New slogans on Main Street

We don’t need to wash our dirty linen in public. Anger flapping about in the wind is not a pretty sight and rehearsed anger twice as ugly. The standard angry approach from vegans puts people off, and although the shouting of slogans feels empowering and the slogans themselves often witty or wicked, nothing much is achieved if the sloganeers look angry. If they seem confrontational, if they have a bring-it-on look about them, it will probably raise a smile, that’s all. It’s unlikely we’re a throng that’s threatening public stability. It’s more likely we’re three or four passionate demonstrators, and so it’s no wonder we sometimes seem ludicrous … which is convenient really, since we demonstrators act as valuable counterpoints – being opposite to the type of person one wants to be like. Vegans, supposedly peace-makers, when they show anger show a thinly disguised contempt for all omnivores and that is often heavy enough to sink the ship. There’s nothing like contempt to disadvantage us in our attempt to do something useful.
By looking like unloving types, vegans lose out big time. If I’m disliked I’m (basically) stuffed - getting a reputation for it sucks us into quicksand, along with our ideology. That allows everything we stand for to be conveniently dismissible.
When we’re dismissed as crack pots or we’re just ignored it hurts. It’s an insult. It makes us angry ... and there’s nothing worse that that ‘look’ we give, showing how insulted we are. Inscrutable we are not. Our reaction to being rubbished doesn’t have to show. And if we must show it, our display should at least be kept in control. We don’t need to match aggro for aggro. Their hostility doesn’t need be our problem. It’s the same as with bullying - it’s a bigger problem for the bully than for the bullied, in the long run. Maybe hostile interaction is merely part of the rough and tumble of this age. Out there, in the adult’s playground, there’s fierce competition between new ideas. Many vie for attention. We shouldn’t be surprised if veganism is rejected, not necessarily all of it and not necessarily for all time, but being rubbished vegans are used to. (Which we should welcome - it’s better than silence). However, if we’re being dismissed and alienated from our society, we’ve got to get over it. Even if we’re humiliated, even if we’re cold-shouldered.
That’s the point of all this writing (blogging), to highlight a few things that might help, especially from making fools of ourselves. Our role (and lets not be too coy about it) is clear enough - we argue for animal liberation, we take it upon ourselves to act as advocates for the oppressed animals.
As such we become half survivor, half performer - in small drama, preparing for a bigger drama to come. We can barely imagine it being a main topic of debate, just as much as future generation will barely be able to imagine it not being so. But right now, whilst it is so heavily tabooed, the public is timid and indeed so are we. When we talk about animals having rights we wobble; one half of us is on stage, ‘talking’ about it, the other half warns us, from the wings, not to ‘blow it’.
As part of the collective, none of us should be blowing it for our colleagues. Animal Rights awareness is at a delicate stage. We vegans are still discovering our own ways to relate to this subject, and get it across WITHOUT turning people off and WITHOUT any taking-of-umbrage.
Picture the most insensitive comments: “They’re only animals” or “What you need is a good steak”. Like our own slogans these are part of a collection of one liners, intended to scuttle us. Marching down the High Street, we should be shouting a new slogan (not that it would be understood!): “We WILL NOT be scuttled”.
Hey, but here’s an idea. We don’t need to confront people anyway, better to let them have their say. And be generous about it too. Ease up on that faux-amazed look every time they say something we disagree with. Give them some real, non-judgemental space, to speak. And listen (what we can find out is invaluable here), and don’t interrupt. We shouldn’t be afraid of losing some space or want to interrupt to show how quick our response can be. If we listen to them, they won’t be so afraid of losing their chance to defend themselves from the hefty accusation implied in everything we say.
A simple conversation, on this difficult subject, is not unlike a trial, where each side has an equal chance to put its case. Evidence is gathered, references are at hand and everything is done according to accepted practice, before any judgement is passed - everyone may then feel justice has been served.
For vegans, whatever we say has to be said without a sense of moral superiority over the person we’re talking with. If we can drop that then we’re at the starting-point, whereas if there’s any disdain showing, any contempt, any look-down-your-nose or “I tolerate you but disapprove of you” looks – we won’t have even got to the starting line yet.
Heck. We just don’t need to add fuel to an already roaring inferno of mutual disgust, for that it what it is. If they dislike us it’s because they can guess what we’re up to - how dare we suggest no more lobster, ever? And never again to eat crab, prawns, lamb roasts, chicken nuggets – all, never to be tasted again.
From our anti-omnivore point of view, we obviously don’t like their ‘I-don’t-care’ attitude. For their part they hate being reminded of it. So, these are the stakes we’re playing with. As vegan communicators we hardly need to go out looking for more trouble - we don’t need to give anyone a chance to justify their being unfriendly towards us.