How to Become an Introverted Vegan Activist, Pt. 1
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
–Buddha
Not too long ago, I was a lazy vegan. I wouldn’t watch graphic footage because I didn’t think I could handle seeing that kind of abuse to animals ever again. The first time I saw that level of brutality in Earthlings, it forced me to completely change my life. How would I be able to deal with seeing it again? I didn’t advertise my veganism for fear of ridicule and judgment by carnists. When it did come out that I was vegan, I felt uncomfortable, like a freak. I told myself that though I am more passionate about veganism than anything else in the world, there was nothing I could do about it because I’m an introvert. I couldn’t just talk to people about the massive devastation caused by their habits. So, I did my best to avoid anything to do with veganism and sat in my lonely vegan bubble.
My perspective started to shift about a year ago. I began to let it in. I would watch vegan cooking videos, maybe some documentaries, and then - finally - activism footage. Watching these animal heroes fighting carnism, converting others with their work, and meeting the animals completely changed how I viewed veganism and myself. Finally, I realized the key to vegan activism: it’s not about you or me. It’s about everything and everyone else. It’s about putting aside your silly fears and worries, your prejudices, your desires, in order to help others. It is the single biggest act of selflessness for a human being. That shift within your mind, body, and soul creates an indescribable feeling of wholesomeness and peace.
As a person who struggles with social anxiety, the thought of participating in grassroots activism like all these people I follow on social media left me in a difficult position. I began to explore other methods of becoming active in the community that wouldn’t cause me constant emotional stress and fatigue. It seems that there is little to offer introverts who have just as strong a desire to help animals as extroverts. The attitude is generally to just do it and get over your initial fears; however, that doesn't always work for everyone. So, I’d like to share my advice with you on how to become an introverted vegan activist. You may actually be surprised at how easy it is!
I know this post is about introverted activism, but I would be remiss if I didn’t first mention this. It’s daunting to consider participating in a Cube of Truth or a Direct Action Everywhere demonstration, but these organizations are a great way to meet other passionate vegans. And after you take that first step, it does get easier. Being able to speak to people – to confront them right then and there – is an amazing experience. If all you can do is just stand there and hold a screen or a sign, that is also a huge benefit. After all, you can’t have a Cube of Truth without the Cube. I strongly encourage all vegans to at least try these forms of activism even if they’re scared. You could also go to a Save Movement vigil and document the animals’ final journey to a slaughterhouse. Fortunately, there are no slaughterhouses anywhere near me, so I haven’t been able to attend one yet. But I imagine that being there with the animals to maybe give them some form of comfort in their final moments would be a life-changing experience.
Honestly, my favorite form of activism is simply wearing clothing or accessories that spread the vegan message. I have an entire section of my closet solely devoted to activism ware. Some have cute pictures or phrases, but others are hard-hitting. My personal favorites are, “Hail Seitan,” “I am not a living grave,” "Food is grown, not born," and “Nothing tastes as good as vegan feels.” I also have some vegan hats, bags, jewelry, and tons of pins. Just a quick Etsy search will give you thousands of options to help raise vegan awareness. I don’t personally have any, but vegan tattoos would also be an awesome conversation starter. You’d basically be a walking advertisement for veganism all the time!
The stereotypical introverted millennial form of activism is to post on social media, probably the most effective way of reaching the greatest number of people. You can post recipes, pictures of your own amazing food, shout out your favorite vegan brands, share facts and statistics from reputable sources, and show people – even if it’s just for a fraction of a second before they click away – an image of a brutalized animal. It’s unfortunate that so many of those photos and videos get censored, and that’s a discussion for another day, but someone will see it. Our job is to plant seeds with the hopes that they will one day sprout into beautiful vegans.
Stickers! They are such a handy little tool, and you can basically put them anywhere. Some of the most popular places would be on food (ex: “bacon has been classified as a group one carcinogen by the World Health Organization” on a package of bacon); beauty products (ex: “this company tests on animals” on a non-cruelty-free bottle of shampoo); clothing (ex: “did you know that dog fur is sometimes mislabeled as fox fur?” with a picture of a cute puppy); and stop signs (ex: STOP “drinking cow's milk”). But there is never a wrong place to put a sticker, and there is never a wrong time for someone to be confronted with veganism. If you’re like me and are super freaked out about the possibility of getting caught, just be discreet and do it when and where there are few people around. Most people couldn’t care less about what some random person is doing, so it’s very unlikely that they’d notice you. But what would they do anyway, really? Remember: you are not the criminal here. You are the one bringing awareness to the public of the injustice occurring right under their nose.
My favorite sticker shops are StickersForAnimals, Activism Stickers, veganstickers, and ActivistStickers.
It’s really easy to buy activism pamphlets online. They’re usually donation-based, so you aren’t necessarily required to pay if you can’t afford it, but any bit of money you can give these organizations to help produce and ship them is helpful. You could even make some yourself just by compiling your favorite facts and information onto a page or two. You can slip these into people’s mailboxes, set them out in public areas where someone will undoubtedly come across them, or stick them on people’s cars. Or if someone asks you about veganism, instead of (or in addition to) talking to them about it, you can hand them a leaflet with the information succinctly printed out for them. I generally feel like I don’t communicate well with people, so having the ability to give them the information I’d like to say really lifts a burden from my shoulders. I don’t always have to worry about speaking perfectly if I have these around. Vegan Outreach and PETA pamphlets (and free campaign kits) are some of the most popular in America, but I also recommend Abolitionist Approach pamphlets, which you can find and print from their website. In the UK, both The Vegan Society and Viva! offer pamphlets on their websites.
Sometimes a sticker isn’t enough or a leaflet is too much, so I decided that I wanted to make my own thing. I call them info cards because I’m unoriginal, but they’re about the size of a bookmark with carefully chosen information on the front (sometimes with a picture) and a list of resources (books, documentaries, and YouTube videos) on the back. I try to keep them to a maximum of five sentences - though I get carried away sometimes - with my motto at the bottom; I put in bold or red the most important things, the parts I want people to not have the ability to ignore if they see it. For instance, “eggs” and “ground up alive,” is this way. Anyone that looks at the card would see that, and even if they didn’t read it, those few words would stick out and associate with each other. I keep them in a little pouch in my purse so they are always with me, along with my stickers. Like stickers and pamphlets, they can basically be put anywhere. You could even use them as bookmarks yourself or stick them in books at your local library and/or book store.
A great idea I got from Gary Francione’s book ADVOCATE FOR ANIMALS! is tabling. (I highly suggest reading this book to anyone interested in getting active in creative ways, though most of it is not too introverted-friendly.) At a market or fair in your area (or just in a public area like a college campus – just check your city ordinances), you can set up a table for people to approach you to talk about animal rights. Hook them in with an interesting banner/sign to encourage them to come to you.[1] A great example of this is Earthling Ed’s experiments – which you can find on his YouTube channel – where he set up two chairs with banners that said something like, “You can’t love animals and eat them. Change my mind.” He sat in one chair and a random person on the street sat down and had a good-hearted debate with him. You can also lay out pamphlets/leaflets and other vegan information of your choosing, allowing people to come up and discuss the topic with you. If you want, you can offer free snacks to people that have a conversation with you. Or, if you find it difficult to lead the conversation, offer a free cookie for people to watch a short video of animal agriculture practices. You could display vegan art to segue into the discussion. If some people seem genuinely interested and you feel comfortable doing so, offer your contact information or refer them to Challenge 22 to help them with the process of discovering veganism. (Tip: adding the word “challenge,” like the “free cookie challenge,” is a great way to draw people in – especially younger people. Who doesn’t like a challenge?)
Write for your local newspaper. There are usually guidelines for submission and contact information on their website. Even if you don’t get published there, someone will have to read what you wrote – undoubtedly, what you say will affect them.
The first and only form of activism I did for my first three years of veganism was using the PETA Points app (previously known as peta2). In the app, you are given many options to speak up against animal abusers. You can share articles and videos about the cruelty in animal exploitation industries, send emails to nonvegan companies urging them to consider alternatives, and tons of other things. Each action is awarded a point value (usually between 400 and 2,000), and you can use these points to buy PETA products. I’ve gotten several books and t-shirts through this app, and it’s all free. So, I’m speaking up for animals and getting rewarded for it with free activism gear.
I have never been an incredibly religious person, and I’ve felt completely pushed away from the church since going vegan. However, if you are religious, talk to someone at your church, synagogue, mosque, etc. about veganism. If they know you, it’s likely they’ll be more considerate than family or strangers. Maybe you could set up a vegan support/interest group to host there. A place of worship should be free from hatefulness and disrespect, and I hope that more religions will open their hearts to veganism.
I love books, and I especially love books about veganism. My small collection is growing as more and more are published. Similar to leaflets, lending someone a book is a wonderful way to share the vegan message with people. After I got my parents to go plant-based, some of their friends started to become interested in the lifestyle. Instead of having a long, tiresome conversation with them, we can just let them borrow a book. With that, they’re getting expert information and much more detail than we - even me, a vegan expert - could ever give.
Donate some vegan books to your local library. Borrow vegan books from libraries. If they see that books like that are popular, they’ll be more interested in stocking them. I generally buy used books, which are cheaper, and you could buy a few copies of a used book to donate them to libraries.
Host documentary viewings at your house or at a local theater. Just gathering together a group of people to watch a vegan film can be monumental, especially if the film is ethically-focused. When people see the animals suffering, feel their pain, hear their torment, it’s one of the most powerful experiences possible. I know that no matter what facts or opinions I heard from the vegan community, nothing would have converted me to veganism other than being confronted with the animals in Earthlings. You can also host a discussion afterward, as these films often inspire incredible philosophical discussion.
Probably the simplest form of activism is just to support other activists. Whether it’s by following them on social media, watching their videos on YouTube, sharing their content, or actually supporting them financially, everything makes a difference. I sponsor a few vegan activists on Patreon to help them do their work and make more content to hopefully convert more people than I ever could. I figure that I could spend $15 a month on a Netflix subscription I barely ever use, or I could help other people change the world (not that there’s anything wrong with keeping your Netflix subscription).
Along with that, you can support vegan organizations and sanctuaries. Or volunteer if you can. Donating just a few dollars can be so much more helpful than you know. Share their content on social media. Watching a rescued animal frolic through a field is something everyone, vegan or not, loves to see, and it opens the door to discussion of the topic.
You will always hear activists say that one of the most important parts of activism is being educated. Especially for introverts or for people who find it difficult to communicate with others, this is essential. Prepare yourself so you are able to answer any questions that may come your way. And if you don’t know an answer, that’s ok too. We’re clearly not perfect beings. Personally, I still have to watch videos and movies, read books and magazines, and listen to podcasts about the topic so I can feel adequately prepared to answer questions at any time. A helpful tool would be to write down certain questions and answers on a card or your phone, something you can always keep with you should you happen to need it. And if you happen to have some info cards or pamphlets on you too, that’s extra helpful. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to know everything, but continue to teach yourself and practice speaking with people.
I urged you earlier to try to go out to activism events like Cubes, vigils, DxE demonstrations, and protests, but don’t put too much weight on it if you can’t. When I first started my activism journey, I worried way too much that I would be a bad activist if I didn’t go to every Cube in my area. You should always try new things – things that push you out of your comfort zone – but I know that it’s too difficult for me to be around people sometimes.
Finally, find time for yourself. You can’t be a good activist if you don’t take care of yourself. Don’t invest every single moment of your life in activism if you’re feeling overwhelmed or fatigued. I know it feels like you’re letting the animals down if you’re not constantly trying to help them, but you can’t help them at all if you burn yourself out. Being well-rested is crucial to great activism.
I want to make clear that not all these forms of activism are equal; they are all useful, but wearing a t-shirt will never have the same impact as showing someone Dominion, Cowspiracy, or What the Health. Yes, doing anything is better than doing nothing, but doing one small thing is less powerful than doing many small things. It's good to have a balance, and I hope you'll be able to incorporate some of these forms of activism into your life.
Initially, I intended to put all my tips in one post, but I kept coming up with more and more ideas, so there will be a second part coming out next Monday. In the meantime, find ways to fit in activism, ways that work for you and ways that give you joy.
be conscious, be kind, be vegan
[1] ADVOCATE FOR ANIMALS!: An Abolitionist Vegan Handbook by Dr. Gary Francione