Activism: if you're irreplaceable you're making a difference.
27 September 2017 [link youtube]
Many vegans struggle with the feeling that they're not making a difference —whether or not they (factually) are making a difference.
This video is part of the "brass tacks" playlist: https://www.youtube.com/user/HeiJinZhengZhi/playlists
"YOU CAN BE REPLACED!"
Youtube Automatic Transcription
one one topic conversation leads into
another you were just talking it's really two topics in one you were talking about the feeling that you're not making a difference through veganism and you were also talking about people meat eaters saying to you as an accusation that you're not making it those are desserts they're closely related but they are two different things one is the feeling oneself of hopelessness that way and the other is like you know your own father and brother or relative as I saying to you well why be vegan it won't make a difference you know I was kind of I guess under the delusion that you know I was changing things or at least maybe an impacting somebody you know people that I know know that I'm vegan like at least that's something but it's true that I'm not actually doing anything so in the past you wanted to become a medical doctor yeah did your parents ever say to you what's the point if you become a medical doctor you won't change anything but you won't no you won't because if you don't become a medical doctor someone else will get that seat someone else will graduate from the same College you're gonna compete for a seat in a college train become a medical doctor and if you get it somebody else won't somebody else will do that job just as well as you maybe better you won't make a goddamn bit a bit difference as a medical doctor okay when I wanted to join the army I think you've never thought about you're in there maybe maybe there's nothing you're not telling me I think you've never you've never signed up for there my dear I signed up I signed the paper and everything I went I want to get my gun but they said you're too dangerous we can't let you you know if you want to join the army well your family said to you why you're joining the army you can't make a difference if you don't do that job somebody else is gonna do it you seen I'm saying with the logic of this see if I don't join the army some other guy is gonna hold that gun and pull that trigger and fight in that battle or you know whatever the role is fly that airplane if you don't become a medical doctor somebody else do that you can be replaced in examples here's the difference if you don't become vegan who's gonna do it I'm serious I'm sure cuz it's really different if you don't take on this challenge if you don't take on this role if you don't become a voice for the animals or a voice for ecology whether you think of this ethically or ecologically or in terms of health or all of the above I think I think basically all of the above are valid I mean who's gonna do it not not somebody else there isn't a military recruiter there with 30 empty seats in the airplane going to Afghanistan where he's gonna get somebody else to sit down instead of you if you're not there to sit down if you're not there to take that seat in the airplane somebody else gonna sit down if you're not there to take that seat to a MedicAlert some of us can sit down so right now I am paying an illustrator to illustrate a children's storybook that is basically vegan propaganda you guys can check the playlist in this channel we can he write narrate the story book I wrote the story you know it's beautiful story beautiful stretch okay okay if I don't do that who's gonna do it if I didn't write that story nobody else would have written that story I know that may sound surreal but that's both literally true like nobody else could write that story from a creative writing standpoint that I wrote you know I mean and also it's just something where you can't take that edge you can't say well if I don't if I don't sign up for the army someone else in the center which is true the army is gonna just if I don't volunteer for this mission they're gonna pick someone else to go on this mission you know that that's true of many many workplace situations medical doctor sniper a med right no there's also a sense in which I can't sit back and say somebody else who's just as good at all an author as me is gonna write some other book or some other filmmakers gonna be said no and of course also there's a you know if I didn't pick this artist and pay this artist and make this happen it's not gonna happen now III would say in terms of the their relations those houses and their two issues here I don't think your father would look at that story book I've written and say this isn't going to make a difference maybe you would some people okay I mean some people would something what you know but just say you know I've shown that to a lot of meat-eaters and you know including it's written it's written in both Chinese and English and Haruki translated in Japanese and showed it to her okie got a Russian translator to everyone who's read that story book responded to it some one person broke down crying you know I mean has a big impact on people nobody said to me this isn't gonna make a difference they've all said wow you know now I don't know whatever story book Curious George the cat and hat it's just not our way of thinking about life to say it doesn't make a difference I mean I think all those story books in their way make a difference Super Mario Brothers makes a difference the cat that makes them you know I mean there's a sense in which these things culturally make a difference and a large part of our struggle is cultural a lot of the difference between make is cultural right but it's interesting because it's very easy for me to say hey here's this storybook that children are gonna read and that vegan parents gonna read to their kids and some meat eaters are gonna read or it's gonna be in libraries whatever okay it's actually very easy for me to hold up that story book and say I made a difference and it's very hard for me to hold up a bullet and say I fired this bullet in Afghanistan that somebody else would have fired that bullet man the bullet has no identity the bullet has no creativity the bullet has no cultural significance or weight right yeah it doesn't in that sense you can be replaced some with the bullet can be replaced to somebody else could have fired that bullet and yet we assume look again I think your own father would assume that if you go to Afghanistan and start shooting people you're making a difference in a sense you are and in a sense you're not because there's another guy with a shaved head probably a bunch of tattoos I ain't God who can do who can do just as good a job as I can at that I can be replaced you can be replaced where you can't be replaced is in your cultural significance your political significance your creative work it's the creative aspect of of activism what I'm going to call it trying to change the world that's that's really irreducibly individual and replaceable and I do feel that way I mean shout out to all the people are waking up tomorrow more to wash dishes in the back of a vegan restaurant there's obviously a role of creativity and outreach in public education and running a vegan restaurant I always say they're the most underrated vegan activists I don't again in Detroit there's so much height for the few vegan restaurants there but Detroit vegan soul these couple of restaurants that aren't aren't that great but you know no offense but they've all been in the newspaper and they've all had celebrities visit they have this big impact you know we just read this newspaper article about one woman in Canada who started making vegan cheese and you know there's this big impact and react and there is creativity you know there is you know there is even art in those food services and I think it's hard for the people on the outside to look at that and say you're not making a difference but on the inside in terms of how you feel I still think that is real III can when I'm in front of my bathroom mirror I'm not on an ego trip I don't hold up that children's story book examining it in terms of how I feel I'm on the same page I don't think I'm making we're wrong I feel that way too I feel that with you I agree with you that's how I feel but I'm wrong I've had all these brilliant professors and university PhD I've also edits but you know it is you know but I've known brilliant scholars and researchers and authors and they can't get 500 people to watch a YouTube video not in a day not in a week not in a month not a year and you know sure even this even reaching out to people and doing this you know I agree with you I don't feel like I'm making difference that's why I'm not at an ego trip about it I'm not out here saying I'm the world's greatest vegan activist but in reality it is making a difference and you have personal stories [Music] yep but but pretty much that's that's not really my point the point is if I don't do this who will you see yeah of course like as like I said in the last video like you know I am totally committed 100% to being vegan but it is it is can be you know disempowering or just you know depressing like if you are standing on the sidewalk with a clipboard asking for donations for petaa people for the other members you can be replaced you know you're really making a difference when you're irreplaceable as the author of that story book even as the actor in this video I'm irreplaceable and for all would be aspiring activists that's what I encourage you to seek out try to find that place when you're replaceable and then still even if you feel like you're not making a difference examine it objectively and know that you are a badass Yin for me as a vegan it's easy to be self-righteous say shut it all down natural decay juice settle the animals free that's easy put the whole reason why my youtube channel exists is that I'm not really interested because the answers to complicated question I'm interested you'll know the murky complicated you know moral gray areas [Music] ba Lu Ciel
another you were just talking it's really two topics in one you were talking about the feeling that you're not making a difference through veganism and you were also talking about people meat eaters saying to you as an accusation that you're not making it those are desserts they're closely related but they are two different things one is the feeling oneself of hopelessness that way and the other is like you know your own father and brother or relative as I saying to you well why be vegan it won't make a difference you know I was kind of I guess under the delusion that you know I was changing things or at least maybe an impacting somebody you know people that I know know that I'm vegan like at least that's something but it's true that I'm not actually doing anything so in the past you wanted to become a medical doctor yeah did your parents ever say to you what's the point if you become a medical doctor you won't change anything but you won't no you won't because if you don't become a medical doctor someone else will get that seat someone else will graduate from the same College you're gonna compete for a seat in a college train become a medical doctor and if you get it somebody else won't somebody else will do that job just as well as you maybe better you won't make a goddamn bit a bit difference as a medical doctor okay when I wanted to join the army I think you've never thought about you're in there maybe maybe there's nothing you're not telling me I think you've never you've never signed up for there my dear I signed up I signed the paper and everything I went I want to get my gun but they said you're too dangerous we can't let you you know if you want to join the army well your family said to you why you're joining the army you can't make a difference if you don't do that job somebody else is gonna do it you seen I'm saying with the logic of this see if I don't join the army some other guy is gonna hold that gun and pull that trigger and fight in that battle or you know whatever the role is fly that airplane if you don't become a medical doctor somebody else do that you can be replaced in examples here's the difference if you don't become vegan who's gonna do it I'm serious I'm sure cuz it's really different if you don't take on this challenge if you don't take on this role if you don't become a voice for the animals or a voice for ecology whether you think of this ethically or ecologically or in terms of health or all of the above I think I think basically all of the above are valid I mean who's gonna do it not not somebody else there isn't a military recruiter there with 30 empty seats in the airplane going to Afghanistan where he's gonna get somebody else to sit down instead of you if you're not there to sit down if you're not there to take that seat in the airplane somebody else gonna sit down if you're not there to take that seat to a MedicAlert some of us can sit down so right now I am paying an illustrator to illustrate a children's storybook that is basically vegan propaganda you guys can check the playlist in this channel we can he write narrate the story book I wrote the story you know it's beautiful story beautiful stretch okay okay if I don't do that who's gonna do it if I didn't write that story nobody else would have written that story I know that may sound surreal but that's both literally true like nobody else could write that story from a creative writing standpoint that I wrote you know I mean and also it's just something where you can't take that edge you can't say well if I don't if I don't sign up for the army someone else in the center which is true the army is gonna just if I don't volunteer for this mission they're gonna pick someone else to go on this mission you know that that's true of many many workplace situations medical doctor sniper a med right no there's also a sense in which I can't sit back and say somebody else who's just as good at all an author as me is gonna write some other book or some other filmmakers gonna be said no and of course also there's a you know if I didn't pick this artist and pay this artist and make this happen it's not gonna happen now III would say in terms of the their relations those houses and their two issues here I don't think your father would look at that story book I've written and say this isn't going to make a difference maybe you would some people okay I mean some people would something what you know but just say you know I've shown that to a lot of meat-eaters and you know including it's written it's written in both Chinese and English and Haruki translated in Japanese and showed it to her okie got a Russian translator to everyone who's read that story book responded to it some one person broke down crying you know I mean has a big impact on people nobody said to me this isn't gonna make a difference they've all said wow you know now I don't know whatever story book Curious George the cat and hat it's just not our way of thinking about life to say it doesn't make a difference I mean I think all those story books in their way make a difference Super Mario Brothers makes a difference the cat that makes them you know I mean there's a sense in which these things culturally make a difference and a large part of our struggle is cultural a lot of the difference between make is cultural right but it's interesting because it's very easy for me to say hey here's this storybook that children are gonna read and that vegan parents gonna read to their kids and some meat eaters are gonna read or it's gonna be in libraries whatever okay it's actually very easy for me to hold up that story book and say I made a difference and it's very hard for me to hold up a bullet and say I fired this bullet in Afghanistan that somebody else would have fired that bullet man the bullet has no identity the bullet has no creativity the bullet has no cultural significance or weight right yeah it doesn't in that sense you can be replaced some with the bullet can be replaced to somebody else could have fired that bullet and yet we assume look again I think your own father would assume that if you go to Afghanistan and start shooting people you're making a difference in a sense you are and in a sense you're not because there's another guy with a shaved head probably a bunch of tattoos I ain't God who can do who can do just as good a job as I can at that I can be replaced you can be replaced where you can't be replaced is in your cultural significance your political significance your creative work it's the creative aspect of of activism what I'm going to call it trying to change the world that's that's really irreducibly individual and replaceable and I do feel that way I mean shout out to all the people are waking up tomorrow more to wash dishes in the back of a vegan restaurant there's obviously a role of creativity and outreach in public education and running a vegan restaurant I always say they're the most underrated vegan activists I don't again in Detroit there's so much height for the few vegan restaurants there but Detroit vegan soul these couple of restaurants that aren't aren't that great but you know no offense but they've all been in the newspaper and they've all had celebrities visit they have this big impact you know we just read this newspaper article about one woman in Canada who started making vegan cheese and you know there's this big impact and react and there is creativity you know there is you know there is even art in those food services and I think it's hard for the people on the outside to look at that and say you're not making a difference but on the inside in terms of how you feel I still think that is real III can when I'm in front of my bathroom mirror I'm not on an ego trip I don't hold up that children's story book examining it in terms of how I feel I'm on the same page I don't think I'm making we're wrong I feel that way too I feel that with you I agree with you that's how I feel but I'm wrong I've had all these brilliant professors and university PhD I've also edits but you know it is you know but I've known brilliant scholars and researchers and authors and they can't get 500 people to watch a YouTube video not in a day not in a week not in a month not a year and you know sure even this even reaching out to people and doing this you know I agree with you I don't feel like I'm making difference that's why I'm not at an ego trip about it I'm not out here saying I'm the world's greatest vegan activist but in reality it is making a difference and you have personal stories [Music] yep but but pretty much that's that's not really my point the point is if I don't do this who will you see yeah of course like as like I said in the last video like you know I am totally committed 100% to being vegan but it is it is can be you know disempowering or just you know depressing like if you are standing on the sidewalk with a clipboard asking for donations for petaa people for the other members you can be replaced you know you're really making a difference when you're irreplaceable as the author of that story book even as the actor in this video I'm irreplaceable and for all would be aspiring activists that's what I encourage you to seek out try to find that place when you're replaceable and then still even if you feel like you're not making a difference examine it objectively and know that you are a badass Yin for me as a vegan it's easy to be self-righteous say shut it all down natural decay juice settle the animals free that's easy put the whole reason why my youtube channel exists is that I'm not really interested because the answers to complicated question I'm interested you'll know the murky complicated you know moral gray areas [Music] ba Lu Ciel