How Vegans are Perceived

1865:

How is it that some of us are passionate advocates for animals and some people are completely indifferent to them? How is it that to us, vegan principles seem so enlightened and meat-eating so primitive? But then how is it that meat-eaters are so confident and feel so sophisticated for using animal products that they don’t feel fazed by veganism?

         

There are totally different attitudes and lifestyles amongst omnivores, and yet we all live alongside each other. The fact is that our differences aren’t prioritised - there are so many important things to be different about. Vegans probably aren’t that much brighter or kinder or healthier than the animal-eaters, but we do have more self-discipline because we do so much more boycotting. And, creatively speaking, we are busier discovering alternatives to animal foods, and products, and new ways of meal-making. We’re more used to thinking about ethical issues, and we do more questioning and arguing of our case. This gives us a strong point of view and an ability to sustain it. Even as a tiny minority within a predominantly omnivorous population, our strength and sense-of-right could intimidate those who hold opposite views. We have a double job, to allay their fears and to guide them towards a whole new lifestyle, without seeming to them that we think ourselves ‘better-than’.