Genuine

One problem for vegans is that our talking about goodness is dangerous. People think we have tickets on ourselves if we do - there’s nothing worse than a do-gooder. Another problem is one of common perception - that veganism is self punishment to make ourselves look good. So as vegans we have to be careful not to say things which reflect our own wonderfulness.
I remember a famous actor coming to a rehabilitation unit for wayward teenagers, to present them (on behalf of the Actor’s Union) with a new mini-bus. His smile was as warm as toast – but he was passed off by one of the kids as “fake as a Chiko Roll”.
If animal rights advocates want to avoid looking fake when we’re promoting high ideals, we have to earn respect, which means not boasting about vegan principles or criticising people as being ‘unprincipled’. It simply triggers hostility. Annoying though it may be we, as vegans, need to involve ourselves with people, encourage them to talk and listen to what they are saying. If we do that we earn respect. They might want to find out what we’ve got to say. They may not agree with us but they may be willing to give us the benefit of the doubt. They may, if they trust us enough, even listen to us. And, who knows, even try out what we suggest.
If we become unfriendly at any point or appear righteous or phoney, people will use that. In order to find a way to dismiss us they may take the easy option – believe we’re do-gooders who are so dazzled by our reality that we can’t see anyone else’s reality. We shouldn’t give anyone an excuse to rubbish us to make it possible to then rubbish our arguments.