New Podcast Release: Wayne Hsiung
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Animal Liberation Front
17 min read
Wayne Hsiung directly discusses how Open Rescue evolved from ALF tactics, and how Peter Singer's work inspired the movement. Understanding ALF's history and methods provides essential context for the philosophical and tactical evolution discussed in the interview.
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Preference falsification
12 min read
Wayne explicitly mentions this concept when discussing Cass Sunstein and explains it as a key problem his activism tries to overcome - people hiding their true beliefs due to perceived social norms. This is a specific social science concept most readers likely haven't studied deeply.
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Jury nullification
14 min read
Wayne's acquittal in conservative Utah despite clearly committing the act of taking piglets from Smithfield suggests the jury chose not to convict despite the law - a phenomenon central to understanding his legal strategy and why prosecutors didn't want video shown. This legal concept illuminates the high-stakes courtroom drama referenced.
Wayne Hsiung is one of the most prominent voices in the animal rights movement today. In our conversation, Wayne explains why he is prepared to risk spending time in prison in order to rescue animals from factory farms and inform the public about the conditions in which those animals are living.
We talk about how his activism began, about how disrupting restaurants went viral – and whether it helped animals – and about the thinking behind Open Rescue. Wayne shares personal reflections on fear, courage, and the emotional toll of incarceration, as well as the power of storytelling in shifting public attitudes toward animal suffering.
We also explore his high-stakes legal battles—including a recent trial in rural Utah where, against the odds, and in one of the most conservative regions of the United States, he was acquitted by a jury after rescuing two piglets from a Smithfield farm. He also tells us why the prosecution argued against showing the jury video of the alleged crime.
Below are some highlights from our conversation, edited for clarity. You can listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred platform.
The Origin of 'In-Your-Face' Activism
PETER SINGER: Wayne, I first noticed your work as an animal activist when the organisation Direct Action Everywhere, which you started, began popping up at meetings and in restaurants, and I mean popping up quite literally.
Let me tell you about the first time I encountered it. I was a speaker on a panel in New York City at an event organised by some people who were planning a Museum of Food and Drink. They weren’t particularly animal activists, though they were interested in the issue. We were having a serious discussion of whether one should eat meat when suddenly a member of the audience stood up, unfolded a picture of a cow, gave the cow a name, and spoke out on her behalf, explaining what her life was like and how much suffering she had endured.
Then someone else stood up and did the same for a pig, and I think maybe someone did it for a chicken as well. The organisers were rather upset by this.
But to be honest, it did liven up what, until then, had been the kind of discussion I’d participated in many times before. I think it made the event more memorable. Pretty soon, activists with DXE, Direct
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