It seems that sometimes what we communicate about veganism and how we communicate it, has exactly the opposite effect of what we intend.
We think we need to win arguments, but winning arguments may alienate people from us and our case as they lose face and feel defeated.
We think we need to be very clear and unequivocal about animal suffering and killing, but black and white is often not convincing to people.
We think we need to be able to answer every question, but saying I don’t know once in a while inspires a lot more trust.
We think we need to give people as much information as possible, while asking them questions and listening probably often works better.
We think we need to take our cause dead serious all the time, while humor may be one of the best ways to get people on board.
We think we need to bombard people with as many facts as possible, while hearing about that may leave them powerless and deflated.
We think we need to be 100% consistent in our food habbits, but being 100% consistent may paint a very inaccessible picture of veganism
We think we think. But we need to think harder and deeper about what we are doing. Because the only way to assess the value and impact of our communication, is to look at the way it is received.
PS: I was inspired to write this piece after reading this post by Matt Ball. Read it.
Well thought out Tobias! What we have overlooked too often in the past is that we do not have magik vegan wands with which we can control other people into our prescription for what they should and should not do. Scary as it is, we need to let go of the illusion of control and meet people where they are to begin the process of harm reduction, negotiating for animals.