-of-prostitution-review * Rev Left Radio, Prison Abolitionism: Abolitionist Feminism and the Anarchist Black Cross: https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/prison * Vegan Warrior Princesses Attack!, The Injustice of Mass Incarceration & Why Vegans Should Care (Part 1): http://veganwarriorprincessesattack.

Rundown In this episode we tackle Universal Basic Income from a critical leftist perspective. We start by discussing why we’ve reached a point where so many people, on both the Left and Right sides of the political spectrum, are now advocating for basic income, including a critical look at how the internal mechanisms of capitalism produce an increasingly precarious and automated workforce. We then take a look at the progressive dream for basic income and contrast this to the concept’s neoliberal roots. Next, we provide critiques of the reactionary models that are being proposed, and talk about what accepting these models will mean for the system at large and what power workers will have in directing it. We end by talking about whether or not basic income will solve the internal contradictions of capitalism, and whether or not we should support it as leftists concerned with human rights, social justice and welfare. Sources and Links * Ceylan Yeginsu, 2018. If Workers Slack Off, the Wristband Will Know. (And Amazon Has a Patent for It.): https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/01/technology/amazon-wristband-tracking-privacy.html * John Clarke, 2017. Basic Income: Progressive Dreams Meet Neoliberal Realities: https://socialistproject.ca/2017/01/b1350/#continue   * Mexie’s video Precarious Work! The Reserve Army of Labour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgJlsBCmrUA * Michael Auerback, 2018. Amazon is a a 21st-Century Digital Chain Gang: https://socialistproject.ca/2018/02/amazon-21st-century-digital-chain-gang/#more-13206 * Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, 2017. The Neoliberal Danger of Basic Income: https://socialistproject.ca/2017/10/b1494/ * Paul Cockshott, 2018. What is Wrong with the Idea of Basic Income: https://paulcockshott.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/what-is-wrong-with-the-idea-of-basic-income/ * Yogi Achara and A.J. Withers, 2017. Intentional Neglect or Callous Oversight? How ‘Progressive’ Basic Income Proposals Fail Migrants: https://socialistproject.ca/2017/09/b1489/ Support the Show  

Rundown This episode was inspired by a great series of questions from one of our listeners, Julian. Julian asked: Would you want the domesticated races to simply die out (like, after we have achieved full communism and everybody has gone vegan)? Even horses? How do you feel about humans engaging in a kind of idealized farming? Would you agree with me that in traditional farming animals suffer less than they do in the wild? Would you want family farmers in third world countries or pastoral nomads to give up their lifestyle so as to not exploit animals anymore? To answer these questions, we start by discussing the history of domestication and how humans formed various ‘symbiotic’ relationships with different species of animals. We then explore what alternative (anti-capitalist and/or anti-statist) relationships to animals might look like, focusing in particular on “hill people”, or forest-dwelling communities in the highland forests of Southeast Asia. In this section we highlight how capitalism mediates our relationship with meat and ‘prey’ animals in the Global North. Next, we discuss how domesticated animals may be necessary for the inputs required for widespread vegetarian or vegan practice. We follow this with a discussion of the domestication of pet animals, and how our understanding of them as dependent and incapable of a ‘real’ life without us can reproduce ablest attitudes, as well as how capitalism imbues our relationships with our pets. We finish by trying to sketch out what an alternative, decommodified, and more ‘symbiotic’ relationship with animals might look like as we learn to envision ourselves as animals, very much a part of the ecosystems we participate in. Sources and Links: * Crockford, S (2000). Dogs through Time: An Archaeological Perspective.: https://books.google.ca/books/about/Dogs_Through_Time.html?id=fKMYAAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y * Ellis, B (2017). Why vegans should support backyard hens: https://permacultureforthepeople.org/2017/11/13/why-vegans-should-support-backyard-hens/ * Larson, G. (2014). “The Evolution of Animal Domestication” (PDF). Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 45: 115–36. * Scott, James (2009). The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300169171/art-not-being-governed * Taylor, Sunaura (2017). Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation. https://thenewpress.com/books/beasts-of-burden * Zeder, M. A. (2012). “The domestication of animals”. Journal of Anthropological Research. 68 (2): 161–190: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.3998/jar.0521004.0068.201 Support the Show  

Rundown You asked for it, and we delivered! A laminated blueprint on exactly how to end capitalism, and what to build in its place! Joking aside, in this episode we explain capitalism, socialism, communism, and anarchism as distinct modes of production. We tackle some of the common arguments for capitalism and against alternatives such as communism. We also explain the pernicious politics of ‘aid’ and exploitation in Global North-South relations, underscoring that this needs to be a global project. We finish with some theoretical and practical ideas for building a post-capitalist future, emphasizing the importance of both embracing uncertainty and of understanding that we ourselves are its authors and creators. Sources and Links * Intercepted podcast, Leading Marxist Scholar David Harvey on Trump, Wall Street, and Debt Peonage: https://theintercept.com/2018/01/21/marxist-scholar-david-harvey-on-trump-wall-street-and-debt-peonage/ * David Harvey, Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18579571-seventeen-contradictions-and-the-end-of-capitalism * Jason Hickel, Aid in reverse: how poor countries develop rich countries: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jan/14/aid-in-reverse-how-poor-countries-develop-rich-countries * Jason Hickel, Exposing the Great Poverty Reduction Lie: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/08/exposing-great-poverty-reductio-201481211590729809.html * Joseph Stiglitz, Globalization and its Discontents Revisited: https://www.wwnorton.co.uk/books/9780393355161-globalization-and-its-discontents-revisited * John Perkins, The New Confessions of an Economic Hitman: https://www.amazon.com/New-Confessions-Economic-Hit-Man/dp/1626566747/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CKCSXDA2X3ZC17BT3SS2 * Revolutionary Left Radio podcast, Red Hangover: Legacies of 20th Century Communism w/ Dr. Kristen R. Ghodsee: https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/red-hangover-legacies-of-20th-century-communism-w-dr-kristen-r-ghodsee * Under the Skin Podcast, Russel Brand and Jason Hickel, Inequality is Killing Us All. Are We Going to Stop It?: https://www.russellbrand.com/podcast/ep-24-inequality-killing-us-going-stop-jason-hickel/ Support the Show

Rundown In this episode we work through issues relating to body image, eating disorders and gendered experiences with food, drawing a lot from our own experiences. The impetus for this episode came from a series of comments that Mexie received on her channel that focused on her appearance. We begin by discussing these, and then move into discussions of our own experiences with eating disorders and gendered experiences with food, including veganism. We then discuss the tropes of the ‘cool girl’ and the ‘natural beauty’, and discuss how these relate to capitalism and patriarchy more broadly. This was a really personal episode for us (and less structured than we’re used to), but we felt that these were important topics to bring up publicly. We hope you enjoy! Sources and Links * Maria Del Russo, “I Completely Lost Myself Trying To Be “The Cool Girl”: http://www.refinery29.com/how-to-be-a-cool-girl-dating-myth * Julie DiCaro, “The Dangers of the ‘Cool Girl’ Idea”: https://theestablishment.co/the-dangers-of-the-cool-girl-ideal-76e59cf0f6ec * Marine’s video: My Gendered Relationship With Meat (Pre-Vegan): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqTOvbrWsMs&t=176s Support the Show