Article 31 . Communicating Veganism

[From a set of articles from ‘The Place of Non-Violence and Altruism in Animal Rights’ from 2007.]

Why are we so keen to talk about all this discovery we are making – taking up ideas, changing habit patterns, etc.? Perhaps not for chattering reasons, but to implant a sense of optimism in others. "Optimistic veganism" shines a light on the future. If we can see the potential of an idea, it’s likely we’ll be busting to talk about it. It’s as if we’ve discovered a fine jewel. But instead of it being admired, something unexpected happens. BANG. We hit a hurdle. A feeling-barrier drops and we don’t understand why. Maybe this is our first taste of rejection over a point of principle, the first time we’ve felt cold-shouldered. This rejection and value-judgment on us becomes more real the more energy it sucks out of us. It hurts and is intended to hurt or at least bring us up with a jolt. Almost everything will be thrown at us, not only in words but in unspoken feelings of disapproval, in order to bring us back into the fold (“we’ll do anything to bring you home”). At bottom, it’s a suspicion that majority people often hold about minority types - that they are less sincere than they seem. And animal rightists who speak about kindness to animals, are often seen as being not really kind people at all. They are seen as people who can only show love towards "creatures" and not to their fellow human beings. Whether this is true or not, the rejection vegans often feel makes them try the harder to come across as sincere people.