Let me begin this post by saying that I did not start this thought process. It was actually a topic of discussion between friends over the weekend (one of whom was a vegan) and the outcome made so much sense that we thought it appropriate to share. It is in no way meant to be detrimental to anyone, not supposed to poke fun but it is taking a stereotype that’s been attached to another group and applying it to vapers: more specifically our advocacy efforts.
Believe it or not, taking a few prompts from the stereotype that’s been attributed to the Vegan culture, may actually be helpful in our fight.
Vegans Talk About Being Vegan To Anyone Who Will Listen
The stereotype is that a vegan will bend the ear off anyone who is in nearby, at any time, talking about why their choice is better than eating meat. While it may not be necessarily true, vapers would be advised to take a page out of this book. The war against vaping is rampant in the mainstream, 75% of the people you walk past every day have no idea what vaping is, let alone what is does; other than what they see on social media and the news.
Your job as a vaper is to help to educate people when ever and where ever you can. Not in a way that’s seen as “being a vaping douche bag”, but if you tell people the story of how vaping helped you get away from cigarettes they will normally listen. Let people know about the deeming regulations and why they are nonsensical, why the american view of vaping should change to one of harm reduction rather than abstinence and make sure that people know the only reason we are under a microscope is because corporations and governments are losing money.
People may already have a strong view-point on what they think electronic cigarettes are. If they follow the news they may know about the FDA regulations protecting children from the evils of tobacco, how states are banning these devices in public because of all the toxic chemicals that they put off and how everybody should stay away from vaping because it is worse for your health than smoking. Use the tools you have at your disposal to help to turn them around, the scientific studies we have fly in the face of most of what they’re told, so be gentle.
Don’t fall into the trap of using half-truths as this will not only hurt your credibility but the fight to “mainstream” vaping.
Vegans Are Convicted In Their Beliefs
This part is true of vegans as they believe that the choice they made is the right one for them. As vapers, we believe that our choice is 95%-99.9999999% less harmful than smoking and most of us refuse to go back to cigarettes. Be knowledgeable about the devices we use and make sure that you can rebut any of the common misconceptions with ease.
If you know the answer to a question, you have a much easier time convincing others that your view-point is valid, you would never hear my vegan friend say they think they are better off for not eating meat, they will tell you that they know they are before listing off the reasons why.
Most People Let Vegans Do Their Thing
When people understand that what you are doing is not harmful to them, they leave you alone. If you can offer someone with information contrary to what they have been fed, their view-point may change. It may not be an instant light bulb, but you can put the seeds into their heads to become more educated on the subject.
Great connection! I am a former vegan (for 2.5 years) and I know these points very well. I absolutely agree that the vaping community would benefit from this mindset.