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July
2, 2005
As we continue to profile the top
leafleters in our Adopt A College
program, this week we turn to Houston-area
activist, Eugene Khutoryansky. A
full-time electrical engineer, Eugene
still finds time to hand out tens
of thousands of booklets each year.
One shining example of Eugene's
effectiveness took place late last
month as the Van's Warped Tour stopped
into Houston. In a single day, Eugene
handed out approximately 10,000
Why Vegans to concert-going
youth! Here is our interview with
him:
What made you decide to start
leafleting and if you were nervous
the first time, how did you get
over it?
I explained in one of my old posts
why I first started leafleting:
”When I received my very first
copy of Why Vegan, I showed it to
my cousin, and she instantly became
a vegetarian. I had discussed my
vegetarian philosophy with her many
times before this event, but to
no effect. Why Vegan managed
to accomplish in a few seconds that
which I previously thought was impossible.
This event was a revelation to me
- that there really was a way to
get people to become ethical vegetarians,
and that it was relatively easy.
Prior to this incident, I thought
that if I worked really hard, then
over the course of my entire life,
I might be able to convert one or
two people to vegetarianism. These
statistics are hardly a reason to
be motivated to do much of anything.
However, thanks to Vegan Outreach,
I probably created several new vegetarians
just with my actions today alone.
Also, one of the things which constantly
keeps me going is all the people
I run into who tell me that they
became a vegetarian or a vegan because
of a pamphlet they received from
me.”
The first time, I was very nervous
that people would ask me detailed
dietary questions to which I didn't
know the answers. I was also very
nervous that everyone would reject
my pamphlets. The nervousness went
away as soon as I saw that many
people were taking pamphlets from
me, and that no one was asking any
detailed questions. I now know that
less than one in one thousand people
will ask detailed dietary questions,
and that there is no shame in telling
them that I do not know the answers
(thank goodness for the Vegan Starter
Packs which I can hand to them).
What was your most positive
college leafleting experience this
year and why?
It was leafleting here in Houston
for the first time. I had the rare
opportunity to leaflet during the
daytime during a weekday. Most other
times I can only do it on evenings
or weekends. Of course, there are
lots of vegans who actually attend
these schools and have the opportunity
to reach far more students than
I can, but they unfortunately do
not avail themselves of this opportunity.
What would you say to individuals
hesitant about leafleting?
If you don't do it, no one else
in your area will either. I used
to be under the impression that
vegetarian advocacy was being taken
care of by others, and that I therefore
didn't have to worry about it. I
was sadly mistaken. Very few people
are actively involved in this, they
are thinly spread out across the
country, and they typically are
each just able to reach the small
geographic area around where they
live. If you don't give pamphlets
to the people in your area, then
they will most likely never hear
about this information from any
other sources.
How long have you been involved
in animal rights and how did you
get interested in this?
I got interested in Animal Rights
slightly before I started first
grade. The neighbor's kid was the
same age as me, and we were friends.
However, his favorite hobby was
to think of new and ingenious ways
to torture insects. His hobby of
tormenting insects caused me to
spend a lot of time thinking about
our ethical responsibilities to
insects.
I wanted to start an organization
which would end all the killing
of insects. In the process of thinking
about this, it seemed obvious to
me that we would also need to stop
the killing of animals for food.
I came to this conclusion entirely
on my own, as I was even unaware
that there were actually other people
on the planet who shared my view
that it was wrong to kill animals
for food (I was also unaware of
the existence of factory farms).
My parents were unhappy about me
wanting to become a vegetarian,
and I therefore didn't actually
go vegetarian until much later,
when I was strong enough to go vegetarian
against their objections.
My parents sometimes asked "where
they went wrong" and what it
is that they did that caused me
to turn out the way I did. I believe
it is something they did when I
was very young - even before I moved
to the neighborhood where I met
the kid who loved to torture insects.
When I was very young, I myself
had on some occasions stepped on
insects for fun. When my parents
saw this, they discouraged it, asking
me how I would like it if a giant
did that to me.
I think it is those very early
comments from my parents which instilled
my core values which last to this
day. Thus, although my parents still
eat meat, and even though they disagree
with every aspect of my animal rights
views, I think it is they who inadvertently
instilled those values in me at
a very early age.
What was the last good book
you've read?
The Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People by Stephen
Covey.
This is probably the last type
of book I would have ever read -
as I am not interested in this genre
of literature. However, after several
people recommended it, I finally
got around to reading it last year.
I don't like the sections of the
book where the author disparages
the mental abilities of animals,
but that is unrelated to the points
which he is making regarding interpersonal
skills.
One of the things I really love
about the book is the sections where
he criticizes the recommendations
given by Dale Carnegie. (I absolutely
hated the advice in Carnegie's book)
Please name a major influence
in your life and why he or she is
such.
Peter Singer. I read his book
Animal Liberation when
I was in High School, and it was
the first time I found out that
there was at least one other person
on the planet who shared my philosophy.
I was also extremely impressed with
the logical arguments which he presented,
and I incorporated them into my
own thinking on the topic, and in
the way I presented this topic to
others.
His Warped
Tour story:
I first warmed up by giving Why
Vegans to the people waiting in
line. One girl said that we need
meat to survive. I replied, "If
we need meat to survive, then why
am I still alive?" All her
friends really liked that response.
I didn't expect many of the pamphlets
from this initial "warm up"
to be taken home, as people are
unlikely to hang on to them all
day long, but it gave people something
to read while they were waiting.
I knew that the main event was going
to be in the evening when everyone
was leaving.
To prepare, I had to move a mountain
of Why Vegan boxes from my car to
outside the entrance. I did this
by making several trips back and
forth, using my cart to transport
about 2,000 pamphlets per trip.
I learned from my mistake at the
Warped Tour in Jacksonville where
I missed lots of people each time
I had to go back to my car (and
I didn't have a cart back then).
This time, my ammunition was in
place ahead of time.
Though, here in Houston I didn't
know what the pedestrian traffic
pattern was going to be like. Fortunately,
a police officer told me that I
was not setting up at the optimum
spot, as no one was going to pass
that area. He showed me where everyone
exiting the concert was going to
pass through, and I moved my mountain
of boxes as he suggested. He turned
out to be 100% right.
I think I gave out around 10,000
Why Vegans, though I don't
know the exact number. I received
a lot of positive feedback (in addition
to the usual non-supportive comments).
A lot of people told me that they
were very glad I was out there.
Many other people were ecstatic
to be getting a Why Vegan.
One person said that she had gotten
a pamphlet in the morning, but wasn't
able to read it because someone
had ripped it out of her hands,
telling her that it was gross and
that she shouldn't read it - so
she was happy to be getting it replaced.
When people wanted a lot of extra
pamphlets to distribute, I could
just point to my mountain of boxes,
and tell them that they can take
as many as they want. The "mountain"
was slightly downstream of my leafleting
spot, so many people discarded their
unwanted pamphlets into the boxes,
thereby reducing throw out (my recently
discovered trick). Though, there
still were a lot of pamphlets which
were thrown on the ground, but this
is what is to be expected from the
Warped Tour - especially when giving
out pamphlets in these quantities.
Vegan
Outreach
P.O. Box 38492
Pittsburgh, PA 15238-8492
VO
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization;
all donations
are tax-deductible. |
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