Here are two quotes from the paper that summarize the research:

“Newspapers tend to discredit veganism through ridicule, or as being difficult or impossible to maintain in practice. Vegans are variously stereotyped as ascetics, faddists, sentimentalists, or in some cases, hostile extremists. The overall effect is of a derogatory portrayal of vegans and veganism that we interpret as ‘vegaphobia’. [...] This is problematic in three, interrelated, respects. First, it empirically misrepresents the experience of veganism, and thereby marginalizes vegans. Second, it perpetuates a moral injury to omnivorous readers who are not presented with the opportunity to understand veganism and the challenge to speciesism that it contains. Third, and most seriously, it obscures and thereby reproduces exploitative and violent relations between human and nonhuman animals.”

Essentially, they did a content analysis of UK newspaper articles in 2007 that mentioned veganism. They rated the discussion as positive, neutral, or negative. The totals were as follows: 22 positive articles, 80 neutral articles, and 295 negative articles. Clearly, the majority of mainstream media discussions about veganism are negative.

The article concludes:

“vegaphobic discourse facilitates the continued normalization of human violence on an unimaginable scale. Instead of veganism being used as an opportunity to open up debates about our relationships with nonhuman animals, it is abused as a reason not to care, or even think, about these issues. [...]”

“It may be a vain hope that speciesist Western culture is to be imminently overthrown in favour of a peaceful and compassionate vegan utopia. As Carrie Packwood Freeman notes, in terms of moral progress, ‘the news poses no threat to the anthropocentric worldview that enables animal exploitation’ (2009: 98). However, an understanding of the elaborate interplay of anti-vegan stereotypes, the near silencing of vegan opinion and experience and the absence of animals’ rights viewpoints from discussions of veganism is suggestive of fruitful anti-speciesist strategies vis-à-vis the media. The sheer effort to discredit veganism may be evidence of Brian Luke’s (2007) view that human violence towards nonhuman animals is deeply problematic to most humans. If it were not, there would be little purpose to vegaphobic discourse [...]“

In other words, the way mainstream media treats vegans and veganism does a disservice to vegans, to nonvegan readers, and to (nonhuman) animals. If mainstream media published less biased and more truthful information about the topics of veganism, animal rights, animal agribusiness, and other related issues then virtually everyone would benefit.

Lastly, the paper offers a solution (as all good criticisms ought to do):

“An effective practical interim strategy to combat media vegaphobia might be for vegan academics and NGOs to position themselves to newspaper editors and journalists as ‘experts’ or consultants on veganism and the real life experiences of vegans.”

May I suggest an alternative strategy? For the vegans who can, I suggest that you make your own media! That means vegans out to blog, vlog, publish a zine, write a book, and so forth. Don’t wait for the media to change; become the media.

You can read the paper here >>

Emphasis added in the quotes above.

Veganism is going mainstream — under a new, less rigid-sounding name: plant-strong. Bill Clinton says he’s switched to a “plant-based diet.” So has Mike Tyson and macho retired firefighter Rip Esselstyn, author of the best-selling Engine 2 Diet based on his efforts to convert his station house buddies to a vegan way of life.

Turns out that following a fiber-rich diet consisting mainly of whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables not only helps to reduce heart disease risk, but might even lead to a longer life.

Read the rest of the article here >>

And over at ABC there’s a video with Kathy Freston:

The guests include Kim O’Donnel, author of The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of the new book Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes, Mollie Katzen, author of the nearly-vegan Moosewood Cookbook, and Susan Nitzke, researcher in diet and nutrition.

You can listen to the show here: http://www.onpointradio.org/2011/01/vegans-america

You’ve come a long way, vegan.

Once mocked as a fringe diet for sandal-wearing health food store workers, veganism is moving from marginal to mainstream in the United States.

So begins a FOX news article about veganism titled, “Going Vegan Getting Easier, More Popular.” Read the whole thing here >>

The second part looked at some of the accomplishments of animal rights organizations.

This part will acknowledge some of the accomplishments of general society: businesses, celebrities, and the general public. As I was writing this article, I came across the VegNews article on the same subject. So when you’re done reading the list below, check out their similar list.

Now, to the accomplishments:

• The Las Vegas Weekly published a cover story on veganism!
• The mainstream people at Good Housekeeping have decided that veganism is mainstream enough to publish a cookbook on the topic! It’s called, “Good Housekeeping Simple Vegan!: Delicious Meat-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes Every Family Will Love” and is available now for pre-order.
• Compass Group, the world’s largest food service company, launched its “Be A Flexitarian” initiative in which the company increased its vegetarian options at its accounts nation-wide, while encouraging its customers to eat more plant-based foods.
• In 1984, about 17 million animals were euthanized in “shelters.” Now, the number is closer to 5 million. While the exact number for 2010 is unknown, the progress made to encourage people to adopt shelter animals instead of buying pet store animals is working! Ending shelter killing and the businesses that fuel it – puppy mills – is a mainstream issue that’s winnable! This is an area where the animal rights movement is clearly succeeding.
• Longtime animal advocate Betty White was named Entertainer of the Year for 2010.
• Nearly 1 million American kids are vegan. And the number is growing.
• The Animal Rights Conference set a new record in 2010. More than a thousand participants and visitors from throughout the U.S. and eight other countries attended the Animal Rights 2010 National Conference, held on July 15-19th near Washington, DC.

This is an incomplete list. There were tons of accomplishments of 2010 but I only have so much time to write about them all. If there’s something important to you that you’d like to share, please tell us in the comments below!

To some we’re seen as a special breed of humans with almost supernatural powers of self-control; strange beings who constantly deny ourselves all the good things in life and take pleasure in trying to make other people feel guilty all the time.

Not true. The vegans I know (including myself) lead rich and rewarding lives. They’re as normal (or abnormal) as anyone else and they enjoy and do many of the same things you do. They also respect life – all life – and have devoted themselves to peace, which just so happens to begin with what (or who) you put in your mouth.

And it’s not about trying to make people feel guilty; it’s about trying to make people feel something, anything! Because if they feel something for the animals, a connection, pity, something, maybe they’ll stop eating them.

Personally, I’ve never considered veganism hard and I’ve been vegan for 10 years now. I make almost all my own meals and when I do eat out, I go to places that have vegan selections. I’ve also found that most restaurants are willing to prepare your food the way you want it; all you have to do is ask (try ordering a vegan pizza in a restaurant and see how many people comment on how delicious it looks).

Instead of eating meat and other animal products, I enjoy a wide variety of plant-based foods I never dreamed of trying before becoming vegan. Chana masala (aka chick peas in a curry sauce) is now one of my favourite homemade dishes, although prior to going vegan I wouldn’t touch chick peas with a ten-foot pole. Oh how I’ve grown!

I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything or depriving myself but I do feel good knowing that my diet isn’t contributing to the suffering of others. Veganism isn’t about depriving yourself of things, but it does provide you with an opportunity to expand your food choices as well as your circle of compassion.

I also have no desire to use or wear anything that resulted in animals being tortured and killed, nor do I wish to see animals confined (zoos and marine parks) or abused (circuses and rodeos) for human amusement (the other part of veganism). Once I knew the truth about how these animals are made to suffer there was no going back.

But let’s say for a minute that veganism is hard (but not impossible). So what? A lot of things are hard, like waking up early for work, going to school, doing the dishes, cleaning your room, dealing with your mother-in-law, obeying the speed limit, telling the truth, being faithful to your partner and helping others. Did I miss anything?

My point is there are things that a) we need to do to survive and get by in the world, and b) we should be doing because they make us better human beings and the world a better place. Sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do the right thing. And going vegan is the right thing. Not just for me or a select few but for everyone who believes in kindness, compassion and the golden rule.

Veganism is a commitment to peace and a stand against the exploitation of those who are weaker than us. Excluding animal products from your life is not the end of the world, but it might just be the beginning of the end to all the violence and unnecessary suffering in the world.

Jonathan Safran Foer said in an interview:

“Look, someone like Glenn Beck could not have a turkey and that’s fine, but what I would so strongly prefer is that he had a week-long series about animal agriculture in America. I have no interest in prying a turkey from his hands. Frankly, he could do so much more good in the world then his individual choice.

I was on Martha Stewart the other day and she did a whole show devoted to the problems with the meat industry. It was so incredibly brave. She got on television and said, ‘The meat industry is bad. The meat industry is secretive. We don’t want these products.’ She said she’s having a vegetarian thanksgiving. This issue’s going to tip by people acting like that.

You know, Glenn Beck already cares about this stuff, he does. I mean these are very traditional American values—they’re even conservative. I would love to engage him in a conversation where that became apparent, where he left not feeling angry with me, but angry at this [meat] industry that’s taking advantage of his values. It’s all about finding ways to mainstream this and to make all these alliances visible, and then maybe one day we’ll have the luxury of getting into arguments over that one percent.

Emphasis added.

Read more at Ecorazzi >>

h/t Bea