Posted by Anonymous on 2019/04/18 under Life So you've got this cause that is important in your life, you're trying to rid the world of injustice and cruelty? Good for you, you're an activist of some sort. Have you noticed since you've taken up your cause that people tend to avoid you, that they all but run the other way, or evacuate the chatroom/forum when they see you coming? Have you ended up in more than one screaming match with family or friends over your activism? Not so good…you may be an a******… If you are fine with the fact that people who know you are likely to scatter when they see you like children trying to outswim the kid that just peed in the pool at a birthday party, read no more, you're fine just the way you are! However, if you would like to maintain meaningful relationships without alienating everyone around you, I have a few tips…so read on! How To Be An Activist Without Being An A****** Tip 1: Don't be aggressive No really, stop right there for a moment and think. Has aggressive behaviour ever gotten you a positive outcome? Not only are you going to make people stop listening to what you have to say, if you're being aggressive all the time, people are going to start dropping you faster than people dropping pounds on the biggest loser. Shouting things like "JUDGE THE DEED NOT THE BREED!" when defending certain animals that have gotten a bad name due to a few isolated incidents is all fine and good, but that kind of behaviour (much like your beloved pitbulls), in turn gives those activists that are NOT rabid a bad name. No number of rational, calm and childsafe pitbulls will change the fact that these dogs sometimes kill, likewise, no calm, rational, childsafe and friendly activist is going to change the fact that someone once had blood or red paint thrown on them by a PETA member. If you go about things in a less aggressive manner, you may find people are not only more likely to want to be around you, they may actually listen to what you have to say, and if not change their minds, at least think about your argument. 2. Don't try to sell opinion as fact, and make sure your facts are CORRECT. Part of your job as an activist SHOULD be to educate the people around you who are interested. It is all fine and good to get up on your soap box and tell people about the evils of factory farming, how good the vegan lifestyle is, how all breeders are bad people, why buying organic coffee is the way to go or whatever else you may believe…but what makes you different from the nutcase who is on the soap box next to you, yelling about how the reptilians are here and we're all going to be enslaved? Cold. Hard. Facts. You want to tell people about how sheep farmed for wool are treated, and the cruel processes they go through, or the rate of infection in dairy cow's udders, or how many animals are euthanased in pounds across the country? Make sure you have current, relevant facts and make sure they are UNBIASED. This means you should probably NOT go taking facts and figures from the PETA website. If you cannot substantiate your claims with facts from an unbiased source, then they are beliefs or opinions at best, propaganda at worst. Your arguments will fall apart rather quickly if you are pressed into defending them without the facts to back them up. Furthermore, if you are going to say something is bad, wrong, or should change, a valid argument as to why should be put forward. Make your points, clear, concise and ensure they are reasonable. 3. Respect other people and their opinions. You're an activist, you're pretty opinionated, and you want those opinions and beliefs to be heard and respected, right? Yep, so does everyone else who has ever had an opinion about anything. But your opinion is the right opinion you shriek, thrusting the hand crafted protest poster with the catchy slogan on it in the air, your face turning red. Yes, your opinion might very well be right, but have you even listened to what the people with differing opinions have to say on the subject? "We should never cull any wild animal, whether it is feral or not, that's cruel!" "Horse and Greyhound racing should be made completely illegal, right now!" "We should ban live animal export!" These are all great points, wonderful opinions, but farmers, people in the racing industry and conservationists, who would have an alternate opinion on the matter may have something to add to the debate. They know a lot more about their industry than you do, after all, and should be given a chance to speak and defend their position. What happens to farmers relying on live animal export? How do people in the racing industry maintain their ex-racing animals if they can't make an income from them? What about all the damage non-native species are doing to national parks? LISTEN to the experts and their opinions, at the very least you can then go away and come back with a good counter argument next time you encounter a similar viewpoint. 4. Compromise Sometimes, no matter how hard you push something, people are just not going to be sold on the idea. That guy over there who just ordered bacon with a side of bacon is probably not going to happily embrace the vegan lifestyle, no matter how much you bother him about it…he may, however, be inclined to try the nice vegan meal you prepared and incorporate that recipe into his regular meal plan. You really need to pick your battles carefully, and realise that sometimes a partial outcome is better than no outcome at all. Can't get someone to stop eating eggs? Can you at least get them to switch from cage eggs to free range? Excellent, you've just had a small victory! Be happy with this. Someone is buying a show dog from a breeder? Maybe suggest they bring home a shelter dog as company for their new friend (provided they have the room and means to have two dogs). That way they've still gotten what they want, but a shelter dog has also found a home. The world is never going to be a perfect place, and taking the hard line is going to do more damage than it does good. Be willing to bend a little. 5. Agree to disagree. Sometimes no matter how hard you push your opinion, a person will not be swayed, or is simply not interested in hearing about the thing you are so passionate about. This does not mean they're a bad person, it probably just means they're as strongly opinionated as you are. Rather than getting into a screaming match over it, agree to disagree and don't harp on about the subject. There is nothing worse than being told again and again by your friend that you are wrong, or stupid, or that your beliefs and opinions don't matter, or worse, that you're a bad person because you don't hold the same beliefs that they do. Even if someone is completely uninterested in changing their ways, or joining your cause, that doesn't mean they're a bad person, or even that they are necessarily wrong, and you should probably accept that if you want to keep them in your life. 6. Seriously, CHILL. You're activism is great, don't get me wrong. The world needs more people who are passionate about things and willing to take up a cause, but don't let your cause be the ONLY thing in your life. Have you ever met that old lady that wants to do nothing but talk about her cats all day. You know the one…when she comes into your place of business, the customer service people's eyes roll into the backs of their heads like frightened cows and they scatter in all directions because they absolutely do NOT want to see ANOTHER photograph of Mr Tinkles in a holiday sweater…Yeah…don't be that person who never talks about anything but your cause or you and Mrs Mavis down the road will probably end up standing around at your local grocery store one day wondering where all the people went….or you wont, because she'll have seen you coming and doesn't want to hear you berate her for abusing Mr Tinkles for the 20th time… The point is, you may be able to talk about your cause all day, but people REALLY don't need to hear it all the time. You start sounding like a broken record, and people will avoid you like the plague. You aren't going to change anyone's mind if people run for the hills every time they see you!. —————————————————— So what makes me so special, and why am I writing this? Ive been an animal rights activist for nearly 20 years, and have been vegan for at least seven or eight of those years, I haven't really kept track. In this time, I've been to numerous rallies, protests, fundraisers and functions, Ive done talks, campaigned, helped get signatures on petitions and been out in the thick of things, trying to help change factory farming processes around the country (Australia). People are often surprised when I say I am a vegan who is not completely anti-meat, or that I'm an animal rights activist that believes that hunting, and the culling of introduced species are not necessarily wrong, provided everything is done humanely and nothing is left to suffer. I have worked with many other activists in the past and have seen the above attitudes and behaviors of individuals have a disastrous effect on campaigns. I've also seen new activists lose friends, alienate family and even, on occasion have seen marriages fall apart because of the activist's unwillingness to let anything "get in the way" of their activism…. PLEASE NOTE: This entire article is my PERSONAL OPINION ONLY.
You want to tell people that margarine is going to contribute to the extinction of the northern shrike, you'd better be able to tell a person why in a way they can understand, or once again, you're credibility is on par with the guy screaming about the reptillians.