What is it about vegans we hate so much?
Causing a scene is what activists are supposed to do. So when it comes to plant-loving protesters, why is there something about their underlying social message that we just can’t stomach, asks Seb Starcevic.
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It’s been a hell of a week for animal rights activists.
On Monday, vegan activists stormed abattoirs, blocked a busy Melbourne CBD intersection and chained themselves together as part of a wave of protests across the country.
Their actions have riled up many, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who admonished the animal activists as “shameful” and “un-Australian” on 2GB radio.
Victorian Liberal MP Tim Smith also joined the pile on, tweeting that “militant vegans” should be “arrested or moved on”, calling them “self-indulgent nutters”.
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And over the weekend, Queensland Agriculture minister Mark Furner announced the government will change regulation to allow police to issue trespassing animal rights activists with on-the-spot fines.
It’s worth mentioning that the protesters in Melbourne included former police officers and doctors. Hardly the tired stereotype of the dole-bludging, pot-smoking university dropouts and hippies so often invoked by vegan bashers.
Yesterday’s protests forced an important issue - animal rights - back into the headlines and encouraged a much-needed discussion. In that regard, they were successful.
Given all the reductive myths and stereotypes about vegans, some have suggested a less confrontational, more image-conscious approach would be more effective at changing hearts and minds, and perhaps they’re right.
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The effectiveness of such aggressive campaigning methods remain to be seen. We know from the antics of activist groups like PETA that they almost certainly do themselves and the cause a disservice by guilt-tripping the public and alienating would-be allies.
As anyone who’s ever been accosted by a street preacher on Sydney public transport knows, shouting at people is a sure-fire way to get them to stop listening.
But in their blind hatred for vegans, it seems some have forgotten that the point of a protest is to cause disruption and delays. Indeed, the right to protest against injustice is a crucial component of any functioning democracy, even if that means being late for work on the odd occasion.
Those calling for animal rights activists to be jailed or shot should ask themselves what it is about vegans that makes them so defensive. Because the level of vitriolic contempt and hostility directed at these protesters is not only disproportionate, but completely out of line.
It’s important to remember where our outrage should be directed: the cruel, barbaric practices of the agricultural industry.
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But if these protests have shown us anything, it’s that our priorities are skewed.
The truth is Australia’s agricultural industry, as it stands, is a reeking cesspit of animal rights abuses. From live exports to filthy feedlots, it deserves to be called out.
And so the momentary inconvenience of an extra five minutes added to your commute is nothing compared to the hellish everyday reality inside Australia’s slaughterhouses. And so we mustn’t forget that or the very reason people were protesting in the first place.
Seb Starcevic is a freelance writer and columnist for RendezView.
Originally published as What is it about vegans we hate so much?