1548:
The trouble with the
'health-talk approach' or the 'fear-of-personal-illness approach' is that we
sell our philosophy short. We succeed
only in making them want to doubt our authority, and then run away.
Today many young people still
have their health. We call it 'youth'. They have a cavalier attitude to food and might
not be afraid of ill health. But also,
they won't yet be so consumed with guilt about animals (having made fewer food-buying
decisions for themselves). If they
simply see us as being 'into health' they'll probably see us as wowsers. With that image, vegans may seem not so cool.
And that is confirmed if the animal
activist is a grim-looking type. Which
is why we mustn't be seen as frustrated, assertive or preaching gloom. We mustn’t give anyone an excuse to typecast
us and then walk away. By keeping things
light and on friendly terms, we might be able to get up close, and drop in a
well placed comment. And whether there’s
flak or no flak, there’s a chance we can say what we want to say and get away
with it. And hopefully it sinks in.
However, amongst any group of
people, anywhere, at any age, meat eating is pretty much the norm. Almost every person who uses animal food is
able to switch off their sense of compassion when dinner’s on the table. Animal Rights is a tabooed subject for
table-talk because it deals with ethics and values and self-disciplines
concerning food choices. And free-willed
people don’t like being lectured about what they should and should not eat. So, although it may seem like a good
opportunity to make comments when food’s about, it’s also the time when we can
expect our comments to be most deeply resented.
However, some young people
might be very pleased that we dare to make comments, if only because they can't
but might have liked to, themselves, but don't have either the experience or
the confidence to put their point strongly enough.
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