Getting too far ahead of where most people are—for example, by talking about insect suffering. It’s hard enough, at present, to get people to care about chickens or fish. We need to focus on areas in which many people are already on our side, and others can be persuaded to come over. Otherwise, we aren’t likely to make progress, and without occasional concrete gains for animals, we won’t be able to grow the movement.
What are the most critical mistakes the animal advocacy movement risks making during the next 10 years?
Getting too far ahead of where most people are—for example, by talking about insect suffering. It’s hard enough, at present, to get people to care about chickens or fish. We need to focus on areas in which many people are already on our side, and others can be persuaded to come over. Otherwise, we aren’t likely to make progress, and without occasional concrete gains for animals, we won’t be able to grow the movement.