No matter what you do, there will be people there to try and knock you down a peg… Is there a problem with us being vegan? Of course there is! Just listen to the antagonists… Hell, I could donate $5000 to underprivileged children and there would still be someone there to shoot me down.

As long as we’re living on the grid, we’ll all be hypocrites in some form. The all or nothing people also tend to believe that things never change. What was will always be. I prefer the dawn of a new era mentality.

When people criticize me for protesting animal rights instead of human rights, I explain that a society compassionate towards animals breeds compassion among human beings.

“The moral progress of a nation can judged by the way it treats its animals.”

Gandhi

~ Recent blog post: New Cookbook by Sarah Kramer: Vegan A-Go-Go! at http://www.toliveandeatinla.com ~

This is one reason I think it’s so important for vegans to be vocal. It’s not just for the person you’re talking to, it’s for all the listening ears around. The other reason is personal – the more you tackle these criticisms head-on, the better you get at it. The more I write abut veganism, the more articulate and well-reasoned I become. Like anything, you get better with practice. So that’s why we shouldn’t shy away from these discussions, although they can be extremely tiring (since omnivores ask/say the same thing over and over and over again). Eventually some people do ‘get it’ and change their habits. More and move people go vegetarian or vegan everyday!

“he’s avoided our central premises; therefore, let’s inform him of them.”
Yes. Well said.
Indeed, I wondered if he knew what vegan meant. That’s one reason I put the definition of vegan right in the website header:
“vegan: person who seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.”
So everyone can see it easily and there’s no confusion.

Thanks for the comments

If these questions are raised directly, “humor” is the method I employ as a bridge to “responding seriously to the main subject.” Something like, “You know, I use to think the same thing about vegans. Indeed, I thought they were all blah, blah, blah too.” From here you can address his concerns, real or imagined. (Most of the time they are imagined of course.)

Responding to all topics implies a seriousness of precision that “Lionel’s” argument clearly lacks. He has thrown everything against the wall in the hope that something sticks, but he’s avoided our central premises; therefore, let’s inform him of them. If he still has these questions after the discussion, then the topics can be addressed.

I never ignore though. I’ve found that in these venues, the person you are having a discussion with may not listen, but others are reading. Similarly, in groups of individuals, the same rule applies. One-on-one conversations may be different, but I, being the kind of person who thoroughly enjoys the discourse, am happy to take-up the challenge. Indeed, if you respond seriously it almost forces them to do so as well, which can change the dynamic.

Though, every now and then I’ll remember what they said and write a blog post about it

Sometimes I try to talk “sense” to the person, but if the person is just “out to get me” I tend to start ridiculing them and poking holes in their “logic”.

~ Recent blog post: Back in the trenches again. at http://lazyvegan.wordpress.com ~