I don’t want to go there

805:

If we vegans make it known that we think of omnivores are fools, we fuel a fire which is already burning hot. We don’t need more heat. We can stir them up, sure. We can get their juices flowing. But what risks are there disputing the issues with them? It’s a delicate balance we have to strike here. There’s no place for the ‘I’m right, you’re wrong, so listen to me’ argument.

            On this particular, unlevel playing field our arguments can seem unrealistic. If we’re to have any sort of exchange on this subject it’s good not to get too cocky with our answers; there’s not much excuse needed to pull down the shutters. The one thing non-vegans know is that they’re backed up by a huge majority opinion. They can get away with saying, “I just don’t want to go there”. And, once that has been made clear, there’s not much we can do to make them change their mind.

            Vegans intend to solve other people’s ‘problems’, but if there’s no perceived problem in the first place (“I’ve got no problem with the food I eat”), if there’s no questioning going on, there’s no opening for dialogue, and no need for any solutions. We might want to put it this way, suggesting ‘problems’ and ‘solutions’ (connected with animal-usage), because we see no other way of ‘bringing the matter up’.

            Animal Rights, as a subject, is one of the biggest, if not THE biggest taboo in our society - most people observe the rule that ‘animal-usage’ isn’t to be spoken about; they see nothing wrong with using them because they believe they are treated and killed humanely OR that humans have the right to use them.

            Like street traders, vegans have a good stock of very fine answers on display. We stand around, waiting for a sale, waiting for customers to show some interest in what we’re selling. But what if the passing omnivore shows no interest in either the problem or the solution?

            If we try to draw people into unwilling dialogue, we’ll find the welcome-mat whisked from under our feet. For most omnivores this isn’t even a valid topic of discussion. They don’t acknowledge the presence of any danger let alone see their food choices as the basis of ethical debate.

They can’t see any ‘writing on the wall’, whereas, of course, we can!