Debate

It’s hard to get a debate going on animal rights. We may be busting to tell people everything we know about the horrors of animal abuse but others hold strong views too, including the tight not to have to listen to us, so we need to respect the sovereignty of opinion. Even if we reckon it’s a patently wrong opinion, all opinion-holders should be able to have their say. Otherwise we lose the freedom of speech.
There should be clear channels for airing views without fear of being attacked or cut down before we’ve said our piece. If, for example, we’re debating the use of animals, we are bound to touch on animal products, which means some will think we’re having a go at them and therefore there’ll be some heavy disagreement. Whether we are discussing with friends or with an audience, there’s no point in wasting a good opportunity by becoming defensive or aggressive whenever we’re not on common ground. If we get aggro about our views we cause people to dig in their heels and argue against us, just to save face.