This past weekend I was a vendor at the awesome Kelowna Vegan Festival. It was a superbly organised event and the team responsible (not forgetting their splendid team of volunteers) are to be congratulated for their tireless efforts. They paid off handsomely. The event was exciting, fun, held at an excellent venue and boasted a wide variety of activities and experiences. It was well supported and catered for all ages and interests, offering a thoroughly worthwhile way to spend a few hours over the weekend. Most importantly, it was getting the vegan message out there.
For my part, although attending in my capacity as an animal sanctuary proprietor, my motivation was to follow up on my blog from earlier this year, ‘Wear That You Care’. If you didn’t read it, I was basically extolling the power of wearing clothes that carry a vegan message. Wishing to walk the talk, I took along a couple of T shirt designs, plus bumper stickers, car magnets and silicone wrist bands, all touting the “no harm, vegan for life” philosophy you will have heard me proselytizing about so often now. (I also took copies of my books for good measure, since they come to a vegan conclusion!)
I wasn’t interested in making money (although of course, anything that helps us feed the animals is a huge blessing!) so much as seeing if people could be encouraged to buy into the idea of becoming walking billboards for a worthy cause. So I was pleased that we did pretty well.
Equally exciting at a personal level was the opportunity to meet certain people who to me, are heroes. These included one of the wonderful ladies responsible for the controversial anti-dairy billboards outside of Kelowna; the awesome Geoff Regier who did undercover work in slaughter houses, bringing the awful truths of the barbarities within to light; the people from Black Sheep Cheese who are pushing back the boundaries of what is possible in a dairy free world; and of course, the organisers of the festival itself, who despite having busy and demanding lives, sacrificed so much time and energy to help get a vital message out there. All, in their different ways, are actively spreading the word and I honour every one of them.
Perhaps the most rewarding part of the experience was talking with the surprisingly large number of people who approached me asking me questions about why I was vegan; how I coped with certain practicalities; what my views on particular related issues were. Each one gave me an opportunity to give responses that were (so they told me) persuasive and influential in helping them move towards committing to go vegan.
After a while, I began to wonder why I seemed to be fielding so many questions? Was it because I look (as one person told me) like Gary Yourofsky? (I don’t think I do, unless I’m an aged version of him!). So, having fielded what was ultimately my last question on the Sunday, I asked my interrogator why they had singled me out to quiz. The response was revealing.
“Because you look like someone who really is a vegan. It says so on your T shirt!”
I had to smile at that. It really brought it home to me that overt messaging IS vital. Fortunately, I was by no means the only person wearing vegan apparel (although there were noticeably more people on the second day doing so than on the first). There were some terrific and impactful slogans being bandied about. But overall, disappointingly few attendees or vendors were displaying anything proclaiming their beliefs.
Well, I get that not everybody wants to be a walking billboard. I understand that slogans and images are not everyone’s cup of tea when it comes to decor for their attire. I accept that some people are afraid of incurring enmity if they display messages that are challenging to others - and vegan ones are so threatening to the majority of the population. But here’s the thing:
Theriocide is real. It’s happening every second of every day. Its scale is incredible. Its effect is frightening. It devastates lives. It’s killing the planet. It’s nothing but destructive and dangerous, for ALL of us.
People need to have this fact constantly brought to their attention, because we all have lived for too long making the choice to sweep the hideous reality of it under the carpet. Veganism may be on the rise and reports of it ‘trending’ may be encouraging; but growing at an exponentially faster rate is animal agriculture and the harmful way it encroaches upon our world. It’s far too late to hope that the theriocide will stop all by itself.
The time has passed where any of us who wish to stop this may sit by passively and hope that somebody else will do something about it.
One of the easiest things we can do is remind people that veganism, as an alternative way of life, exists, and bring it into the collective consciousness. But even vegans need to understand that awareness of the no-harm choice must become a feature of everyone's mindset before it can become a universal reality.
To this end and to most effectively achieve a mass shift in consciousness, all vegans should be striving to actively fulfill their inherent potential as messengers and educators. We can all assist in making our fellow human beings aware; in chipping away at the collective psyche that makes animal murder an acceptable choice; in ensuring that nobody is ignorant of the implications of their choices. Yet it is still all too easy to pretend that vegans aren’t there, because generally speaking, we can’t recognise them!
My T shirt gave me away. I’m proud of that and that's why I literally take my veganism out of the closet every time I go out.
In truth, to play your part you don't have to be an orator or a writer. It’s OK that not everyone is as brave and courageous as the heroes from Okanagan Animal Save and Kelowna Animal Action who spent their weekend peacefully resisting theriocide. But to play your part, you do need to be recognisable as someone who subscribes to a belief that is outside of the mainstream. In so doing, you will contribute to 'normalising' the vegan alternative. By being an active advocate, you increase your impact by multiple factors. All it takes is for you to provide some tangible and overt evidence that you subscribe to veganism and let people know that, at every single opportunity you get.
So to those who bought T shirts, bumper stickers, car magnets or wristbands at the weekend, a big “THANK YOU”. Please wear or place them with pride. It's important. It matters. It makes a difference. You'll be helping to get that essential message out there; but then you already knew that.
On my way home, amidst the hundreds of other vehicles I encountered, I drew up behind a car with one of my magnets on the rear, proclaiming the DO NO HARM message. I smiled because there was someone else determined to let the world know that veganism is going mainstream. But I also smiled because whilst we're trying to shape a new reality, it’s important to be reminded that we're not alone in the struggle to make the world a better place for everyone. It helps.
For my part, although attending in my capacity as an animal sanctuary proprietor, my motivation was to follow up on my blog from earlier this year, ‘Wear That You Care’. If you didn’t read it, I was basically extolling the power of wearing clothes that carry a vegan message. Wishing to walk the talk, I took along a couple of T shirt designs, plus bumper stickers, car magnets and silicone wrist bands, all touting the “no harm, vegan for life” philosophy you will have heard me proselytizing about so often now. (I also took copies of my books for good measure, since they come to a vegan conclusion!)
I wasn’t interested in making money (although of course, anything that helps us feed the animals is a huge blessing!) so much as seeing if people could be encouraged to buy into the idea of becoming walking billboards for a worthy cause. So I was pleased that we did pretty well.
Equally exciting at a personal level was the opportunity to meet certain people who to me, are heroes. These included one of the wonderful ladies responsible for the controversial anti-dairy billboards outside of Kelowna; the awesome Geoff Regier who did undercover work in slaughter houses, bringing the awful truths of the barbarities within to light; the people from Black Sheep Cheese who are pushing back the boundaries of what is possible in a dairy free world; and of course, the organisers of the festival itself, who despite having busy and demanding lives, sacrificed so much time and energy to help get a vital message out there. All, in their different ways, are actively spreading the word and I honour every one of them.
Perhaps the most rewarding part of the experience was talking with the surprisingly large number of people who approached me asking me questions about why I was vegan; how I coped with certain practicalities; what my views on particular related issues were. Each one gave me an opportunity to give responses that were (so they told me) persuasive and influential in helping them move towards committing to go vegan.
After a while, I began to wonder why I seemed to be fielding so many questions? Was it because I look (as one person told me) like Gary Yourofsky? (I don’t think I do, unless I’m an aged version of him!). So, having fielded what was ultimately my last question on the Sunday, I asked my interrogator why they had singled me out to quiz. The response was revealing.
“Because you look like someone who really is a vegan. It says so on your T shirt!”
I had to smile at that. It really brought it home to me that overt messaging IS vital. Fortunately, I was by no means the only person wearing vegan apparel (although there were noticeably more people on the second day doing so than on the first). There were some terrific and impactful slogans being bandied about. But overall, disappointingly few attendees or vendors were displaying anything proclaiming their beliefs.
Well, I get that not everybody wants to be a walking billboard. I understand that slogans and images are not everyone’s cup of tea when it comes to decor for their attire. I accept that some people are afraid of incurring enmity if they display messages that are challenging to others - and vegan ones are so threatening to the majority of the population. But here’s the thing:
Theriocide is real. It’s happening every second of every day. Its scale is incredible. Its effect is frightening. It devastates lives. It’s killing the planet. It’s nothing but destructive and dangerous, for ALL of us.
People need to have this fact constantly brought to their attention, because we all have lived for too long making the choice to sweep the hideous reality of it under the carpet. Veganism may be on the rise and reports of it ‘trending’ may be encouraging; but growing at an exponentially faster rate is animal agriculture and the harmful way it encroaches upon our world. It’s far too late to hope that the theriocide will stop all by itself.
The time has passed where any of us who wish to stop this may sit by passively and hope that somebody else will do something about it.
One of the easiest things we can do is remind people that veganism, as an alternative way of life, exists, and bring it into the collective consciousness. But even vegans need to understand that awareness of the no-harm choice must become a feature of everyone's mindset before it can become a universal reality.
To this end and to most effectively achieve a mass shift in consciousness, all vegans should be striving to actively fulfill their inherent potential as messengers and educators. We can all assist in making our fellow human beings aware; in chipping away at the collective psyche that makes animal murder an acceptable choice; in ensuring that nobody is ignorant of the implications of their choices. Yet it is still all too easy to pretend that vegans aren’t there, because generally speaking, we can’t recognise them!
My T shirt gave me away. I’m proud of that and that's why I literally take my veganism out of the closet every time I go out.
In truth, to play your part you don't have to be an orator or a writer. It’s OK that not everyone is as brave and courageous as the heroes from Okanagan Animal Save and Kelowna Animal Action who spent their weekend peacefully resisting theriocide. But to play your part, you do need to be recognisable as someone who subscribes to a belief that is outside of the mainstream. In so doing, you will contribute to 'normalising' the vegan alternative. By being an active advocate, you increase your impact by multiple factors. All it takes is for you to provide some tangible and overt evidence that you subscribe to veganism and let people know that, at every single opportunity you get.
So to those who bought T shirts, bumper stickers, car magnets or wristbands at the weekend, a big “THANK YOU”. Please wear or place them with pride. It's important. It matters. It makes a difference. You'll be helping to get that essential message out there; but then you already knew that.
On my way home, amidst the hundreds of other vehicles I encountered, I drew up behind a car with one of my magnets on the rear, proclaiming the DO NO HARM message. I smiled because there was someone else determined to let the world know that veganism is going mainstream. But I also smiled because whilst we're trying to shape a new reality, it’s important to be reminded that we're not alone in the struggle to make the world a better place for everyone. It helps.
Some T shirt choices...
In your face and impactful. Left, the T shirt expressing a sentiment my favourite way. Complex, or out-and-out compassionate? Left, Sarah, festival organiser, sporting a great vegan networking T shirt from Australia. (She has number 1001 of a 1 million limited edition. I only have 10,139! She was being an activist a long time ago!) And lets not ignore Christine's (which was designed by Sarah!), worn by several of the brilliant festival volunteers. | Cute but acerbic, or a badge of pride? My own designs being worn with pride by my wonderful helpers, Colleen and Christine. THANK YOU! You were awesome. Straightforward, or straight to the point? Left, Moira, festival organiser, holistic veterinarian and all round activist hero; and Wendy, festival organiser and vegan dynamo. (Note that Moira's T was much more overtly challenging on the back, but I can't remember the exact words! |
And just in case you don't know what he looks like, here's the noble Gary Yourosky - a true vegan hero, wearing that he cares.