It may be accidental, but our traffic increased by 20-30% just after the Oprah vegan-for-a-week project started. I'm still kind of surprised about the fact that being vegan now is considered so 'mainstream' that veganism gets all the attention it does in US at the moment, including all the focus it gets from a major talk show host...
I'm in Oz so i can't see the episodes yet but from what i've heard they're focusing on the health aspects more than anything else (nothing wrong with that!) and avoiding talking about animal cruelty etc.=, If that is the case i hope that this show will get people researching (if that coincidental traffic increase is anything to go by...) and finding out the reasons most people go vegan!
I've also heard that they focus a lot on the health aspect. They have also been criticized for focus too much on so called "vegan products" (read: fake versions/substitutes of animal products) - which often are less healthy and more expensive than 'regular', plant based food with so special/substitute products.
I will not eat anything that walks, swims, flies, runs, skips, hops or crawls.
I dare say fake animal products also dont taste as good as reaaaal cookin' (maybe excluding seitan...i wouldnt call that mock meat, even if thats how they want to market it!)
Thanks for posting this Korn. Although the clip made me a bit angry with its references to 'ethically produced meat' etc it's kind of amazing (and brilliant!) that veganism could get so much airtime on a main stream channel. I just can't imagine that happening here in the UK for many many years (if veganism is mentioned at all it's a brief mockery only). America (certain pockets anyway) seems to be way ahead of the UK in all things vegan. But perhaps it's just partly that veganism seems to be a personal interest of Oprah's and she's so powerful that if she demands a show on it, that's what she gets...
Brilliant news if this is prompting more people to look at the forum Korn. Thanks for posting.
Although the mentions of 'ethically produced meat' made me angry, I think it's amazing (and brilliant) that veganism is getting that much airtime on a mainstream show. I can't see that happening here in the UK for many many years. Although perhaps it's partly due to Oprah having a personal interest in veganism and having the power to influence what's broadcast on her show...
Is it really about veganism or simply avoiding animal products in their diets? There is a difference.
Also, I read somewhere that a 'proper' vegan was hushed up in the audience and not allowed to comment. I'm trying to find the report but I'll be jiggered if I can remember where I saw it.
Thank you for the link. Oprah is my favourite person to adopt a vegan diet, but I do find that this clip is just too friendly and not showing all the realities or is missing some vital information that might make people more serious about veganism. I think they don't want to offend anyone, but I do wonder if that dilutes the message a bit too much. But then again, I'm never sure if the more real, informative and shocking approach really makes a difference in the longterm on changing people's behaviours and atitudes. Still it's a good thing that they're doing this, I'll applaud any initiative like this.
There were those that thought it was shocking because I had people write me after posting the HuffPost link on my FB page saying the source was biased (HuffPost) and that the Oprah segment was shocking. My response was:
Post one: Yes I did watch the show. I watch her late night on occasion when nothing else is on or there's something of interest to me.
It's good to hear it from your perspective b/c from mine I thought it "was" watered down but that may b/c I watch a LOT about factory farms being a strict vegan (advocate) myself.
I thought the show was pretty light weight in comparison to what I and many others see factory farming being an atrocity this society could care less about. IMO it's an actual holocaust most people contribute to and turn a blind eye towards....even after seeing Oprah's segment lite.
I'm glad she had it on but still...I thought it had just the right amount of shock value to spice up her ratings but not nearly enough to educate people about this atrocity our society inflicts on animals.
Post 2: You can watch the show in it's entirety in segments here on Utube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUsue3600hc
Again...I think it's ridiculously lite in comparison to the atrocities being committed in these factory farms.
If I were a meat eater that saw this show I'd probably forget about it the next day. Like I always say," It'd be easier to get people to stop believing in God than getting people to stop murdering and torturing innocent animals to feed themselves with"!
It upsets me to no end!
I thought that Oprah gave a terrible introduction to veganism, especially with all of the "veganish" talk I have also never been a fan of Michael Pollan...
But hopefully people that are truly interested in Veganism will come to a forum like this and read other things and not just sum it all up from that show they watched.
It's like trying to change a Lib into a Conservative and visa versa. It's never going to happen or rare if it does. You get out there and talk about your views hoping the people on the fringe tip over to your side of the fence.
It's pretty much the same thing with people "thinking about" going vegan.
That Oprah piece I think did close to nothing for anyone other than for Oprah'a ratings...but if it changed one persons mind and saved one animal's life than it was well worth it I'd say.
I wonder too...how many folks jump right into being vegan VS going vegetarian first.
I went out with someone who went from omni to vegan without going veggie first, although he only bought organic meat before, so he was obviously thinking about the source of his food quite carefully already. Don't have firsthand experience of any others, but I've seen a few people saying they did on various forums.
"If you don't have a song to sing you're okay, you know how to get along humming" Waltz (better than fine) - Fiona Apple
To everyone who made the change overnight, my good wishes and I wished I'd done it myself.
Doesn't alter the fact though that for the loads of vegans I've met and talked to about 'conversion' over the last 20 years, not many were 'overnighters'.
I do appreciate that other people's experiences can be different.
Oprah and 378 staffers eat vegan for a week
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I have also never been a fan of Michael Pollan... 
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