The time is right now

862:

Disapproval is the weapon we use when pissed off with someone. Vegans don’t like what they see in people, they hate having to be silent and resent omnivore’s intolerance of veganism. So, we disapprove of them.

Then they hit back ... and so it goes around in circles. Vegans have to break that circle, to take the lead, hard though it is.

            I’m always disappointed by our lack of impact. But, as a union of vegans, we’re divided over how we approach omnivores, how far to go with them and what to emphasise. Some want to advocate total abolition, others settle for a partial non-use of animals. Added to this, we’re divided over what approach to take, when talking on the subject of ‘animals’. There are those who go in hard and there are those who favour a softer approach. The most outraged and bravest vegans initially go in ‘hard’, both to impress colleagues and show themselves how determined and committed they are. But what of the other way?

            How effective is it to be seen as a ‘softy’? Vegans want for people to rise up against misinformation and dangerous food products. But most people aren’t ready because they don’t see the bigger picture. They can’t imagine themselves dropping the traditional foods they like to eat. Nor can they know that at each step away, from a conventional mind-set, discomfort lessens.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, things could hardly be going better for the Animal Industry and purveyors of animal-based products. They know that customers will always demand the yummiest foods.

            All we vegans can do is to continue promoting cruelty-free products and encourage people to boycott animal products. The odds are against us. Small markets mean small choices; there isn’t a big enough market to warrant vegan foods being produced. If you want a Mars Bar you pay $1 at Woolworths. The equivalent cruelty-free bar is four times the price. Cruelty-free products are priced for the smaller-market, and that’s the big problem for many of us on limited incomes. But little by little, as the cruelty-free companies grow and can reduce prices and sell more, the wheel begins to turn in our favour.

In the meantime, we have to learn to do-without, when vegan alternatives simply aren’t available.

            Presently the Animal Industries are raking it in. They know what customers want and, ethically, how much they’ll tolerate to get it. But as health concerns and moral outrage increases, so the idea of alternative foods will be more seriously considered.