The TV presenter Chris Packham has once again been targeted with dead animals, a gruesome phrase if ever there was one. After crows were hung on his gate last April, a dead fox was left at his home last week, presumably by people upset by his vocal campaigning against fox hunting.
The macabre stunt, if you can call it a stunt, was reported to the RSPCA, the League Against Cruel Sports and the police. In an interview with the Times, Packham, who is vegan, said he prefers a more conciliatory approach in his own activism, particularly with regards to cutting out animal products. “One of the problems with the vegan movement is that it has been didactic,” he said. “I think you’ve got to ask people to think, not tell them what to do.”
He’s got the right idea. There is a whole world of the vegan internet that resists that old didacticism. When exploring onlinefor new things to cook and eat, the trait I have noticed most on the vegan sites I have stuck with is an absolute rejection of anything judgmental. Most Instagram accounts and recipe blogs are warm, welcoming and truly open, whether addressing hardcore, years-long vegans, curious newcomers or those who simply want to cut down on their consumption of meat and dairy.
This gently-gently approach seems to be working; more and more people are signing up to Veganuary. That does mean that we’ll be hearing more from people whom nothing irritates more than a meat-free alternative being offered alongside a meat product that continues to be sold freely. But they’re easy to spot. How do you know when somebody hates vegans? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you that joke about how you know that somebody is vegan.
