Superiority versus equality

774: 

By being a vegan, perhaps the greatest danger for us is believing we are right: violence is wrong, violence against animals is very wrong and eating these violated innocents is even more wrong. I doubt if anyone really disagrees with this, but all that sense of being-right comes across whenever we declare we are vegan, to those who are not. If I take the advantage, by insisting that I am better informed than you and therefore in a better position to judge things more accurately, I not only sound ‘right’ but come across as superior. By implication, you are made to think ‘the thought of admitted inferiority’ - you think that I think I am better than you. This point of difference and separation causes a breakdown in communication or conversation: if one person thinks they are brighter, more qualified, better educated than the other, they will assume the right to expound. From that advantaged position it’s likely I concentrate on one aspect of my set of principles, ‘one quality’, to puff up my self image.

            I might feel superior to you about one ‘important thing’. Okay, so this one thing is something I feel most proud of, about myself. But it makes me feel superior; alongside this One Good Thing there might be a whole string of not-so-good things, which I try to ignore for fear of spoiling my day. I try to forget all of these things and bring the One Good Thing to the fore. My ‘good day’ depends on my ‘good self-image’. But the less-good-things, which could bring me down to your level, I never weigh against my best attributes. I only admit to and show the things I’m proud of. I hide the things I’m not so proud of. So you get to see one side of me, the side I choose you to see and the side which allows me to feel superior. And it follows that I’m entitled to expound, and you, feeling less adequate, will have to listen and learn.

            I don’t think communication works like that. It stands a better chance when certain fundamentals are established, when we insist that we are ALL level pegging, when there’s no competition and therefore no need for the accusing of others, directly or by implication.

            Which is why it’s so important that we vegans don’t ever get high handed about our veganism and vegan principles, because they might not be fairly or honestly balanced with our less-good bits. Which is why the first thing we should have in mind when speaking to non-vegans is a sense of equality.