New Article: Humor Helps Promote Vegan Message

Even though vegans are often thought of as “a humorless bunch,” according to the Portland Press Herald, there is room for comedy in veganism. In a recent feature, the news outlet highlighted several funny vegan stunts, commercials, and videos such as the satirical “Skip Showers for Beef” campaign—illuminating the role of animal agriculture in the California drought—in which a couple chose to skip 37 showers to eat one hamburger. The publication spoke with Michael Slusher, founder of the currently 80,000-member Vegan Humor group on Facebook as a collection of vegan memes and jokes, who explained that “we have to deal with so much horror and negativity, so I wanted to create a respite where vegans could get away from it.” Mike Bonanno of comedy group The Yes Men says humor has “been an important part of every social movement ever. It’s not always the part we remember or the part that is well documented.” The hilarious “Tofucken” video—which went viral this Thanksgiving—and Aziz Ansari’s recent comedy routine—which melded his frustration with the meat industry and “the perfect” impression of rapper Ja Rule—prove that while there may be nothing funny about the reasons people go vegan, there is room for comedy to help promote the cause.