Jump to content

Draft:Ed Winters: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→‎Animal rights advocacy: Priestlands School pig slaughter incident
→‎Coronavirus controversy: include recent coverage by The Guardian as well
Line 98: Line 98:
==Coronavirus controversy==
==Coronavirus controversy==


In March 2020, Winters posted an image on his [[Instagram]] account stating that "COVID-19 was caused by eating animals".<ref name="USA Today">{{cite web
In March 2020, Winters posted an image on his [[Instagram]] account stating that "[[COVID-19]] was caused by eating animals".<ref name="USA Today">{{cite web
| url = https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/03/18/coronavirus-fact-check-covid-19-caused-eating-animals/5073094002/
| url = https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/03/18/coronavirus-fact-check-covid-19-caused-eating-animals/5073094002/
| title = Fact check: Is COVID-19 caused by human consumption of animals?
| title = Fact check: Is COVID-19 caused by human consumption of animals?
Line 107: Line 107:
| publisher = USA Today
| publisher = USA Today
| access-date = 27 March 2020
| access-date = 27 March 2020
| quote = }}</ref>
| quote = }}</ref> The [[USA Today]] investigated Winter's claim and concluded that "while it is true that many infectious diseases that have wreaked havoc on humans have come from animals, it is not entirely the case that ending the consumption of animals would put an end to such diseases."<ref name="USA Today"/>
[[PolitiFact]] rated this claim as "partly false",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/mar/18/instagram-posts/vegan-instagram-accounts-spread-misinformation-abo|title=Vegan Instagram accounts spread misinformation about COVID-19|website=[[PolitiFact]]|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref> and ''[[USA Today]]'' concluded that "while it is true that many infectious diseases that have wreaked havoc on humans have come from animals, it is not entirely the case that ending the consumption of animals would put an end to such diseases."<ref name="USA Today"/>


Winters responded to the criticism in an article published by Plant Based News,{{CN|date=March 2020}} and ''[[The Guardian]]'' investigated Winters' assertions and other similar ones made by vegans on social media and concluded that "the claims are also partly true. Though the links they draw are too simplistic, the evidence is now strong that the way meat is produced – and not just in China – contributed to Covid-19".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/28/is-factory-farming-to-blame-for-coronavirus|title=Is factory farming to blame for coronavirus?|website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref>
An article at [[PolitiFact]] accused Winters of distributing misinformation about [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/mar/18/instagram-posts/vegan-instagram-accounts-spread-misinformation-abo|title=Vegan Instagram accounts spread misinformation about COVID-19|website=[[PolitiFact]]|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref> Winters responded to the criticism in an article published by Plant Based News.{{CN|date=March 2020}}


== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==

Revision as of 16:55, 29 March 2020

This template is being used in the wrong namespace. To nominate this talk page for deletion, go to Miscellany for deletion.

Ed Winters
File:Ed Winters in 2018..jpg
Born
London, England
NationalityBritish
Other namesEarthling Ed
Years active2016 – present
Known forAnimal Rights Advocacy & Viral Speeches
MovementAnimal Rights & Veganism
Websitewww.earthlinged.org

Ed Winters is a British animal rights activist, filmmaker and lecturer. He has a large social media presence on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram, where he goes by the username Earthling Ed. He came to prominance with his university lecture "You Will Never Look at Your Life in the Same Way Again" being viewed over 33 million times online.[1] He gave two TEDx talks in early 2019,[2][unreliable source?] and has taught classes on the ethics of using animals as commodities at Harvard University.[3][unreliable source?]

Animal rights advocacy

Winters started his YouTube channel in 2016, alongside co-founding the animal rights organisation Surge with his partner.[4][unreliable source?] He specifically focuses on education as means in which to advocate, with a focus on philosophical and ethical arguments regarding accepting animals into "our circle of moral consideration."[5][unreliable source?] His online teachings are based on effective communication and positive community building. In 2016 through Surge Winters co-founded The Official Animal Rights March,[6] which succeeded in a growth from 2,500 participants in London in 2016 to 41,000 participants across the world in 2019.[1][unreliable source?] Surge brought to light cruelties in United Kingdom's dairy farms after taking footage of them, which according to Winters "shows not only a flagrant violation of the safety of these animals, but points to the wider systemic issues found throughout the whole dairy industry."[7][8] In 2017 he also produced the documentary Land of Hope and Glory,[9] which contained these footages,[7] to which the RSPCA was forced to respond.[10] Winters was also among those who petitioned Priestlands School in Lymington to prevent the slaughter of their Tamworth and Gloucester Old Spots pigs.[11] He has given speeches in one-third of UK universities[12] and across college campuses in America.[13] Winters has appeared on live television[14] numerous times debating the ethical and environmental arguments for veganism. In September 2018 he opened an entirely non-profit vegan restaurant in London called Unity Diner.[15][unreliable source?] Under his co-directorship, Surge conducted anti-fur demonstrations at the London catwalk events attracting more than 250 people in September 2017, a rise from 120 the previous catwalk season and 25 in September 2016.[16] The London Fashion Week eventually went fur-free in 2018.[17][18]

Coronavirus controversy

In March 2020, Winters posted an image on his Instagram account stating that "COVID-19 was caused by eating animals".[19] PolitiFact rated this claim as "partly false",[20] and USA Today concluded that "while it is true that many infectious diseases that have wreaked havoc on humans have come from animals, it is not entirely the case that ending the consumption of animals would put an end to such diseases."[19]

Winters responded to the criticism in an article published by Plant Based News,[citation needed] and The Guardian investigated Winters' assertions and other similar ones made by vegans on social media and concluded that "the claims are also partly true. Though the links they draw are too simplistic, the evidence is now strong that the way meat is produced – and not just in China – contributed to Covid-19".[21]

Personal life

Winters is based in London. He turned vegetarian in May 2014 after coming across a news article about a chicken truck crashing near Manchester. Upon reading that many of the birds had died, he "realised that all animals had the capacity to suffer", something that he had never considered before.[22][unreliable source?] He then became vegan after watching the documentary Earthlings.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ed Winters". PlantBasedNews.org. The PBN Podcast. n.d. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Vegan Activist Earthling Ed Records Second TEDx Talk Of 2019". www.plantbasednews.org. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  3. ^ "Vegan Activist Earthling Ed to Teach Animal Rights Class at Harvard University". Vegan News. 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  4. ^ "In conversation with Earthling Ed". Vegan Food & Living. 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  5. ^ TEDx Talks (2019-03-28), The Ostrich Effect: The truth we hide from ourselves | Ed Winters | TEDxLundUniversity, retrieved 2019-04-20
  6. ^ "Thousands of vegan activists march through London to end animal cruelty". Metro. 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  7. ^ a b King, David (26 February 2019). "Undercover footage of violence at dairy farm prompts RSPCA investigation". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  8. ^ Dalton, Jane (29 November 2019). "Cows sexually abused, hit and punched at company owned by NFU deputy president, footage shows". Independent. Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  9. ^ "If you think that British meat is more humane than American, you're deluded". Metro. 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  10. ^ "Land of Hope and Glory film". www.rspcaassured.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  11. ^ Ward, Victoria (22 January 2018). "School targeted by animal rights activists after vegan parents criticise decade-long pig rearing project". The Telegraph. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Earthling Ed Will Make You Vegan in 30 Minutes or Less". Metiza. 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  13. ^ "Inaugural 'Dairy Alternative Day' Features Vegan Activist Earthling Ed and Dairy-Free Food". The Cornell Daily Sun. 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  14. ^ Hill, Rose (2018-11-06). "Phil's 'sausage' remark during militant vegan debate shocks This Morning fans". mirror. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  15. ^ "Activist Earthling Ed to Open Non-Profit Vegan Diner in London". VegNews.com. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  16. ^ Cartner-Morley, Jess (16 February 2018). "Anti-fur protests set to fly as activists target London fashion week". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  17. ^ Conlon, Scarlett (7 September 2018). "London fashion week vows to be fur-free". The Guardian. London: The Guardian. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  18. ^ "London Fashion Week to go fur-free for the first time". BBC News. London: BBC. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  19. ^ a b Brown, Matthew (18 March 2020). "Fact check: Is COVID-19 caused by human consumption of animals?". USA Today. USA Today. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  20. ^ "Vegan Instagram accounts spread misinformation about COVID-19". PolitiFact. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  21. ^ "Is factory farming to blame for coronavirus?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  22. ^ "Earthling Ed". The Vegan Society. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  23. ^ Are Militant Vegans Going Too Far? This Morning (YouTube). This Morning. 2018-11-06. Event occurs at 0:12. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:Ed_Winters&oldid=948001952"