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Activism means vegan education
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I may seem pessimistic when I say I do not regard most common forms of "vegan activism" as useful nor appropriate. Few are willing to constructively criticize campaigns aimed at saving animals for fear of "infighting."
I strongly believe we develop our tactics for activism based on a fear of intimacy with our peers. For instance, animals suffer as commodities because there is a demand for their flesh, labor, et cetera. Logically, we should target demand, yet many activists find it much easier in terms of intimacy to demonize faceless corporations for meeting this demand.
Beliefs and intimacy
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FacebookPerhaps this fear of intimacy wouldn't exist if vegan education didn't involve so much discussion on beliefs. My vegan friends have voiced a concern of forcing their beliefs on their peers and have even gone as far as to say vegan education is downright wrong for this reason.
This fear of intimacy may cause vegan educators to instead become lo-vegetarian* educators for fear vegan education will scare people away or "is asking too much."
I'll have you know vegan education is incredibly easy and should never be substituted for so-called "step in the right direction" encouragements like eating only reformed animal products or abstaining only from one type of product (e.g. lo-vegetarianism).
A friend once told me he does not believe in vegan education because veganism is a personal choice only the individual can make. This statement is a variation on the "let's not force our beliefs on others" mindset. Indeed, the adoption of a vegan way of living is a personal choice, so why not help our friends to understand it better? Do they not deserve to have an explanation of vegan myths or an educational experience which could benefit their own being spiritually and physically as well? The very fact that vegan adoption is a personal choice should inspire us to fulfill our role as friends by opening this discussion.
We should also not fear our forcing beliefs on others. Vegan education may involve a prose about what we believe and how we came to believe what we do, but ultimately vegan education is about discussing the beliefs our peers already have. Most Americans, for instance, lived or once lived with an animal as a family member. Most of us believe torturing an animal or even subjecting a companion animal to verbal cruelty is not just wrong but criminally insane. Why not start there? Listen to your peers, ask them what they believe and delicately explain to them their inconsistencies. Vegan education is a nurturing experience which often leads to fond memories of changing one's life for the better. So why on Earth not take advantage of every opportunity you find?
Creating an opportunity
Of course, the aforementioned is easier said than done, how do we get to this point where we are having a dialogue on animal rights? Should we walk up to people on the street and ask "You sir, excuse me, I'd like to talk to you about animal rights!"? I wouldn't knock it down but there are a few ways we can do this in our everyday interactions with people. It's all about starting the dialogue and this means you have to somehow get on the subject of veganism and animal rights.
My favorite and most basic form of creating an opportunity is simply being very vocal about my being a vegan. This method is so passive it wouldn't bare the resemblance of activism as we traditionally recognize. However, it presents the opportunity to start dialogue simultaneous to the events we do on a day-to-day basis. When I'm not at my regular coffee shop, I'll find anyway to tag my statements with "because I'm a vegan." I know, this sounds a little egotistical but if the tag is put out there relevantly it shouldn't come off as such. Plus, remember that if you're a vegan, that means you're interesting!
:"What can I get for you?
-"I'd like a coffee. Also, I'm a vegan, what do you have for flavors that don't have any animal products?"
:"Vegan? So that means...no milk? We have soymilk, do you eat honey?"
-"No way, my friend. Soymilk sounds good. I'll take a medium coffee with a splash of soy."
At this point, we've simply verbalized that you are vegan and willing to speak about it candidly. In the more social coffee shops, I've had people in line behind me start conversations based on this very simple non-showy interaction. If the shop isn't busy, I might even try to extend the conversation with my barista or baristo by asking simply "ever tried going vegan?" or "think you could go vegan?" Everyone has an answer to this and often you'll find your server has at one time considered the adoption or played with lo-vegetarianism. This is a great opportunity to troubleshoot your new friend's experience and even debunk some myths (e.g. "Yeah, I tried lo-vegetarianism but I wasn't getting enough iron, so it's not for me.)
Get creative
I can't resist stealing this example from law professor Gary L. Francione who frequently starts discussions on our moral schizophrenia in the waiting room at the vet's. Consider how perfect of an audience you have in the vet's waiting room. Everyone there is surely someone who cares so deeply about their companion animal they are willing to take time out of the day and money out of the bank to care for their pet as another member of their family. If they're sitting there in the waiting room, they've likely set their mind to the plight of the animal sitting in their lap or waiting in the carrier at their side.
Francione says he strikes up a conversation asking typical questions about the companion and eventually just makes a comment about how unusual it is that we love these animals yet go home sticking forks into the bodies of others. Keep in mind this isn't meant to corner your conversation partner into defending themselves. By making these statements, we tell the person we've got this on our minds and are receptive to having a friendly conversation about it.
I hope these tips help, vegan educators, send me your vegan success stories via Twitter!
(*"lo-vegetarian" = "lacto-ovo vegetarian," one who eats no flesh animal products.)
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