Table attack

Vegans are used to people trying to have a go at them. Usually it’s a very half-hearted attempt to make our “over sensitivity towards animals” look foolish. In company an insulting comment levelled at a vegan is often enjoyed by everyone, confirming their image of the vegan stereotype. To deny them their enjoyment means we have to tweak our image a bit. We shouldn’t let ourselves be provoked. We don’t need to show outrage, and we do need to be sure of our arguments. We must be able to ride out these minor annoyances and allow ourselves to be open to cross examination without losing our cool.
Meat eaters, from their safe majority position, always like to put down the righteous vegan. They want to show how easy it is to make us angry. Actually it isn’t a sadistic thing they do, it’s just self defence. They want an excuse NOT to have to listen to what they don’t want to hear. Our anger at them gives them the excuse to shut the door in our face. We’re fair game for attack because we dare to question their most private lifestyle habits. Most carnivores don’t care about animal suffering and don’t want to talk about it. Others want to take us on. So, as vegans, we need to be ready for ‘the dinner table attack’ and use the occasion to show how we can handle anything they say.