Dealing With Trolls & Anti-Vegans

Jul 30, 2020

"Those who do not oppose evil command it to be done."
-Leonardo da Vinci

Pressure to Convert

Vegans bear a heavy burden on our shoulders to always have the answers, and every single day we feel the weight of the billions of lives stolen for humanity's gluttony. We place immense pressure on ourselves to convert the entire world, making us feel as if we have a responsibility to talk to every person that reaches out to us (and we often reach out to people that definitely don't want to listen) in attempts to convince them to be vegan. And when they laugh at us or make jokes about animal suffering or simply ignore us, it's like we are personally responsible for every animal that person will exploit and kill for the rest of their lives. But we have already borne the guilt of killing animals when we were carnists; we have to come to terms with our own complicity in animal exploitation, and one day, if and when those carnists eventually go vegan, they will also have to bear that burden.

Spotting a Troll

First, what we have to realize is that trolls, generally, have absolutely no interest in the person/issue they're trolling. They say mean (and often stupid) things with the hopes of getting a rise out of you; that's all they want. It gratifies them to know they've figured out exactly how to push your buttons. Now, this doesn't mean they're soulless monsters incapable of reasoning, but it is far more difficult to have a genuine conversation about serious topics online than it is when face-to-face.

Engaging Trolls

If you do choose to engage with a troll, the most important thing to remember is that you absolutely can never become angry. I'd even argue that sarcasm and jokes should be limited, as good as it feels sometimes to laugh at their ignorance. We cannot continue to be labeled as hysterical radicals (especially since most of us are women), and we must always turn the other cheek. Remember how you felt before going vegan; maybe you also were a troll and made jokes about veganism. But even if you just kept your uncouth thoughts to yourself, you certainly didn't take the issue seriously. Though we may want to yell at trolls and try to make them feel bad, if they ever do eventually go vegan, imagine how ashamed they would feel to know that a vegan wanted to help them but they were too arrogant to listen. (That's not to say I'm always against shaming people. As I've said before, is it really discrimination to discriminate against discriminators? If someone is knowingly and intentionally harming an entire group of individuals, they deserve to, at the very least, be called out on it.)

Here's a comment I received on an Instagram post about how fishing is never ethical. I love using the peace sign emoji -- I think it really grinds their gears for me to send them a visual sign of love. They can't stand the thought of a vegan not hating them. (And it's true; I don't hate this person. I know they're confused about being confronted on this topic.) When we show them kindness, we are being the bigger person.

The best way to interact with a troll is to kill them with kindness (and sometimes a hint of snark). Because they say these things to get under our skin, we can't show them that it has, even if it actually did. I've found that it's best to take some time to think hard about what you want to say before responding. And when we show a troll some kindness and understanding, they hate it! They want you to be as angry as they are, lashing out at the world and anyone that disagrees with them. But we must always rise above their hatred and meet them with compassion. Because, as I said in the picture to the right, one day most trolls will have a change of heart and will be vegan (or at least more open to it), and that'll happen sooner if we show them a tiny bit of understanding and sympathy.

Topics that will get the most troll action are generally fringe topics -- like plant-based diets for dogs -- or when they're about the moral value of "lesser" species -- like fishes and insects, as we can see from the responses to my anti-fishing Instagram post from the pictures included in this post. However, virtually anything about animal rights will always come under fire, so there will always be at least some risk of a troll invasion on anything you post online about veganism and animal rights. Don't let that scare you off, though, because trolls just want engagement. If you don't respond, sooner or later they'll leave to annoy someone else.

Temper Your Temper

I'll admit that I have a very short temper, and almost anything can set me off. And it can take a long time to calm myself down. However, when I'm really seething over some asinine comment, thinking about all the insults I want to hurl their way, I take a step back to remind myself that this is the reaction I want. It's a good thing that I'm reaching a broader audience than vegans because it means I'm not just speaking into an echo chamber. The people who need to hear my message are receiving it, and I just have to deal with the few people being idiots online. And though it takes a while to remember this sometimes, it actually helps me so much; almost immediately, I stop seeing red and begin to feel a sense of calm again. My head becomes clearer, and I can more effectively craft responses (to those deserving of a response).

Dealing With Hate & Love

Sometimes, trolls will say truly ruthless things. They might call you stupid, ugly, and other crass words. They'll laugh at you and make jokes about murdering animals, and sometimes that might make you want to back down, give up, and go cry in a corner. And that's ok! It's normal to be upset by this; that's a perfectly reasonable reaction when someone is intentionally being nasty because doing so makes them feel good (or, more likely, less bad) about themselves. Unfortunately, that's just one part of the price we pay to stand up for what we know is right. However, that doesn't mean you have to take it lying down. If someone is using slurs against you or is being particularly hateful, report them, block them, and delete their comments. You don't want to be reminded of them or allow that kind of rhetoric to stand on your platform. They should be held accountable for their actions. If they've discriminated against you, then chances are they've done it to others, and we have a responsibility to take action against their injustice and hatred.

Also, appreciate the positive messages you receive. As a species, we have a tendency to focus mostly on the bad things and undervalue the good. But if someone leaves a positive comment under a post or sends a nice message to you about what you're doing or that what you post has made them think about animal rights more seriously, cherish those moments. And show your appreciation! The vegan community, generally, is incredibly kind, and we want to support each other. Fostering good relationships with others can be so rewarding, and it might make some of the hateful comments not feel quite as bad.

When You Can't Let It Go

You must be able to recognize the difference between getting upset, irritated, or frustrated and actually letting some ignorant person's words bring you down. If you find yourself thinking back on a troll's comment over and over again for days after you read it or you're beginning to doubt yourself and your convictions, you might need to approach online activism differently. Now, this doesn't mean you should never post anything on social media for fear of being dragged over the coals by carnists, but you have to take steps to preserve your mental health.

If that's the case, then you should never respond to anyone that seems even remotely troll-like, disable all comments on your posts, immediately delete any hateful messages you receive, and don't be afraid to block people. (The good news is that there are millions of other people waiting for you to reach out, so blocking the worst of them really won't impact your outreach.) You absolutely must take care of yourself to be any kind of activist, so don't listen to any vegans that tell you to just brush it off and get over it; sometimes that isn't possible. Just focus on what works best for you.

Carnists & Anti-Vegans

Honestly, I have a very difficult time being nice to hateful people online, which may be due to my temper. I simply don't respect their cowardice and apathy. (To be fair, I also struggle with talking to carnists in general because those kinds of conversations really wear me down and send my anxiety into overdrive.) But I try my best to answer questions carnists have, as much as they may annoy or trigger me, as long as they're being respectful and are genuinely curious for answers. But when it comes to trolls, I often don't even respond to them because anything I say just fuels them to continue.

Here's an example of a way to seriously discuss issues with a carnist that isn't intentionally trying to troll but is spreading misinformation.

Talking with non-troll carnists is a much easier and effective form of activism. And it feels so good when you lay down logic for them and see how they react. Sometimes they don't answer and sometimes they never stop responding, no matter how many of their excuses you squash, but it always feels like a great accomplishment to do this. Sure, you may not make them change their minds immediately, but at least you defied their belief system; you made them think about issues that they thought weren't even issues. You challenged their speciesism and indoctrination, and that's no small feat. The more we do this, the more likely they will begin to doubt their beliefs, and the more likely they will become vegans in the future.

When it comes to talking with carnists online, even if they aren't trolling, it's important to remember what I laid out throughout the rest of this post. Keep your conversations positive and use encouraging language. Sometimes, you may have to be more educational (like in the picture to the left), while others will be more emotional. The best piece of advice I can give is to communicate with people online as if you were talking to them in person. If we all did a little more of that, the world would be a (marginally) better place.

be conscious, be kind, be vegan