Representing a central argument

1140: 

I hope I say what I mean, speak without being patronising, and advocate on behalf of ‘the voiceless’, without making value judgements.  That’s the aim anyway, but easier said than done!

Ideally, if you and I are on a mutual-regard footing, we’ll each feel freer to speak our minds and consider what it is that we each feel strongly about.  Ideally, you and I are simply chatting about something which interests us.  There needn’t be any accusations and no need for any defensiveness.  I can be sure to lose you if I seem unfriendly or fake or aggressive in any way.

Over this matter of treating animals with more respect (as in not-eating them, at the very least!) people usually take the easy way out.  They don’t want to think about it, and particularly don’t want to talk about it.  I’ll try to jolly you along.  Get you chatting, as if this were simply an interesting subject of conversation.  However, you can’t be easily fooled about my intentions.  You’re likely to think I’m just trying to get into your head.

If this subject is to be tackled at all, just by starting to discuss it, most people will prefer to inch into it at their own rate, not at mine.  If I start out with some confronting statement, you’ll clam up.  No one likes being thrown in at the deep end.  You don’t want to be made to look uncompassionate.  You don’t want to be made to feel foolish either.

         

It’s important that you see me as I want you to see me; I want to convince you that I’m not a people-hating vegan, or someone who favours animals over people.  I don’t want you to see me as being so dazzled by my own righteousness that I can’t see other people’s good sides.  At all costs, I don’t want to give you any reason to dislike me, rubbish me, and therefore be able to rubbish my arguments.  After all, this is not about me, it’s about the abuse of animals.  I, like other vegan animal advocates, am simply representing an argument, and I must do whatever I can to act as a channel for those arguments.  I must keep my personal opinions to myself.  If you are willing to play ball, by entering into a discussion, it’s not up to me to turn it into a battle of wits.  The arguments are there to be aired, not won.