So, I did a little tabling and leafleting today as a volunteer for Farm Sanctuary. We were in Grand Central Station promoting the Adopt a Turkey campaign and this woman in a full head-to-toe fur coat came up to me and said,

“You Americans can worry about turkeys while the rest of us worry about wars.”

And I responded,

“We can worry about both. There is room for compassion.”

But I wanted to say:

Look who’s talking about misplaced priorities. I’m sure the money you spent on your expensive fur coat could have provided ten, maybe twenty homeless people with warm, non-fur, winter coats. Or it could have provided food for starving people. Or it could have gone to help fund the political campaign of an anti-war presidential candidate. Or it could have gone to help demine Afghanistan. Or help homeless vets.

How dare you criticize my choice to spend a vacation day educating the public about the cruelties and danger of factory farmed meats and how some advocacy groups have protected a few turkeys from this terrible fate? How dare you take time out to criticize me for not fighting against war when I don’t see anyone else in this place advocating peace? They’re all going about their day, going to and from work, or to and from play, or whatever they’re doing, but they’re not doing something against war this minute. They’re all guilty of the same crime you accuse me of.

But I didn’t say that. I didn’t want to be confrontational with her. I don’t like being particularly confrontational in person. Online is different And I didn’t know where her coat came from, it could have been a gift or a hand-me-down. Maybe it was fake.

And well, I hate the ad hominem response. So what if she’s a hypocrite? It doesn’t mean anything. We’re all hypocritical in some way. Her fur coat was a symbol of unnecessary, excessive, and cruel greed, but I have an ipod. She might have thought that was a symbol of unnecessary, excessive, and cruel greed.

So today in person I was the good cop. Online I’m more likely to be the bad cop.

Crossposted at ElaineVigneault.com

Sections: Vegan Activism
Topics: activism, Vegan