Yeah, pretty much…
I’m pretty sure there is meat on this picture…
I can tell you, I’m pretty sure there’s not meat on that picture.
Why non vegans/vegetarians get defensive
Most people have a need to see themselves as “good.” They believe they are more moral than the average person and are highly sensitive to information that contradicts this belief. People who eat meat inherently feel bad around vegetarians. Those who eat meat tend to expect vegetarians to look down on them, but vegetarians are not necessarily responsible for this perception. The researchers note that anytime someone claims to make a choice for moral reasons, people who do not make that choice will feel negatively judged. People who eat meat have an exaggerated view of how much they are being judged. Non-vegetarians expected vegetarians to judge them in a far harsher light than what really represents the actual perceptions of vegetarians. Note: The vegetarians in the study were not necessarily vegans, activists, or even ethically-motivated vegetarians. The feeling of being judged leads to negative attitudes toward vegetarians. The more judgmental non-vegetarians thought vegetarians were, the more they associated negative words and characteristics with vegetarians. How do we apply these findings to our outreach efforts? It stands to reason that the more we can do to reduce the public’s perception of being judged, the more open people will be to our message. One study cited in the article found that people were less hostile to a morally motivated person if they did not think the person would dislike them, and if they got a chance to affirm themselves (Monin, Sawyer, & Marquez, 2008).
It may help to begin interactions by giving people a compliment or a chance to feel good about their morals (e.g., asking them if they like animals and offering them the opportunity to elaborate). While more studies in this area are needed, it seems we can safely conclude that working to create positive interactions with the non-vegan public will help further the cause.
