By representing Animal Rights we have to step aside from being personally ‘right’ about animal cruelty and animal food in order to stress the importance of empathy itself, which leads to empathy for animals. At the centre of empathy is the principle of do unto others what you’d have done to yourself . If we can apply it to fellow humans why not to animals too? By taking the emphasis off ourselves and our own self development, we bring our arguments down to a very natural feeling. We all have it. It stems from a simple comparison, between the empathy we feel for our companion animals at home and our non feelings for edible animals. To hurt our own animals is unthinkable, because we know them as individuals. We know each one to have their own personality. Animal Rights is about empathetic bonds we have between ourselves and ‘the creatures’ we know. It’s likely none of us could purposely de-individualise any animal. How then can we de-individualise a farm animal? To the point where we help end its life.
When I was young I was hiking in the country overnight. In the evening I found a pigeon which had eaten poisoned bait. I looked after it overnight but it was in such obvious pain the next day I took a knife to its throat. I often think of that bird, at the moment when I had to end its life and I hope it understood why I did it. But for an animal to face the knife without their being any compassionate reason to kill it, must be like any victim facing their murderer. And yet billions of such animals face their murderers each day. There’s no one present like a kindly vet to ease the trauma, there are no anaesthetics, just the machinery (that makes the moving animal still enough so that its carotid artery … and there’s no need to continue that sentence, because the ending is obvious and the picture clear enough. The sort of death these animals meet is mind-bogglingly cruel. It’s the humans forcing the animal forward, to their execution. Think how even one animal could suffer this, let alone billions of them. Humans love animals as they do children. We have a strong sense of empathy for animals. Even trees being deforested are more empathised with than animals.
But humans pretend they can feel empathy because they know they love their dogs and cats. What feat of mental gymnastics has to happen to exclude farm animals from that same empathy? We know what happens when we effectively condemn the animal to be our slave living on death row. We know what happens when their dead bodies and their by products are called for by market demand. But how do we as individuals contribute to that demand?
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Explosive material
Friday 6th November
What we say must, in part, be attractive, as if it could be something to look forward to. Then it will be easier to bear the weight of the unfolding story. Maybe this is the first time farm-animals have been considered. Maybe the possibility of a totally plant-based diet has never before been considered. And that means not much thought has been given to the cruelty side of some foods.
Whatever business we have with other people, kids or adults, we aren’t necessarily invited into their world of independent thought – it’s they who eventually decide to join a growing number of impassioned animal activists, when they are ready.
This subject is so emotionally charged, so deeply connected with daily habits, that any talk of ‘animals’ can make people feel immediately embarrassed for being in the wrong. Although proud of being sensitive, cool, intelligent and likeable, what vegans are saying can explode a few myths and puncture some of our self image. As vegans we need to show support along with the information we provide. Vegans aren’t supposed to be shame merchants.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Explosive material
What we say must, in part, be attractive, as if it could be something to look forward to. Then it will be easier to bear the weight of the unfolding story. Maybe this is the first time farm-animals have been considered. Maybe the possibility of a totally plant-based diet has never before been considered. And that means not much thought has been given to the cruelty side of some foods.
Whatever business we have with other people, kids or adults, we aren’t necessarily invited into their world of independent thought – it’s they who eventually decide to join a growing number of impassioned animal activists, when they are ready. This subject is so emotionally charged, so deeply connected with daily habits, that any talk of ‘animals’ can make people feel immediately embarrassed for being in the wrong. Although proud of being sensitive, cool, intelligent and likeable, what vegans are saying can explode a few myths and puncture some of our self image. As vegans we need to show support along with the information we provide. Vegans aren’t supposed to be shame merchants
Whatever business we have with other people, kids or adults, we aren’t necessarily invited into their world of independent thought – it’s they who eventually decide to join a growing number of impassioned animal activists, when they are ready. This subject is so emotionally charged, so deeply connected with daily habits, that any talk of ‘animals’ can make people feel immediately embarrassed for being in the wrong. Although proud of being sensitive, cool, intelligent and likeable, what vegans are saying can explode a few myths and puncture some of our self image. As vegans we need to show support along with the information we provide. Vegans aren’t supposed to be shame merchants
Winning the un-won
It’s relatively easy to convince the few who are already beginning to take us seriously, but the vast majority of people on this planet are nowhere near there yet. And it’s these people who most need to be contacted. Not to change them by persuasion but to understand their fears and the ignorance behind their thinking. We have to discover the cause of their obstinacy, try to unearth their deep-set, collective prejudices. If you’re ready to let go of reluctance and admit there’s a case to answer, then vegans can speak more freely.
If we’re questioned we may have our answer off pat, sure of what we say. But we might forget how our ‘being so sure’ can come across, and not consider how someone is going to feel, when we tell them what they asked about. It’s likely to be something they didn’t want to hear so we don’t need to twist the knife. We don’t need to spark guilt. No one wants to be lectured and will react, to protect their lifestyle.
It’s just a suggestion, but whatever we want to say maybe we should halve it - surely the trick in talking animal rights is to tread carefully, even to the point of ‘throwing away’ a line or two. Anything to keep them receptive. The best way to hold people’s attention is to deliver some of what we want to say and then pull away onto something different. By pulling back just in time we avoid them being bored, losing attention and turning off. If that means putting our case more casually than we’d like to, even subliminally, then we may need to consider this approach - it might be more effective that way.
We mustn’t forget how justified people want to feel, how much they want to disagree with our basic premise (because it contradicts the whole of their lifestyle), and how little detail they really want to know. (Every new fact acts as a stinging barb of reproach).
Vegans need to hold people’s interest to educate effectively.
If we’re questioned we may have our answer off pat, sure of what we say. But we might forget how our ‘being so sure’ can come across, and not consider how someone is going to feel, when we tell them what they asked about. It’s likely to be something they didn’t want to hear so we don’t need to twist the knife. We don’t need to spark guilt. No one wants to be lectured and will react, to protect their lifestyle.
It’s just a suggestion, but whatever we want to say maybe we should halve it - surely the trick in talking animal rights is to tread carefully, even to the point of ‘throwing away’ a line or two. Anything to keep them receptive. The best way to hold people’s attention is to deliver some of what we want to say and then pull away onto something different. By pulling back just in time we avoid them being bored, losing attention and turning off. If that means putting our case more casually than we’d like to, even subliminally, then we may need to consider this approach - it might be more effective that way.
We mustn’t forget how justified people want to feel, how much they want to disagree with our basic premise (because it contradicts the whole of their lifestyle), and how little detail they really want to know. (Every new fact acts as a stinging barb of reproach).
Vegans need to hold people’s interest to educate effectively.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Hostility to veganism
It’s easy to forget just how aggressive otherwise-peaceful people can be when it comes to this subject. But it’s understandable. Whoever we are, vegans and non-vegans, we all react badly to being ‘in the wrong’, which is precisely what vegans often make quite clear when talking to non-vegans. It’s what vegans tend to do, because we feel we have no other option. But to be fair, putting people right is also partly to show off our vegan superiority. Even though we have watertight arguments, we put peoples’ backs up. And also, when we describe a new idea, it may be something people haven’t heard of before, and they fear what they don’t know. And that makes them react negatively.
As vegan advocates we must get past the shock of people’s aggression by understanding why it comes about in the first place. It’s more like a knee-jerk reaction. But often their bark is worse than their bite; they feel insulted by what we say but their objections are often paper thin. We have to get used to stupid reactions and pretend naivety, especially if we realise there’s nowhere else for our adversaries to go. In their attempt to speak intelligently, in response to vegan arguments, they often fail because there’s so little argument for them to use. When they foresee this and feel uncomfortable about it, there’s perhaps a mix of aggression, shame and indignation.
Our adversaries can only escape by using aggression or showing indifference. They might take umbrage, they might storm off in a huff, and maybe vegans feel they’ve won the day. But in the long term we lose out to a sometimes long standing hostility to all-ideas-vegan. Unless we can soften this opposition it might mean we’ll lose them altogether.
As vegan advocates we must get past the shock of people’s aggression by understanding why it comes about in the first place. It’s more like a knee-jerk reaction. But often their bark is worse than their bite; they feel insulted by what we say but their objections are often paper thin. We have to get used to stupid reactions and pretend naivety, especially if we realise there’s nowhere else for our adversaries to go. In their attempt to speak intelligently, in response to vegan arguments, they often fail because there’s so little argument for them to use. When they foresee this and feel uncomfortable about it, there’s perhaps a mix of aggression, shame and indignation.
Our adversaries can only escape by using aggression or showing indifference. They might take umbrage, they might storm off in a huff, and maybe vegans feel they’ve won the day. But in the long term we lose out to a sometimes long standing hostility to all-ideas-vegan. Unless we can soften this opposition it might mean we’ll lose them altogether.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Ambassadors for animals
Being vegan and going public is a bit like being on a diplomatic mission in a foreign country. Being vegan is like working as a lawyer, representing a client – by following the sort of instructions ‘the animals themselves’ would issue (if they could instruct us!) we have to imagine them conducting themselves in a court of law. Their demeanour alone could win their case, and so as advocates we should try to adopt some of that demeanor to be their best representitives. If animals could speak their feelings they would surely NOT recommend showing hostile feelings (and when you think about it they don’t, despite their having suffered from cruel treatment on farms or vivisection labs all their lives). Since they know humans better than humans know themselves (having seen the very worst of them for so long that it’s part of their bloodline) they’ve learnt how to survive human cruelties and stupidities. They would advise us to begin our animal liberation work by first working on our fellow humans, in a slow and steady way.
Although vegans, being humans themselves, know well what human to human oppression is all about we know that we aren’t under the same sort of threat from ‘the human danger’ as domesticated animals are. But we are up against the human mentality all the same. Vegans especially can learn a lot from animals. They know NOT to draw attention to themselves, so that’s how vegans should be when talking with the hard rump of resistant meat eaters - for a time we must wait, as animals always have to, and encourage dialogue by letting them have their say first … if only because we need to earn enough brownie points from them to demand a fair hearing. We small, they big, we need them to allow us in. Then we can give it our best shot and perhaps make our mark.
Why be so ‘indulgent’ towards these people? Because they constitute 95% of our population, if not more. Most of them are at least mildly chemically addicted to one thing or another and can’t make big decisions about their life any more or they are idiot-obstinate to any good advice and must go down the tube, but amongst all these millions of people we eventually need most of them on side. Make no mistake – they will not walk willingly or happily into our arms. People are not compliant on this subject of ours. We have to win them every one, and one by one. They love their animal foods and they love their leather shoes. Like cornered rats, they instinctively do NOT like the position we vegans have taken.
Although vegans, being humans themselves, know well what human to human oppression is all about we know that we aren’t under the same sort of threat from ‘the human danger’ as domesticated animals are. But we are up against the human mentality all the same. Vegans especially can learn a lot from animals. They know NOT to draw attention to themselves, so that’s how vegans should be when talking with the hard rump of resistant meat eaters - for a time we must wait, as animals always have to, and encourage dialogue by letting them have their say first … if only because we need to earn enough brownie points from them to demand a fair hearing. We small, they big, we need them to allow us in. Then we can give it our best shot and perhaps make our mark.
Why be so ‘indulgent’ towards these people? Because they constitute 95% of our population, if not more. Most of them are at least mildly chemically addicted to one thing or another and can’t make big decisions about their life any more or they are idiot-obstinate to any good advice and must go down the tube, but amongst all these millions of people we eventually need most of them on side. Make no mistake – they will not walk willingly or happily into our arms. People are not compliant on this subject of ours. We have to win them every one, and one by one. They love their animal foods and they love their leather shoes. Like cornered rats, they instinctively do NOT like the position we vegans have taken.
Being well informed
Monday 2nd November
Eventually we all need some details. We can’t accept something until we know some few details about it, details which we’re quite certain about, independently verifiable things. If we know a few things about the things we want to talk about, it’s interesting to others. Particularly, if you’re on the Animal Rights wagon we need to ground ourselves: on ethics, nutrition and environmental issues. If young or new vegans do read up on this they’ll be happier vegans for being able at least to defend our position awhen talking to others about it,. It’s a subject that crops up a lot these days. We’re more likely to be able to speak intelligently about animal rights if we’ve done a bit of homework.
However, let’s not kid ourselves, we have a difficult position to hold here. Not because we may not be right about using animals but because we’re up against a particular type of brick wall. It’s difficult for vegans in this society because we deliver threatening ideas. Hese are the sorts of ideas that may seem improbable. They are not likely to succeed and therefore not worth attaching to. And the preposterous idea of “no more animal products at all” is uncomfortable, to say the least. So, vegans need to appear well informed and very approachable.
This is a complicated subject which can easily tie us up in knots. If we aren’t sure of what we’re saying it makes us go onto the defensive. If we get rattled it’s because we’re trying to avoid looking foolish? And so vegans, who are unable to defend their position or answer a simple enquiry, have got to be able to deal with being ‘put on the spot’ - it’s not easy to admit that we don’t know something which we’re expected to know. But just by admitting that we don’t know or that we can’t solve, we earn credibility for being honest. There’s no fooling anyone out there. If we don’t know something or we get something wrong, and then fall back on emotional and subjective replies (aggro), we lose credibility. Because we mustn’t let the team down (our fellow animal rights mates) or because, personally, we don’t want to appear vulnerable to criticism, we’re likely to use moral confrontation as our sharpest weapon. Certainly the cruelty angle is the strongest suit to play but we hold back, hold back, if we can - just as we would by holding back a trump card. It is, this whole subject, so confronting after all, especially if we attack people with slogans. Meat is murder says in effect “you are a murderer” and whether or not we think that’s true is quite beside the point. It may be so confronting that contact is broken for good and all. Strategically it’s better to withhold slogans until the last resort.
Whatever we feel inside, there’s no reason for it to show through, even if we’re talking with red necked, vegan-hating carnivores. Whatever we feel inside, about the person we’re with, if we can maintain a neutral exterior and listen without reacting, and keep talking calmly, we’ll get the respect and the go-ahead we need.
Once we’re allowed to voice our opinion, we stand a chance to audition before the greatest power in the land - people.
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