Open Letter

1394:

Dear Omnivore,

We hope you don’t resent us for not eating as you do and for campaigning for animals.  We only want to do the right thing by them and earn enough respect from you so that you’ll trust us with our ideas.  Sometimes we do some tub-thumping and admittedly, that’s a bad habit.  You see, we’re used to thinking up-ahead and we want to warn you of the ethical dangers you might not have thought about before.  Hopefully we don’t play the prophet or come across as being judgemental.

Some of us have a lot to learn - we’re not selling soap powder after all.  We’re attempting to sell an idea, and make it inspiring enough to interest you.  What we don’t want to appear to be is preachy.  No one likes being told what to do.  It makes people want to dig their heels in. It reminds people of the phoney Bible-bashers, and once that image sticks, it turns people off.

Having a conversation about why not to use animals will always sound a bit accusatory.  If we happen to press that particular button we shouldn’t be surprised if you accuse us of fanaticism.  And then you'll probably find yourself so opposed to our arguments, and we to yours, that it’s a long climb back uphill, to get back to where we started.

If we vegans are going to instigate discussion of this subject, we must shoulder the responsibility of conducting matters in a civilised way.  And it can only lead somewhere worthwhile if we don’t blow it, by pushing things too hard, or cornering you into saying something stupid.

A robust debate is all well and good, but it’s up to us to watch for subtle signs both in ourselves and in our adversaries.  We mustn’t get into value-judging knowing just how sensitive people are about the food they eat and how vulnerable they are to having their ethics attacked.

         

How I feel will show on my face – perhaps it’s just a matter of smiling at you when I speak, in such a way that you’ll be convinced how friendly I’m trying to be. I’d be wanting you to think I am friendly and non-judgemental, but it won’t work if my smile is masking any disapproval of you.

We vegans, who think we know a lot about food, should realise that some omnivores know about food too, in as much as they know what they like and what seems to be good for them.  We must try not to underestimate you.  And at the same time go easy on the ethics - we need to bend over backwards, to show we realise how difficult animal issues are and be willing, no, enthusiastic to have our arguments critically assessed by you.  We aren’t asking you to agree with us, we just want you to think about issues and arrive at your own conclusions.