The Short Memories of the Women of “The View”

Instead of eating lunch (at 11am, as I get up very, very early) at my desk or while doing the laundry yesterday, I turned on the television and "The View" was on. Barbara Walters tries to broach the topic of: when you have a dinner party and people have special dietary needs, do you take that into consideration (either that or the vegansexual thing, I’m not sure what her point was. All I know is it was a non-starter.). She does this by talking about veganism, and Joy and Elizabeth act like they don’t really know what a vegan is.

Meanwhile, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, no, wait, in May of this year, Alicia Silverstone was on The View talking about veganism. Rosie O’Donnell knows what it is and is very respectful, while Joy Behar jokes and Elisabeth Hasselback goes right for the cliche (after Alicia Silverstone talks about her Stella McCartney shoes): You know, the vegetarians who walk around in leather shoes, I always question that.

So what happened between May and August to make Joy and Elisabeth forget what a vegan is (Joy does think maybe vegans don’t eat cheese)? They ask the audience, and there isn’t a vegan in the bunch, so the audience is no help.

Here’s my suggestion: Let’s write to Barbara, Elisabeth and Joy (there’s an "E-mail Your View" box on the top left) and educate them. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but loads of people watch this show, therefore it’s a fabulous venue for education. And from what I saw, there’s a dire need for education on the set as well as in the audience. (I was so surprised that not one person could articulate what veganism is.)

Remember, these people probably think PETA equals animal rights and all animal rights activists and all vegans and that animal welfare and animal rights are the same thing. This is an opportunity to start a mainstream discussion. And while you’re at it, why not suggest a segment idea that has something to do with veganism? (If I suggest one here and then we all use it, that wouldn’t be as helpful as everyone thinking of their own.)

So we have two important components of our individualized education plan (IEP) for "The View:" inform them about veganism, and inform them that PETA doesn’t represent all vegans. As always, be tactful, concise and kind.