FORCE

Everything that might have seemed clear about the idea is, in reality, not clear at all. It isn’t just about diet, health, leading a cruelty-free life or avoiding unethical products, it’s also about forcing people to change for their own good but against their own will. It’s likely that most people will dislike the feel of our force rather than the idea we are promoting, whilst for our part we’re likely to be convinced of the need to use force to push them past their own inertia.
Maybe we should merely suggest. Like any truly successful salesperson, we should never try to sell, only help customers make decisions for themselves. If vegans choose to talk the subject up, inducing guilt and fear, they won’t succeed in instilling new attitudes. If the sales pitch is aggressive or has a heavy moral overtone, we can be sure our ‘customer’ will feel as if he/she is being ambushed.
By the way we come across, we will be seen by others either as someone to be close to or to be avoided. When people clash with us it’s usually because of the feelings that accompany our arguments as if we are loaded with disapproving value-judgement. As soon as anyone feels their values are being judged, there’s trouble. So we need to unravel a lot of attitude before we can start to talk productively about this subject – of the use of animals. Just because I’m right, it doesn’t mean to say I’m right!