Becoming a Vegan Activist – Over 100 Powerful Tips & Arguments

Wie kann man veganen Aktivismus betreiben? Falls du dir gerade diese Frage stellst, finde ich das einfach großartig! Denn du bist nicht nur bereit dazu, für das Wohl der Tiere auf den Konsum von tierischen Produkten zu verzichten, sondern kannst dir auch vorstellen, dich aktiv gegen cruelty to animals, the Factory farming und die Ausbeutung von Tieren einzusetzen.

Doch wie sieht das in der Praxis aus? Was kann man tun und wie funktioniert der Aktivismus für Tierrechte besonders effektiv?

In diesem Artikel möchte ich dir eine Art Werkzeugkoffer aus Argumenten, Guidelines, Informationen und Denkanstößen für erfolgreiche, vegane Tierrechtsaktivist:innen an die Hand geben. Auf geht's!

1. Prepare for counterarguments
2. Acquire knowledge
3. Guide for successful conversations
4. Use effective sentences and comparisons
5. Find and support groups
6. Closing words

My please: Wenn dir dieser Beitrag gefällt, dann freue ich mich sehr über eine Verlinkung zu diesen aufwendig zusammengestellten Tipps für vegane Aktivist:innen, um noch mehr Menschen mitzureißen! Ich danke dir!

64 Vorurteile: Auf welche Gegenargumente sollte ich als veganer Aktivist vorbereitet sein?

Whether in discussions in your private sphere or in engaged street activism, if you're Convince people (or persuade them to behave in a more animal-friendly way), then there are always typical prejudices, clichés and excuses for which you can prepare yourself quite well. Use the following list to argue faster, more logically and more quick-wittedly in the event of a case.

Prejudices #1 - 30

1. Fleisch zu essen, ist gesund.
2. People who give up meat are less able to perform in sports.
3. Vegan is not for pregnant women.
4. I only buy locally grown, free range and organic meat.
5. You can't feed dogs a vegan diet.
6. Veganer:innen müssen Vitamin B12 supplementieren.
7. Vegan is not for children.
8. I also eat very little meat.
9. Vegans suffer from nutrient deficiencies / Vegan diet is too one-sided.
10. Eating meat has helped us evolve.
11. People will lose their jobs because of veganism.
12. Veganer:innen essen zu viele Importprodukte.
13. They should focus on more important issues. / Human rights and the fight against world hunger are more important.
14. One cannot live 100% free from cruelty.
15. Climate change? A few degrees don't make a difference.
16. I like the taste of meat and could not give it up.
17. Why do vegans eat products that look like meat?
18. Veganism is a luxury problem.
19. The climate has always been changing.
20. Cows need to be milked.
21. Animals eat other animals, so I can too.
22. It is necessary to eat animals.
23. Man is an omnivore.
24. It is legal to eat animal products and there are laws to protect animals.
25. Veganism will not solve the climate problem.
26. I only eat meat from animals that are slaughtered humanely.
27. The whole world will never become vegan.
28. Du hast doch auch einen Laptop und ein Smartphone, oder? ERWISCHT!
29. Living vegan is expensive.
30. God brought animals here so that we could eat them.

Vorurteile #31 – 64

31. Veganism is just a trend.
32. Animals do not feel pain and have no feelings.
33. We do animals a favor because we give them life.
34. If you were stranded on a desert island, you would also eat meat.
35. We could just improve the lives of animals.
36. In America, they eat much more meat. They have to change something first.
37. I like cheese way too much and could never go vegan.
38. This is the cycle of life.
39. Humans are at the top of the food chain.
40. People have always eaten meat.
41. It is natural to eat animals.
42. Eating animals is my personal choice.
43. Plants have feelings too.
44. My friends and family would not like it if I went vegan.
45. When plants are harvested, animals also die.
46. Veganer:innen sehen immer dünn und schwach aus.
47. If we didn't eat animals, they would overrun us or become extinct.
48. Die Tiere, die ich esse, sind ja bereits tot.
49. After all, no animals die for milk.
50. Menschen haben schon immer Tiere gegessen.
51. Eating meat in moderation is okay.
52. Veganer:innen sind so voreingenommen und wollen andere belehren.
53. Vegan diets are too restrictive - it's just too extreme.
54. Morality is subjective.
55. Hitler was a vegetarian.
56. After all, no animals die for eggs.
57. But without animal products, you're lacking protein - that's not healthy.
58. Soy destroys the rainforest? Only vegans and vegetarians eat it anyway!
59. Vegetarian is enough!
60. We are more intelligent than animals.
61. Being vegan is unmanly.
62. Als Veganer:in kann man fast nichts mehr essen – das geht doch alles gar nicht.
63. Tiere zu essen ist Teil unserer Traditionen.
64. I alone cannot change anything anyway.

Find your answers to these arguments

As you can see, there are countless Prejudices against the vegan lifestyle. In den verlinkten Beiträgen findest du schon viele Antworten und Tipps zur Vorbereitung für dein Engagement als Tierrechtsaktivist.

Auch das Buch „Vegan ist Unsinn! Populäre Argumente gegen Veganismus und wie man sie entkräftet“ (is available here*) ist meiner Meinung nach eine Pflichtlektüre.

Du kannst dir außerdem mein kostenloses E-Book "All arguments against veganism - and how you simply refute them". hier als PDF herunterladen. Wenn du vegane Aktivistin oder veganer Aktivist werden willst, ist es genau richtig für dich!

How do you deal with contradictions in a goal-oriented way?

The Canadian activist Alex Bez gave a great talk on "Vegan Outreach." gehalten und darin auch eine grobe Guideline präsentiert, um Widersprüche gekonnt in Zustimmung umzumünzen. Dafür geht er wie folgt vor:

1. Listen (and do not interrupt)
2. Acknowledge (make sure you got everything right)
3. Empathize
4. Ask questions (seek understanding)
5. Repeat (confirm understanding)
6. Present solution
7. Gain approval

How and where do I best acquire the knowledge for better arguments?

Whether it's for our food, for our entertainment, for our clothing, or for Animal testing: bis zu meinem 30. Lebensjahr hatte ich keine Ahnung davon, was hinter den Kulissen mit Tieren passiert.

Mittlerweile habe ich aber unglaublich viel gelernt. Nutze die folgenden Tipps, um dir möglichst zügig Wissen und Erfahrungswerte für deinen veganen Aktivismus anzueignen:

• YouTube channels: Gary Yourofsky, Earthling Ed, Vegan ist Ungesund, Joey Carbstrong… es gibt unzählige vegan YouTuberfrom which you can learn!
• Blog: Just look here in the Vegan Blog and in the animal welfare blog um. Internalize, for example, what each of us do against factory farming in everyday life can.
• Books: Natürlich kannst du dir auch in Büchern Wissen aneignen. „Vegan ist Unsinn!“* (u. a. von Earthling Ed) ist neben meinem kostenlosen E-Book zum Beispiel sehr empfehlenswert für Aktivist:innen!
• Documentaries: Look at vegan documentaries wie „Earthlings“, „Dominion", "What The Health" or "Game Changers". They will motivate you incredibly!
• Activism: Learning by doing! The more often you actively fight for animal rights and against the exploitation of animals, the more effective and better you become.
• Exchange: Du kannst auch persönlich von anderen Aktivist:innen lernen. Ob bei Aktionen und Demos oder einfach im Austausch in Facebook-Gruppen und Foren.

Du hast dich dafür entschieden, Tierrechtsaktivist:in zu werden? Dann nutze jetzt diese Ratschläge, um dir das dafür hilfreiche Wissen ins Haus zu holen. 🙂

Tip: At argue better you will receive 30 unbeatable tips to convince and inspire people more effectively.

A guide for successful conversations

Extrem hilfreich für Tierrechtsaktivist:innen und die, die es werden wollen, sind grobe Guidelines für gute Gespräche und Diskussionen. Diese möchte ich dir nicht vorenthalten:

1. Breaking the ice and appealing to emotions: Hast du sowas schon mal gesehen? Wie fühlst du dich dabei? Was denkst du, wenn du sowas siehst? (z. B. vor dem Bildschirm in der Fußgängerzone beim Cube of Truth von „Anonymous For The Voiceless“)
2. Motivate to act: Was denkst du, was wir dagegen tun können? Hier wird dann oft auf Politik verwiesen, daher die nächste Frage: Die Politik scheint sich ja nicht ausreichend dafür zu interessieren. Also was denkst du, was wir als Individuum dagegen tun können? Jeder Euro, den wir ausgeben ist ein Stimmzettel.
3. Debunking objections, misconceptions and clichés: see paragraph prepare for counterarguments.
4. Agree on Commitment: z. B. Hafermilch statt Kuhmilch ausprobieren oder mal eine Woche vegan ausprobieren. (siehe "Living Vegan" and „Anfängerfehler von Veganer:innen“)

Tip: Ein gutes Mittel um Menschen zu überzeugen ist der sokratische Dialog. Durch eine gezielte Fragestellung wird dein Gegenüber zum Nachdenken angeregt, um eigene Lösungen für das aufgeworfene Problem zu finden. Und ein guter Icebreaker kann auch ein solcher Pullover mit einem veganen Slogan* sein. 🙂

What questions, comparisons, and phrases can I use as an animal rights activist?

Wenn du vegane:r Aktivist:in werden willst, solltest du Sprüche parat haben, die ihre Wirkung nicht verfehlen. Ich habe mittlerweile unzählige Gespräche und Diskussionen geführt, in denen ich mich für die Tiere stark gemacht habe.

Die folgenden Sätze (deutsch und englisch; selbst ausgedacht und von anderen veganen Aktivist:innen inspiriert) sind particularly effectiveWhen someone in a certain situation sees pictures of animal cruelty or the deeds in factory farming:

Effective sentences for vegan activists #1 - 10

1. "Would you also be okay with having the same thing done to you?"
2. "Would you do that to your worst enemy?"
3. "When you go vegan, you're more who you really are. You wouldn't kill an animal or shred a chick. So also stop paying others to do these things for you. When you stop doing that, your whole life will change positively. You live in alignment with compassion, equality, respect, love, empathy - all the good stuff. When your actions are in alignment with your values, you feel who you really are."
4. "Would you show your child how cows and pigs are slaughtered?" If not, that would be a pretty strong indicator that it's not good."
5. "If it's not good enough for your eyes, why should it be good enough for your stomach?"
6. "Would you say that torturing animals is wrong? Currently, you're still paying for someone else to do it for you."
7. "You don't buy, they don't die."
8. "What would we call it if we replaced all the animals in slaughterhouses with humans right now?"
9. „Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act.“
10. "I don't think that you are a bad person. But when you know better you do better."

Effective sentences for vegan activists #11 - 20

11. "Make yourself as strong for the animals as you would want to be if you were in their situation."
12. "Don't blame and shame - inform and explain!"
13. "Don't you think it's strange that we have enough food to feed 56 billion farm animals a year , but that at the same time more than 800 million people in the world go hungry?"
14. "Would you protest if your mother mixed dog meat into your food? And also the same with pork or chicken?"
15. "If you were to be re-bid as an animal - which animal would you like to be? And which one would you not?"
16. "Replace pigs, cows and chickens in factory farms with dogs. Would you protest then?"
17. "What effect could it have on our society if we stopped exploiting animals for our benefit?"
18. "White people have believed that black people are there for their benefit. Many men have believed that women are there for their benefit. And we believe that animals are there for our benefit only."
19. "Men thought they were superior to women, because their different. White people thought they are superior to black people, because of the different color of their skin. And we are thinking that we are superior to animals, because they are covered in feathers, wools, wings or fur."
20. "Stop looking for a good way to do the wrong thing. Because there is no good way to do the wrong thing."

Effective sentences for vegan activists #21 - 30

21. "I don't regret taking the step to veganism. My only regret is that I didn't take the path sooner."
22. "Animals may not walk like us, may not talk like us, and may not look like us. But they definitely deserve a life a freedom - just like us."
23. "If you wanted to eat a lamb, a pig, or a calf, and you had to kill it yourself, would you do it?" "Don't you think it's strange that you can't kill the animal yourself and instead pay someone else to do it for you?"
24. "Whenever we look at injustices, we need to look at them through the eyes of the victims."
25. "If there was a lamb, calf, pig standing here and I wanted to kill with a knife, would you stop me?"
26. "There are two types of people: Some say veganism is hard because they are focused on themselves. The others say veganism is easy because they are focused on the sacrifices (the animals' lives, the environment and their health)."
27. "How do you feel when you see animal cruelty / these images? And what exactly bothers you about it?"
28. "Are you against animal cruelty?" "If you are against it, what do you think these animals would want you to do? What would be the first step?"
29. "It's nice that you think my activism is good. But I'm not here for respect toward me - I'm here for respect toward the animals here."
30. "What's stopping you from being vegan? How can I help you?"

Additional Tip: Wenn du dich für veganen Aktivismus interessierst, helfen dir übrigens auch diese Animal welfare quotes, die ich dir zusammengetragen habe.

Effective sentences for vegan activists #31 - 40

31. "If I'm going to pay someone here right now to kill a dog and make it into a cutlet - would you say I'm an animal abuser?"
32. "If you were in factory farming and were going to be exploited and killed, I would stand up for you. But because you are not, and because of our rights you don't have to fear such things, I don't have to. These things happen to animals, but they have no voice and still too few rights. That's why I stand up for them."
33. "Factory farming is modern slavery. Do you agree?" "No, we keep them better." "But if I treat a slave well, what I do remains slavery. Right?"
34. "For us, it's a brief moment of pleasure. For the animals, it's their whole life."
35. "One person doesn't make a difference? So more people should be doing it right now, right?"
36. "Do you think that we need to eat animals to stay healthy and to survive?" "If we don't have to eat them to survive and stay healthy - then what drives us to do so?"
37. "Not everyone is in a position to help animals. But everyone is in a position not to hurt them."
38. "Show me a better way to stop so much suffering on Earth and save so many lives - than simply replacing animal foods with plant foods."
39. "Which is worth more to you - your taste or the life of an animal?"
40. "I'm vegan because I saw the horror in their eyes and realized I was the monster."

Effective sentences for vegan activists #41 - 48

41. "You're reducing your meat consumption?" "Yes, I'm also only beating my wife once a week instead of twice a week."
42. "You couldn't give up cheese?" "Do you think you currently can't - or don't want to?"
43. "Three things to choose from: "To suffer before you die," "To feel nothing while you die," and "Not to die at all." Which would you prefer?"
44. "If you're against animal cruelty and love animals - don't you think the vegan lifestyle would embody who you actually are more?"
45. "You know what the biggest benefit of being vegan is? For the animals, sure - they don't have to suffer for your lifestyle anymore. But for you personally? You don't have to be a hypocrite anymore. Because you've said you're against animal cruelty but you're still meat. As a vegan, your actions are then back in line with your values."
46. "What do you think you will do after this conversation?"
47. "In your everyday life - what do you think you can do about these cruel acts?"
48. "If you had a choice between "killing people," "killing animals," or "killing no one" - which would you choose?" "Killing no one? That's exactly what veganism is."

Tips: At Convince meat eaters:inside findest du eine weitere Inspirationsquelle für deine Überzeugungsarbeit als vegane:r Aktivist:in.

How do I find a group of vegan activists to join?

If you want to be active, you can simply join the join planned actions of animal rights organizations. Im Grunde sind diese in jeder großen Stadt – aber auch in Kleinstädten und Dörfern gibt es meist immer Menschen, die sich gegen Tierausbeutung stark machen.

Here a few suggestions on my part:

• PETA TWO Street Team
• ARIWA (Animals Rights Watch)
• Anonymous for the Voiceless
• Animal Equality

Also under animal-rights-calendar.com und in zahlreichen Facebookgruppen (auch lokalen Gruppen) kannst du dich informieren, um aktiv zu werden! Viel Spaß und Erfolg!

Become a vegan activist and protect animals!

Ob im kleinen oder im großen Stil: Dass du dich für die Rechte von Tieren einsetzen willst, ist einfach unglaublich stark! Und glaube mir: Im Laufe der Zeit wirst du immer effektiver. Nicht nur, weil du dann auch schon länger vegan lebst, sondern auch, weil du Argumente und Reaktionen verinnerlichst und lernst, Menschen zu überzeugen.

Und noch etwas: Wenn du vegane Aktivistin oder veganer Aktivist werden willst, solltest du dir bewusst sein, dass grundlegende Veränderungen in einer Gesellschaft immer in drei Schritten passieren: Erst verspotten sie dich, dann bekämpfen sie dich und irgendwann akzeptieren sie dich.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Mahatma Gandhi (more at Animal welfare quotes)

Hast du Fragen, weitere Tipps, wertvolle Erfahrungen und wirkungsvolle Sprüche, die hier noch fehlen? Dann schreibe mir einfach einen Kommentar.

Stay animal-friendly,

PS: Schau dir unbedingt noch an, why i live vegan. I think you can use these arguments again and again. For your own motivation and the motivation of others, you can also like the globalen Online Live Zähler getöteter Tiere ansehen, den ich gebaut habe.