How many bumper stickers do you wear? Are you supporting your cause, or your ego?
As a lifelong leftist/progressive/democrat/liberal, one of the things I find impressive about the right is its ability to get things done. They establish a position and—whether reflecting corporate self-interest, partially (or totally) fabricated justifications, overt political opportunism or hypocritical religious sloganeering—the base falls in line. No debate, no questions, no “Hey, what if we tried…?” Just set the agenda and make it happen.
The left, on the other hand, is the party of “Hey, guys, slow down; let’s talk this through.” We’re the party of hair-splitting, discussion, and examining every source. The right sees black and white, makes a decision and moves. The left sees shades of grey everywhere, and can’t take a step without examining the nuances and myriad potential consequences of any given action.
Why all this political stuff? To be honest, it’s just an overly lengthy setup to my basic premise: More bumper stickers means not enough progress.
Think about the last car you saw with a dozen or so bumper stickers on it. You know the ones—Free Tibet. Well-behaved women rarely make history. U.S. government out of my uterus. I’m a ____ and I vote. Practice meaningless acts of random kindness. Never doubt that a small group of concerned people can change the world—in fact, blah blah blah. And, of course, that deathless classic, It will be a great day when our schools have all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.
You don’t even have to read them to make an educated guess; if there’s more than two or three bumper stickers on it, odds are strong that it’s a liberal’s car.
On the other hand/side: Bush-Cheney. Boom. That’s it. Sure, sometimes you’ll see two; 2000 and 2004. The right doesn’t have millions of diverse slogans because it doesn’t need them. It has millions of supporters who aren’t slowing down to discuss, debate and harangue every single issue to death before it reaches a vote. They just put their faith in their Lord and their leaders and push forward.
So, again, why all this political stuff in an animal-based blog; what is this, Animal Farm?
No, it’s not; it’s just an overly lengthy attempt to draw a parallel between vegetarians and vegans. Long story short: We’re all in the same gang. If we want to tear down vegetarians who don’t meet our standards because they eat fish, or pick apart someone’s vegan principles (for example, I refer to the term/indictment, “muffin vegan,” made popular by Kris Carr and flung by innumerable holier-than-thou plantcentrics) because he’s not doing it the way we think he should, all we’re doing is making it harder for omnivores to contemplate taking a step towards the goal we’re generally aiming toward.
Labels just get in the way. If I say I’m “vegan” but make a meat exception every couple of months, do I have to hand in my card and start over from scratch? No; I’m a grownup. I’m not reporting to anyone. Next time you comment on someone’s insufficient commitment to a dietary principle, ask yourself: Do you think they should be reporting to you? If you had to hand in your form to the vegan authorities, would it read perfectly?
Let’s say it would—where does that get you? Nobody’s getting any gold stars here; we’re all just trying to make healthy, morally sound decisions about what we eat. If your reward is doing it better than other people, well, fine; but geez, keep it to yourself, okay? Instead of making it harder for everyone by being critical, try making it easier for people to get closer to your lofty level by supporting, rather than critiquing. Offer information, not dogma.
Factions fighting on the same side can be as detrimental to progress as opposing factions. So, why help the other side? If you’re a vegan, and your fellow vegan co-worker has a piece of sheet cake at an office party, don’t trash-talk her afterward. That just makes vegans look like judgmental snobs; who wants to join that party?
If your primary concern is the way people think about you, then fine—keep bolstering your self-esteem by sniping at people who don’t measure up to your standards. A random post on some blog won’t change your perspective.
But if you actually care about “the cause” (i.e., the actual reasons you’re choosing not to eat animals, and why you believe people shouldn’t, in general), then keep in mind how many bumper stickers you’re sporting, and what they say about your dietary choice. Are they fun? Are they snide? Are there too many of them for anyone to even approach you without being intimidated—or combative?
In conclusion: Let those who are without animals or animal products in their lives cast the first stone. If you’re not fully walking the talk you talk, shut your mouth and keep walking with the people who are heading in your general direction. We’ll get there a lot more quickly that way—and there’ll be more of us at the finish line. I hope there’ll be enough gold stars for everyone.
P.E.D.A. 