Information-day

496: Regarding the enslaved animals, those we eat and make use of - as long as people place them in this ‘special category’, of being not like our pets at home, they can maintain a cut-off point ‘regarding certain animals’. Vegan information inevitably falls on deaf ears. How frustrating! What can we do about that? I realise that my getting angry about it is the LAST thing I need to do. I doubt if anger and shouting-at-people is an effective protest tool or teaching aid, not with this issue anyway. At this stage there are just far too many people who put farm animals in this special category. (And while I’m on the subject … I do try NOT to waive the Vegan Flag at people all the time, especially when they feel like making stupid remarks. Often it’s their only line of defence). You might think that anger indicates feeling passionate about something or having strong opinions. But isn’t it true that anger easily gets out of control. It’s too easy, when we’re so certain about a cause, to be thinking – “I’m proud to feel this way. I’m standing up for what I believe, standing against a violent world”. Both vegans and omnivores draw strength from another belief, that this is “a free country and I can think and say what I like”. And that’s true enough. I’m sure I won’t be arrested for speaking out, but if I break the unwritten laws governing warm relationship, because you won’t agree over this matter of animal-use, it’s dangerous, especially if I become personal and disapproving of you, and you of me. The world of successful communication is an art form. I only break the rules when I’m sure I know the person I’m talking to and even then it’s risky. Talking about this most delicate subject might start out well but can change abruptly. I prefer to treat any chance to speak rather like a variety act - it’s an opportunity for a little performing, a little showing off, attempting to look attractive (enough for people to want to spend a little time discovering what I might have to say). There’s even some seduction. But I keep the emotion behind what I’m saying light, so there can never be any threat of my turning on them. I’m suggesting here that effective relationship-building must be done, first up, because omnivore-perception of ‘vegans’ is often proscribed. People are wary of what we might say, accusingly. Perhaps it’s not that vegans are thought to be untrustworthy, more that we are thought of as being so off the planet that we’re unpredictable and possibly too stupid to talk to. Whatever negative perception people have of vegans (and they rarely tell us to our face) we may have to work quite hard to fix that first before engaging them in our arguments. Between each other we have a great opportunity to find common ground, instead of getting off-side with each other. The onus is on us. If I want you to listen to me I should take my example from those who are most successful at being non-threatening - kids. They’re too inexperienced and small to be much of a threat, usually, so they develop techniques (which adults no longer employ with each other when talking seriously). When I watch how these little ‘wise-ones’ operate, I see how we adults could take a leaf out of their book. They want something, they want the adult to listen, they often have it down to a fine art, mixing light hearted banter with the serious business - and eventually get what they want whilst building trust and adding to their cuteness, all at the same time. We adults could learn a lot from their techniques. If we talked serious talk the way kids do, both vegans and omnivores could get a lot out of Information Day.