I’ve come to a conclusion about myself, one that makes me feel somewhat uneasy: I’m a killjoy.
What does this mean, exactly? I would hope I’m a pleasant and kind person—I strive to be, anyways. But sometimes and in certain contexts, as a feminist and as a vegan, I find my very presence to be hostile. I can feel it in my bones: I’m disturbing the happiness order. Feminist scholar Sarah Ahmed explains a killjoy as someone who “critique[s] social happiness—happiness being used to justify social norms as social goods.” Feminist killjoys are the most obvious and salient example in the 21st century. Another one is the vegan-feminist killjoy, a person who not only counters sexism but also carnism (the violent ideology that allows for our inconsistent treatment of nonhuman animals). It’s easy for killjoys to be dismissed as the source the problem, when really their desire lies in seeking to combat the problem. Sometimes we’re dismissed as incorrect; as stubborn or crudely defiant; or the particularly demeaning “oversensitive”.
Ahmed says it best, I think, so I’ll use her words: “Over-sensitive can be translated as: sensitive to that which is not over.” The only way for progress of any kind to occur—any sort of step forwards in changing dominant ideologies—is to allow yourself to sit in the position of the killjoy. It sucks. But it’s also necessary.
And remember: there are sneaky ways to be a killjoy. We can take a look at Tracy Stewart (married to The Daily Show’s John Stewart), veterinarian technician and recent author, who wrote just-released Do Unto Animals. Gorgeously illustrated, the book is a fun romp into considering animals morally. But one might not expect it; in fact, they might not think it even after having read the book. Yet, what’s really happening with stories like this—and voices, and rallies, and projects, and essays—is a challenge to the status quo. Inconspicuously, Stewart created a text that challenges the status quo’s happiness order. So keep on killing that joy, because it’s the only way to create future, more inclusive ones.