I don’t want to go there

If we think badly of omnivores we fuel a fire which is already burning hot. We don’t need more heat. We can stir them up, sure. We can get their juices flowing. But at what risk do we get a good argument?
On this particular, unlevel playing field our arguments can be devastating. We know that. If we are to have an exchange on this subject it’s easy to feel cocky with our answers. They know that if they have to listen to us they’ll want to scream. They’ll want to pull down the shutters, fast. So they fix that familiar look on their face - it means, “I don’t want to go there”.
Volunteering answers to non-existent questions looks a bit desperate. It’s the kiss of death to any pleasant chat. It’s as if Solutions are out there looking for problems - vegans understandably search out omnivores for conversion. We set out to solve your problems ... but if there’s no problem in the first place (“I’ve got no problem with the food I eat”), if there’s no questioning there’s no opening ... for any of our arguments. No requests for solutions. Do manners step in here?
By bringing up the matter of problems and ‘solutions’ (connected with animal-usage) animal-people are seen to be deliberately attempting to lecture. We seem to turn a chat into a church. We barge our way into a conversation because we see no other way of ‘bringing the matter up’. Animal Rights, as a subject, is one of the biggest, if not THE biggest taboo in our society - most people observe the rule that “animal-usage” isn’t to be spoken about.
Like street traders, vegans have a good stock of very fine answers on display. We stand around with our hands in our pockets, waiting for some interest in what we’re selling. The omnivore is locked in the stream of traffic passing our stall. They show no interest. In fact their interest hardly extends to the problem let alone the solution.
If we try to draw people into unwilling dialogue, we’ll find the welcome-mat whisked from under our feet. For most omnivores this isn’t even a valid topic of discussion. They don’t see any ‘writing on the wall’. Whereas we do!