Total Liberation

Rundown In this episode, Mexie talks with Nichole and Callie from the Bitchy Shitshow podcast about the potential and the dangers that COVID-19 poses for leftists. Part 1 of our discussion is up on the Bitchy Shitshow podcast, where we discuss this mask off moment for our toxic work culture and push back on calls to be ‘productive’ right now. In Part 2 of the convo we talk about the wa...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie talks with Pierce Delahunt, a Social Emotional Learning educator and activist. We discuss the potential of SEL and Non-Violent Communication for socialist and vegan activism and outreach. Pierce shares great insight into how to connect with other peoples’ needs in ways that can build solidarity and trust and help us in our fight for total liberation. Sources an...

Rundown In this bonus episode, Mexie joins Brett on Rev Left Radio to discuss our outdoor experiences, and experiences with meditation and psychedelics, and how these things intersect and influence our political consciousness. It’s hard to pin down one main topic because our conversation was so rich and complex, but we’re both really excited to put it out into the world and we hope it...

Rundown In this spooky, emo Valentine’s Day special, Mexie, Mad Blender, and Ash and Jon from the Horror Vanguard dig into the timeless masterpiece that is the Twilight saga. Part I is here on the Vegan Vanguard, and Part II is up on the Horror Vanguard! Be sure to catch both episodes to get the full breadth of our magical discussion. Sources and Links * Horror Vanguard Podcast: https://soun...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie sits down with the Wrong Boys of the SRSLY Wrong podcast to discuss all things utopic! We cover a lot of ground, from social ecology, to library socialism, to Revolution (both material and internal). The Wrong Boys are delightful as always and we hope you enjoy this one! Sources and Links * SRSLY Wrong Podcast: https://srslywrong.com/* SRSLY Wrong on Twitter: https:/...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie interviews Green, a Métis activist from the Indigenous Anarchist Federation, on the importance of decolonizing our leftist organizing strategies. We talk about the concept of decolonization and what it would mean in practice, discuss important differences between settler and Indigenous worldviews, and outline the importance of having an analysis of the ‘settler...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie speaks with fellow anti-capitalist vegan YouTuber Kathrin about her experiences of sexual violence and childhood sexual abuse and the systems of capitalism and patriarchy that fail victims and perpetuate harm. We place our own experiences of sexual violence into broader context and demonstrate how patriarchal gender norms, media representations, language, carcerality...

Rundown Mexie joins Pearson on the Coffee with Comrades podcast to talk ecology, anthropocentrism, and revolution. We talk about the importance of unsettling linear visions of progress that see humans as above or outside of the ecosystems we form part and of centring reciprocity in our praxis. We discuss how the human/nature dualism is baked into our ways of thinking, our language, our economies,...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie talks with Leslie of Mad Blender about the women of the alt-right. We discuss the obvious links between toxic masculinity and the alt-right, and then dig into the possible reasons why this overtly patriarchal movement might appeal to so many women. Sadly, women have been at the forefront of white power movements since their inception, something that tends to be overl...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie and Marine talk with Ash, co-host of the Horror Vanguard podcast, about death positivity (or the lack thereof) and how this relates to the doomsday preppers movement. We start by outlining death positivity and why it is so important in our present-day society, particularly with respect to the climate crisis. We then dive into the wild world of doomsday prepping and t...

Rundown In this episode, Marine speaks with Zavi Kang Engles about eco-anxiety / climate despair and the impacts it has in their own lives, as well as on the wider society. They discuss how male gender norms play a key role in feeding climate denialism, as well as the dominant ideologies that must be challenged to save the planet. Marine and Zavi also explore ways of thinking that have helped them...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie and Marine argue that any revolutionary movement that replicates patriarchal ideology and values will not lead us to emancipation. We define patriarchy on a systemic level as well as in terms of a value system that we have internalized – one that codes powerfully important attributes such as humility, empathy, selflessness and nurturing as feminine and thus les...

Rundown In this spooktacular crossover episode, Mexie and Marine are joined by Ash and Jon from the Horror Vanguard podcast to review Jordan Peele’s second think-piece, “Us”. We discuss a number of pertinent themes including class consciousness and revolution, the anxieties of the middle-class, the intersections race and class, duality, religion, colonialism, imperialism, and muc...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie interviews Greg from In The Roots Podcast about the role of our global financial institutions in the making (and re-making) of the Global South and in exacerbating the refugee crisis.

Rundown In this episode, Mexie interviews radical activist and educator Alexis Fawn about the importance of arming students with critical thinking skills and class consciousness before they enter university. Inspired by Paulo Freire and his seminal text Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Alexis has developed a radical pedagogy for high school students along with various teaching techniques to enhance stud...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie and Leslie from Mad Blender respond to a question from one of the listeners about whether taxing meat for the climate is a productive idea. We start by exploring the costs (financial, health-related, and environmental) of the animal agriculture industry and the reasons why meat taxes are being proposed by a variety of organizations, researchers, and governments. We t...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie interviews Maria the Witch, a critical leftist YouTuber based in Brazil, about Bolsonaro’s election and his time so far in office. Maria explains what led up to the election, the campaign talking points that garnered the most support, and what he has been able to do thus far in office. We end with what comrades outside of Brazil can do to help support the strug...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie interviews Dr. Warren Bernauer about the relationship between what John Bellamy Foster terms ‘ecological imperialism’ and the criminalization of Indigenous resistance to extractive capital. We discuss Warren’s co-authored article called “From Wallmapu to Nunatsiavut: The Criminalization of Indigenous Resistance” (listed below) which high...

Rundown Well, we gave it a shot! Following the advice of our beloved adrienne maree brown and Emergent Strategy, in this episode we put our energy towards dreaming the future we want to see. We each came up with headlines for the future, some in the near future (the next 10-20 years) when the transition to post-capitalism is taking place, and some for 50+ years from now when the changes we want to...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie interviews renowned journalist and activist Abby Martin on the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation and on the recent and ongoing Great March of Return. Abby explains the history and brutality of Israeli occupation and exposes the horrors of life on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank. We discuss her coverage of the protests in Gaza, the geopolitics that...

Rundown This week Marine interviews Julia Feliz-Brueck about her consistently anti-oppression vegan activism. Julia is a decade-long vegan, a mother of two, a scientist, and a published author and illustrator. She is also the founder of Sanctuary Publishers (sanctuarypublishers.com), a vegan book publisher that gives back to marginalized communities with every book sold. Published under the Sanctu...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie explores what geoengineering can (and can’t) provide in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. She outlines various options in the two main geoengineering categories: Carbon Dioxide Removal (removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere) and Solar Radiation Management (reducing the amount of solar radiation that hits the earth’s surface). The op...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie interviews Becky Ellis, a PhD candidate at the University of Western Ontario and the host of the Permaculture fo the People podcast, about how and why permaculture is important for envisioning a sustainable post-capitalist future. Becky explains the fundamentals of permaculture and why the ethics of permaculture are inherently radical. We discuss issues around coloni...

Rundown In this episode, Marine interviews Rama Ganesan on the problematic associations that many vegans make when they hold up India and Hinduism (or even Buddhism and Jainism) as inherently vegetarian/ vegan. Rama also explains why it is counter to vegan values to celebrate India’s beef ban, to use the word “Ahimsa” as a synonym for “vegan”, or even to use quotes from Gandhi to advocate views of...

Rundown In this episode, Mexie and Marine discuss the ways in which sexual dimorphism, which has been exaggerated by millennia of social oppression, is at the root of patriarchy and rape culture, and informs our other oppressive systems like capitalism, colonialism, imperialism, and white supremacy. Drawing on anthropological theory and literary works, we argue that the physical dominance of men i...