My husband says that he's too busy and has too much on his mind to care about animals. Veganism and animals' rights are strong values for me. I'm horrified that he knows about factory farming and still won't ditch meat and dairy. I've told him every reason I can think of to go vegan, and he's very resistant to that.
I'm most shocked though that he doesn't care.
Question:
Any suggestions? Should I just drop the subject?
Answer:
I know how frustrating and shocking it can be to hear something like that, but unfortunately, it’s not uncommon. And, I can see where people are coming from when they mention things like this… there really are so many tragedies going on around us all the time, and it can be hard to see how adding another worry to the list can be worthwhile.
What I think it really boils down to is that the person hasn’t quite thought about the process. They may “know” about factory farming, but they may also be putting up a wall in their brain so they don’t really think about the process. If that same person were to actually witness the cruelty behind factory farms, I don’t think there’s any way they could stand behind their own philosophy of not caring.
Paul McCartney said, "If slaughterhouses had glass windows, we'd all be vegetarians."
Almost no humans can deal with watching needless suffering, and those who can are often mentally disturbed or simply conditioned from years of taking part in the process.
Because Paul McCartney is completely right, we are never allowed to see the killing process. I do know of a few smaller farms that allow viewers, and they make the process much more humane. But, on the vast, vast majority of farms, the suffering any of us would see would surely be too much to stomach.
The best way to handle this type of situation is to approach it from the viewpoint of how it affects that specific person. After all, that's what they are saying they care about... themselves, and possibly the lives of other humans. They might be interested in the environmental affects of animal farming, but often I find these same people are not really interested in the global affects of their diets either.
So, I approach things like this from the health angle. There are numerous studies about the benefits of a vegan diet and the drawbacks of diets heavy in animal products. You can read up on the studies that show how animal-heavy diets are dangerous for your health and on how plant-based diets can lead to longer, healthier lives.
When it comes to how to talk specifically to your husband, it adds another element. You are in the same boots as many people who decide on their own to give up meat and dairy products. I’ve found that it’s really hard to convince anyone to do anything, especially with something as touchy as food. They more we push, the more others push back in defense. Instead, it’s often better to simply be a good example yourself. When your husband sees how easy it actually is to change your diet, and how good you look, he might decide to change himself. If he doesn’t change, he will at least accept and respect your choices.
Source: Vegan Nutritionista
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