joncamp

Good question. I always like when people come up to say that they're vegetarian, vegan, or have dramatically cut back on meat as a result of receiving one of our booklets. This happens a lot. But I do remember a time two years back at Troy University. A woman walks by and says she likes eating meat. I tell her that it's still good to know where it comes from. She says that her family owns a farm. I tell her that my dad grew up on a farm in rural Iowa. She says something a bit nasty, walks away. A minute later, from across the campus, I see her walking towards me. I'm thinking, "Oh, crap, what's this about?" And she says that she's sorry for being rude to me, that it was unnecessary. I tell her that it's no problem, extend my arm for a handshake. She says, "No, let me give you a hug." And we hugged. It was a good example of taking the hostility of another and turning it into goodwill.

Yeah, definitely have. But we greatly minimize this by being friendly and not taking some holier-than-thou approach. A simple smile can disarm from the get-go. But when there is opposition, all we can do is hear someone out, explain our perspective, let them know that we're not out to demonize anyone, we're just out to do our humble best to reduce some of the great suffering that exists in the world. A lot of conversations that start off on an antagonistic note end with me and the other individual shaking hands and wishing each other well. If you're friendly, hear the other person out, you're usually good to go. And if this doesn't work, at least you've done your best.

There's a growing effective altruism movement that works to make charitable giving more effective. Where does The Humane League fit in that movement?

It's tough. By even being vegan, we send a message that we disagree with a practice that is widely adopted and ingrained into our culture. So I guess we just do our best to be friendly, humble, and show genuine interest in others. And as we do that more and more, people will feel more comfortable with us.

Lots and lots of people. I see this firsthand when someone will come up to me on campus to say that a booklet from me or one of our activists changed their life. And we receive hundreds of starter pack requests each month, many of these the results of our leafleting efforts. It's simple and unglamorous work, but it gets the goods.