I suppose the first steps are always the hardest. Since this is my first blog, I guess I can go easy on myself and write just a simple wondering to start off with. Also as my grammar needs improving, we shall start with expecting no miracles.
I wondered for a good while whether to write in English or Finnish. Reading some articles and books about social media and blogging I decided to have one blog in each language. So if you can read both, check back later for the link for the Finnish one!
Two things are circling the skies of my mind at the moment. I'm thinking of starting university, for the first time in my life. Social sciences. To help with my work with species rights. (Has anyone ever use the phrase 'species rights' or taken it seriously? I'm starting to tire to use the word animal all the time, as a separating 'us' from from 'them', only with no good reason.)
The other thing is, that I'm meeting a real live pig farmer today. He asked to talk with me, which is in itself great, because he wants to talk! When I told my colleagues (fellow activists) about this, I met with some response that I found quite interesting. Some of the other activists reacted the same way I did and saw the approach as a positive sign of willingness to communicate. Others, however, basically told me 'good luck, but who cares'. They said that they thought it would a waste of resources (probably meaning my good activist time that could be used for something more useful) and that they could not and would not do what I did.
I was, frankly quite shocked about this. Are they working 'against' the people in the animal industry so vehemently, that they can and will not leave room for two-way communication? On the other hand, the gentleman I'm meeting, is admittedly the first farmer who has actively proposed a meeting. Just to talk. Not because of a news piece or to convince me that the industry is doing the individuals in their care good. We're meeting just to talk. To understand each other. I hope.
I'll post another wondering about the usefulness or uselessness of a university education from a point of view of an species rights activist later.
:) (is it correct to have smilies etc. in a blog post??)
Vegan activist - or a species activist?
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