Direct action or direct communication

If we want habits and mindsets to change it means learning how to communicate. And that rules out using disapproval, guilt, shaming tactics and any other of our favourite ‘frighteners’. We should only make suggestions and promote the ‘coming attractions’ (of which, as we know, there are many!)
Many of the most sincere animal activists may disagree with this approach.. They only know how to be effective by confronting and forcing animal rights issues into public attention. And that might be valid – for example, the activities of the Animal Liberation Front, who are willing to destroy property to save animals on fur farms and intensive farming operations. They risk their own liberty to make their point. They save many tortured animals in the process. They promise their direct action will be carried out without causing any injury to people. They deserve our respect. And there are those who break into vivisection laboratories and rescue the animals there. They also perform a great service for those animals. And it takes guts. And surely, at the cost of a few broken doors and locks it’s a small price to pay. Surely, in these cases, some collateral property damage is justified, especially since there’s no physical harm to any person. If their actions are non-violent and they go on to provide sanctuary for the animals they’ve rescued, the only real damage is to animal industry profits.
But these rescuing activities aren’t going to impact on the egg breakfasters and milk drinkers and ham sandwich eaters, who refuse to change their eating habits. If we want to approach the massed throng of people who are the customers of these ugly animal industries, I think our only valid approach has to be educative. Bucket loads of embarrassing facts and big doses of logical argument to attempt to persuade the customer. But this is the mighty, free-willed human being we’re referring to here. They are habitual spenders whose money is all powerful, who are part of a vast, vast majority. There’s a wall of obstinacy, arrogance, selfishness and thoughtlessness built against our arguments. These consumers aren’t necessarily hard hearted or implacably anti-vegan, it’s just that they are addicted to animal products and don’t want to relinquish them, and that’s their reason to buy them. We have our work cut out to convince them of good reasons to spend their money more humanely.