Library Display
You may remember that a year ago I reserved the display case at my public library so I could put together a veggie display. Well, the year is up, and my time has come.
During this year, I've put up hundreds of leaflets, and just started putting out Vegan Outreach's Why Vegan. It's a hit, which kind of surprises me because I keep thinking the "V" word freaks people out. But so many people have taken leaflets (Guide to Cruetly Free Eating, Even if You Like Meat, Why Vegan and Honoring God's Creation) that at least a few might have reconsidered their choices.
Anyhow, encouraged by my success with the leafleting, I got some display materials together. I was careful with the images, and only chose the tamer ones. I know lots of little kids come in, so no I had no pictures of dead animals. I then took the batch to the head librarian to make sure that I could put them up. I didn't want someone to pull my display at the last minute.
It went pretty well. I have to replace a couple images. The librarian did say two things that were kind of telling about our world. The first was, "We don't want to show animals suffering or dying."
The subtext of course is that we don't want to see the terrible things we do to these animals. I mean, the whole purpose of intensive animal farming is to disregard suffering and ultimately cause death. Since I wanted to be as much of a squeaky-clean suburban mom-type, I agreed to make changes to the display. After all, I've reached hundreds of people through the leafletting, and I don't want them pulling my leaflets because they don't like me.
Also, kids may see the display. And sadly, we live in a world in which we need to lie to our children about what we do.
And the second thing she said was regarding my leaflets near the door (which are high up so little kids can't reach). She said some people had complained that the pictures were "icky." I was pleased that the librarians didn't take them down, since long ago they warned me that if people complained, they might take them down.
It doesn't really make me angry right now that people complain about seeing something that makes them uncomfortable. It just makes me sad that people expect that decent society conceals the results of our actions from us. And that any crack in that leads them to complain about seeing something "icky."
God shield us from the "icky."
During this year, I've put up hundreds of leaflets, and just started putting out Vegan Outreach's Why Vegan. It's a hit, which kind of surprises me because I keep thinking the "V" word freaks people out. But so many people have taken leaflets (Guide to Cruetly Free Eating, Even if You Like Meat, Why Vegan and Honoring God's Creation) that at least a few might have reconsidered their choices.
Anyhow, encouraged by my success with the leafleting, I got some display materials together. I was careful with the images, and only chose the tamer ones. I know lots of little kids come in, so no I had no pictures of dead animals. I then took the batch to the head librarian to make sure that I could put them up. I didn't want someone to pull my display at the last minute.
It went pretty well. I have to replace a couple images. The librarian did say two things that were kind of telling about our world. The first was, "We don't want to show animals suffering or dying."
The subtext of course is that we don't want to see the terrible things we do to these animals. I mean, the whole purpose of intensive animal farming is to disregard suffering and ultimately cause death. Since I wanted to be as much of a squeaky-clean suburban mom-type, I agreed to make changes to the display. After all, I've reached hundreds of people through the leafletting, and I don't want them pulling my leaflets because they don't like me.
Also, kids may see the display. And sadly, we live in a world in which we need to lie to our children about what we do.
And the second thing she said was regarding my leaflets near the door (which are high up so little kids can't reach). She said some people had complained that the pictures were "icky." I was pleased that the librarians didn't take them down, since long ago they warned me that if people complained, they might take them down.
It doesn't really make me angry right now that people complain about seeing something that makes them uncomfortable. It just makes me sad that people expect that decent society conceals the results of our actions from us. And that any crack in that leads them to complain about seeing something "icky."
God shield us from the "icky."
posted by Veggie Geek | 2:07 PM
2 Comments:
Kudos and thank you for your activism! On the "v" word (I've used that phrase sometimes, heh), I wonder...if it is transitioning from alien to curious.
On "icky..." It would be one thing, and I think more legitimate, if people were complaining about icky images from a faraway time or place over which they had little or no control, or that were fiction. But they're, as you point out, the ugly consequences of our deliberate actions. The elephant in the room, who needs to find a sanctuary, i.e., the implicit but usually unasked question and ungiven challenge is: "If these images are so yucky, why do you cause them three times a day? If you stop causing them, the ickiness will truly go away, it won't just be hidden."
As disturbing as the images are, I would hope that the teens and adults who read the pamphlets find it empowering to know that there are simple and direct steps they can take right now to hasten the end of the cruel system that creates the horrors documented by the images.
good for you! a whole year is amazing! it is unfortunate that the librarian made those comments, but like you, i get where they originate... it's just sad.
anyway, i KNOW you have made a difference for a lot of people, and for that you should be really proud.
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