Comments for POP! goes The Vegan.

Comment on Vegan (Re)views by a brief programming note » POP! goes The Vegan.

a brief programming note » POP! goes The Vegan. — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:48:05 +0000

[...] keep an eye out for some much-needed changes to this here space, including a move of the Vegan (Re)views Database to the main page, where it should be (because, duh, it’s the main attraction!), as well as a [...]

Comment on Biopic Temple Grandin to air February 6 on HBO; vegans sharpen their knives in anticipation.* by veganbunny

veganbunny — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 02:50:11 +0000

Thanks for this refreshing article! I’m sick to death of Grandin being praised. I feel sorry for her autism problem, but even sorrier for the poor creatures she helps slaughter

As a vegan I save many animal lives per year. Thousands of animals after 10 years of veganism. To be an animal raised for food is probably the worst type of existence ever imposed on a living creature. Non-vegans can be incredibly cruel and heartless. Grandin even kills animals herself, says she gets a “rush” from it -gag- she eats animals too. This is total detachment from feeling for others, as far from love as you can get. More like sadism.

Comment on George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead asks, “Are we worth saving?” by Shannon (Vegan Burnout)

Shannon (Vegan Burnout) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:22:56 +0000

I haven’t seen it, but this reminds me of what Morgan Freeman says in voiceover at the end of Se7en: “Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.”

Usually, I agree too. Lately, I’m on the fence.

Comment on Penelope: A Nose by Any Other Name by Charlsie Isidoro

Charlsie Isidoro — Tue, 25 May 2010 05:44:46 +0000

Oh Mr. Butler, what a man

Comment on DawnWatch: Meatless Mondays on ABC’s 10 Things I Hate About You, 4-19-10 by Tofu Vegetable Hot Pot | Recipes Guide

Tofu Vegetable Hot Pot | Recipes Guide — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:57:51 +0000

[...] & Brew Goes Meatless! | DC VeganMario Batali On Meatless Mondays Movement | LifeBytesDawnWatch: Meatless Mondays on ABC's 10 Things I Hate About You, 4 …New Naturalista » Blog Archive » Meatless Monday: A Visit To The …Right Field Bleachers » [...]

Comment on Biopic Temple Grandin to air February 6 on HBO; vegans sharpen their knives in anticipation.* by TeaEarlGrayHot

TeaEarlGrayHot — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 21:52:33 +0000

Actually, Dr. Grandin was very pleased with Ms. Danes’ perfomance and portrayal. Dr. Grandin even hugged the actress, which is somewhat rare because, if you are familiar with autism and Temple Grandin, you know that there is a touch sensitivity issue. Here is an excerpt from a review of the biopic, In Grandin’s view — which was the one most important to the actress — Danes succeeded.

“I was like, I can’t believe this beautiful blond lady became me in the 1960s,” said the author and scientist, who originally envisioned Sigourney Weaver playing her. “And the thing that amazed me was that if you didn’t know that Claire was playing me and there was no credit, you’d never know it.”

I enjoyed this film very much. I’m writing a research paper for psychology class on Dr. Grandin and this is what led me to this forum.

Comment on Sweeney Todd, a Caged Bird and the Devil’s Wife by Kelly Garbato

Kelly Garbato — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 03:12:58 +0000

Yeah, it’s set in Victorian England, which would explain the sea of white European faces.

Comment on Sweeney Todd, a Caged Bird and the Devil’s Wife by Crystal

Crystal — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:35:51 +0000

Doesn’t Sweeny Todd take place in Europe before there was a lot of immigration? It would make sense that there aren’t any non-European people if that’s the case.

Comment on Penelope: A Nose by Any Other Name by Intersectionality ‘Round the Interwebs, No. 19: Brain Food (Vegan, Natch!) » V for Vegan: easyVegan.info

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:28:38 +0000

[...] Shannon Davis @ POP! goes The Vegan.: Penelope: A Nose by Any Other Name [...]

Comment on Biopic Temple Grandin to air February 6 on HBO; vegans sharpen their knives in anticipation.* by Kelly G.

Kelly G. — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:30:57 +0000

@nothankyou – On the topic of Danes’s acting and hiring a non-autistic vs. an autistic actor to portray an autistic individual: My knowledge of how Danes normally speaks, sounds and carries herself greatly influences how I view her portrayal of Grandin. (Ditto, for the record, other non-disabled actors who play physically and – especially – intellectually disabled individuals. See, e.g., Juliette Lewis in The Other Sister. Awful.) When actors assume the role of a differently abled person, I almost always come away with the feeling that it’s a parody; a well-intentioned parody, perhaps, but a parody nonetheless. Being individuals who (usually) have little-to-no experience with the disability in question (no, an afternoon spent with Grandin doesn’t count) – and certainly no intimate, personal experience since, after all, they are non-disabled – these performances just strike me as…disingenuous.

Why not hire someone who has an intimate knowledge of the obstacles Grandin has faced, vs. someone who can only begin to imagine them? In an industry in which there are so few roles for autistic and otherwise disabled actors, why give one of the few roles literally written for an autistic individual to a non-autistic actor? As I said in the post, this is arguably akin to hiring a white actor to portray a person of color, and then outfitting her in blackface.

Hence my criticism of Danes’s acting (which doesn’t actually begin and end with Danes; based on the clips I’ve seen, the forced quirkiness in the film is also par for the course when depicting someone w/an intellectual disability or mental illness; it’s patronizing, e.g., “Look how special she is!”). Danes’s “autism” is at best a pale imitation of what she thinks those w/autism think, feel and experience. I suppose you could say this of all acting, but I think it takes on a whole new meaning when you’re “faking membership” in a marginalized, misunderstood and oppressed sub-group, particularly when it’s one to which you can/will never belong.

If this makes me “ignorant” and “stupid” in your eyes, so be it. I have more than explained myself, and anything further would be belaboring the point.

(BTW, popping up on a stranger’s blog to call them “ignorant” and “stupid” – and to dismiss the blog and blogging itself as “silly” – counts as trolling in some circles. Doubly so when done anonymously. It also begs the question, if this blog is so “silly,” why waste your time posting multiple comments on it?)