Recent news has suggested a new level of collaboration between animal protection advocates and animal industry representatives. At the risk of being considered a heretic, I would like to ask two questions which I think are far from settled. 1) Are we really sure that the collaborative model is the best one in the long run? That is, are we really gaining more from these agreements than we are losing? And 2) In our democratic system, should one group, no matter how large, really be presuming to speak for everyone in the animal protection community?
I would suggest that the answers are No, No and No. If we really want to create long-term change in the system, the most important thing we can do is advocate on behalf of veganism. Only by creating an atmosphere in which a vegan lifestyle is considered a valid, mainstream choice, can we create the real change the animals so desperately need.
Here is one study that suggests that if we were to get to ten percent of the population, from there the concept of veganism could quickly spread to the rest of society. The reality is that people in the animal industry are far more afraid of the spread of veganism than they are of the negotiators from HSUS. Real change will only occur when people stop buying their products in large numbers, and that will only occur when we hit a tipping point that allows people who are considering veganism to feel comfortable with their choice.
A few off-the-cuff suggestions might be to encourage people you know to become vegan, encourage local stores and restaurants to make vegan alternatives available, use t-shirts, bumper stickers and other methods to spread the message, join groups and encourage them to make their events vegan friendly, the list is endless, but every time you talk to someone about veganism we are one step closer to bringing it into the mainstream.
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