AJ Pratt is a military veteran and animal rights activist, a mentor for Challenge 22+ and an organizer for Anonymous for the Voiceless. He’s also been featured numerous times on news and TV channels for his efforts to pass legislation to protect animals used for entertainment .AJ used his writing talents to publish Make Them Go Vegan, a thorough guide on how to make loved ones consider veganism after a lifetime of conditioning by meat and dairy industries. He takes over this post to give his advice on the matter.
Being a vegan in a non-vegan world
Whether you went vegan for Veganuary or have been vegan for quite a while like I have, trying to connect with your friends and family about your values regarding animal products never gets easier. But why is it so difficult? Us convinced vegans know that the facts are clear. We’ve seen that the evidence that a vegan lifestyle is better for the planet and our health is overwhelming. By our logic, talking to our loved ones about it and make them go vegan should be child’s play. So why is it that when we try to share that information with our close friends, it usually just ends in an argument? How can the facts become “just a bunch of nonsense?”
This was a big question I had as well. I always got very different reactions from strangers and those close to me. The people I didn’t know well would ask more questions, be more engaged, and for the most part believe much of what I had to say. However, when I asked those same questions to my parents or my close friends, their reaction was to immediately to counter any facts I presented. And that’s only if they didn’t try to avoid the conversation altogether.
Don’t believe me? Here’s an example from my own experience…
One of the most memorable instances I’ve had was when a co-worker of mine mentioned how he had watched What The Health. It had recently come out on Netflix and it really had a big impact on him. I was delighted to hear that! Maybe naively, I also thought that if it had a big impact on him, it could have the same on my parents. So one night when they were visiting I sat them down and said: “Hey, this new documentary just came out, let’s watch it!” How long do you think they lasted? If you said 10 minutes, well, you’d be spot on. By the time it got to the part about processed meat causing cancer, they were done.
“This is garbage,” they both said.
I replied, “But the report is from the WHO, how can you not trust what they are saying?”
“Quit trying to push your vegan whatever on us, we are not interested,” they said.
With that, they stormed out of the house. Yes, really! They left right out the door. Talk about failed outreach. It was a tough lesson. I knew that if I wanted to get my close friends and family to make some changes, I would need a better approach.
Lesson learned…
The fact is that, well, facts rarely convince anyone. Instead, they either reaffirm existing beliefs or are dismissed as false. When you confront someone with new information, they will seek out just about any argument to support their stance. We’re all guilty of looking for things to confirm our preexisting beliefs. That’s a big part of why trying to change someone’s opinion on social media is next to impossible!
With these facts in mind, trying to talk to your loved ones about your plantbased lifestyle may be hard. The idea of eventually make them go vegan can even sound impossible! However, if you’re careful about the way you use your words, it can turn out to be much easier than it sounds. I’ve narrowed the process down to my five best tips to make them go vegan.
Five Easy Steps To Make Them Go Vegan
#1 Don’t Criticize Them.
This is a big trap for many vegans. It’s easy for us to say that meat gives you cancer or that it’s impossible to love animals while eating them. We’re so used to holding these beliefs! We need to remember that for non vegans, this is a complete attack on their current worldview. Take it slow and remember that what sounds like fact to you may be as neutral for them.
#2 You Can’t Win an Argument.
Once you get into an argument, you’ve essentially already lost. You’ll do nothing but upset the other person by telling them they’re wrong. Put your pride aside: sometimes, it doesn’t matter if you’re right.
#3 Praise What They Do Right!
So what can you do if you can’t argue your way into vegan questions? The best way to go is, as it often is, with a bit of positivity! You don’t have to make it too obvious either. Just slip a kind word when a family member tries a vegan specialty food. Even take notice if a friend gets more veggies than they usually would with their meal. Everyone likes to be recognised for what they do right!
#4 Show You’re Thinking Of Them By Buying Things They Might Like.
If you can’t make them go vegan through words, why not let your wallet do the talking for you through a nice gift? Of course, don’t just offer them the first random vegan thing you find: show them that you care by catering to their taste first. Get some vegan chocolate to the chocolate lover in your life. Or how about a cool pair of vegan kicks for your parent who’s been complaining about their old shoes? Associating veganism with positive experiences rather than arguments will make them more likely to try vegan options in the future!
#5 Be A Role Model!
That’s right: the best strategy to appeal to your loved ones and make them go vegan doesn’t even require you to say a single word! Simply show how much you enjoy being a vegan and how easy it can be to make compassionate choices. A lot of people have misconceptions about how difficult veganism truly is. If they see a positive change in your life, it’s likely that they will want to make a similar one to theirs!
Hungry for more advice?
These are my main five tips, and I hope you give them a try soon. I think you’ll be excited to see how effective a positive outreach can turn out to be. It’s about time we all stopped arguing anyways! And if you’d like more tips like these, you can find a lot more advice in my book Make Them Go Vegan (Friends, Family, Everyone), with an incredible foreword by Mic The Vegan. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. Let me know in the comments how these strategies worked out for you! In the meantime, here’s some additional reading material you just might be interested in:
- Convince your loved ones through their taste buds by making them a delicious pineapple curry!
- Or show the gym rat in your life that their pre-workout smoothie can be totally vegan and just as refreshing.
- Get your hopes up by reading about the rise of veganism worldwide.
- And finally, get your favorite omnivore to care about your new lifestyle through some additional compassionate tips.
See you soon for even more goodness!
AJ
