Vegan police

1264: 

A friend of mine reckons I try to take over any conversation to put my case for veganism or animal rights, and she reckons I’m inclined to act like the ‘thought police’.  She says that people hear what I say and think to themselves, “Leave me alone.  I feel okay about what I eat and what I wear”.

         

I can’t fight that, because in their minds there’s no obvious damage being done, they're only doing what others do.  And it’s all perfectly legal.  More importantly they don't have to discuss any of this with anyone.

Imagine what happens when I go snooping inside someone's fridge, disapproving of what I find there.  She says I’m no better than a peeping tom, and that I'm stepping over the line.  Or more importantly, I’m showing my fundamental misunderstanding of people's freedom-of-choice, which they’ll defend to the death.  They might be too polite to object too strongly, to my face. But later, privately, they’ll probably get quite upset about my being a pushy vegan who tries to barge into their private life.  No wonder, they no longer invite me round to dinner!!

         

They feel offended, but that's a favourite defence, and justifies their ‘not listening’ to me.  But maybe some people do listen.  They take what I’m saying seriously.  They seem to have good intentions.  They consider altering their food-buying habits.  But why?

When people embark on a change of habit based on ethical reappraisal, are they changing because they’ve been nudged into it, or is it a true awakening for them, a flash of compassion and empathy?  Or might they want to show their political correctness? Or is it guilt that drives them?

         

Making a major change, such as 'going vegan', must always at first be an experiment.  No one knows if the habit-change will be permanent. If the experiment fails, are we going to feel ashamed of ourselves?  And will any failure weaken our belief in our 'good intentions'?  The answers to these questions isn’t helped by the presence of vegan police.

Food is such a powerful force.  It determines so much of our daily lifestyle.  Food is on our minds all the time. It’s the great tempter.  We might want to be thought of as 'a vegetarian' but at what price?  Isn’t there always the temptation to sneak in a sly hamburger when the ‘police’ aren’t watching?  Food is so powerful, and isn’t there always an element of ‘stolen fruit tasting sweeter’?

Perhaps it’s the depth of reappraising ethics that determines whether we alter course to avoid danger or to establish a whole new world view.