Hi Everyone,
I've turned this over in my head, and I guess my real questions are: 1) how can I advocate for veganism, kindly and effectively, and 2) how to deal with flat-out rejections of my stance. So if you're not up for reading the forthcoming diatribe then I'd still appreciate some suggestions on these 2 points!
The non-vegans in my life (aka everyone) fall into two broad categories. 1) "I'd love to be vegan but I wohaven't because cheese/socialising/health reasons", and the second (which includes my partner) respect and accommodate my choices, but think veganism is a bit eccentric. Their eyes generally glaze over if I mention an article or study that I've found interesting (and this is quite rare, probably 3 times in the year that I've been vegan, so I wouldn't say I'm nagging).
First off, I know that I'm incredibly lucky that those around me are broadly supportive. Nobody has really been mean or tried to push me to eat or drink any animal products, and I'm very grateful not to have had to face those challenges, as I know a lot of you have.
That said, I don't know what to say to people who are supposedly pro-animal-rights, but think that eating cheese is more important. The logic is flawed but I don't know how to challenge it in an effective way. I particularly don't want to offend people who have been avoiding meat for 20 years when I was still eating everything 18 months ago. Maybe part of my problem is that I feel like a hypocrite and have a lot of catching up to do?
I often think about my omnivore days and wish that I'd had a vegan friend - I think that I would have been open-minded enough to hear them out, especially a close friend to whom veganism was important. I find it upsetting when my partner rolls his eyes and says things like "I love bacon" without hearing me out. I understand why people don't want to think about it, and that it's easier not to, but the flip side is that I don't know how to challenge that stance.
Anyway, I'd love to hear any thoughts on this. I know it's an individual choice and all, and I'm not trying to force anyone to agree with me, I'd just to be able to have reasonable conversations about this stuff with pescetarians/omnis, and I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere.
xxx
I've turned this over in my head, and I guess my real questions are: 1) how can I advocate for veganism, kindly and effectively, and 2) how to deal with flat-out rejections of my stance. So if you're not up for reading the forthcoming diatribe then I'd still appreciate some suggestions on these 2 points!
The non-vegans in my life (aka everyone) fall into two broad categories. 1) "I'd love to be vegan but I wohaven't because cheese/socialising/health reasons", and the second (which includes my partner) respect and accommodate my choices, but think veganism is a bit eccentric. Their eyes generally glaze over if I mention an article or study that I've found interesting (and this is quite rare, probably 3 times in the year that I've been vegan, so I wouldn't say I'm nagging).
First off, I know that I'm incredibly lucky that those around me are broadly supportive. Nobody has really been mean or tried to push me to eat or drink any animal products, and I'm very grateful not to have had to face those challenges, as I know a lot of you have.
That said, I don't know what to say to people who are supposedly pro-animal-rights, but think that eating cheese is more important. The logic is flawed but I don't know how to challenge it in an effective way. I particularly don't want to offend people who have been avoiding meat for 20 years when I was still eating everything 18 months ago. Maybe part of my problem is that I feel like a hypocrite and have a lot of catching up to do?
I often think about my omnivore days and wish that I'd had a vegan friend - I think that I would have been open-minded enough to hear them out, especially a close friend to whom veganism was important. I find it upsetting when my partner rolls his eyes and says things like "I love bacon" without hearing me out. I understand why people don't want to think about it, and that it's easier not to, but the flip side is that I don't know how to challenge that stance.
Anyway, I'd love to hear any thoughts on this. I know it's an individual choice and all, and I'm not trying to force anyone to agree with me, I'd just to be able to have reasonable conversations about this stuff with pescetarians/omnis, and I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere.
xxx