Going Public

234:

When I start hurling abuse in public it works wonders … in the short term. It unifies my fellow protesters, it makes us all feel good, and sometimes it’s brave of me - if I look scary enough it might strike fear into people’s hearts. But unless I’m willing to continually escalate that approach it loses its power and eventually fizzles out. My big talk and threats are impossible to follow through.
The aim of any Animal Rights protest should be to win people over. It should start with me setting a good example, the same as I’m expecting of others. If I want to ‘go public’ I have to be prepared to get cold shouldered. No surprises if everyone ignores what I say … any excuse will do in order to avoid a ‘spoiler’ like me. It’s possible I might just push through, keep talking ...but perhaps that’s not the point ... gone are the days when we casually bump into people on the street corner and converse with them on serious matters. Today there are no passers-by to talk to. New ideas don’t circulate - we only find new ideas in the media which is tightly controlled when it comes to this subject, with perhaps the Internet being the exception (which is where this blog is found). But anyway, people no longer go searching for new or radical ideas because no one wants the extra aggravation in their life - if it’s Animal Rights or veganism it would mean discovering something highly inconveniencing. So, for us it’s always going to be a long haul, needing a patient, step by step process.
My own first step is to make connection, showing I’m genuine, ready to answer questions and, when there are differences of opinion, bridging the gulf in a non-threatening way. These are my first steps ... to convince others that I only want to help improve their lives and that I’ve got no other agenda.
Sure, I’d like to stand with microphone in hand, in front of a crowd of eager listeners but the days of the soap box are dead. I need to communicate in a more intimate way, in one-to-one conversation about a whole range of related issues. So, when talking casually-almost, when this subject of animal-use comes up (not introduced by me) my first words will probably set the tone of the whole conversation.
It’s obvious that vegans do significant things that others don’t do. That might provoke an interest. I’m in luck if it does.
“You’re a vegan then?”
“Yes”
“Why?”
“It’s something I feel passionately about”
If ever I get this far I’m usually tempted to go into too much detail, but that isn’t necessarily what anyone wants to hear, especially if it sounds like I’m bragging ... as if I’m setting myself apart with superior ethics, etc. As soon as ‘passion’ is mentioned I look like ‘one of those’ (animal-liberationists). They’ll regret asking. Maybe they’ll try to change the subject ... and that’s my reason for not showing my hand too soon.
Usually I meet some provocation:
“You’re what?” ... mock surprise, signs they think I’m mad. It’s meant to make me go on the defensive.
Sometimes it’s a show of guarded interest:
“y….e .. s, go on …”. They hope to pounce on my first foolish statement, then go in for the kill.
So I try to coax them that way - seem vulnerable and a bit innocent. If I don’t seem too eager it’s not hard to lure almost anyone into asking me to explain myself. And that’s really where I want to get to.
I know they want to justify themselves. I know they want to explode my righteous position, but it’s just as likely they’re curious anyway. You can never tell how curious people might be, so tactics aside, I need to be ready for that. It would be such a wasted opportunity if I weren’t.
I need to be prepared to say what I stand for and why, saying it confidently yet casually, informingly yet non-confrontationally – answering in such a way that leaves the other person interested and now better informed, but not put off ... although maybe feeling just a little out-manoeuvred.