Why I am not a vegan

[Diana]

Do you think there are sometimes approaches to 'raise awareness' which might come across as repulsion? I admit, a lot of the propaganda I see on the subject seems to be trying pretty hard to make people feel guilty about themselves and instill a sense of self-repulsion. Maybe that isn't the intention, but methods and techniques often don't fully represent their true intentions.

The problem is that it isn't easy for someone who is an observer to distinguish between the repulsion towards the situation and repulsion towards the people because they often appear to go hand in hand, especially when meme's and heavy biases become involved. There are times when the language itself that is being used comes across as degrading as though those who 'don't get it' are 'missing the obvious' and they somehow lack the sensibility to 'see the facts'. It's hard to feel like one's intelligence is not being insulted at times.

I just wonder if the approaches in language to discussion and raising awareness are sometimes shooting the effort in the foot because of the other separations that sometimes come about.

Yes, that's possibly true. I don't plug into the media much, so I don't have my finger on the public pulse.

But I'm not trying to figure out the best way for the general populace to get onboard with compassionate consuming. And I frankly don't care if anyone's feelings get hurt because they are made aware of what they are doing when they consume factory-farmed meat and dairy. It's analogous to being made aware that the human slave you keep in servitude is suffering. It then presents a choice to be made, and that is all on the recipient of the knowledge rendered, and up to him/her to continue or change, and forgive him/herself and take responsibility for the decision.

Becoming defensive is always a heads-up for me. If I become defensive, it is a message to look at why, and it does not involve pointing any fingers. I look within at my self, my beliefs, and possible self-deceptions and illusions.