What is Effective Activism in Non-Activist Situations?

My partner and I were recently browsing a store in our town, and we had a disturbing experience that has caused me to ponder effective activism. 

We were looking at an art print of a herd of sheep. It was a beautiful black and white photograph, and the sheep were looking curiously at the camera. 

A store clerk came up to us and said something pretty shocking. 

She was an older woman, probably about 65 years old. She remarked at how cute the sheep were, then said, “When I was a little girl, we would visit my cousins’ farm in Wisconsin. They were sheep farmers. Us kids would run around and chase the sheep. We loved jumping on their backs and riding them. The sheep would try to buck us off and we would fight to hold on. It was so much fun!”

Both my partner and I were stunned. We did not respond with the obligatory smiles or general affirmations. I could tell she was surprised by our lack of response.

She made an excuse and walked away. 

My partner and I are dedicated vegan activists. We’ve studied all the moral arguments, counter arguments, and pitfalls. We are armed with peer reviewed research in the realms of human health, public health, animal welfare/sentience, and climate change.

But we weren’t prepared for that. 

Sure, we could have responded by asking if the sheep thought it was fun. But the chances of that retort causing any serious change in perspective was slim to none. 

We could have said something like, “I don’t think that’s very kind.” But we would have been attacking a fond childhood memory and that would engender antagonism. 

We could have said that we’re vegan and we believe that behavior is downright cruel. But we all know how well that goes… 

So what is effective activism in non-activist situations? 

This is really tricky. I think most vegans have gone through an “angry vegan” stage where we have trouble containing ourselves. We get into heated arguments. We make accusations. 

Trust me, I’ve been there. I was there for a long time. 

But after a while, I realized as good as it feels to be angry - and it does feel good to be angry - anger doesn’t solve any problems. 

The more angry I am, the more people stop listening. 

It shouldn’t be that way. People should listen to information and be open to new ideas, but that just isn’t how people work.

The more angry I am, the less effective I am. 

So through a painfully long process, I learned how to talk about vegan issues and animal agriculture with conviction, but also with softness and kindness. I learned how to make people feel heard while rebutting their arguments with clear and concise facts. 

But that is in activist situations. Not “real life.”

How do we talk about animal issues in real life, with people who have never even considered these issues? 

Or is it even worth it? Would bringing up these issues cause such a negative reaction that a person closes their mind forever? 

I am deeply aware that the most important thing in those instances is not what I say, but how the other person feels. I know this because I’ve screwed up too many times to count. 

If the other person feels judged or shamed, I may turn them off of veganism forever. Whether or not they are open to logic, giving them a bad experience from a vegan person can be detrimental to the movement. 

So we must take great care to make the other person feel understood and validated, while presenting an alternative point of view. 

That certainly isn’t what my partner and I did in the store. We screwed that one up. 

But it was a different kind of mistake. 

A couple of years ago, I would have gone off on her about how cruel that behavior was. Which probably would have led to a very hostile conversation.

In the middle of a store…

Steeping her deeper in her views - the opposite of what I want as a vegan activist.

But now, my pendulum has swung the other way. I’m in a phase where my default response is to not push the envelope in social situations. To observe instead of react. 

And that isn’t a perfect place to be, either. 

Activism in non-activist situations is truly an art. Especially for something as divisive as what we eat, or how we treat animals. 

We must all find our own version of effective activism. The manner in which we can best lead people towards the light.

In my experience, I’ve learned that this must be done gently. As much as I want to yell and scream at people, that just isn’t effective. No matter how angry I am, it is always more effective to meet people where they are.

This experience showed me that I’ve made great progress in shifting away from the confrontational approach  - because that quite literally never works.

But it also showed me that perhaps I’ve swung too far in the opposite direction. I need to cultivate the skills to be soft, kind, encouraging, but unapologetically an activist in non-activist situations. 

Because the truth is that every situation, every conversation, every moment is an opportunity for activism. There are no “non-activist” situations. 

And no matter our individual approach to activism, we must always lead by example. 

We must always be kind.

I’m still learning how to be an effective activist in social situations. Next time, I’ll try something a little different and let you know how it goes :)