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This week on ChickPeeps, Evy speaks to Dr.Melanie Joy, PhD., about managing relational conflict between vegans and non vegans, and the social conditioning that makes the majority of society resistant to embracing veganism. A harvard educated psychologist, international speaker and author, Melanie has long been exploring the question of what makes a person ready to learn about veganism, and this episode she speaks about the importance of vegan allies in this movement, how vegans activists can suffer from secondary traumatic stress disorder, and the self care practices that are essential to being a lifelong activist. Also on this episode...

• Dr.Joy discusses the idea of being ‘ready’ for veganism and encourages vegan activists to focus their efforts on the ‘low hanging fruit’.
• The perspective shift that happens when you go vegan - ‘You don’t see different things, you see the same things differently.’
• The balance between being extremely sensitised to the plight of animals and being measured and relatable as an activist.
• ‘When you look at the major problems of the world, these are not problems that exist because people are too sensitive; they exist because people aren’t sensitive enough.’
• Moral perfectionism - Melanie discusses what she sees as the shadow side of being a conscientious person, and why it sets the movement back.
• Why self care is fundamentally important to being an effective activist.
• Is bearing witness to animal slaughter a moral obligation for activists?
• ‘The animals don’t need a movement of walking trauma survivors. The animals need a movement of healthy, self-connected, resilient individuals who are not going to burn out and who are going to be able to be their advocates for the long haul.’
• What is Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder and how it materialises in vegans.
• What is carnism?
• Has ‘carnist’ become a pejorative used to describe meat-eaters in vegan circles? 
• What is a vegan ally and how we can ask our loved ones to be that for us.
• The importance of relational literacy in the vegan movement.
• What can vegans do better to communicate our message?
• ‘Vegan activists are doing an amazing job.’ Dr.Melanie Joy encourages us all to pause and acknowledge the progress we’ve made!
• ‘Give yourself permission to love non vegans even if you don’t love what they do.’

Links:

Explore more of Dr.Melanie Joy’s work at Carnism.org.

Read more of Dr.Joy’s other work on MelanieJoy.org

Follow Beyond Carnism on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Twitter.

Follow Dr.Melanie Joy on Instagram and Facebook.

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Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch