What a vegan mockumentary can teach us about public health

Welcome to 2067, a meat-free futuristic utopia where veganism is the new norm. Picture-perfect, healthful, happy youths cannot come to terms with the gruesome fact that their ancestors consumed meat – whilst remorseful elders attend intensive therapy to help swallow their un-camembert-able past. And so begins the journey to understand how the world was, and where veganism fits in.

Simon Amstell, the comedic genius behind Carnage, cleverly convinces us that consuming animal products is wholly ridiculous and unnecessarily cruel in a rather unconventional fashion. Humour, rather than judgement, is his persuasive weapon of choice. Each brutal fact is closely followed with belly-aching humour – aiding digestion of the bitter truth.

Funny, informative, relatively guilten-free, and bursting with British TV legends. I, a self-proclaimed film aficionado, award this mockumentary 5-stars of excellence.

On a more serious note, this film presents important lessons for public health.

1) The power of narrative

Certain areas of public health have become synonymous with damaging, pejorative terms. If you believe in protecting the environment, you’re a greenie; if you believe in achieving peace, you’re a hippy; if you believe in protecting people’s health, you’re a nanny; and if you believe in equality, you’re a leftie. We need to change the narrative, and it starts with the way in which we refer to ourselves. You’re not a nanny – you’re responsible; you’re not a hippy – you’re a humanitarian; you’re not a greenie – you’re a leader; and you’re not a leftie – you’re normal. Carnage flips the negative connotations associated with ‘vegan’ brilliantly. “We’re not vegans anymore, they are carnists.”

2) Culture as a barrier and facilitator of change

Carnage avoids playing the blame game by convincing the audience that we eat meat because we don’t know better – but many of us do. This begs the questions, what are the greatest barriers to change? Answer: cultural norms and the environment. The real world is not a controlled laboratory or a standardised model. Our attitudes, culture, and beliefs create the lens through which we view evidence, and our environment dictates our ability to act upon it. We must consider these factors if we intend to create meaningful and sustainable change.

3) Creative health messaging

How do we communicate our research and important health messages with the public (if at all)? Simply telling people that industrial-scale livestock rearing contributes to climate change or that consumption of meat products increases the risk of hypertension, both of which many people cannot see or feel, may not be the most effective method to incentivise behaviour change. Carnage is proof that film, humour, and a sprinkling of celebrity are key ingredients for effective communication. We can all better utilise these tools, and others, to increase the impact of our research.

4) Meaningful change is a long game – but one well worth playing

Hang in there. The 2067 vegan utopia wasn’t grown in a day.

About the film critic: I’m not a vegan, and don’t believe that everyone should be forced to shy away from animal products altogether (mainly because I’m addicted to cheese), but I do believe in conscious consumption and eating less or no meat. Our bodies don’t need the copious amounts of meat we consume, and our planet can’t support our weighty appetites forever. Carnage presents a convincing argument for this necessary behaviour change- however I’m left wondering: can vegan babies consume breastmilk?

Jessica Renzella is a DPhil student in the CPNP group of NDPH. After gaining a Masters in Public Health at the University of Melbourne and completing an internship at the WHO, Jess moved to Oxford, where her work focusses on the link between urbanisation, diet and BMI. She is also the campaign coordinator for NCDFREE.