Following an outpouring of opposition from thousands of citizens, religious leaders, defenders of free speech and people working against animal cruelty, TN governor Bill Haslam just vetoed HB1191/SB1248 – aka ag-gag bill, aka anti-whistleblower bill, aka total BS legislation. Good work, anti-ag-gag agitators! And well done, Governor Haslam!

On why he decided to veto the controversial bill, TN’s Times Free Press reported:

Haslam, who has wrestled with the issue for days, cited last week’s legal opinion from Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper, who said the bill’s provisions are “constitutional suspect” as regards the First Amendment.

The governor also voiced concerns that it repeals part of Tennessee’s “shield law,” which protects journalists’ ability to collect information.

Recap

It’s been a bad month for ag-gag foolishness, which is cause for much rejoicing in the land!

• Will Potter decimates industry rep, on Democracy Now
• National media attention and public scrutiny embarrass Utah,
• and Utah prosecutors drop 1st attempted prosecution under new ag-gag laws.

For more on why these laws are so dangerous, listen!

• Episode 5: COK and HSUS Interview – All About Ag-Gag Legislation (and How to Fight It)

Developments this week in TN offer encouragement that sanity can still prevail – but as with any dark and stinky patch of legal ick, public awareness is the only path forward towards positive change.

Ag-gag laws must go: pass it on!

Image credit: Creative Commons photo by Green Fire Productions.

There are so many reasons to avoid dairy and palm oil — this recipe makes it easy-breezy to ditch ‘em both!

Check it out!

Image credit: photo by Dawn Farthing, all rights reserved.

There’s been a massive outcry from divergent groups against TN’s ag-gag bill, which passed the legislature and landed on the governor’s desk last Friday. The governor will either veto the bill or allow it to become law by Monday of next week.

The governor’s office has been inundated by pleas for a veto, from citizens and religious leaders and defenders of free speech and people working against animal cruelty. Now TN’s Attorney General Robert Cooper has called the bill constitutionally questionable, on several different grounds.

Read more here on why Tennessee’s AG thinks the bill is ‘constitutionally suspect,’ and listen here to learn more about why these laws are so dangerous. And if you’re a TN resident, contact your governor and politely (but strongly) encourage him to veto HB 1191!

VE-TO! VE-TO! VE-TO!!! C’mon, TN: Do the right thing already!

Image credit: image courtesy of HSUS, all rights reserved.

The GMO labeling movement continues to gain momentum. Yesterday the VT House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would require labeling of all foods sold in VT containing GMOs. It goes to a full House vote this week, and if passed will head to the Senate when the next legislative session begins in January 2014.

Full article here, via EatDrinkBetter.

Image credit: Creative Commons photo by Millions Against Monsanto.

‘You need meat for protein! Eating meat is natural! Lookit my pointy teeth! What about the poor plants?!’ When you go vegetarian or vegan, you’ll almost certainly (and almost immediately) encounter a specific set of myths and assumptions that serve to rationalize the dominant meat-soaked food paradigm. To navigate this cultural game of Fact or Crap, it’s important to understand why these perennial arguments are bunk; and it’s (maybe even more) important to know how to respond to these myths, when you hear them. Because you will! And what happens next can change the world.

Listen!

Woot for Listener Input!

Much thanks to Amy Love, PK Kickstarter backer, animal rights advocate, vegan blogger, and friend of the show, for today’s discussion topic! Be sure check out Amy’s cooking adventures on her Facebook page, Vegan Luvies — trigger warning though: there’s some dangerous food porn over there, so proceed at your own vegan-food-craving risk!

Amy asked us to address how to respond to the common things that people say to vegans; I’m not sure we end up where you meant to send us, Amy, but I think it’s a trip worth making.

When (and Why) Logic and Reason Don’t Matter

Consider: religious wars throughout history, violence against Freedom Riders, decades-long vilification of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweiss and his ‘crazy’ argument for physicians’ hand-washing, Gallileo’s imprisonment, etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum. When you challenge someone’s internal narratives, they feel threatened and defend them: that’s just how human brains work!

It’s not an ‘argument’ that can be ‘won’ — if your goal is positive change in the world, you must instead inspire people to consider an alternate narrative. That requires a whole different skill set, compared to those for understanding why anti-veg arguments don’t make sense. In responding to these anti-veg myths in social situations, the following quote offers valuable guidance:

“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

Thanks to Tess Challis (@tesschallis on Twitter) for the quote reminder: it’s perfect for this discussion! HOW you talk to people about food ethics is more important than what you say — it’s even more important than the strength of your argument. Recommended sources for further research on this topic:

• Melanie Joy’s Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows (SEE GIVEAWAY DETAILS, BELOW!)
• Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s podcast Vegetarian Food for Thought (especially episodes titled Responses to ‘I’m Vegan,’ and How to Reply and Turning the Tables)
• I’m Right, You’re Wrong, Now What: Break the Impasse and Get What You Need

That said, the first step to addressing any problem is understanding it. Although logic and reason won’t convince someone to agree with you, it’s important to understand the issues at hand so you can respond from a position of confidence.

So: Let’s Debunk!

What are the common myths you’ll hear, and why are they bunk arguments against veg*n eating?

Listen to the ‘cast for a more complete dismantling of everything on this list… but until you can get there, explore the links for abundant debunkery:

‘I only eat HUMANE (meat/ eggs/ dairy/ whatever).’ — nope and nope and nope and nope. I often think of Inigo and Vincini from The Princess Bride, while having this particular discussion: ‘You keep yoosing dat word; I doona think it means wha’ you think it means!’ Dawn recommends an Onion article on this topic, which is dark but philosophically accurate.

Closely related to above, ‘But eggs and milk don’t kill anyone, so it’s ok!’ — nope and nope.

‘You need meat for protein.’ — nope. You don’t actually.

‘It’s natural’ / ‘we’ve always done it’  – nope!… eating meat, eggs, or dairy is no more ‘natural’ than other harmful things we’ve always done – rape, murder, incest, xenophobia, and genocidal activities are ‘natural’ for humans, if by that you mean ‘we’ve always done it.’ Does it make those activities desirable?! Also please note that plant-eating is WAY more natural than shoes, cell phones, cars or computers, which don’t seem to draw too much public complaint for their ‘unnatural’ natures! This is a weak weak weak argument, used throughout history to justify utter crap… see slavery, colonialism, subjugation of women, racism, etc. etc. etc. WEAK.

For a quick entertaining overview of some of the reasons this argument is bunk, watch:

‘Lookit my pointy teeth!’ – Oh, I’m lookin’ at ‘em, all right! and, ah, nope.

‘God wants us to’/ ‘that’s what animals are for.’– nope!… at least, the Christian Vegetarian Association doesn’t think so. Religion can be (and has been) used to justify a ridiculous series of atrocities throughout history, from slavery to ’witch’ torture to persecution of homosexual people to suicide bombs to genocide. Saying your god wants you to commit acts of violence that you wish to commit — in this or any other context – is just a tad bit convenient, isn’t it?! Especially when most major world religions carry on quite a lot about the virtues of kindness and compassion and whatnot: why not go THERE, instead? Choosing the violence-propagating bits of any religion as the bits you want to act upon is just that: a choice — not a divine mandate.

‘But it tastes good!’ — oh HELL nope! In what other context would saying ‘But it gives me momentary sensory pleasure’ be even remotely acceptable, as an excuse to justify completely unnecessary violence?! That’s a piss-poor argument, reserved only for food choices… nope nope nope nope nope: not buyin’ it!

‘Plants feel pain toooooo!!!!’ – seriously?! THAT’S whatcha got?… nope.

‘What about the poor insects you KILL, to get your precious VEGAN FOOD??!’ — nope. Like (one part of) the problem with the ’poor plants’ argument, many more insects (and other agriculture victims like gophers, moles, snakes, etc.) are killed within an animal-based food system than a plant-based one. Also — especially when coupled with the ‘plant’ thing, above – we officially think this is a bunk argument on purpose: quit trying to poke the vegan! To quote Graham Chapman in And Now For Something Completely Different: ‘Stop that — it’s silly! And a bit suspect, I think…’

‘What if you were STRANDED on a DESERT ISLAND…??!!’ — hahahaha! … still nope. See ‘silly,’ above. Hey – I’ve got one! What if YOU were stranded in an industrial society characterized by an overabundance of food… where all your society’s top killer diseases were related to that food overabundance… say, maybe you were in a world where the phrase ‘obesity crisis’ kept popping up, in which there was so much food to choose from that the problem was the danger of eating TOO MUCH, rather than not getting enough… a world in which massive overconsumption of animal foods were clearly and repeatedly linked to chronic disease and early death? What would YOU do?! (next argument, please!)

‘But it’s soooooo haaaaaaard to eat vegan (/vegetarian/ real food/ slow food/ healthy food/ whatever)’ — nope! Changing habits is hard; eating vegan is easy! For more on the difference between these two things, read or listen to this interview with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau about the 30-day Vegan Challenge (great new-vegan resource, btw!).

‘Sometimes I just crave meat’ / ‘I just HAVE to have a steak’ / ‘I just NEED cheese’/ etc. — um, see ‘not obligate carnivore’… nope! You might be craving salt, fat, or protein; you might crave the texture of something chewy. Possibly you’re craving the familiar habit of eating (whatever animal-based food) with your family. Whatever you’re craving, though, rest assured it isn’t meat or dairy! Because humans have no need for those things. If you were a cat or a shark, you might be craving the flesh of other animals; if you were a baby cow you might be craving breast milk from a mama cow. But if you’re reading (or listening) to Progressive Kitch, I’m guessing you aren’t any of those creatures! Humans have no nutritional need for meat, and no need whatsoever for breast milk after infancy. So whatever you’re craving: that ain’t it!

‘If we didn’t eat them they’d overpopulate and overrun the world!!!’ — SUPPLY AND DEMAND, helllllooooo! In a word, nope.

‘It’s cultural/ it’s tradition.’ — nope! The culture/ tradition argument represents a downright pitiful effort to justify violence: which people generally recognize in EVERY OTHER DOMAIN except food! First of all, culture and tradition are far from static – living cultures ALWAYS grow and change over time (see Bianca Phillips’ Cookin’ Crunk: Eating Vegan in the Dirty South, for an excellent example of what that change can look like). See also Vegan Thanksgiving: Turkeys, Marketing, and Tradition Invention – we’re not just forever stuck with the traditions we happen to inherit! And as with religion, we see the culture/ tradition argument used to justify huge tracts of hideousness throughout human history: rape, domestic violence, female genital mutilation, theocracy, honor killings, racism… a culturally institutionalized bad idea is still a bad idea.

‘I was vegan but ‘craved’ meat/ ‘my body told me I need animal protein’ — nope! see (yet again) ‘not obligate carnivore’ and ‘not obligate carnivore!’

‘Oh, well, you know… I don’t eat much meat (or eggs or dairy or whatever). – nope! Ten billion land animals every year go onto human plates in the US alone… TEN. BILLION. Someone certainly seems to be eating them! When omnivores assert otherwise, a couple different things can be going on: either they honestly don’t realize how much random stuff on grocery shelves contains animal junk; or they’re telling themselves the stories they need to, in order to keep participating in a food culture that contradicts their own values of kindness and compassion.

‘Why do you love animals more than people?!’ — nope, that’s just more silliness. Mind-blowing truth revealed: it’s quite possible to do both! Compassion isn’t finite material, necessitating constant careful rationing: advocating less violence towards animals takes nothing away from helping humans… indeed, in the case of modern animal agriculture, the two goals are incredibly compatible!

‘Those poor farmers would go out of business / our economy depends on meat!’ — nope! Just like when this very same argument was used to resist the abolition of slavery in this country, it’s a poor excuse for optional violence. If demand shifted away from animal agriculture towards growing plant-foods for human consumption, then that’s what ‘farmers’ (ignoring for the moment that most animal producers are corporate behemoths like Tyson and Smithfield, not your farmer-grandpa Ed) would grow. It’s actually quite possible to go from raising slaughter-bound animals to doing something else. Supply and demand, y’all: it’s magical!

Now Go Back to the Top of this List, and Repeat

These same perennial arguments crop up repeatedly with such disappointing regularity, someone should really make a game out of them… oh hey wait: someone did! Check out Defensive Omnivore Bingo next time you need a good chuckle (or maybe a distraction from strangling, next time someone asks you to consider their ‘pointy teeth’)!

When you find intelligent, compassionate, kind, educated people making these same poorly reasoned remarks over and over and over — often aggressively, angrily, defensively — there is something going on that’s way beyond the simple question of what to put on a sandwich!

Narrative Navigation: Talking with People Who Say This S**t to You

Psychologist and author Melanie Joy refers to the stories and beliefs that justify eating animals  as carnism.

Exerpted from Carnism: Why Eating Animals is a Social Justice Issue:

Carnism is the invisible belief system, or ideology, that conditions us to eat certain animals. Carnism is the opposite of veganism; we tend to think it is only vegans (and vegetarians) who bring their beliefs to the dinner table. But when eating animals is not a necessity for survival, as is the case in much of the world today, it is a choice—and choices always stem from beliefs.

Like religious myths and stories, when you challenge someone’s internal narrative about what makes eating animals ‘ok’, it generates internal dissonance and discomfort. Without understanding and acknowledging the source of that discomfort, it’s impossible to speak about these ideas in a way that inspires change: no one will change habits based on anything less significant than embracing new internal narratives about the world and humans’ place within it. That requires more than ‘a good argument!’

Remember, by the way, that you don’t owe anyone an explanation for your choices – especially early on, as you lean into veg*n ways, it’s ok to find your way a bit before diving into the emotionally-fraught narrative-reshaping mayhem!

You can always say, ‘Well, it makes me happy, so I do it!’ and just leave it there.

But when you’re ready to ‘come out’ as a vegan and engage on these issues — and please do! simply standing up to be counted for the veg team serves to further ’normalize’ a nonviolent narrative, within the dominant non-vegan culture — there’s no getting around it: logic and reason alone just won’t do the job.

There’s no shortage of ideas, around the interwebs, for responding to anti-veg myths and questions from omnivores. For example:

• 5 Common Questions About Veganism… and Ideas for How to Answer Them
• Vegan Street: Thoughtful Response/ Snappy Retort
• 5 Smart (ass) Questions to 5 Dumb (ass) Questions About Veganism
• Top 10 Things Never to Say to a Vegan (with responses)

There’s nothing wrong with any of these — EXCEPT THAT BY THEMSELVES THEY WILL NOT BRING ABOUT CHANGE.

People feel defensive when their internal stories about the world are challenged: that’s the bottom line. The only way to defuse that tension is to build bridges between your world view and theirs, so they can comfortably walk across to your side if they eventually want to do so.

HOW?

Unfortunately, no magic words or phrases exist to convince non-vegans to jump the animal eater/ plant eater divide. Relationships are key: we must inspire a desire for change, in the context of a positive relationship (even if it’s just for the duration of the conversation), rather than attempting to convince. Food stories are held emotionally; and that’s the domain in which change becomes possible.

It’s all about relationships: every positive interaction with a vegan (or vegetarian) wears down anti-vegan myths and stereotypes — remember it’s more about HOW you say it than about WHAT you say!

General guidelines for positive communication, about veg*n eating or any other potentially contentious issue:

• Use the ‘LEAP‘ system: listen, empathize, agree, and partner. Use active listening strategies to draw the other person into actual dialogue — ‘What do you mean?’… ‘Have you always thought animals were for eating? All animals, or just specific ones?’… ’Are there animals you wouldn’t eat? Why?’… ‘Hmm, well, I guess it sort of depends on what you mean by natural… do you mean because humans have always done it?’ … ‘Oh, awesome – another food ethics enthusiast! … what labels do you look for on ‘humane’ animal products? Why?’ LISTEN and reflect back what they say, without judgment or commentary.
• Empathize with their experiences. Don’t fake it — find it! ‘I was worried about protein too, at first’… ‘I was totally scared of giving up cheese, too! I put it off for ages, because I couldn’t imagine cooking without it’… ‘I grew up the same way! When I was a kid, my mom practically cooked bacon at every meal’… ‘I wouldn’t have thought I could be happy  without cheese either. But sometimes you surprise yourself, I guess!’…’yeah, I get what you’re saying —  if I thought my body really needed something, I’d want to eat it too.’
• FIND COMMON GROUND TO AGREE ON (yes there always is some)! … ‘I totally agree, it matters how farmed animals are treated’ … ‘We’re definitely on the same page about farmers’ markets, and supporting local growers’… ‘I’m glad we agree that food choices matter!’… ‘I know we both appreciate a good laugh…’ <—(ok, yeah, I’m thinking of the plant/ insect/ desert island questions here… heehee, good times! but I digress…)
• To the greatest degree possible, put yourself on the same page with the person you’re talking to, rather than positioning yourself as an adversary. ‘Well, it seems like we want the same things: more compassion and less cruelty in the world. I don’t think humane labeling is the best way to get there, but I’m glad our goals are so similar’… ‘I’m always glad to meet other folks who shop their conscience — we may disagree on the details; but for environmentalists like us, food choices are such an easy way to make a difference!’
• Whenever possible, set up opportunities to be asked for your thoughts — folks are automatically more receptive to information they’ve asked about. ‘Why am I vegan? Because I never heard a good reason not to be.’ Just wait: they will ask about protein, naturalness, ‘pointy teeth,’ and all the rest of it. Say, ‘Do you really want to know? I love to talk about this stuff, but not everyone is really interested…’ and they’ll press you to tell all. Or maybe someone says, ‘Well, you know, eating meat is natural!’… and you reply, ‘I hear that a lot, actually… I have some theories about why so many people think so, even though it doesn’t seem like a very strong argument to me.’ Then wait. THEY WILL ASK, and — because they asked — they will be more likely to listen!
• Use ‘I’ language. ‘It looks to me like…’ ‘I found out that…’ ‘I don’t want to participate in…’ ‘I watched…’ ‘I read…’ ‘I don’t need…’ ‘I feel like…’ Own it! Not only will it make your ideas more accessible to (defensive) listeners, it’s harder to argue with: no one can tell you that you don’t think or feel something that, in fact, you DO think or feel.
• Remember where the defensiveness comes from — it’s not about you! And it’s not about the relative merit of your ideas and arguments. This is emotion-driven defensiveness, related to clashing narratives about the role of human beings in the world. If — when — you feel attacked, DO NOT respond in kind! It isn’t about you. Stay positive, and walk away if that’s not possible. Getting drawn into a hostile exchange serves no positive purpose!

Be confident, be friendly, and know when to let it go. When it comes to clashing stories about the world, change doesn’t tend to happen overnight. Don’t try to convince: listen, connect, inspire!

Like water on stone, every positive interaction with a vegan wears this anti-veg mythology right on down… utilize that approach; and expect a similar timeline.

BrainGarden

• Brain Bugs: How the Brain’s Flaws Shape Our Lives (book) by Dean Buonomano
• From Excusitarian to Vegan (video) by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (note: minor audio issues early in the video are quickly resolved — stick around!)

• Carnism: the Psychology of Eating Meat (video) by Melanie Joy

Watch… then share!

Housekeeping

We have some exciting new PK developments to report!

• Our shiny new Progressive Kitch voicemail line is now UP AND RUNNING, woot woot! Add your voice to the PK convo by leaving voicemail at 206-984-1310. Call in with comments, suggestions, opinions, action alerts, stories, resource recommendations… whatever you feel inspired to share!
• A brand new ‘subscribe by email’ option is also now available — we’ve been posting more between podcast episodes… so if you want to keep up with ALL the PK action, now you can receive email alerts whenever we update the website. Don’t fight the urge: subscribe!

If you’ve found something valuable here please share Progressive Kitch on your social networks, subscribe for free by your podcatcher of choice, and/ or rate us on iTunes. You can also become a supporting member or make a one-time donation to support the show, via our Members and Donors page; or just spread the word via PK bling — find all kinds of PK/ food ethics/ radical truthiness merch here.

Thank you!

Last But Not Least… GIVEAWAAAAAAAAY!!!

If you’re interested in understanding where these anti-veg myths come from, how they self-propagate, and how kind and compassionate people routinely perform all kinds of mental gymnastics to justify optional violence towards animals, you MUST read Melanie Joy’s Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows… To make that assignment easier, we wanna send you a copy!

‘Like’ PK on Facebook and/ or follow us on Twitter, and then comment below that you did so to enter the contest. Two weeks from this post’s publication date, we’ll randomly choose a winner from the comment pool and send them a copy of this excellent book. Contest is open to US residents only, please, this time around.

Good luck, giveaway contestants!

Thanks for listening, and for reading, and for generally giving a s**t about what you eat.

It matters that these myths are bunk, it matters that you know why, and it matters how you handle it when someone says them to you!

“Animals can communicate quite well.  And they do.  And generally speaking, they are ignored.”  ~Alice Walker

If we forget the importance of social narratives and human connections, our voices risk being also ignored. But there’s hope yet: all our social interactions with non-vegans offer possibilities for inspiring positive change…

Don’t waste ‘em!

Image credit: Creative Commons photo by potential past.

We’ll see if it works — I’m very certain Monsanto et al will pull no punches, in trying to squelch it. But for now: good work! The labeling tide seems to be turning against the biotech behemoths — read the full article here, via EatDrinkBetter.

Image credit: Creative Commons photo by Millions Against Monsanto.

Lend your voice to the revolution — call and comment on any web post or podcast episode that catches your eye and/ or ear! We’ll broadcast your input on our next podcast episode, to broaden the discussion… All comments, insights, complaints, contradictions, speculations, and other feedback welcome.

Call our shiny new voicemail line at 206-984-1310 – fire at will!

Image credit: Creative Commons photo by Dave Catchpole.

VWJ’s Andrea Bertoli talks health, nutrition, and plant food with one of the leading voices advocating a consciousness shift in our approach to wellness. Check it out!

Image credit: Creative Commons photo by nutrilover.

Read the full story here.

Image credit:  Creative Commons photo by erix!.

If you’re following the ag-gag issue, don’t miss activist and independent journalist Will Potter’s takedown of some desperately foolish and transparent nontransparency arguments! Watch Potter debate an industry ‘communications specialist’ about ag-gag bills — and meet a hero whose name is (not) Pete — on Democracy Now…

Then listen to this great interview on Citizen Radio! There’s good stuff throughout this episode; but the ag-gag discussion starts around 12:00, if you’re pressed for time:

• Citizen Radio 2013/4/12 – Journalist Will Potter on ‘Ag Gag’ laws, President Obama OKs cuts to Social Security

If you haven’t yet, be sure to listen to our interview with Matt Dominguez of HSUS and Cheryl Leahy from Compassion Over Killing — then SHARE ALL THESE THINGS with everyone you know! As always, knowledge is the key. When it comes to ag-gag laws, the animal industry urgently hopes for two things: your ignorance, and your apathy.

Give them neither!