Hi nico,
Thanks for the post, I only skim read it as it’s quite long so if this is answered in the article already, please link the part.
Do you have any comments from people who have taken the pledge on how it’s going? I’d be really interested to read the results of a survey of pledgers with questions asked before and after taking the pledge. Questions like : how often do you eat with non vegans (days per month) ? How often do you eat with vegans? How often do you talk about your diet and the reasons for it with non-vegans? On average how do receptive do non vegans seem to your diet and reasons for it (sliding scale rating)?
My worry with this is the pledge could cause those who take it to be more insular in their vegan communities and engage less with those outside them. For example, they may be eating alongside non vegans and having constructive discussions, but after taking the pledge they only eat with vegans.
It could also reinforce the negative stereotype about vegans being aggressive with their moral views.
So I would be really interested to test these concerns, even it’s just anecdotes or a small survey.
hey Matt. thanks for the comment (and my apologies for the delayed response).
it’s a great question! the short answer is no, this kind of qualitative study has not [to my knowledge] been done; but—as i conclude the intro—i agree and think it should:
Despite being the first academic article to address this topic, I hope it will not be the last. Rather, given my belief in the power and relevance of the Liberation Pledge, I hope this article opens space for continued academic dialogue to follow. For not only is this topic rich with research potential—from qualitative research regarding the experiences of Pledge practitioners to theoretical work exploring its institutional applications—but more importantly, such research has the power to affect positive change.
i wholeheartedly agree that the Pledge can be practiced effectively, ineffectively, or harmfully (and feel the same way about vegan messaging in general). but when practiced skillfully, i view the Pledge has a particularly useful and effective intervention.
hopefully i’ll have time to work on further research in this space, but until then invite others to join in! more research is clearly needed (and in my opinion, more Pledge practitioners to study are needed as well).
Hi nico, Thanks for the post, I only skim read it as it’s quite long so if this is answered in the article already, please link the part.
Do you have any comments from people who have taken the pledge on how it’s going? I’d be really interested to read the results of a survey of pledgers with questions asked before and after taking the pledge. Questions like : how often do you eat with non vegans (days per month) ? How often do you eat with vegans? How often do you talk about your diet and the reasons for it with non-vegans? On average how do receptive do non vegans seem to your diet and reasons for it (sliding scale rating)?
My worry with this is the pledge could cause those who take it to be more insular in their vegan communities and engage less with those outside them. For example, they may be eating alongside non vegans and having constructive discussions, but after taking the pledge they only eat with vegans.
It could also reinforce the negative stereotype about vegans being aggressive with their moral views.
So I would be really interested to test these concerns, even it’s just anecdotes or a small survey.
hey Matt. thanks for the comment (and my apologies for the delayed response).
it’s a great question! the short answer is no, this kind of qualitative study has not [to my knowledge] been done; but—as i conclude the intro—i agree and think it should:
i wholeheartedly agree that the Pledge can be practiced effectively, ineffectively, or harmfully (and feel the same way about vegan messaging in general). but when practiced skillfully, i view the Pledge has a particularly useful and effective intervention.
hopefully i’ll have time to work on further research in this space, but until then invite others to join in! more research is clearly needed (and in my opinion, more Pledge practitioners to study are needed as well).