ARCO's Abolitionists - A Vegan Forum

NathanSchneider wrote:As for the apathy of non-vegans, I believe normative influences play a significant role in holding people stationary. Animal use within society is not only prevalent, but pervasive as well. Put another way... absolutely massive numbers of animals are exploited, in every every way imaginable and within every aspect of life (sport, entertainment, companionship, experimentation, clothing, and food). People maturing within this culture, quickly (and unsurprisingly) come to see animal exploitation as completely and thoroughly normal and uncontroversial. Almost like breathing.

For most, the belief in human dominance over animals is second nature to the point of being sub-conscious. Our anthropocentric perception is continually reified and normalized by what we see and hear everyday (and also don't see or hear). Non-human corpse parts are advertised on TV commercials and every other form of media, and no one says anything or seems to care. Nearly every chef, scientist, and politician blithely accepts and personally consumes non-human flesh and/or secretions without any question whatsoever, and no one says anything or seems to care. Everyone wears non-human skin or hair for comfort or fashionability, and no one says anything or seems to care. A majority dominate/own the life of one or more cute or tough non-human "pets", and no one says anything or seems to care. Dairy and eggs are simply beneficial and pleasurable commodities that people seek the best deals on or varieties of, and no one says anything or seems to care. Person-X could eat foie gras with poached eggs and a tall glass of milk while wearing a fur coat in open view at a street corner bistro. Police officers, firefighters, taxi drivers, business people, tourists, everyone who walked by... simply wouldn't care or say anything to person-X.

Amidst this type of environment, suppose a vegan or some type of vegan propaganda comes along, and manages to generates some cognitive dissonance within a non-vegan individual. Look at everything they have to fall back upon! Not only is the non-morality of animal use normative within society at large, but everyone they personally know probably internalizes and represents the societal norm. From parental figures, to siblings, to friends, to peers or coworkers, to random strangers or acquaintances... all are normative influences upon us. They can help dissipate or obfuscate the guilt of responsibility experienced by non-vegans... through the normalization of animal exploitation. Making it seem accepted/okay/normal/non-controversial/non-moral/et cetera.

Faunus wrote:There may be something to the old Zen tale about being in a room full of silent bells, each designed to ring a different note. You break the silence by entering and ringing clearly in the key of "A", and all the bells designed to ring in the key of "A" begin to resonate without you touching them. This is how inspiration works I think. But in this analogy, the key of "A" is animal rights. But now what about the bells designed to ring in the key of C and other notes that are silent? The C note can be resonance of compassion or a new concept, and same with the other notes or other dynamic qualities. The more dynamic you are, the more qualities or bells with different notes you can resonate. I think that is why we can touch people in the "wrong way" or the "right way". We don't always have ourselves in-tune to be everything to everyone when delivering and/or inspiring a vegan-abolitionist concerto.