The Listening Lounge is a Voices of the Movement series from The Humane Herald, resurfacing music, interviews, spoken word, and other audio worth hearing again.
Tag: ethics
I’ll Always Ruin Dinner
I still get nervous speaking in public, but I will never turn down the opportunity to advocate for veganism. Speaking up for animals is always right and, sometimes, it can get a little weird.
The Reality That Disturbs Their Comfort
Why does veganism make some people angry? Jim Mason reflects on the uncomfortable reality animal advocates bring into view—and the comfort that reality can disturb.
207 Miles to the Gates of Hell
Marshall also breeds animals to test veterinary applications. There isn’t a comparable stat out there for efficacy, but that’s not the point. These animals do not give consent.
The Listening Lounge Reboot: “Be My Voice” by Sherry Zitter
Welcome to our very first Listening Lounge Reboot. We’re beginning with “Be My Voice,” an original song written and recorded by vegan advocate Sherry Zitter.
Branded
A bunch of booted cowgirls clicked their spurs together at the podium and begged the town council to bring back their rodeo. I’ve been trying to make sure that doesn’t happen ever since.
The Boundary Was Drawn in a Day
When redevelopment changes a neighborhood overnight, the animals living there are left to navigate the consequences. A Seoul street-cat rescuer reflects on responsibility, rescue, and what humane care requires when human plans move faster than vulnerable lives can adapt.
Black Rain: Everyone’s in Pain—and It Didn’t Have to Be This Way
What happens when war reaches beyond the battlefield? In this edition of From the People, contributor Christopher Porter reflects on the human and environmental consequences of modern conflict. Accompanied by an Editor’s Note explaining the purpose of this series, “Black Rain” invites readers to consider the costs of political decisions long after the headlines fade.
Who Speaks for the Night?
A California company wants to use orbital mirrors to reflect sunlight onto Earth after sunset. The idea could transform renewable energy and emergency response—but it also raises profound questions about wildlife, ecosystems, astronomy, and whether darkness is something worth protecting.
A Fourth Group of Vegan Villagers
Originally published in Vegan Villager, Sherry Jeppson Zitter reflects on the often-overlooked humanitarian path to veganism, arguing that concern for world hunger and global justice can be just as powerful a catalyst for compassionate living as concern for animals, health, or the environment.
NYC’s New Wildlife Law Raises an Urgent Question: Who Gets to Define Humane
New York City’s new wildlife law promises humane treatment, but advocates warn that promise may be undermined if federal agencies linked to goose roundups, egg destruction, and lethal wildlife control are allowed to help shape the city’s future wildlife policies. As molting season places Canada geese at heightened risk, activists are calling for immediate mayoral action to halt cooperation with federal wildlife operations and redefine what “humane” truly means.
What a New Animal Policy Survey Reveals in CA-03
Conducted by the Nevada County Humane Association (NCHA), the “Animals & Environment” survey was distributed to candidates across party lines.
On Stewardship and the Social Contract: Defining Shared Expectations in Movement Spaces
Every system runs on an unspoken social contract—but when that contract is unclear or inconsistently applied, trust begins to erode in ways that are far harder to repair than to prevent.
Animal Cruelty Prevention Month: Prevention Requires Abolition
Animal Cruelty Prevention Month encourages compassion—but rarely asks the deeper question: can cruelty truly be prevented within systems that require it to function? When harm is built into the structure, reducing it is not the same as eliminating it. This piece explores the limits of prevention, the role of language in shaping perception, and why meaningful change may require more than reform—it may require abolition.
Federalist No. 8: Fear, Force, and the Erosion of Freedom
In Federalist No. 8, Alexander Hamilton warns that constant conflict does more than threaten security—it reshapes society itself, gradually exchanging liberty for control in the name of protection.
What We Choose to See
After the headlines fade and the legal arguments take over, what remains may be something quieter but harder to dismiss: the image of a beagle being carried out of confinement, and the lingering question of what we are truly willing to see.
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