The Talk of Standing out From the Crowd

Why isn’t it more accepted in society to live differently than the majority?
Many people find that they’re looked down upon by the transition to the vegan lifestyle as soon as they say it in a social context. These people who don’t quite accept anything different than what they’re used to, have a preconception of the vegan. In addition, one can talk about what kind of understanding they have for what “real food” means. Many people often associate it with a good steak - at least a meal where the “main ingredient” consists of meat to a greater or lesser degree.

We’re on the way to an even more modern development, where you accept the unfamiliar to a greater extent, but we still live in a very traditional society, where you distance yourself from everything new or different from what you know. The question is how do we change this picture. What do you like about eating meat? Is it just because that’s what everyone does? And what would society have looked like if it were with inverted signs? If the majority lived vegan? Then one might look askance or distance oneself from those who ate meat. Therefore, it can be said that group polarization has a great influence on us humans in society. We let ourselves be influenced by each other, and do what the group does. Here, society isn’t just developed enough yet to fully welcome the vegan lifestyle - and it’s not just the vegan lifestyle, but in general living differently.

Here you have to consider whether you “dare” to stand out, but also live with the consequences that may come or whether you want to follow the group. Maybe a solution could be to just stick to your lifestyle and choices as soon as you get a comment from someone who doesn’t like this choice. We know there will be comments, so why not stand firm and argue why you have chosen as you have? Some may have a tendency to be quieter and retreat in such a situation, but then you should just stand by your choice. This might contribute to more people daring to do the same, and perhaps greater acceptance.

However, only the future can show us when society will have a more modern approach with room for everyone. There has already been a development in some places, but there’s a clear difference in how acceptable it is to stand out depending on where in the country you are. In the small towns in the countryside, people are still very attached to the traditional approach, whereas in the larger towns they’re more developed. Here are more people who come from many different places, and thus there is a greater acceptance that not everyone’s the same. The question is how to develop this acceptance in society.

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Celina, Rose & Kamilla
Københavns Professionshøjskole