Selling veganism

1509: 

Sometimes, with friends or acquaintances, I get the feeling they want to bring up this matter of Animal Rights to exculpate themselves, and then immediately regret they've done just that.  I can sense it coming sometimes, where the subject is about to be raised. And it's then that I need to know one thing.  One thing about you.  That if I actually do answer your questions or comment on what you've said, that you CAN take the shock of what I am about to tell you.  I admire those who do voluntarily bring up this subject, especially since they almost know what I'm about to say; if they allow me to shock them, they'd be showing great faith in me as a friend, especially since this isn’t the sort of 'permission' they'd give lightly.

Wouldn’t it be awful if people were so naive that they didn’t know that vegans were NOT simply avoiders-of-meat, and for them to wander into an unexpected minefield.  I wonder if, when the penny drops, they would then expect me to shock them, hurt them, embarrass them, make them feel guilty?  For my part, I'd want them to know me better than that.

"No way", I say.  I believe that shocks like that are rarely forgiven.  So, the non-violent way to do all this is ... Well, that’s the eternal question for the vegan animal rights advocate.  But my solution may go something like this: I must have up my sleeve a couple of interesting points, facts, something to catch the attention.  I'm hoping to 'sell' veganism, make it irresistible, and so attractive that they must try it.  And, so the theory goes, in 'trying' it, they'll inevitably get hooked.

For the advocate, full of good intention, the traps are, in order of appearance: it’s too easy to show off; it’s too easy to make sweeping statements; it’s too easy to be outrageous.  At this early stage in Animal Rights consciousness, we probably don’t need to draw that much fire.  We don’t need to make it too easy (for our good omnivore friends) to change the subject.  I never like to get bogged down in fine details, because it avoids dealing with ‘the more up-front, uncomfortable matters’.

As animal activists we won’t be able to satisfy every inquirer’s questions about diet and nutrition and health, although we should try.  However, I reckon our best approach is to appeal to the heart.  The kid in us, who wants to be doing stuff that makes us most happy - that’s our best draw card.  Our job, as vegans, is to assure people of the general safety and health of a plant-based diet, and then move on to explain all the stuff about how animals are treated as machines, etc, sprinkling into the mix of all this difficult-to-digest information something of the fun of being a vegan.  The main attraction boils down to this: “You’d be mad not to try it”.