Q. Should every Vegan necessarily perform activism?
A. By Rev. Swati Prakash, Wiccan ethical expert and coach http://www.askswati.com
Veganism by definition is about avoiding consumption of products or services or engaging in activities that hurt, harm or exploit animals of non human species. It is one of our moral baselines although not the only one as I advocate (as a Wiccan educator) being against all abuse, discrimination and exploitation against human or non human species. It is additionally great if you could also find some time for activism and there can be many good types or forms of activism.
Types of Activism: Writing, Videos, Petitions, Fundraisers, Public Speaking, Education, Debates, Talks, Conversations, TV Outreach, Leafletting, Music, Demonstrations, Marches, Protests, Vigils, Street actions, Sit-ins, Comedy, Creative Artivism, Chalking, Stickering, Postering, Road signs, Vehicle signs, Gatherings, Social Media Posts, Press and TV content, Rescuing, Political Lobbying, Letters, Advertising Campaigns, Arrestible Actions such as Aggravated Tresspass and Blockades
I started with rescuing strays and creating small fundraisers or campaigns as a teenager, followed by writing columns in press and featuring in broadcast media to educate about nature, feminism and Wiccan beliefs when I grew up. I used to speak as a Wiccan educator at large events when invited to educational institutions or in seminars, as well as held my own gatherings and workshops too and I am aware that these help educate people and build communities. After going Vegan started blogging with well written and researched articles in detail since 2014 as well as followed it by street activism since 2019 and conversations, and then going on to authoring books in 2020 to raise awareness. I have worked with several activism teams as well as tried my hand at rescuing animals from farms recently. If I organise events I try to create those that attract more footballs to draw people into conversations easily on streets such as the Crime Scene demos at London Leicester square that were very effective in out reaching more people due to their curiosity value as conversations didn’t stop at the scene, one after another with some excellent activists being outreachers around the crime scene.
Examples of a Few Great Activists:
When one evaluates effecive activism a few names stand out such as Joey Carbstrong, Earthling Ed and Tash Peterson for example who are brilliant and have motivated a number of people, including myself and several other activists that I have met on streets in getting out there and talking or taking a stand against animal exploitation and abuse. These activists have focused on being featured in media as well as been powerful in social media which in my opinion helps a lot more than otherwise. Because my background is press and media and I know first hand how powerful they could be. If you can become a major influencer such as these people have as activists it would be great for the cause.
Positive Benefits of Activism:
1. Activism is fun and also helps you meet lovely people and make new friends over time with like minded intelligent souls.
2. It also adds more experience into your career and helps you develop communication skills, confidence and good behaviour standards as well as possibly could get added to your CV if you achieved some goals.
3. It is great for your mental health and emotional wellbeing as it helps you feel that you achieved more than simply wasting time and money on socially unproductive activities or in toxic relationships. Of course you need to protect yourself from negative people, time drainers or rude people everywhere even in Vegan teams.
4. In terms of social media it definitely helps you organize your thoughts and adds a new dimension to your profile and increase your reach as well as goodwill.
5. For celebrities: As a Public Relations expert and a former owner of a PR agency in Mumbai where I lived before UK, I always advised my business and celebrity clients to focus on charitable work and to advocate positive things in media as opposed to senseless gimmicks because media and press are massive change agents in society and opinion influencers often have a bigger chance at being heard and emulated by public and can use their power for good.
Risky actions: Some activism groups focus on getting arrested and going to court or jails as a sign of self sacrifice or drawing attention to the cause, for example Animal Rebellion (now Animal Rising). However these can come at a cost both economically as well as time wise and impact future career as well as family commitments. These actions are for those who can afford to take such risk in their career or personal life and not always my favourite as a single mum who cares for my son and two pets at home. If you do take risky actions the benefits to society must outweigh the costs or risks in an impactful way.
Rescuing Farm Animals: A few groups focus on rescuing a few animals from farms by taking them away by stealth and this too can be risky of they are caught. In my opinion rescuing animals from farms selectively (as you can only run away with a few at a time) creates an illusion of liberation overall but might not actually impact consumer demand unless you film it and make a shift in consumer awareness or lobby actively in legal or judicial courts. If you rescue 20 animals with the consumers still demanding the same number of items at the till, 20 more will be bred and sold if not from that farm then another farm. True animal liberation is about creating a behaviour and attitude shift amongst public instead of doing something that noone will ever know about in secret. This is because demand creates supply and not the other way round.
Difficulties in Activism:
I am aware that some Vegan activists put a lot of pressure on Vegans to get active and use social media as well as join activism groups which is great if they have the time or resources to do this as a hobby or passion. Not everyone is capable or skilled in activism or expected to do it if in personal crisis, debt, caught in severe mental, financial or physical health problems or needing support themselves and one needs to have some empathy towards every person’s own needs.
Kindly be aware that vegans as well as activists are often busy both in their own respectable careers as well as being parents, looking after their wellbeing, after pets, and doing other important work, hobbies, educational activities and online activism and are often involved in several groups and activism simultaneously. It is often not practical or healthy to expect activists to be there for each and everything or work at peak performance levels as this will cause burnout.
I prefer and would advise you focus on activism that is self paced, sensible, sustainable, less economically draining, less risky, impactful in a positive way by creating awareness, allowing volunteers to be flexible in attending when they can and activism that is fun too. Awareness and education go a long way in improving our society and inspiring positive energy shift towards Ascension.
You can join and support me on my other website http://www.earthhealingnetwork.com for free books and articles as an expert to learn more or get advise and Healing regularly from http://www.askswati.com to avoid burnout, protect yourself from harm, handle stress and shift your vibrations.
Swati Prakash 