Animal Rights

Earthling Ed Part 2: Facing the "Extremist" Label and Building the Global Animal Rights March | Ep 002 | SoFlo Vegans Podcast

Part two of Sean's conversation with UK activist Earthling Ed digs into the 2018 media backlash painting vegan activists as "extremists," the founding and rapid global growth of the Official Animal Rights March, and Ed's practical advice for staying calm and effective in difficult conversations with omnivores.

SoFlo Vegans Podcast

Episode 2 · Jul 2, 2018 · 50 min

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Topics Covered

Why UK tabloids were labeling vegan activists "domestic terrorists" in 2018, and Ed's read on why the backlash was actually a sign of progress
The three stages of social change ("first they mock you, then they fight you, then you win") and where the vegan movement sits on that curve
Founding the Official Animal Rights March in London in 2016 (2,500 attendees), its growth to 5,000 in 2017, and its 2018 expansion into the US, Hungary, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, the Philippines, and Taiwan
Surge Activism's on-the-street campaigning, university tours, and the documentary Land of Hope and Glory
Ed's honest take on lab-grown "clean meat": morally positive if it ends animal suffering, but disappointing that it took 30 years of research instead of simply switching to plants
How Ed handles his own mistakes and frustration in difficult conversations, and why body language and tone matter as much as facts
Standout global vegan communities Ed has visited: New York, the UK, and unexpectedly fast-growing scenes in Hungary and Spain

In the News This Episode

Starbucks added the vegan coconut milk vanilla bean latte to its permanent US menu
Starbucks announced plans to eliminate plastic straws from more than 28,000 stores by 2020
The World Wildlife Fund warned that ocean fish populations could be extinct by 2048 if current pollution and consumption trends continue
Costco began replacing its Polish hot dog with plant-based options like a vegan acai bowl and al pastor salad
The animal rights documentary Dominion, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, was set to release July 13, 2018
Leonardo DiCaprio confirmed investments in plant-based milk brand Califia Farms and in Beyond Meat

About the Guest

Earthling Ed (Ed Winters) is a UK-based grassroots animal rights activist and co-director of Surge, the London animal rights organization behind the Official Animal Rights March.