Omnivores laughing at vegans

As vegans, we know we have a watertight case. That makes us appear rather too confident about our views. We’re so obviously on the right track that all established vegans see it just that way. Perhaps then, with the very best intentions, we abuse that advantage. Rightness emboldens a sort of ‘quasi-violence’ - a stab here and a punch there to drive our message home.
The sledgehammer mentality reminds me of kids fighting in the playground. The reason they’re fighting is less about reasons and more about fists. A blood lust. Again you see it with kids, when they’re ‘right’, scoring ‘coolness’ points. Or when you hear them boasting about their “latest mischief”. So childish, we say.
Their sledge hammering is crude but it’s their game of one-upmanship, vital for establishing pecking order. But it stays with us as we grow up. As adults we fid ourselves still doing the same thing, except the ‘cool’ has changed and become more insidious – the new ‘cool’ is all about looking relaxed. It’s still the look of fearlessness we tried to drum up as kids. But this time, in the new form it’s a showing that one isn’t afraid of … dangerous foods, animal foods (hastening to say that I doubt if they see these foods as ‘dangerous’, not in the way a vegan does). These foods are symbolic of danger, in a dominator-human-goes-out-to-kill-his-meat sort of way.
But this rave here isn’t about the meat-eater’s macho, it’s about vegan macho and the techniques we use to ‘communicate’ our belief in Animal Rights. If any part of our ‘presentation’ includes making value judgements we’ve failed before we’ve started. Every value judgement, made by a vegan, is going to be reciprocated, punch for punch. That’s for certain.
Omnivores (in responding) do it first by making a ‘declaration of dismissal’ - vegan point of view denied and open for send-up. That’s the initial response to any attack, to disarm mentally, to use laughter to ease the tension … for just long enough to compute a nifty reply. They laugh and it’s not enjoyment-laughter but nervous laughter, allowing time to formulate the ‘coup de grace’ remark. And omnivores know how to hit back. So battle ensues.
No need to list the remarks or weak spots here. We know how they reflect attitudes about animal use. Each unoriginal and uninteresting, usually having as little reasoning behind their arguments as you’d find in a kid’s squabble.
A circle of exchanges begins - not a scrap of strategy in sight, no serious attempt to reach agreement and no satisfaction to be had unless from blood spilt.
Omnivore encounters ‘judgemental-vegan’,
Omnivore laughs (if not out loud),
Omnivore withdraws from ‘talking about IT’,
Mission accomplished. Book closed never to be opened again.

Their out-loud laugh says it all - as if to say “I am not taking this vegan stuff seriously - the Whole Subject of Animal Rights is a ‘non-issue’”. In private they may say: “All vegans are shits to be sent to Coventry”.
The general view, if not expressed quite like this, is that vegans (apart from very rare ones who aren’t pushy) stink … and then, extending pleasantly, “ … a stupid word to use but I can’t express just how utterly NOT-vegan I am”. And with that determination it’s set in concrete. The feeling is entrenched. “Caste out ‘vegan’ reasoning”.
The omnivore has several good reasons for this.
Number one: vegans are intrusive … and there’s no need for any other reasons. That’s reason enough, to prove all vegans are a waste of space. Amongst their friends they respond appropriately to the telling of “The Story of the Pushy Vegan”. It’s told at every dinner table … comfortable image.
This is why, for heavens’ sake, we vegans just HAVE to internalise our outrage and sadness and heartbreak. It’s a millstone around our neck. It’s our weakest spot. It’s our emotional luggage weighing us down. Okay, we’re sincere. Get over it. We must OUT ourselves in this respect: we aren’t looking for pity for the animals nor for our selves either. Maybe we‘re pissed about being excluded, for entertaining left-out-of-it feelings. So, we have to get used to it. It’s strengthening in the long run. Eventually it helps us win hearts. It helps with our betrothal to the human race!
If what we say is NOT to be taken judgementally then how IS it to be taken? That’s the question to ask ourselves. There are no rules in this game (however dangerously we play it) as long as it’s played with some style and concentrates on the truth.