May
31
The Invisible Choice
Last weekend I found myself surrounded by all types of vegans working in many different means towards the same goal – to stop the exploitation of non-human animals. Among those vegans was author and psychologist Melanie Joy, PhD, whom I first read about from an article in The Vegan Magazine (UK Vegan Society). Dr. Joy had coined a new term, “carnism.” I read the article, yet it wasn’t until I heard her speak in person that the philosophy behind this obvious yet hidden belief system became clear, and I recognized how vital this recognition is for “our” cause. Simply stated, carnism is the opposite of veganism. It is a belief that has conditioned us all to eat some animals but not others (why would someone eat a cow but not a dog?). It affects people’s thoughts, feelings, and overall behaviour. Like veganism, it is a choice. However, it is a choice that has been made for the majority of people. Dr. Joy named this “institutionalized carnism”, where our current society maintains and disseminates the myth of meat, where animals become categorized between those that are acceptable to eat as food and those that should not be eaten. It also instigates moral conflict within a person that tries to align the beliefs that we have all been taught (thou shall not kill; be kind; do to others as you would want done onto you) yet is told it is ok to take part in such a violent ideology.
As a vegan, have you ever experienced hostility from someone for “just being” when someone figures out you are vegan? Have you been ridiculed or silenced, maybe for giving the facts? The facts make sense to us, yet they do not make sense to someone that is still participating in a carnism belief system. Why? This comes about because the belief is out of sight ad remains unnamed – it is invisible. The person has yet recognized that they have a choice and ARE making a choice. Meat eating is neither normal, natural, nor is it necessary. However, this is just what carnism justifies. Carnism makes it almost psychologically impossible for someone that has not recognized its existence to change or recognize that there is a choice, and they are making one.
As long as the choice that is carnism remains hidden, explained Dr. Joy, non-human animals will continue to be exploited. With awareness comes choice, and as vegans, it is our responsibility to make others understand that they are making a choice. Deep down inside we, vegans and meat eaters, all care about the same things. This is not an “us against them”, and each time we come in contact with someone that becomes curious (no matter how silly the question may be) of our choice to be vegans, it shouldn’t be about the “win” of the argument. Most people just don’t know they are making this invisible choice. Why should they change if they are doing what is right in their mind? Dr. Joy explained that instead we should be laying down the foundations to inspire action and create change by empathizing with those that perhaps are unaware of or don’t truly comprehend veganism. Each and every time someone asks us about our veganism, it is an opportunity to tell them our story and connect emotionally with that person. For example, consider the difference between the following statements after a stranger asks, “Oh, you are vegan?” Statement number one: “Yes, I am vegan, and YOU should be vegan because YOU are responsible for the death of over 60 billion animals world-wide. How can YOU be part of that?” (The conversation from this point would most likely be over as defensiveness would have been kicked off leading to hostility and/or arguments to try to “win”). Statement two featuring “my” personal story: “ Yes, I am vegan, but I wasn’t always vegan. I was raised eating meat and have only been vegan for about 4 years. I lived with a rabbit and considered myself a devoted animal lover, yet I was still eating meat. I just didn’t connect the dots. Then, one day I thought to myself, how can I eat one and love the other? I realized I was making a choice in doing this. I decided it was time to make another choice. One that aligned better with my values, and I started informing myself about what was really going on and being done under my name without my knowledge…”.
Finding common ground and acknowledging the person’s experiences will create a safe environment and prevent that hostility that most of us face when speaking about our veganism. Another great example given by Dr. Joy was a response to the common question we’ve all heard, “Why should I do anything or change my lifestyle? It’s not going to change anything right now. Her response was a very simple, “animals will continue to die, but it will not be because of me.”
Dr. Joy went on to discuss more ways to fine tune our advocacy skills and continue to speak for non-humans without judgement. After the talk, I had to wonder if current methods for speaking up for non-humans and highlighting their horrific exploitation are truly creating change, wouldn’t the whole planet be vegan right now? After all, it is a logical choice. The reality is that people are afraid to change and are afraid to face the realities, and that invisible choice that they make each and every day, allows them to continue to take part in such horrific actions. Without their knowing they are making an invisible choice, chances are that those methods (protests, films, etc.) won’t create much change. However, used hand in hand, we may be able to start seeing changes.
If you haven’t heard about Melanie Joy’s work, I encourage you to visit her website and learn more about carnism through www.carnism.com. She provides a glimpse into what drives carnism and tools that vegans can use in their advocacy. There are also resources for meat eaters that explain carnism and how it impacts their life. By no means is this a comprehensive review of what I learned from Dr. Joy. Because of this, I suggest you give this a chance if you want to help create mass change within our current society on behalf of non-human animals.
Julia F. is a native Puerto Rican that now finds herself somewhere in Europe with her husband and adopted rabbit daughter. With a background in biology, Julia has had unforgettable experiences in the natural world, which inspire her work as an artist. Over the years, Julia has been fortunate to work as an illustrator for several public and non-public entities, including newspapers and a state park. She has also found an interest in writing and has published in the Irish Vegetarian Society, the UK’s Vegan Society “Vegan” Magazine, and several internet sites and groups focusing on promoting compassionate living and veganism. Julia awoke to veganism about 3.5 years ago and has been enjoying her compassionate life (and loving all the amazing food) ever since. She’s never looking back.
You can get in touch with her through www.jfillustrations.com.
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Ouch! My MO Word spellcheck must be broken, and I must be forgetting my English with all the French I’ve been studying. Either way, hope your headache is better! ;)
The article doesn’t say to call people who eat meat carnists or cannibals. I did not mention either term. The article only points out that non-vegans are making a choice that is the complete opposite of veganism. That choice has been given a name: carnism. The main point of the article was to bring awareness to other vegans of this term. If you are interested in more info, you should read one of Dr. Joy’s books or attend one of her talks.
I did not state that any one way is the correct way to advocate veganism. If you read it, I say that bringing about the fact that meat eaters ARE making a choice, may open the path to THEN show people those images or give them those flyers, books, etc. I’ve met people that have watched the horrid videos, and guess what? They are still eating meat. Regardless, do you know how difficult it is to actually get a non-vegan to WATCH something like that or to read about it? Seeing or reading about the violence doesn’t necessarily mean someone will suddenly accept what they are doing, especially if they think it is natural/normal. People are conditioned to eat meat and are constantly being told that it is OK. They don’t realize they have a choice and are making one. By having a conversation, you can actually make someone realize that they have a choice and that there is another side to the story they have been fed their whole lives.
“Non-human animal” would more accurate than your suggested term “creature cousins” since humans ARE animals. The term recognizes that humans are animals, and lightly brings about the concept to whoever hasn’t recognized or even thought about the concept that humans ARE animals. So, in the end, there really isn’t a distinction between humans and non-humans because we are all animals, and therefore, connected.
Like I said, it’s not about us vs. them – it’s about planting the seed and sharing information in a way that will help people open their ears to you. Showing someone you just met a video of a cow being hacked to death will hardly accomplish that. I’ve implemented the “my story” bit, and so far, I’ve gotten positive responses from non-vegans instead of the usual defensiveness that comes up at the mere mention of the word.
I have to say, this article is quite difficult to read – mainly due to sentence structure, with the numerous typo’s adding mild injury (in my case, a headache!). Nothing a little proofread or 2 can’t fix!
That said, i’m wondering if coining catchy names to call non-vegans is effective strategy for “Finding common ground” or to “prevent that hostility”? Since this is the first i’ve heard of “carnism” (close to “carnies”, colloquial for “circus people”!), the thought of using the alien term envisions meeting glassy stares, confusion or contempt rather than that hoped-for connectivity…
For me, sometimes finding the words to defend/ explain my compassionate choice is daunting enough WITHOUT adding new words to the mix!
Sure, the “carnism” concept is understandable – but i’d still have to explain it if i were to use it, and i can see that sending someone sprinting for the exit as I try untying my tongue! Lack of conviction? No way. Over-sensitive? AH…
You make a great point when you “… had to wonder if current methods… are truly creating change, wouldn’t the whole planet be vegan right now?” But aren’t there as many ‘methods’ as there are vegans, really? The beauty is that potentials stay wide-open (anyone can be vegan) without imposing contrived (even limiting – possibly intimidating) method/structure on the process.
I think most people WOULD be vegan if they actually saw the abuse (eg. those terrifying PETA vids, which HAVE driven MANY to change) – as Paul McCartney said, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian”… Believing that, yet accepting most people’s avoidance of the ugly evidence, keeps us chipping at those “carnists” ever-hopeful, without (a) expecting change overnight, which would just frustrate if not exhaust, or (b) becoming “preachy”, thus one of those ‘People to Avoid Like the Plague’!
Maybe just being true to oneself & one’s empathy works best on behalf of our beloved creature cousins? (“non-human” feels clinical, insulting)… Recalling things that triggered our own transitions, like WHAT made us dare to see the documentary that drove conviction into action – for example – could be key: Why conjure up ‘carnism’ and focus on a nightmare that, for us, represents the ugly past, when we could call upon the core within – convey what gives fresh hope to our collective future?
We can’t MAKE others change (that has to come from them) but we can take their hand and guide them with compassion into the light, let them SEE what you too had to see before you changed? [Isn't showing more effective than explaining?]
Course, the invaluable facts, hints and tips we get from awesome vegan sites like this one help us come across as more than just the swollen hearts that threaten to expel us from our closets into crowds of ‘carnist’ cannibals who lie in wait so they can crush us…