At barbecues and concerts, parades and grocery stores I approached people: young people, old people, people wearing bathing suits that were too small, people who didn't speak English, people who pretended they didn't speak English and anyone else in my path. Although I was able to persuade several hundred Floridians to sign the petition to ban the use of gestation crates, several hundred walked away before I could change their minds. I didn't understand how someone could say no to a petition against cruelty. But as the days grew longer and longer and as more and more people made up excuses, I came to a realization about Floridians, and Americans as a whole.

I concluded that something must have happened to these people to make them so afraid of a piece of paper. Perhaps it was one too many shopping network gimmicks that never worked or that telemarketer who manipulated the truth to sell a long distance plan. Whatever it was, I realized that the people of Florida are jaded. And while I was frustrated, I also realized that there was nothing I could do to reverse the paranoia of being scammed. So I simply gave those who signed the petition an imaginary pat on the back and kept a running tally of the others' most bizarre excuses in my head. Here is how some of the Floridians' who didn't sign the petition responded to the following question: "Would you like to sign a Humane Society petition against animal cruelty?"

1) Any variation of "I'm fine" or "I'm alright," always followed by a polite smile.

This is a favorite of mine because it nicely demonstrates two things about people. First, we don't listen. I didn't ask people if they wanted to sign a petition to stop cruelty from happening to themselves. Consequently, any answers alluding to their present state or reassuring me that I didn't need to protest injustices being committed against them didn't make sense. I had to conclude that these people hadn't heard the question. If the listeners heard the question and then answered "I'm fine," I'm forced to believe that they don't care about anyone other than themselves. So if they're doing OK, then that's all that matters and we should stop petitioning. On a side note, of course they're fine! They're not locked for five years in crates that are too narrow for them to turn around in!

2) "Maybe later…" or "Not right now…" said hurriedly in a nervous tone

These are the people who just aren't good at saying no. They can't tell you straight to your face that they're really not going to sign the petition….ever. But they do want to give you that glimmer of hope that perhaps they will walk by again and maybe that next time you'll be lucky and they will sign. These are the people who can't break up with boyfriends or girlfriends, can't fire employees, and have no power against their toddler's demand for a "Happy Meal." However, until you realize that it's really not you, but them, you the petitioner blame yourself. Disappointed, you wonder, "Maybe I've just caught them at the wrong time," or you scold yourself thinking, "I asked too soon; if I had just waited five seconds they would've signed."

3) "I'm in a hurry," as he or she slooooooooowly strolls by

While you may have some pity or understanding for the person in #2, you have none for this person who is blatantly lying to your face. You know they have nowhere to go and nothing to do, that they have time to spare and could listen to all of your persuasive arguments in favor of signing the petition. But, perhaps for the very reason of denying you the satisfaction, they make up an excuse and keep on walking.

4) "I don't sign petitions," followed by a look of disgust

These are the gullible ones who have learned their lesson. They are the ones who've been scarred in the past and will not let it happen again. They have had to have their hard drives reformatted after opening virus-containing emails titled "We can help you find your high school classmates!" They think you need to drink milk for strong bones, and they wait until they're outside to put up their umbrellas. Nothing you could possibly say could convince them that the petition you're asking them to sign is not part of a larger conspiracy and that in five minutes someone will not jump out of a birthday cake and say "Gotcha!" Asking these people "Why not?" is as rhetorical a question as asking a vegetarian why he or she does not eat meat.

5) "Oh sure! I signed this petition five times already!"

This is a bit of a trick response. At first you're very excited to meet someone who is so enthusiastic about signing petitions and who knows their voter registration number by heart. But then you remember the law mandating that every Floridian can only count for one petition. An experience with a repeat-offender reminds you of reading ingredient labels and getting all the way to the bottom, ecstatic you've found another vegan food, until you stumble across the word "whey." So close, but no cigar. Sometimes you let this person sign again, even if it means one more piece of paper to be recycled. You simply don't have the heart to tell them that they count for only one of the 488,722 required to get a potential law on the ballot.

6) 'Vote? HAHAHAHA!!!!!'

A Floridian can only sign a petition if they are registered to vote so often the follow-up question to "Would you like to sign a petition against animal cruelty?" is "Are you registered to vote in Florida?" That's when you're taken aback by this answer. They burst into a laughing fit because you actually suggested that they are registered to vote! What a preposterous idea! Could you imagine having the right to vote and actually exercising that right?!?! The way these people respond makes you feel as though democracy is out of style, and under your breath you suggest they have tea with Stalin and Hitler.

7) "You take it too far with the fishing!"

This answer is equally perplexing, and when someone says this you check to see if you're wearing your "Ask me why I'm vegan" t-shirt. Suddenly your cover is blown and you feel as though people can tell you're a vegan from a mile away. "It's possible," you think, "Because there are no 'natural' deodorants that actually work in Florida heat, and it is 100 degrees out." But you come to the conclusion that even body odor does not guarantee veganism so you search for some other telltale sign of your lifestyle. Finally, you decide that these people are of the all-or-nothing mentality. If they're not going to become vegan that second (and they're obviously not going to), then they're not even going to sign your petition against animal cruelty. These people "Go big or go home" so you just put away your pen and let them off the hook (pun intended).

8) "Nope," as they keep on walking.

This answer wins the awards for being the most obnoxious, rude and offensive. The people who offer this one syllable without any feeling really anger you. They act as though they're above all petitions, pigs and people. They can't be bothered to scribble their name and can't believe you ever presumed to think they had the time to do so. You're pretty sure that even if you pulled out a copy of "Meet Your Meat," asked them to slaughter their own dinner, or required that they perform a Draize eye irritancy test on their mother before they could safely use a new coffee sweetener, they would look at you with the same unwavering robotic lack of emotion. In their arrogance they just don't care; it's as simple as that.

9) "What about the women in Afghanistan/ the babies/ every other oppressed and suffering group of people?"

Contrary, to those who answer "Nope," these people really do seem to care. In fact, they care so much that they're confused why you don't care about all of the other wrongs of the world and why you've chosen to devote your time to advancing animal liberation of all things (while this matter is indeed the most pressing social justice issue in terms of the number of individual lives affected). Similar to those in #7 these people do nothing. Perhaps these humanitarians are too overwhelmed by the injustices of the world, and they've found that the best way to deal with their frustration is to sit on the beach and read tabloids. Maybe they feel that by signing a petition to end suffering of one group they are signing a petition to increase the suffering of another so they will have no part of any protest against injustice.

9) "We're against animal cruelty!"

This answer is just too bizarre to even attempt to understand. The only possible explanation I can come up with is that the people who make this declaration are just so progressive that granting pigs a little more space while still in the factory farm system is insulting. Perhaps they feel that fighting for animal welfare, while also fighting for animal rights is hypocritical and that by creating a law that allows animals to be factory farmed, even if granting them more living space, is admitting that factory farming is A-OK. More likely than not these people are of the "I'm going to answer before I listen" breed, and extreme but close cousins of those discussed in #1.

When I got involved in animal rights activism, I learned a lot about animals: how we treat them, what kinds of environments they really need, and the types of lives they are denied. But I've learned just as much, if not more, about people. The key to changing people's minds is to get into those minds. It's been said that a miracle is a change in perception. To change people's perceptions of animals we need to listen to them, find common ground, and show them that they have the ability to change. These ten types of people might never sign a petition in favor of animal rights, but 690,000 other Floridians did. Six-hundred ninety-thousand small miracles may lead to the banning of the gestation crate and eventually to the adoption of a vegetarian diet.

--Kate Epting is a 19-year-old college student and the only vegetarian in her family.