Fragment from Effective Advocacy of Animal Rights
by Bruce Friedrich www.goveg.com
For years, I refused to eat with meat-eaters. Then I became aware that many meat-eaters were reading my non-attendance as either deprivation, self-righteousness, or both, and that’s the sort of club nobody wants to join. (“You can’t even go to parties, can’t go out to eat … who wants to live like that?”)
Another advantage of taking part in gatherings is that people are likely to ask you about what you’re eating, especially if they know you’re a vegetarian. This is your perfect chance to get a bit of information into their heads and maybe even into their hands. As previously discussed, you need to do it in an upbeat way. You need to gauge the situation so that you don’t alienate everyone, and you should be able to present the basic moral argument without being aggressive.
What I do in these sorts of situations is to try to get a feel for the level of interest; often you can have a good conversation even at a meal in which meat is being served, as long as you’re upbeat and speak mostly about your personal beliefs in kindness and against cruelty. But if it seems like vegetarianism is the very last thing most of the people would want to discuss, I say something like this: “You know, this is an issue that is really important to me. I believe that if you saw how animals are suffering on factory farms and in slaughterhouses, you would be horrified and you wouldn’t want to support it. But I’ve found that having this discussion with a table full of people is often unpleasant for some of the people, and I don’t want to monopolize the entire conversation. I do have some literature and some videos, and I’d love to talk with you about this later. Can I get your e-mail address?”
Boom! You’ve raised the moral issue, AND you come across as the nicest person at the table. When that person asked, “Why are you a vegetarian?” everyone who hunkered down to listen to your long moral monologue will be singing your praises for choosing not to dominate the conversation. But you will have raised the ethical issue, which is crucially important.
One last thing to say about eating with meat-eaters: If you’re going to a function where taking food is appropriate, please take along some tasty dishes. When one person later substitutes your recipe for theirs, that’s a little victory. Few things convert people like delicious vegan food does! Check out our favorite recipes.
I was eating with my folks once. Dad was eating steak, and I was eating vegan. It is calm at the table. No fight. I walked out the door, and, whoom!, hell assails (in spirit)! The battery bank unloaded on me. Lightening strikes. The calm of the situation at the table, the chemical interactions, like alkaline dissolving acid, perhaps. Bondings? I think he was mad at me cause Mom didn’t want to go to church, or just mad. The carnivore will is mean. The bull’s anger and betrayals? Don’t make a swine eater mad if you eat with them. Swine is deceptive. It feels holy as you eat, and drink, there, sacred. The holy spirit? The aftermath is vengence, though… days… weeks…I end up drinking to death afterwards even if I don’t eat carnivore. And fight, fight, fight…You come back with a nasty spirit…and I will kill you too, the pig said, old friend. What did you do, miss the pig? I asked an aquaintance who ended up getting hit hard by someone in the head later that week after the BBQ. Digest this, that hurt! Instant karma, man. peace. I stay at home a lot now, too, but sitting at the tavern is a good day. Old friends. Yes Dad (a non-drinker, beef eater), we’re drinking at the cowboy’s. (The lone vegan. Eve’s still carnivore.)
Religious rules were/are for the peaceful culture where tales of the Buckskin vegetarian are to save you the visit. Do as I say? the Preacher.
I was eating with my folks once. Dad was eating steak, and I was eating vegan. It is calm at the table. No fight. I walked out the door, and, whoom!, hell assails (in spirit)! The battery bank unloaded on me. Lightening strikes. The calm of the situation at the table, the chemical interactions, like alkaline dissolving acid, perhaps. Bondings? I think he was mad at me cause Mom didn’t want to go to church, or just mad. The carnivore will is mean. The bull’s anger and betrayals? Don’t make a swine eater mad if you eat with them. Swine is deceptive. It feels holy as you eat, and drink, there, sacred. The holy spirit? The aftermath is vengence, though… days… weeks…I end up drinking to death afterwards even if I don’t eat carnivore. And fight, fight, fight…You come back with a nasty spirit…and I will kill you too, the pig said, old friend. What did you do, miss the pig? I asked an aquaintance who ended up getting hit hard by someone in the head later that week after the BBQ. Digest this, that hurt! Instant karma, man. peace. I stay at home a lot now, too, but sitting at the tavern is a good day. Old friends. Yes Dad (a non-drinker, beef eater), we’re drinking at the cowboy’s. (The lone vegan. Eve’s still carnivore.)
Religious rules were/are for the peaceful culture where tales of the Buckskin vegetarian are to save you the visit. Do as I say? the Preacher.
Hey andy, that’s a great article. That’s what I was talking about that you can never get your point across by being argumentative or really wanting to have your own way. His approach was sort of passive but it usually works when you get the other person’s attention and even respect.
Just how does choosing who you’d like to sit down to supper with make one a coward? Perhaps some people just don’t care to take insults and ridicule from discourteous meat-eaters.
