Veganism speaks like no other ‘ism’ because it outlines a structure for a future civilisation, no less! And who couldn’t be interested in that? There are many huge problems blocking our progress, pessimism for one. Pessimism seems to be associated with loss. At the very prospect of a no-touch-animal policy who wouldn’t feel uneasy? (Well, vegans wouldn’t actually!). Who wouldn’t feel uneasy at the loss of privileges if they gave up animal products? But we have to weigh that unease against a reason for optimism - in this single (vegan) idea not only are animals liberated but for us there’s a new hope, a new ‘reason to be’ and a chance for a future civilisation.
People love looking into the future. If we see good things are going to happen, that’s optimistic; conversely, the doom-sayers have their pessimism to keep them company. It’s all about how we imagine the future. A weak imagination calls for pessimism, seeing veganism for instance as a loss of human privileges and modern-day comforts. Or it’s passed off as masochism. For our pessimistic, omnivore friends the idea of dropping animal products is depressing and veganism is threatening.
But are vegans really a threat with their plant-based eating? Is the abolition of animal slavery and an egalitarian treatment of animals absurd? If so, why?
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