How to Get People to Understand Veganism

Sep 24, 2020

"I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being."
-Abraham Lincoln

1. Be Relatable

It's important to remind nonvegans that we're normal people, just like them, and that we can understand the perspective they have. Even if you're not conversing with them about veganism, you still want to portray a good image of what vegans are because they're still very aware of you being a vegan. To them, you may be the only vegan they've met, and they're curious as to if the stereotypes and clichés are true.

2. Be Agreeable

When veganism does come up, it's best to agree with them as much as possible to show that you understand why they may be asking certain questions or giving certain excuses. But it should be genuine, not just concurrence for the sake of your argument. Remind yourself of life before veganism -- your thoughts, actions, justifications -- and ask yourself what you would've wanted to hear from a vegan.

3. Don't Only Discuss Food

One of the biggest misconceptions about veganism is that it's just about the food you eat, and even then, most people get it wrong. Though "food" animals are the most abused animals in the world, it's important to approach veganism with nonvegans as a lifestyle rather than a diet. Discuss other issues -- animal testing, circus animals, environmental impacts, human abuses -- that relate to veganism to give them a fuller picture of all that the lifestyle encompasses.

4. It's Not All or Nothing

Even though it's important to discuss veganism in broad terms as an ethical lifestyle, it's also important to get people to start making positive changes in their life as fast as possible. And that probably won't be straight into veganism. If you've done a stellar job and they're super into the idea, maybe they will want to go vegan cold tofu, but it's more likely that that will seem like too big a step to start.

The way I would suggest a nonvegan begin implementing positive changes in their life is to start with eliminating products that cause the most suffering and are purchased most frequently. Fish products should be the first to go, followed by poultry products (including eggs) and honey, then dairy and all other meat products. After that, focus on cruelty-free and vegan household and personal care products, textiles, and then, lastly, other areas of concern.

5. Phrase Things Positively

What may work better than, or in conjunction with, discussing what isn't vegan is to talk about what is vegan. Instead of saying they shouldn't wear leather or wool or fur or silk or down, it may be better to phrase it as focusing on buying products made of cotton or bamboo or other plant-based materials. People generally respond better when using positive rather than negative language (including plant products instead of excluding animal products). It's probably best to go this route in addition to gentle reminders that veganism is about more than just the products you buy; even if you buy all the right things, it's possible to not be fully aligned or aware of the true values of veganism. This is simply a method of getting people started on the road to veganism.

6. Ask Questions

Even if you're a green vegan and know the answers to almost none of the standard questions, turn their questions and excuses back on themselves. If they say they need meat for protein, ask them where animals get their protein. If they gleefully say that they just ate a double bacon cheeseburger, ask them if they'd eat a dog burger. If they say you're being too extreme, ask them if being against homophobia is too extreme. When we flip their prejudice on its head and ask them to look at it from a different perspective, it's often more effective than just telling them the truth.

7. Provide Resources

There is a ton of information to learn when going vegan, and that's not something you can easily convey in a conversation. By providing them with resources about how to follow a plant-based diet or the cruelty of zoos or the truth about the wool industry, you are giving them the opportunity to teach themselves instead of spoon-feeding the information to them. You can check out my Guide to Vegan Education and Activism to learn more about the methods of education and what kinds of information to share. I also have informational cards on my free resources page with quick, digestible information and helpful resources.

Getting people to understand veganism is not something that can happen in one conversation. Veganism is a multifaceted lifestyle confronting myriad problems in our society, but if we can get people to more fully grasp the breadth of the exploitation in animal industries, the more likely they will be to come over to the light side.

be conscious, be kind, be vegan