Vegan is a Boycott with Janet O-Shea

Aug 16, 2025

Janet O'Shea, an academic and activist from UCLA, delves into the debates surrounding veganism as a form of boycott. She critiques the notion that going vegan is ineffective, highlighting how individual actions can create social change. Drawing parallels with Gandhi’s Khadi movement, she emphasizes the historical significance of grassroots efforts. Janet also discusses the environmental impact of animal agriculture and the importance of positioning veganism within the broader framework of social justice, urging for collective action to challenge systemic issues.

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INSIGHT

Industry Models Use Rigged Assumptions

Meat-industry models often assume absurd outcomes like burning surplus feed and needing more synthetic fertilizer.
Those assumptions rig results and ignore alternatives like composting, veganic agriculture, or reduced production.

INSIGHT

Account For Rewilding Benefits

Valid models must include land-use opportunity costs: freed grazing land could be reforested and sequester carbon.
Ignoring rewilding underestimates the climate benefits of shifting away from animal agriculture.

ADVICE

Ask Big To Prime Systemic Change

Advocate for ambitious individual asks like full veganism rather than only tiny steps that industry prefers.
Use large asks to prime cultural change that enables resilient systemic reforms.

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Some advocates in environmental and animal activism argue that we should solely focus on changing the system through government and corporate campaigns, discouraging grassroots action and personal change. Our guest, Janet O’Shea (informally known as Jay), co-authored an article in Newsweek in response to an environmental author’s piece arguing that going vegan is ineffective. Jay systematically debunks the faulty argumentation and refutes its flawed analogies. She offers insightful perspectives on veganism as a boycott, a social justice issue, and the history of vegetarianism, highlighting its differences from the current context.

Then, continuing the conversation about the importance of individual action, Jay talks about Gandhi and the Kahdi (homespun cotton) movement, comparing the British cotton boycott during the British occupation of India to the boycott of animal products today. Jay is incredibly knowledge and reveals some fascinating insights into this issue, please share this episode!

Full Bio:

Janet (Jay) O’Shea is author of Risk, Failure, Play: What Dance Reveals about Martial Arts Training (2019) and At Home in the World: Bharata Natyam on the Global Stage (2007). She is currently writing a book, entitled Bodies on the Line: Physicality, Sentiment, and Social Justice, which focuses on utility cycling advocacy, border solidary efforts, and farmed animal rescue. She has also written book chapters and articles on veganism, animal rights, and environmentalism. She is part of the teaching team for the freshman cluster course Food as a Lens for the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, is on the advisory board of Climate Diet, and is a board member of New Roots Institute. She is a regular volunteer with animal rights, border solidarity, and food justice organizations. She is a Professor and Chair of the department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at UCLA.

RESOUCES:

Jay’s Newsweek Article

Related Podcast: The Cage-Free Conundrum

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