Good stuff! I think some vegans take the harsher approach because they're tired of the bs, and know it'll get them the praise of other vegans. We like hearing someone unapologetically endorse views we hold dear - but animals need us to do more than perform for our friends.
We need to be smart and play by the rules of human psychology, even if it is more satisfying to put your foot down
This is an excellent exploration and such needed work!
My #climateinfluence approach is all about finding the folks of influence (in the case of my work - business, culture and political leaders) who ARE vegan, or veering vegan, and telling their stories super strategically. All the while, also, making them more proud to start being a bit more vocal about it, etc.
There is massive opportunity for changing the social norms of leadership in the plant-based direction by identifying the aspirational identities in our culture already, and CEO is a big one. Then, finding even just a few of these folks who ARE already plant-based and helping them to get more comfortable sharing their story, or even just reflecting their choices more in subtle ways via social media.
Finding more ways to motivate rather than alienate goes to the social norm and nudging root of it. We each want to be seen among people we admire and aspire to be more like, and the more “surprising” that validator is, the better for the reach and resonance of the storytelling.
I would love to collaborate - as I have projects underway to find and celebrate just these leaders. See also - the first episode of my podcast, Living Change, with KEXP DJ John Richards (quite well known globally) on his plant-based lifestyle and the incredible music focused bar he opened in Seattle that gives ALL of his fans a place to perhaps have their first plant-based meal in a fully vegan environment with no big neon sign about it at all. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/plant-based-climate-influence-with-dj-john-richards/id1666099446?i=1000596748017 There are more stories like this to tell - and telling more of them might shift the societal norm more quickly than you'd think.
A few points of confusion I had with this article:
- You reviewed evidence that telling people what to think doesn't work (makes sense), but the message you said worked was "don't trust the label". That definitely IS telling people what to think. The example you gave kind of undermined your point. Or do you mean it was *more* effective than the other message?
- You mention that "go vegan" might not land because it "marks a profound shift in identity" towards an unpopular outgroup (again, makes sense), but later say the opposite: "Vegan is associated with diet — not social justice". So we're saying that people don't go vegan because they just want to change their diet, not sign up to a cause, but they also don't go vegan because they want it to be about more than diet, and want to sign up to a cause? Which is it?
I'm so glad you are looking into these questions, they're easily some of the most important questions in the movement, but I worry we have a really long way to go in figuring this out.
I liked the content of your article, but I think the title was chosen incorrectly. You will agree that first we (vegans) should use the phrase 'go vegan' in the right place. Someone who will not read the article may say 'yes, I think you should stop telling us to go vegan' and move on.
I think it is right to refer to veganism instead of saying 'go vegan'. But I am sure that many people try to answer a ton of questions instead of saying 'go vegan' during a conversation.
Visuals play a big role in change. That is why I am one of the animal photojournalists who produce under We Animals. In order to process animal stories, we go to the places where they live or try to live and witness their living conditions. Then these visuals are shared on certain platforms. I think it is a catalyst for change.
As a result, I also decided to go vegan 10 years ago after watching a video of goose feather plucking.
Very well written and agree completely. It is high time we move away from centering these outreach messages on exclusive vegan diets/lifestyle and appeal more broadly to change and long term sustainability.
This is one of the best articles on our movement that I have read in a while. Kudos to Animal Think Tank and the authors of this post.
Good stuff! I think some vegans take the harsher approach because they're tired of the bs, and know it'll get them the praise of other vegans. We like hearing someone unapologetically endorse views we hold dear - but animals need us to do more than perform for our friends.
We need to be smart and play by the rules of human psychology, even if it is more satisfying to put your foot down
Choose a slogan!
Sorry sorry sorry
Do yall think we could evolve toward a better slogan than "Go Vegan" together?
Apart from these good reasons, going vegan - even just in dietary tells - is also perceived by most people as something quite challenging.
(It does seem like the alternatives given in this article are not very sloganesque, and sometimes we do need slogans, I guess :-)
I’ve often thought “Go Vegan,” might provoke a similar reaction to “Go Republican.” In that it’d get anyone’s back up who already isn’t.
This is an excellent exploration and such needed work!
My #climateinfluence approach is all about finding the folks of influence (in the case of my work - business, culture and political leaders) who ARE vegan, or veering vegan, and telling their stories super strategically. All the while, also, making them more proud to start being a bit more vocal about it, etc.
There is massive opportunity for changing the social norms of leadership in the plant-based direction by identifying the aspirational identities in our culture already, and CEO is a big one. Then, finding even just a few of these folks who ARE already plant-based and helping them to get more comfortable sharing their story, or even just reflecting their choices more in subtle ways via social media.
Finding more ways to motivate rather than alienate goes to the social norm and nudging root of it. We each want to be seen among people we admire and aspire to be more like, and the more “surprising” that validator is, the better for the reach and resonance of the storytelling.
I would love to collaborate - as I have projects underway to find and celebrate just these leaders. See also - the first episode of my podcast, Living Change, with KEXP DJ John Richards (quite well known globally) on his plant-based lifestyle and the incredible music focused bar he opened in Seattle that gives ALL of his fans a place to perhaps have their first plant-based meal in a fully vegan environment with no big neon sign about it at all. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/plant-based-climate-influence-with-dj-john-richards/id1666099446?i=1000596748017 There are more stories like this to tell - and telling more of them might shift the societal norm more quickly than you'd think.
What about « Let’s close all slaughterhouse ? »
It’s clear, inclusive, simple and shows clearly we are killing animals.
A few points of confusion I had with this article:
- You reviewed evidence that telling people what to think doesn't work (makes sense), but the message you said worked was "don't trust the label". That definitely IS telling people what to think. The example you gave kind of undermined your point. Or do you mean it was *more* effective than the other message?
- You mention that "go vegan" might not land because it "marks a profound shift in identity" towards an unpopular outgroup (again, makes sense), but later say the opposite: "Vegan is associated with diet — not social justice". So we're saying that people don't go vegan because they just want to change their diet, not sign up to a cause, but they also don't go vegan because they want it to be about more than diet, and want to sign up to a cause? Which is it?
I'm so glad you are looking into these questions, they're easily some of the most important questions in the movement, but I worry we have a really long way to go in figuring this out.
I liked the content of your article, but I think the title was chosen incorrectly. You will agree that first we (vegans) should use the phrase 'go vegan' in the right place. Someone who will not read the article may say 'yes, I think you should stop telling us to go vegan' and move on.
I think it is right to refer to veganism instead of saying 'go vegan'. But I am sure that many people try to answer a ton of questions instead of saying 'go vegan' during a conversation.
Visuals play a big role in change. That is why I am one of the animal photojournalists who produce under We Animals. In order to process animal stories, we go to the places where they live or try to live and witness their living conditions. Then these visuals are shared on certain platforms. I think it is a catalyst for change.
As a result, I also decided to go vegan 10 years ago after watching a video of goose feather plucking.
Very well written and agree completely. It is high time we move away from centering these outreach messages on exclusive vegan diets/lifestyle and appeal more broadly to change and long term sustainability.
Agreed it is. Do you have any suggestions?
I feel like the Christspiracy filmmakers did this well: "What would Jesus think of the inside of a slaughterhouse"