From All-Creatures.org Animal Rights Activism Articles Archive
Some Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was New to Activism
...And some things I have learned the hard way and some things other
activists have told me have helped their activism. And some questions I have
found it useful to reconsider from time to time. Imagine a bowl of cherries.
This is not about the cherries/animal activism in the bowl, but rather it’s
about the bowl where all the cherries/animal activism live.
Never Forget
- It is a truly, amazing wonderful commitment to be an animal rights
activist. It is truly something to be proud of. It can give you a life
worth living.
- Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of committed
citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever
has.”
- As committed animal rights activists we keep hoping that it’s
not just a “small group,” but ya know what? It always has been and
always will be a “small group.” THANK YOU for being in this small group.
- Animal rights IS the most important social justice movement
because humanity’s relationship with other-than-human animals is at the
heart of and impacts the quality of our food, air, land, water,
medicine, holidays, surgeries, religion, affection, pharmaceuticals,
family relationships, entertainment, fashion, festivals, ethics,
companion animals, despair, morality, personal commitments, and the
importance of the impacts of our personal choices.
- People want to make a difference and are horrified when they
realize that means they’ll have to BE different. Be prepared to be
different, to become stronger, smarter, and more effective… constantly.
How can you handle almost always being the odd one in the crowd? Are you
strong enough to be that? If not, figure out what it takes to build
those strengths. The animals need committed activists, not fairweather
friends.
- Be aware of the fact that the depth and breadth of animal
abuse is beyond your personal comprehension. After over 27 years of
activism, two or three times a week I learn of NEW horrors inflicted on
animals that I had not known before.
- You need to deal with the reality that you have NOT seen the
worst. Brace yourself.
- However much of your time and energy you devote directly to
working for animal rights, this IS a lifetime commitment. Long-term work
may or may not result in long-term payoffs. You’re most likely in it for
the long haul... not as in a few weeks, but as in years and years and
decades and decades. Be aware of and deeply appreciate ANY good news
about animals.
Balance/Personal
- Burnout, compassion fatigue, withdrawing from taking action,
stopping being vegan often result when activists have not managed
themselves and their heartache, their despair. Make it a vital part of
your activism to find out for yourself what YOU need to do to relax… to
disconnect… to refresh yourself...
- Then DO IT. Schedule it. Do NOT sell out on yourself. You cannot
make differences for animals or with people if you are depressed, sick,
distracted, disconnected. Be intent on studying what activists have
provided about ways to avoid burnout: read books, attend seminars,
participate in online sessions, read blogs, search websites. LEARN from
ALL social justice activist tactics and strategies and messages.
- Reclaiming and reinvigorating your sense of humor is
lifesaving. Satire is wonderfully powerful!
- Manage your life! Deal with your finances so you can make the
greatest difference for animals; don’t be another victim in your life
because you aren’t taking care of yourself. It’s great to have the money
to donate to activism you respect and to be able to participate in
conferences, seminars, workshops, etc. Providing sanctuary for yourself
enables you to provide sanctuary for others—for human animals and
other-than-human animals. The more stable your personal life is, the
more you will deal from a position of strength.
- How often do you NOT say or do something that you KNOW will
make a difference for animals because you’re more concerned with being
scared or concerned about looking like a fool or more concerned about
being “precise” or “chic” or “cool” or “efficient” or being “accepted”?
- When you DO sell out (which you WILL), forgive yourself and move on!
You WILL make mistakes. All social justice activists have made terrible
errors, and you will likely follow in their footsteps. Learn from ALL
mistakes.
- There are people who can work undercover and document horrific
abuses. If you’re not able or willing to do that, FIND what you can do,
and do it. And do it well. Use the talents, skills, abilities, training,
physical attributes you have and expand and strengthen them. Never
diminish what YOU can provide by comparing it to what you think you
should be doing or what somebody else is doing.
- Let yourself be moved and touched by how much animals mean to
you. Never diminish this deep-seated, profound appreciation. Let
yourself be touched and moved by the differences you make with humans
FOR animals and thank those people for letting you contribute to them.
- Manage your relationships. Do you want to have personal
relationships that strengthen OR diminish your commitments to animals?
There will always be tough decisions in the next week or five months or
20-plus years.
- Absolutely take care of yourself in terms of what
videos/images you watch or horror stories you read. There may be times
when you CAN see these and get fired up and get into action, and there
may be times when you just cannot see these without becoming angry or
debilitated and cannot get into action. Learn to do what works for you
to stay in action. Do NOT martyr yourself… it helps no one.
- Subscribe to more email lists and join more social media
groups than you think you can stand so you get to know more about what
millions of activists have done and are doing around the world so you
can be educated and inspired.
- Find a FEW activist friends/family to speak with
confidentially, person-to-person to keep empowering your commitments to
animals, to keep yourself clear and moving forward, someone you can vent
to and who can vent to you to release tension and maybe sometimes
someone to laugh with which can be lifesaving.
- Ask for feedback about how you’re doing from activists you
trust. Consider any advice you’re given and be willing to accept
criticism.
- Be willing to CHANGE to make more differences for animals. You may
not be the first one to notice that you’re about to burn out or if
you’re in over your head on some specific project.
Dealing With Humans
- Never forget that MOST PEOPLE do NOT get the depth and breadth of
animal abuse. They have NO IDEA what we’re upset about. And if they do
know, some people do not want to change their thinking or their
behavior. Have compassion for them by remembering how oblivious you once
were.
- This does not mean to suppress your passion. Speak powerfully to
people where they are right now, what opinions they hold, what they
defend.
- Always remember that you will be dealing with human beings and
we are judgmental, and opinionated, and open-minded, and closed-minded
and absolutely marvelous and complete assholes and everything in
between.
- Be clear that YOUR “ah-ha” moment may resonate with some
people AND your “ah-ha” moment may be absolutely meaningless to others.
- The most important conversation you can have about making a
difference for animals is always that person right in front of you at
any given moment.
- You may like some activists while disagreeing with their
tactics, methodologies, ideologies; and you may dislike some activists
while agreeing with their tactics, methodologies, ideologies.
- And just because you respect an individual’s or group’s
tactics, strategies, methodologies, writings doesn’t mean you need to
follow that individual or group blindly in everything they say, write or
do...think for yourself.
- Be prudent, be cautious, be authentic in your personal
relationships; be careful about sexual liaisons that might cause you
problems in the future.
- Be responsible about what you say about other people’s
activism, and be careful who you speak to about other people’s activism.
If you don’t know what “loose lips sink ships” means, look it up.
- Think carefully about demeaning or bashing other people’s
activism; sometimes you may be justified and sometimes not. Just THINK
about whether or not it’s a good use of your time in the moment.
- Understand that all actions and tactics are open to scrutiny
and criticism regardless of who initiates or supports them. What looks
like a great idea on the surface may be detrimental to animal
liberation, while other things that appear to be harmful may indeed be
just what is needed given current circumstances.
- As you gain more knowledge, your ability to analyze a campaign or an
action will develop… Grant yourself the willingness to LEARN and CHANGE.
Perspective/Judgment
- If we knew the right thing to do to cause animal liberation, we
would all be doing it! There are as many options, choices, and behaviors
as there are people working to help animals. Consider all of them, try
what you will and stay true to your convictions and respect other
people’s evolution.
- Be open to new thoughts, new tactics, new methodologies. Think
outside any box you ever believed in. You’ll need to THINK like you’ve
never thought before. You WILL create new points of view.
- Be willing to be wrong; you may be committed to a particular
person or group or ideology or line of thinking or methodology for a few
weeks, a month or two or 20 years and one day realize they are not as
effective as you once believed. You can always take on new ideas and
strategies.
- Be cautious about what you DO use or DO NOT use from
animal-advocacy organizations or individual activists. Only use, endorse
flyers, info that you are committed to.
- What criteria do you think are “the true” measures of being
vegan? It’s important that you define that for yourself, and continually
relook and maybe change your criteria. Is someone really vegan who feeds
dead animals to their companion animals? Is someone really vegan if they
are pro-choice? Is someone really vegan if they are anti-choice? Should
vegans have children who may grow up to be non-vegans? Which politicians
should vegans support? (etc., etc.)
- Learn, study, delve into, question EVERYone and EVERYthing
about all animal-related issues so you can be a solid, valid resource to
help people make a difference for animals. You have to know more than
the “other side.” If you are NOT certain about something regarding
animal abuse issues, say “I don’t know” rather than make something up.
- Be willing to be bigger than you ever believed you could be...
think seriously about the people you admire and how you can be like
them. If an activist you truly admire tells you that this course, or
this technique, or this seminar, or this entertainment made them better
activists, believe them. Education will make you more effective and more
knowledgeable.
- Don’t EVER think you will ever “know it all” because there are
far too many animal abuse issues to be an expert in all of them. Gain a
broad and thorough knowledge of ALL issues, not just those you’re most
drawn to in the moment.
- You cannot measure making a difference. There are no measures
that can accurately reflect the impact you have on people at every
moment. There is no way to know if what you said, did, wrote, or handed
out altered someone’s view or behavior toward animals. Your
communication with them may be the next to the next to the next thing
that turns their life around.
- DO NOT believe that because someone is “a vegan” or “an animal
rights activist” that they’re automatically going to be in agreement
with you on all social justice issues. How many people in your life have
you agreed with about “everything”?
- Pick your battles. Some activists think dealing with politics,
politicians, and legislators is one of the most important thing to do to
make a difference for animals. And some activists think dealing with
politics, politicians, and legislators is a huge waste of time. And
other activists have varying opinions pro or con those two points of
view. THINK for yourself.
- There are several issues in the animal rights movement that
cause divisiveness, contention, personal conflicts, and occasionally
(like sports fans displaying unwavering loyalty to their home team)
…open hostility. It is extremely smart and vital for YOU to be open and
learn all YOU can about those issues from all sources. And be open to
changing your points of view over time as you learn new things. Thinking
these arguments through rigorously and then committing to and sharing
openly what you’ve resolved about these issues will give you clarity and
power dealing with humans and will really sustain your activism.
THANK YOU FOR BEING AN ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST!
Veda Stram
360/631-5100
[email protected]
Downloadable
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