Anger
What it is
Again, these steps are not linear: anger might accompany, precede, or follow powerlessness.
In this stage, we might demonize individuals who continue to eat animals or vegans who aren’t activists. When we do find activists who first inspire but later disappoint us, that same demonizing impulse might be applied to them. Without hope, anger can be self-destructive- not to mention destructive to our relationships, communities, and others. We can even feel left out of regular channels of addressing mental health, given how few people in the helping professions- and the population, at large- share our worldview.
What it’s like
“I was getting really angry, and I wasn't processing it well, but I was taking screenshots of all these quotes about why we shouldn't kill animals and sending it into the Slack channel unannounced all the time. And then getting into arguments with people. I left because no one else was supportive. I was also not communicating in a way where they would have been likely to be supportive.”
David Michelson
“I went vegan that night. I was just mad. I went to bed angry knowing what was going on. I was so mad at myself.”
Anonymous
“I think I was pretty angry at the beginning. I was very, like, how does no one else see this, what is going on?”
Aviva Gersovitch
“Therapy is difficult, because I have never been able to find a therapist who is vegan, so I can't really talk about that kind of stuff.”
Anonymous
“When speaking with non-vegans, for those who ask about the environment, we're expected to be expert environmentalists, for those concerned about healthy eating, we’re supposed to be experts in nutrition and to be able to debate the nervous system of plants… the burden of proof is on us who are fighting for justice for animals.”
Dani Rukin
David Michelson
Anonymous
Aviva Gersovitch
Anonymous
Dani Rukin
What we need
Opportunities to get involved and channel our anger into something productive
Strong norms and training in Nonviolence lead to longer-lasting motivation.
Opportunities to get involved and channel our anger into something productive
Opportunities for involvement can make the difference between anger being productive or destructive.
All I really wanted from the activist who recruited me was someone to complain to about people who don’t get it. In sharing that activism had helped him transform his anger, he offered me a narrative structure for mine.
Strong norms and training in Nonviolence lead to longer-lasting motivation.
Without bad people, no one can be dismissed. When we start to believe that regular, traumatized people do horrific things out of a desperate attempt to meet valid needs, we open ourselves towards understanding the complexity of the system we’re fighting. From this place, we can experience a righteous and protective anger more focused on the needs of the victims than the crimes of the perpetrators.