When we meet someone
who eats animals,
our first instinct is to unload
years of information
we’ve acquired
in 60 seconds.
You need to watch Earthlings!
Eating animals is unhealthy.
The World Health Organization
found it causes cancer!
Animal agriculture is
the leading cause
of climate change.
You can’t call yourself
an environmentalist
and eat animals!
Watch Cowspiracy!
Animals feel pain
and suffer just like you.
Why doesn’t that matter to you?
There is no reason
to murder animals!
You have blood
on your hands!
By the time we’re finished,
the person we’ve met
has likely already
been knocked out.
In a recent study, Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy found that when people meet you, they judge you first based on your warmth which helps them determine if they can trust you. Landing a series of blows to the head, rendering your audience speechless, may make you feel like a champion. However, it may serve farmed animals better if instead of unleashing a barrage of inflammatory statements without taking a breath, you begin by asking one simple question, listen, and empathize.
Q: What are the reasons you eat animals?
A: They taste good.
Response: I understand. I used to eat animals too. I agree that they taste good. Have you ever seen an undercover video of what happens to them before they become food?
A: Yes.
Response: What do you think of it?
A: It’s awful.
Response: I agree. Have you ever considered trying plant-based alternatives that taste just as good?
You get the idea. Disarm your audience. Create a sincere and supportive conversation. Your aim should be to get to the bottom of the reason why people eats animals, not to lecture them about why they shouldn’t eat animals. Ask open-ended questions, listen, and ask for more information. Be inquisitive. Dial back your anger. Let people do the talking and thinking. You can’t force people to be compassionate. They’re likely already compassionate about other issues. They just haven’t learned how to exercise their compassion for all animals. Help them make the realization. Effective food advocacy is not a boxing match and you are not a boxer. You don’t need people to stop eating animals by the end of a conversation. All you need to do is get them thinking.
Plant the seed.
Watch the seed grow
as it acquires more information.
Eventually the seed
will become a tree
and then a forest.
If you punch the daylights
out of your audience
before they even have
a chance to think,
you will burn down
the entire forest
and the animals with it.
Kirschner's Korner 
This is such a great article, and so true! Ever since becoming vegan I feel the need to tell everyone what I’ve learnt, which sometimes just scares them off trying it at all! Great advice 🙂
Thank you Katie. We’re all guilty of it. It’s a fault worth having. It’s because we care. But, we have to set aside what we want immediately from everyone and deal with reality. Reality dictates that given its challenges, food advocacy requires a more measured approach.
This was my favorite! I love it!
Cecilia Gray AT&T Client Solutions Executive 314-800-3562
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Thank you for the kind feedback.
You are right about this. I want so much to knock sense into people! But I know the second way is better. Your wording is great – I will try to remember it. 😊
Thank you for your honesty Carolyn. Indeed, contempt does not inspire change.
I love this. I have seen so many good people do the “knock out” approach as I stand back and listen to them talk. I wish they could all read this. Makes so much more sense. I believe in planting seeds that’s how it started in me.
Thanks,
Very kind of you Diane. I appreciate your feedback. Feel free to share the article. Thank you.
Well said!! Keep up the great work getting the word out in such a kind way.
Thank you for your kind feedback.
Thank you for this article. This is something I need to remind myself of almost every day! I used to be a ‘knockout animal activist’ until I realised I was probably turning more people against veganism than against using animals, so I actively went searching for books and articles such as this one. I found several very helpful resources that I have taken on board, but I still need to remind myself to calm down, be very pleasant and initiate a meaningful conversation. I find it very difficult to be calm and mild and nice when I have all those horrific images in my head of animal agriculture, but a genuine conversation can go a long way to getting other people thinking about their choices. As the old saying goes: You catch more flies with sugar than vinegar…..
Thank you for sharing your experience Susan. I agree with and commend your approach. Effective one on one food advocacy requires discipline, patience, understanding, and critical thinking.
Thank you, I’m new to this lifestyle and my family thinks I’m morose for watching the undercover videos. Those videos changed me completely. I avoided watching for so long because it was so hard. Now I say if you can’t watch it you shouldn’t eat it. But I WILL take notes on this kind way of telling people..
Welcome to the best lifestyle Valarie! Thank you for your compassion and for keeping an open mind. I hope you never look back! It’s such a rewarding and exciting lifestyle.
Great Great Great reminder!! Thanks, Andrew.