1375:
In advocating for animal
rights there are two things going on at the same time: we are trying to
advocate for the animals but we are also trying to come across as acceptable
humans. On one level we need to seem
just like the rest, not better than anyone else. On another level we want to stand out as principled
individuals and be taken seriously.
Can they be combined? Is that an impossible dream, given the
subject? Animal Rights is unpopular and
if the subject makes us unpopular for talking about it, we might just have to
accept that.
Vegans have two choices - we
can either be acceptable and risk being ineffective or be just plain
unacceptable and “to hell with social acceptance - better to be disliked than
ignored”. These two choices are far
apart; we either stand up for what we believe or risk alienating the support we
already have. How hard or how soft do we
go in?
Some days I just go along
silently with whatever happens. I don’t
speak out. I keep smiling and everyone likes me. Other days I bite back, shocking people who
thought I was a sweet guy - one day I’m nice, the next I’m not; if your voice
is too soft no one can hear you, but if it’s too loud it’s a threatening value
judgement.
Perhaps we’ve got to get
people to like us enough to want to listen to us. It’s the eternal question - be too sweet and
they’ll not even hear us, be too pushy and they’ll run a mile. So maybe it’s best to NOT try to convert
friends and family but confine our outspokenness to speaking in public. Then no one feels obliged to listen – they can
walk away. If they do listen we can
speak outrageously and courageously. If
we take a risk, we can win respect just for that.
When we’re at home we might
think it best to abstain, for the sake of keeping the peace. And then we can still retain the acceptance
and emotional support of those who know us best. That will keep us stable and
secure enough to go out and be more outspoken, without needing too much
audience-reassurance.
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