Winning ears

1141: 

Non-vegans represent the vast majority of humans: vegans represent a minuscule percentage.  Numbers of vegans are not yet increasing rapidly enough to make veganism fashionable.  Vegans don’t stand out enough as being smarter, kinder, more powerful, more creative or more persuasive than anyone else, not noticeably anyway.  There’s nothing much, other than appearing more healthy, that looks attractive about us.  If we have fewer self-destructive habits or better ethics they don’t stand out enough to catch people’s attention.

         

If vegans want others to be drawn to their principles, they need to be able to talk inspiringly, that is, use arguments that are watertight.  For that we must be beyond reproach ourselves.  We have to be squeaky clean (read genuine).  And we don’t need to go around telling everybody, “I’m ‘vegan”, not because people don’t need to know but because it looks as though we are fishing for compliments.

         

If I can down-play this side, I might just put myself in a better position to have my say, without needing to press my point too hard.  And it’s good if I appear to be holding-back.  I’m less likely to be identified as a religious zealot trying to convert people.

Unless I’m asked, I’d prefer to say little.  I’ll volunteer information on request and make my answers specific to the question asked.  I try to ease up on the hype, and in that way stand a better chance of winning ears.