Integritus Prime

Alchemus Prime is supporting a new sensation in vegan humor: Angry Vegan Sock Puppet (AVSP). Created by Kamal S. Prasad, and voiced by Mandy Cimino, AVSP launches today. The most interesting part of AVSP for me is that the series pokes fun at both vegans and meat-eaters, pointing out how one group can be overly angry or self-righteous while the other can be unnecessarily defensive or, well, plain daft. In any case, there’s plenty of room for humor on the vegan and animal rights scene.

AVSP addresses many questions and topics some people wonder about regularly, such as:

1. Where do you get your protein?
   2. What will happen to all the animals if we stopped eating them?
   3. Don’t plants feel pain too?

I interviewed Kamal and Mandy to dig deeper into how they conceived of AVSP and how they want to make an impact on animal rights activism, and beyond. Let’s hear from them and get to know them a bit.

Kamal and Mandy, how would you describe yourself in three words?

Kamal: Explorer, Thinker, Learner

 

 

Mandy: Compassionate, Enthusiastic, Witty

What is your vision and mission in life, each of you?

Kamal: To live a meaningful life and to make the world for future generations better than the one I was born into.

 

 

Mandy: To create a world that is more compassionate for all beings.

So, Kamal, what led you to write AVSP? Why AVSP and why now?

As an animal rights activist, I often come across people who find the truths about the way we exploit animals hard to take in. Using the character of an obviously powerless albeit angry sock puppet, I hope people will be more willing to listen to arguments against the absurd rationales that people come up with just so they can continue participating in the exploitation of animals. Veganism is catching on in a big way but there are still a lot of stragglers. With AVSP, I hope to catch some stragglers and assure those who made or are starting to make the switch that going vegan doesn’t mean giving up humor.

Kamal, is there a bigger vision behind/after AVSP? How does it fit into your life mission?

The bigger vision behind AVSP is to use its success to create more mainstream media (e.g. a sitcom with multiple vegan characters) to reach a wider range of people. AVSP fits into my life’s mission by allowing me to express my creativity while working towards creating a model that is more sustainable, socially equitable and compassionate.

So, Mandy, when did you become a voice artist?

In high school. I continued more formal training in college and private acting studios.

What attracted you to AVSP, Mandy?

Kamal’s enthusiasm for the project. His writing is hilarious! I have often thought about creating a one-woman show that answers the questions that so many vegans get. I loved the idea of the information coming from an irate puppet that is truly harmless.

What is the most important message you each have for viewers of AVSP?

Kamal: Veganism is a process, not an end. And as hard as animal rights activism is, we have to have room for humor. Humor may help some people let their guards down long enough to hear the important message behind the subject matter and while they may not be changed right then and there, it will have planted a seed allowing for future self-growth towards a more compassionate and sustainable world.

Mandy: Be open! AVSP is a funny conduit for extremely important information regarding the health of our family, friends and the planet.

What’s next for each of you?

Kamal: When AVSP becomes successful, I hope it will inspire other people to create media that approaches animal rights activism from multiple angles. One of the things I’m planning on doing is creating a network of aspiring vegan filmmakers where people with different skills can come together to create media to help create a vegan world. A personal project of mine is to create a documentary exploring the social impacts of animal agriculture, which the success of AVSP will allow me to do.

Mandy: To keep learning all that I can to explore the best methods to educate others about the “why” and “how” of veganism.

Well, there you have it. AVSP is set to rock your world! Don’t forget to subscribe. And if you’d like to support this cause, you can do that with an little as $1 per month.