Why the reluctance to change?

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I’m always going to find it difficult to get the idea of empathizing with farm animals across to unwilling listeners. Most people won’t necessarily see things how I see them. They won’t willingly give up meat and eggs, let alone leather shoes or woollen blankets. They won’t extend the same kind feelings they have for their children towards animals that provide them with those things. And they won’t make the connection, that boycotting will help end the exploitation of animals.

            Whether there’s some reasoning or none at all, almost every person will resist our arguments fiercely.  They won’t ‘be told’. They won’t be easily persuaded. They won’t voluntarily ‘do-without’. This is why I think the key to liberating animals can only be found in our approach. It has to be a sort of ‘whispering’, like talking to a nervous horse. Somehow each of us has to find our own way to earn trust so that we won’t be pre-empted, so we can put forward our case without causing them to feel too judged or too threatened.

            Animal advocates are essentially information impart-ers. So far, to a certain extent, we’ve done a good job by making information available, through our campaigns, literature, web sites, video footage, and in our personal conversations and exchanges of ideas. Today there’s no excuse for not knowing about farm animal abuse. But any number of facts won’t necessarily alter feelings, which reflect a distinct lack of interest in animals, notably farm animals. In fact, there is mostly an absence of feelings which allow the conscience to be free to enjoy eating such things as meat and fish, chocolates and creams and other rich foods laced with milk products. Without the nagging of any conscience there’s no incentive to find non-animal alternatives.

            The lack of concern for ‘food’ animals means there is nothing strong enough to spark radical dietary change or go anywhere near even discussing the subject. So we animal advocates can rant and rave till we’re blue in the face, but we live in a free society where everyone knows they are free to do as they please. And the ‘authorities’, the media, the parents, priests and teachers, none of them speak up for the animals, and that gives people the green light to NOT have to listen to what Animal Rights people are saying.

            All the time the majority of customers accept the status quo there can be no real progress made towards liberating animals.