Episodes

  • DEBATE: Debating Vegan Gains on the Importance of Presidential Elections (with Richard Burgess) (Ep. 51)

    DEBATE: Debating Vegan Gains on the Importance of Presidential Elections (with Richard Burgess) (Ep. 51)
    Nov 3 2024

    “Presidential elections don’t matter.” This is the controversial proposition I take up with Vegan Gains, days before the vote. And we reach some surprising points of agreement by the end of the conversation.

    —

    Follow Vegan Gains:

    https://www.patreon.com/vegangains

    https://www.instagram.com/vegangains.real/

    https://www.youtube.com/@VeganGains

    https://www.facebook.com/VeganGainsOfficial

    https://www.twitter.com/VeganGains

    —

    The Simple Heart on Substack - Subscribe to Wayne Hsiung's newsletter to learn more about the #RightToRescue at https://www.simpleheart.org!
    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 4 mins
  • Traitor Sheep and the Corruption of American Politics (Ep. 50)

    Traitor Sheep and the Corruption of American Politics (Ep. 50)
    Nov 1 2024

    A recent undercover investigation exposed the use of Judas Sheep – adult sheep trained to betray lambs and lead them to slaughter. But the concept of the Judas Sheep has implications far beyond the walls of a slaughterhouse. Indeed, there are Judas Sheep – politicians corruptly acting on behalf of the powerful – leading our entire nation to self-destruction. How do we overcome the problem?

    —

    The Simple Heart on Substack - Subscribe to Wayne Hsiung's newsletter to learn more about the #RightToRescue at https://www.simpleheart.org!

    —

    Chapters:

    Chapter 1) 00:00-6:24 Intro: the feelings of betrayal, what is the Judas Sheep, & the DxE investigation at Superior Farms in Denver

    Chapter 2) 6:24-10:06 The betrayal in the American political system

    Chapter 3) 10:07-18:35 What the problems are in the American political system

    Chapter 4) 18:36-24:27 How society needs to change to be better, interest in the election, find your voice for the animals, & what’s happening soon

    Chapter 5) 24:28-24:43 Outro video - Thank you for watching! Please Subscribe. Acknowledgments to the Podcast Team: Joe Allman, Adam Durand, & Chloe Leffakis

    —

    Chart: "The Productivity–Pay Gap" (Economic Policy Institute) https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • How Democracy Has Been Taken Over By “High Conflict Personalities” (with Natalie Fulton) (Ep. 49)

    How Democracy Has Been Taken Over By “High Conflict Personalities” (with Natalie Fulton) (Ep. 49)
    Oct 29 2024
    The Democratic Party in Denver has accused animal rights of racism for advocating against the slaughter of animals. Workers of color, they say, will be negatively affected. Natalie Fulton and I discuss how to respond to these allegations - and what this incident shows us about the “high conflict personalities” who have taken over our political system. — Phone banking: https://connectforanimals.com/group/1693590764695x127770678678802430 Donation: https://proanimal.org/donation/ Denver Ballot Initiative: Vote Yes on 309! https://proanimal.org/campaigns/denver-slaughterhouse-ban/ Denver Ballot Initiative: Vote Yes on 308! https://proanimal.org/campaigns/denver-fur-ban-308/ (More links below.) — The Simple Heart on Substack - Subscribe to Wayne Hsiung's newsletter to learn more about the #RightToRescue at https://www.simpleheart.org! — Chapters: Chapter 1) 00:00-18:39 Intro, Denver Slaughterhouse Ban ballot initiative & Denver Fur Ban ballot initiative voting on November 5th, Democratic Party politics in Denver, & media publishing lies about the ban & activists Chapter 2) 18:40-29:12 Activists & the media, centering the cruelty against animals during the ballot initiative campaigns, & handling with lies/personal attacks Chapter 3) 29:13-40:14 Disillusionment with the Democratic Party & learning during the Denver Ballot Initiative campaigns Chapter 4) 40:15-45:59 how some activists “support” Tr*mp, how the American Constitution should be changed with each generation, & how electoral college voting should change Chapter 5) 46:00-1:01:39 Enforcing the laws we have, the “what if it were dogs” argument, how individuals/organizations speak against animal rights, & on climate change & transportation Chapter 6) 1:01:40-1:26:44 How infighting affects cultural change/activism, infighting in ProAnimal Future, infighting in DxE, & handling high-conflict people & infighting Chapter 7) 1:26:45-1:31:58 On politics of both parties & the political system, phone bank for the Denver Slaughterhouse Ban at proanimal.org/phonebank, & vote on November 5th Chapter 8) 1:31:59-1:32:15 Outro video - Thank you for watching! Please Subscribe. Acknowledgments to the Podcast Team: Joe Allman, Adam Durand, Chloe Leffakis, & Jeremy Loeb — Follow Pro-Animal Future: https://ProAnimalFuture.org https://www.instagram.com/proanimalfuture/ Follow Natalie Fulton: www.youtube.com/@Natalie.Fulton patreon.com/nataliefulton https://nataliefulton.substack.com/ https://www.instagram.com/nattiefulton/ https://www.tiktok.com/@nattiefulton https://www.threads.net/@nattiefulton https://www.facebook.com/nataliefu26 —Books/articles mentioned:“A ‘war on factory farming’ begins with proposed Denver slaughterhouse ban, and immigrant workers may be the first casualties” by Kyle Harris https://denverite.com/2024/10/24/denver-measure-109-immigrant-workers-vegan-activists/ NPR/PBS: “Denver voters prepare to decide the fate of the city’s only slaughterhouse” by Andrea Kramar https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/election-2024/denver-slaughterhouse-309 https://www.instagram.com/p/DBj7t4ITDdh/?img_index=1 Ranked-choice voting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranked-choice_voting_in_the_United_States National Popular Vote Interstate Compact: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Popular_Vote_Interstate_Compact Science magazine: “Exceeding 1.5°C global warming could trigger multiple climate tipping points” https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn7950 PNAS: “The global biomass of wild mammals” https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2204892120 “5 Types of People Who Can Ruin Your Life: Identifying and Dealing with Narcissists, Sociopaths, and Other High-Conflict Personalities” by Bill Eddy “Conflict Is Not Abuse: Overstating Harm, Community Responsibility, and the Duty of Repair” by Sarah Schulman “The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence” by Gavin de Becker
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Beagle Experiments Exposed In Court (Ep. 48)

    Beagle Experiments Exposed In Court (Ep. 48)
    Oct 25 2024

    Five takeaways from the dramatic evidentiary hearing that happened this week in our attempt to appoint a special prosecutor to charge Ridglan Farms with animal cruelty.

    -

    The Simple Heart on Substack - Subscribe to Wayne Hsiung's newsletter to learn more about the #RightToRescue at https://www.simpleheart.org!


    Chapter 1) 00:00-7:07 The First Takeaway from the October 23rd Evidentiary Hearing to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin: powerful testimony from whistleblowers that worked at Ridglan Farms

    Chapter 2) 7:08-10:09 The Second Takeaway: informative testimony from many experts on dogs about normal/abnormal behavior & living conditions

    Chapter 3) 10:10-14:19 The Third Takeaway: the state & federal government have repeatedly failed to enforce animal cruelty laws against Ridglan Farms

    Chapter 4) 14:20-15:56 The Fourth Takeaway: Wayne’s testimony about investigating Ridglan Farms & rescuing Julie from Ridglan Farms in 2017

    Chapter 5) 15:57-17:53 The Fifth Takeaway: the judge is taking this case seriously, you can take action to help protect the dogs at Ridglan Farms at https://www.simpleheart.org/ridglan, & thank you all for the amazing support!

    Chapter 6) 17:54- 18:09 Outro video - Thank you for watching! Please Subscribe. Acknowledgments to the Podcast Team: Joe Allman, Adam Durand, & Chloe Leffakis
    Show More Show Less
    18 mins
  • How To Stop Trump From Killing Dogs (Ep. 47)

    How To Stop Trump From Killing Dogs (Ep. 47)
    Oct 22 2024
    Trump and Harris both support the mass killing of dogs. But there’s an effective science-based strategy for getting them – and all the other political elites – to change — Sign up to join the Ridglan Case Support chat (& find link to sample social media posts for 10/23): https://www.simpleheart.org/ridglan — The Simple Heart on Substack - Subscribe to Wayne Hsiung's newsletter to learn more about the #RightToRescue at https://www.simpleheart.org! — Chapters: Chapter 1) 00:00-4:18 Intro: feeling the pressure of the Ridglan Evidentiary hearing on 10/23, the evidence to be presented, authorities not protecting dogs, & the political bipartisan consensus on dogs Chapter 2) 4:19-13:23 Government funding useless lab experiments on dogs & why politicians don’t create change Chapter 3) 13:23-21:54 How movements can create power & change Chapter 4) 21:55-27:09 How to convince politicians to stop the mass killing of dogs, & how you can help save the dogs at Ridglan Farms (https://www.simpleheart.org/ridglan) Chapter 5) 27:10-27:26 Outro video - Thank you for watching! Please Subscribe. Acknowledgments to the Podcast Team: Joe Allman, Adam Durand, & Chloe Leffakis — Follow Wayne & Dane4Dogs IG: https://www.instagram.com/waynehhsiung/ XTwitter: https://x.com/waynehhsiung IG: https://www.instagram.com/dane4dogs/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/Dane4Dogs — Previous podcast episodes mentioned:“Can We Rescue 60,000 Tortured Dogs? (Episode 16)”https://youtu.be/z1t_J9hMuaw “Duncan Watts - It’s A ‘Small World’ After All” https://www.simpleheart.org/episodes/duncan-watts “He Wants To Argue About Gaza. Here’s Why We Shouldn’t. (w/ Richard Burgess, aka Vegan Gains) (Ep.46)” https://youtu.be/HAMBNYvmO3Q?si=5IUYvpIHguotlnPC — The Simple Heart Substack blog posts mentioned: “How To Stop Trump From Killing Dogs” https://blog.simpleheart.org/p/how-to-stop-trump-from-killing-dogs “The Government Cover-Up of the Torture of 60,000 Dogs”https://blog.simpleheart.org/p/the-government-cover-up-of-the-torture “Why cover-ups backfire” https://blog.simpleheart.org/p/why-cover-ups-backfire “How the Average Inmate Can Be More Influential than Oprah” https://blog.simpleheart.org/p/how-the-average-inmate-can-be-more “How to find community in a disconnected world” https://blog.simpleheart.org/p/how-to-find-community-in-a-disconnected Books/Articles Mentioned: “Change: How to Make Big Things Happen” by Damon Centola "Collective dynamics of 'small-world' networks" by Damon Centola & Steven H. Strogatz (Nature, 1998) https://www.nature.com/articles/30918 (Abstract of article)
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • He Wants To Argue About Gaza. Here’s Why We Shouldn’t. (with Richard Burgess, aka Vegan Gains) (Ep. 46)

    He Wants To Argue About Gaza. Here’s Why We Shouldn’t. (with Richard Burgess, aka Vegan Gains) (Ep. 46)
    Oct 18 2024

    Has Vegan Gains gone intersectional?

    Richard and I discuss the merits of bringing multiple causes – from #MeToo to #FreePalestine – under the banner of a single social movement.

    —

    Follow Vegan Gains

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vegangains.real/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VeganGains

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VeganGainsOfficial

    —

    The Simple Heart on Substack - Subscribe to Wayne Hsiung's newsletter to learn more about the #RightToRescue at https://www.simpleheart.org!

    —

    Chapters:

    Chapter 1) 00:00-10:17 Intro, opinions on current issues, & outcomes of disruptions

    Chapter 2) 10:18-29:03 Wayne confronts Richard about intersectionality

    Chapter 3) 29:04-58:21 Richard response & violent vs nonviolent resistance movements

    Chapter 4) 58:22-1:06:44 Purity tests of being in the vegan/animal rights movement

    Chapter 5) 1:06:45-1:26:52 Wayne’s advice to Richard, Richard on vegan intersectionalists, & not banning people from the movement

    Chapter 6) 1:26:53-1:39:50 Nations/state systemic violence against animals & hate speech vs disagreements

    Chapter 7) 1:39:51-1:44:30 Final thoughts: how Wayne & Richard agree/disagree, & future podcasts guests & discussions

    Chapter 8) 1:44:31-1:44:47 Outro video - Thank you for watching! Please Subscribe. Acknowledgments to the Podcast Team: Joe Allman, Adam Durand, & Chloe Leffakis

    —

    Books mentioned:

    “Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know” by Erica Chenoweth

    https://www.ericachenoweth.com/research/civil-resistance-what-everyone-needs-to-know

    “The Path of Most Resistance: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Nonviolent Campaigns” By Ivan Marovic

    https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/resource/path-resistance-step-step-guide-planning-nonviolent-campaigns/

    —

    Movies mentioned:

    Joker (2019)

    Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 45 mins
  • Why Is The Democratic Party Defending Animal Torture? (with Aidan Kankyoku) (Ep. 45)

    Why Is The Democratic Party Defending Animal Torture? (with Aidan Kankyoku) (Ep. 45)
    Oct 15 2024
    A ban on animal slaughter is on the ballot in Denver. And the fiercest opposition is coming from… the Democratic Party. — Learn more at https://proanimal.org/ about the Denver ballot initiatives! Denver: Vote Yes on 309: https://proanimal.org/campaigns/denver-slaughterhouse-ban/ Denver: Vote Yes on 308: https://proanimal.org/campaigns/denver-fur-ban-308/ Follow Aidan (more links below) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proanimalaidan/ — The Simple Heart on Substack - Subscribe to Wayne Hsiung's newsletter to learn more about the #RightToRescue at https://www.simpleheart.org! — Chapters: Chapter 1) 00:00-12:39 Intro, Aidan of Pax Fauna, Denver slaughterhouse ban ballot initiative, effective altruism, learning how to be an organizer, & thoughts on activist Roger Hallam Chapter 2) 12:40-27:54 Learning from Extinction Rebellion in the UK in 2019, activism during the pandemic, research with Pax Fauna, & outreach about animals Chapter 3) 27:55-41:17 Explaining system change to the public & more on the Denver slaughterhouse ban ballot initiative Chapter 4) 41:18-54:55 Climate change, voting, fur banning legislation, & ballot initiative campaign fundraising comparison Chapter 5) 54:56-1:04:38 October 9th release of investigation footage from Superior Farms slaughterhouse, emotional impacts of violence against animal, negative media coverage of both ballot measures, political opposition & endorsement of both slaughterhouse ban/fur ban ballot measures Chapter 6) 1:04:39-1:21:31 ICYMI: Aidan’s disruption of a panel with Kamala Harris during ALC 2019, Kamala as a prosecutor/district attorney/attorney general, & mass incarceration in the United States Chapter 7) 1:21:32-1:41:29 Kamala & other politicians on animal rights, Aidan’s first time in jail after 2016 disruption, democratic response to Denver slaughterhouse ban ballot initiative, information about Wayne’s mayoral campaign in 2020, how political power is being used, & the values of politicians Chapter 8) 1:41:30-1:50:20 Ballot initiative campaigns in Sonoma County and Denver, & on democracy in public and behind closed doors Chapter 9) 1:50:21-2:00:15 Aidan on victories & lessons of the Denver ballot initiatives, & final thoughts Chapter 10) 2:00:16-2:00:32 Outro video - Thank you for watching! Please Subscribe. Acknowledgments to the Podcast Team: Joe Allman, Adam Durand, & Chloe Leffakis — Follow Aidan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aidan.cook.378 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proanimalaidan/ XTwitter: https://x.com/leavemeatbehind LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-kankyoku-6a03b322b/ Follow Pax Fauna Email: admin@paxfauna.org Website: https://www.paxfauna.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaxFauna Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paxfauna/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@paxfauna1360 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pax-fauna/posts/?feedView=all — Books/Articles Mentioned: “Humanity” by Jonathan Glover “Animal Rights Protester Grabs Microphone From Kamala Harris” by Katy McNally (June 4, 2019) https://sentientmedia.org/animal-rights-protester-interrupted-kamala-harris-was-it-justified/ “Why I Took the Mic from Kamala Harris” by Aidan Cook (June 5, 2019) https://medium.com/@aidan_28588/why-i-took-the-mic-from-kamala-harris-d9e87fe2d2c0 Statement released by DxE (June 2019): https://docs.google.com/document/d/14dO4FHqHL4f6btUSG4YjiAjzsHaDyuSg3O4t3VCtGl8/edit?tab=t.0 “Why Nations Fail” by Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson — Movies mentioned: “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)
    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 1 min
  • Why Animal Abuse is the Greatest Threat to Democracy 

(Ep. 44)

    Why Animal Abuse is the Greatest Threat to Democracy 

(Ep. 44)
    Oct 11 2024

    Wandering cows, illegal raids, and threats to democracy that may imperil the future of our nation.

    —

    The Simple Heart on Substack - Subscribe to Wayne Hsiung's newsletter to learn more about the #RightToRescue at https://simpleheart.org!

    Thumbnail photo by Adair Luhr

    —

    Chapters:

    Chapter 1) 00:00 The greatest threat to democracy is on our dinner plates; how Tracy Murphy’s case shows why

    Chapter 2) 08:32 Aren’t there greater threats to democracy, like insurrections?

    Chapter 3) 11:55 Why democracy is a good system, but how a poorly functioning one fails us

    Chapter 4) 19:02 “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and why Martin Luther King, Jr. was right

    Chapter 5) 24:36 Imagine a different world where relatively powerless people and animals can go up against the powerful

    Chapter 6) 27:10 What each of us can do to help us achieve a more democratic society

    Chapter 7) 28:39 Outro video - Thank you for watching! Please Subscribe. Acknowledgments to the Podcast Team: Joe Allman, Adam Durand, & Chloe Leffakis
    Show More Show Less
    29 mins