Download “Thinking Critically About Animal Rights” Redux
Thanks to Kenneth for alerting me to the fact that it is 2008 and my pamphlet said 2007, to Deb for educating me about the reality that female calves get vealed, too, and to Alex for spotting a misplaced comma and apostrophe. Here is Thinking Critically About Animal Rights redux (Download TCAAR8.pdf).
TCAAR is being translated into French, and I will let you know as soon as that version is available.
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I used to do marketing research in the healthcare industry. My advice is to find a handful of people who are in your "target market" (I'm guessing it's people who are non-vegans but are otherwise progressive) and ask them to evaluate the booklet.
Ask them to be brutally honest and tell you which parts are convincing or dubious, which parts are confusing or clear, which sections are boring or exciting, whether the booklet as a whole is too short or too long, etc. Obtaining feedback from other animal-rights people (such as the visitors to your blog) is fine, as far as it goes, but if your goal is to convert the benighted, you need to talk to some sinners, as well.
You don't have to advertise for people — just find your friends, neighbors, etc. It's actually better if you have someone else interview them, because people are often reluctant to criticize you to your face, even if you ask them to do so.
I agree with Alex C.
Transparent peer review is a critical step in this process. Mary, you are an excellent, prolific writer and a principal leader in the AR community. You have a very good opportunity to encourage people to think critically regarding their treatment of non-human sentient animals. You have not converted me; however, your cause is an honorable endeavor. There must be people considering the conversion to vegetarianism, if not full veganism, and you could be the catalyst, through your pamphlet, that they need. As you know, going cold turkey (weak pun intended) is not the usual progression for humans’ behavioral changes, so change what you can when you can. Now is the golden opportunity for at least initiating others to your laudable vision of full animal rights.
Hi guys.
Not only did I post each section of the pamphlet to rethos.com (which is for progressives and I am the only AR voice) to gather feedback (and hundreds of people read and a couple dozen commented or e-mailed me with input), but I also had a focus group of sorts while I was composing the first draft. None of the people were vegans, and their function was to ask questions. There were no surprises there, but at least I established a common sequence as well as the typical amount of info someone needs to feel like their question was answered. Experts were also enlisted for verbiage that is acceptable in their fields. And Animal Person readers provided some input, as did people who leaflet.
Oh, and I paid a non-vegan editor $300 to recommend structural editing changes as well as do the line editing.
Alex, though your disappointment with the pamphlet is abundantly clear, others have in fact found it effective, and I've even been e-mailed by people who have gone vegan from vegetarian, and even from omni.
I did not just write off the top of my head. Much more deliberation and outside collaboration went into this pamphlet than most Animal Person readers know. I'm somewhat surprised that I am writing this, defending my work, particularly considering my nearly two decade long successful, professional writing and editing career.
As always, I invite everyone unhappy with the results to learn from my mistakes and compose a pamphlet of their own. I'm a solution provider. I see a problem and I find or create A solution. There are other solutions and better solutions. I invite everyone to create their own!
Excellent closing rebuttal.
Mary,
Wow! A very belated thank you for this wonderful work. You make it so much easier for people like me to advocate for the life of another. You are such a powerful voice. You are a very special human being. Be proud, Mary.
Please keep up this great journey of your's. A wonderful, meaningful journey.
*Shine-On*