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  1. I remember a few days ago when I was talking with a vegan about dairy and horse riding. I was trying to politely give my opinion whilst respecting her views but I got a very sarcastic, condescending and, quite frankly, very rude and aggressive, response back from her claiming that “I didn’t truly love animals and I wasn’t doing things right”. I am vegetarian myself and I try my hardest to respect everyone’s views the best I can. All I ask for is no shaming, aggressive or rude responses, just openess and respect really is all I would like. I am very grateful for this blog as it does feel like anyone, regardless of their diet, can feel free to say what they like without fear of shame or attack and I greatly respect and thank you minimalist vegan for listening to everyone’s views and not shaming them. I try my hardest not to be preachy and respect everyone’s views. I try the hardest I can and find someone saying “I don’t love animals” because I am not a “true vegan” rather offensive when I am doing the best I can. No one is perfect, vegan or otherwise. All that should matter is the difference you are trying to make out of compassion whatever your diet is.

  2. I miss the times when vegetarian/vegans and queers we’re still free to do whatever made them happy behind closed doors, without a fuss and without making everyone miserable.

  3. Fahrim M. Azrul says:

    I’m not a vegan anymore, but I do indulge in being one intermittently according to my needs. I became a strict vegan first in 2019 to make a drastic change in my life, to take control of my health. I quit everything (cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol) cold turkey with a big help from being a strict vegan for 3 months. The drastic change was needed to overcome many excuses I’ve had in taking control of myself and my life, as it has affected my well being (physically & mentally) especially after hospitalised for dengue fever. It wasn’t an easy move, but im so glad I took the challenge up to myself. Although friends and family weren’t of much help, but I carried on as it wasn’t about them, it was about me myself and I. Upon success (3months +) in getting myself under control, I loosened up my strict vegan diet and begun eating meat and dairy again which carried the hormones to get me restarted in substances addiction ie. processed sugar, sodium, flour to regain my *normal self, to be less depressed and more dependant on systems as well to adhere better to doctrines of modern society. At the moment I just keep myself in check and balance in accordance to conventional wisdom of culture(s) and religion(s). Although painful, I now take up the challenge to stay within boundaries of doctrines and religious culture the same way I took up the challenge to become a vegan, to stay relevant to society at large yet remain secretly an intermittent vegan. I disclose my secret only to plants and animals and not a single human being. To the rest of humanity I let them get into the cycles of modern trappings – pharmaceutical ‘medications’ etc. and enjoy the comedic show as a bystander. I know I am a selfish person, but life’s as such, it’s like chocolate you never know what you’re gonna get.

  4. When i was a meat eater, I was also helping my uncle kill chickens. I still don’t really care about animals as a vegan, i’m a vegan for environmental reasons.

  5. I’ve always felt animal harm is morally wrong and was shocked and horrified to learn how evil people are while watching the movie Bambi as a child, when the hunter shoots and kills Bambi. That movie was a real traumatic and eye opening experience in the worst way.
    Being vegetarian and then vegan for the last 30 years has given me a lot of self confidence knowing that I do the best I can to create the least amount of harm to animals. I am typically silent about my Veganism, I am alone in my circle of family and friends and am the odd one out. People don’t like vegetarians and vegans. They infiltrate my vegan Facebook groups posting videos of animals being tortured, they spam my vegan TikTok group with vegan hate and animal hate. They hate me for loving and not eating or wearing animals. I do not join meat groups or farming groups to harass them, but they do this to me. I feel attacked and mistreated by meaters and it hurts, it hurts that I live in a world where there is such cruel treatment of animals.

    1. I am so so sorry Gretchen for what you have gone through. I am vegetarian myself but often feel like I get attacked by both meat eaters and vegans (not yourself f course though). I want to try and accept everyone and respect their views but it is difficult (as the true saying goes, “you can’t please everyone”). Please know that I respect your views and reasons and think you are a very kind person. Also, in the film “Bambi”, it was very sadly his mother who was killed, not Bambi himself. My mother and I never like that bit or watch it in the film. I am thoroughly against hunting for that main reason.

  6. Jason kluge says:

    What no, the reason people hate vegans is because they are so hostile. Also meat eaters don’t have moral inconsistencies, they simply believe they need meat to be healthy

  7. Aline Terrell says:

    I hate vegans because to my mind, they’re absolutely no different than radical anti-choice activists who are all for denying women not only the right to choose whether to have a child, but also denying them life-saving medical treatment. You have the freedom to choose what you want to eat, but that’s not enough for you. No, you won’t be content until you take our choices away from us — no matter if your choices are even ones that we can manage without serious impacts upon OUR health.

    I am allergic to soy and nuts. I am one of those people who absolutely taste the bitterness in quinoa; I react the same way one would if one were taking syrup of ipecac. (And it tastes about like that to me, no matter how it’s served.) There ARE no plant-based proteins for me, and I am absolutely not willing to die because of YOUR ideologies. Nor should I — or any others — have to do so.

    I hate the fact that your choices result in paying big dividends to ethically bankrupt companies like Dow and Monsanto and eliminating all but factory farms, which plant monocultures because it’s the ONLY way to keep up with the plant demand. You also don’t care about the abusive conditions of the workers at these farms. Nope, as long as your salad lands on your plate, you just don’t care about people.

    I hate the ignorant people who do not realize that you cannot use all land for the same purpose. Pastureland cannot magically become land that is suitable for crops. You contribute to deforestation, to overuse of chemicals, water and pesticides (because that’s the only way to have Green Revolution- level crop production) and to the elimination of small, ethical farms.

    I hate the culturally insular people who do not realize and do not care that cultures around the world are centered around cattle and animals, that their way of life is one that works for their environment and cannot and should not be changed.

    I despise the vegans who think the extinction of cattle and chickens is appropriate while blaring from the housetops how they want to ‘save’ these animals. Last time I checked, allowing animals to go extinct isn’t SAVING them — it’s murdering them.

    I despise the vegans who are scientifically inaccurate in their claims about diet and will not, even in the face of potentially causing lethal harm to people with their incorrect proselytizing, continue to pump out disinformation. You’re no better than Trump’s thuggites.

    I don’t hate all vegans. I do definitely hate the ones who care more about being self-righteous than about actually looking at facts, facing reality, and realizing that your way is not the only way or the best way. I also, more than anything, hate zealots, and a lot of vegans qualify.

    But hey, if you’re going to sit in the corner and eat your salad and I can sit peacefully in my corner and eat my hamburger, then we can get along. I can respect your choices if you can respect mine. The difference is — you DON’T respect mine, and you want to dictate to me how I should live my life. That, I abhor and will not tolerate.

    1. Rachel O'Brien says:

      Wow, a lot of hate going on here. I send you my love from England, hope you are okay.

    2. You might be just the person who could help me convince people in the US we should be eating dogs and cats. They are so tasty! To think we just euthanize millions of healthy ones every year when we could be eating them. My choice to eat them should be respected, and I shouldn’t have to do it in other countries. Silly vegans.

    3. It would be pretty hard for these animals to go extinct, even if everyone stopped eating meat tomorrow. There would be sanctuaries and reserves. What’s better, to be bred into a short existence of misery and fear or to have never existed? If I knew for a fact I’d live a short docile life surrounded by the shit of my peers, anxiously awaiting the times slitting of my throat, I would choose to not exist. If you care about choice, then you should respect the probable choice of that sentient creature whose throat you paid someone else to slit because “eww quinoa”.

      Guess what these animals eat? That’s right, plants. Veganism is about minimizing harm, not eliminating it. Animals need an insane amount of plant calories to produce a pound of meat. So if you’re concerned about land usage of plant crops, you would only eat plants because you’re creating less demand for plants than if you were to eat animals regularly.

    4. The difference is that you choose to kill an animal, which has had a miserable life full of torture and suffering through cages and chains, just to satisfy your appetite, and I choose to eat something else without killing. Choosing to kill someone is a choice, stealing is a choice and many choose that too. A choice made does not necessarily mean it is also good and worth respecting.
      It’s not about respecting one’s choice, it’s about ethics or morality.

  8. I don’t hate vegans. As matter of fact I make roasted chic peas. I also found out that veggie burgers are gooey and taste just like me. My husband is meat and potatoes person. I do like dairy and meat and enjoy glass of pop. All meat eaters ask. Is that you let me enjoy my glass of pop and piece of fish without judgement. I think it is fantastic that you are making healthy choices. You should let other people make their choice too.

  9. It’s just another fad/trend only rooted in small correlation studies that’s been latched onto and being used to make money and prop up some industries while breaking the backs of others. Essentially unethical at its roots. That’s not the fault of vegans, though.

    Read “The Great Plant-Based Con”

  10. My co-workers and I had alot of fun drinking beer and eating steaks and ribs throughout our city. Once a vegan joined our group, it wasn’t fun anymore. I left the group for one without veganism control.

  11. throughout most of history, animals have been hunted and farmed in a more or less humane manner and I don’t think eating meat has posed a moral dilemma. It’s only more recently with the advent of industrial animal Agriculture and slaughter, that farm animals have been treated cruely. That’s where the moral issue has arisen. So a lot of the comments here about the natural human inclination and desire to eat meat is beside the point, in my view.

  12. Vegan Hater says:

    Emmmm… nope! You have it completely wrong, I hate vegans because they try to interfere with my life. I hate vegans because they have lot of media and lobby power and they’re gonna end banning meat at some point.

    1- You’re not breaking any cognitive dissonance in me. I eat meat very consciously, because it’s healthy and it contributed to our evolution.
    2- Totally agreed, you’re activists, therefore we hate you.
    3- You don’t challenge any status quo. You are the status quo! You are with the media, politicians and big companies! Do you understand now why we hate you?

    Oh, and I’d like to make a distinction here. There are two types of plant-eating guys here:
    -Type 1, Vegetarians: People who just eat plants and don’t disturb anybody else. I have no problems with these guys, they eat whatever they want and don’t bother me about it. It’s their choice, and I respect it.
    -Type 2, Vegans: Fanatical religious people who try to impose their sick world view to the rest. Here are the guys I have a problem with. Leave me alone.

    1. You’re name is disgusting. 🐁🌱

  13. healthiest diet is the balance diet.

  14. A thought provoking article. I’m not sure myself whether some of those reasons are quite right, but I think Reason 3 is on the right track in the sense that I suspect people see vegans and veganism as a threat to community success and safety.

    Humans have always eaten meat and will do so preferentially when possible. I believe that deep cultural traditions have developed over time that protect and support hunting and meat-eating as key strategies for human survival. Put simply, people sub-consciously view veganism and vegans as threatening group success/survival and hence will act instinctively and almost irrationally to censure vegan attitudes. This is why I think it extremely unlikely that “strong” veganism will ever appeal to more than a fringe group, at least not for some time to come.

    I’d suggest that the better way forward – ie to gain broader appeal – is to move away from strong veganism towards a more inclusive and weaker formulation. My own attempt at that is to cast veganism as a rights-based justice movement, but not a movement that directly seeks legislative backing for a prohibtion on all animal use. Instead, I think the notion of a set of basic rights for other animals could constitute a guide to behaviour (as a core ethical framework, perhaps).

    In such a manner, everyone can be brought into the “vegan” fold, or more exactly be encouraged to seek justice for other animals whenever we can. “Whenever we can” simply becomes a point of discussion and agreement, but will ultimately rest with the individual. No-one gets judged for how vegan they are, nor do we worry about vegan purity. What’s the point, when that continues to be a dismal failure?

  15. I am vegan and I am the only one in my friend, family, or work environment. Except for my daughter who is vegetarian, we decided to go vegetarian at the same time. I was vegetarian since 2015 and just recently went full vegan 7 weeks ago. People question me a lot why am I vegan? I get weird questions and comments. I get the vegan hate. Even from family members, but honestly I don’t care, because I know I’m doing the right thing for me. I have deeper thoughts on it than most. They just don’t seem to understand. Then they say I need my meat! I can’t live without meat. I’m like okay. I try to not make it an issue, but it really is a lifestyle apart of who I am. And I would never change it or go back to the so called “normal” way of eating. I love all creatures and we don’t have a right to make them our pleasure.

    1. In the near future veganism will be normal and animal slaughter will be abnormal.
      We can reduce this slaughter against animals because we have so many food options to choose from without slaughtering the poor animals. Yet, we are human beings who have evolved a lot in the last 200 years and think. We humans are not forced by anyone to kill the weaker ones

  16. Ironic. I’m cool with people being Vegan, I just don’t understand why they need to scream it at people who believe different than them.

    The key in our ever diverse universe is tolerance of one another.
    Meat eater, vegan. Gay, straight. Christian, Atheist.

    And some of us, don’t mind the thought of sacrificing animals for food. Animals do it to each other everyday. That’s where the moral card falls off.

    Likewise, humans also used to eat other humans. You should read about how they prepared the first versions of Menudo.

    1. there’s nothing wrong with eating meat if the animal is raised, hunted and killed in an ethical manner. that’s not what’s happening now. farm animals are being tortured. most of the comments here are not addressing that point at all.

    2. I don’t yell at anyone or even mention the issue much except to asked how the person feels about the abuse of animals going on at factory farms. then I drop the issue. but, yet, I think a little bit less of the person.

  17. I’m perfectly okay with veganism, so long as they don’t try to shove their beliefs right into my face. As someone who’s absolutely infatuated with dairy, I find it really annoying when vegans try to get me to quit milk chocolate and other dairy-containing foods I love just for moral reasons. And although most vegans I know do not talk trash about those that eat meat and/or dairy like me, some are. And those that do tend to take it way too far for me to handle. So it’s not that I’m against veganism, but instead am fed up with them trying to push their beliefs into me

    1. Completely understand your point Edward. I myself have come up against this. I am a vegetarian but I want to be accepting of both other parties (both vegans and meat eaters). I would say, “why can’t we all get along” but as the saying goes “you can’t please everyone”.

    1. I would be fine with eating meat if I lived in the time of the native American Indians or if I could get meat from ethical hunters. the problem now is that virtually all meat comes from factory farms where animals are terribly abused. even the “certified human” label is not to be trusted. I don’t want to be part of the abuse.

  18. I was always a vegetarian and i have turned vegan only in the last 6 months, but every step i get snarky , derogatory comments
    comments from close family, friends, pretty much everybody (even ones i have met for the first time at dinner tables)
    I hope your husband eats normal stuff
    I don’t want this vegan shit (when invite for dinner), you better eat butter etc.
    You have become so weak, since you have turned vegan you should consult a dietician
    Your cheeks have turned hollow, this veganism sheganism that you are doing you better check that..

    It’s very strange that i will never call them out fir eating animals, having dairy etc. I keep my mouth shut not coz i am scared but just in geber i know when somebody is sensitive about these topics. But it’s amazing how everybody thinks that i am So wrong and so stupid. I don’t feel at all that anybody thinks that i have a do gooder attitude. They think it’s a fad or i am just plain mad. Only a couple of people who are not vegans have expressed any sort of understanding.

    1. I would not put up with people making these kinds of comments.

    2. As a vegetarian myself, I think you are a very kind and good person Ruchi. I have nothing against vegans or meat eaters provided they don’t have a go at me and be rude to me. That’s all I ask. I understand what you are going through and respect you.

  19. For me, I hate vegans that push veganism onto others. I honestly don’t mind vegans that focus on their diet for health and other reasons, but as soon as they look at others and judge them for eating meat or a product from an animal, whether vocally or not, that’s when it draws the line. As soon as a vegan steps up, they can quickly be shot down and then play the victim. The comparison between a school kid and a protester is a stretch; it’s not because you’re doing the right thing, it’s because what vegans do is pathetic. I appreciate your viewpoint and enjoyed your blog, but I groaned in many parts because of the apparent bias. Besides, animals already eat each other; why can’t humans do that? It’s the food chain for a reason. Meat helps boost your iron, dairy products such as milk contain a collection of vitamins, protein, and elements, and it helps with bone structure.

    1. Maximillien says:

      Honestly, you’re mad for the wrong reasons. The argument that animals eat each other doesn’t account for humans being the only species to cook its own food. I would like to see how eating dairy is natural to other animals (after the first year of life). I would also like to understand how naturally one would just eat any meat raw. If we are like other animals, let’s see start eating raw meat. Wait a second—That’s not possible because our teeth weren’t designed for that? Go figure.

      1. Exactly not only is her comment TOTALLY ignorant, it’s insulting and the exact reason this article was written. To me it’s very sad people create that dissonance in their food sources. I have a colleague who continually makes fun of me while she’s incredibly overweight, has diabetes, and her husband is 60 and has had two heart attacks. And has anyone stopped to think where this meat/dairy campaign came from? Could it be the trillion dollar business that is the meat industry? Think outside the box- who needs cows milk to survive? Wait for it… baby cows. Crazy!

    2. Why is it you are reading this article exactly? Why does it matter to you WHY someone chooses to go vegan? And why do you feel the need to shoot a vegan down exactly? Not all animals are omnivores in fact the ones that are have a totally different digestive system than humans. The majority of your herbivore animals are what you consume. You feel judged, then that is on you. Every day I wish that people would CARE about the egregious cruelty that goes into factory farming. Where trillion dollar corporations create anti-gag laws about exposing the immense cruelty that goes into SENTIENT beings. Why is that? Because if it is exposed many people would not eat meat. Instead, most meat eaters I know choose to avoid this because they do not want to know. Hence the cognitive dissonance in the article. Aside from the rape and torture we put these animals through, the world cannot sustain what is happening. 70 billion land animals are slaughtered for consumption. If this was so “natural’ why do the largest meat-eating countries (hint US, Argentina) have the highest heart disease, obsesity, diabetes, cancer, and hosts of other diseases more than any other country? No one is going to change your mind- I encourage those who utterly and selfishly refuse to give up their meat consumption please do not attack us, nor complain when we get hit with ZOONOTIC pandemics (SARS, EBOLA, COVID, AIDS, all zoonotic) because they rrefuse to care or listen. Research Blue Zones, and check out EAting our Way to Extinction for more factual statistics. But even then, I am sure you won’t listen because humans tend to create their own narrative when it fits their dysfuncitonal narrative. 70% of the amazon rain forrest is gone, 98% of animals that go to slaughter are pumped full of anti botics (75% of antibotics made go to animal ag) and forget the absolute torment we put these critters through every day. 1/3 of earths water, and the land used to feed these animals (humans consume 5% of the crops while 95% are consumed by farm animals) I don’t normally spew at meat eaters, but my latest attitude- if you’re gonna spit this nonsense out, be prepared for what you get back.

    3. Ann Hoyle says:

      What I do as a plant based eater is to push on to animal eaters the fact that 80 billion innocent animals are cruelly slaughtered every year. You’ll be aware of that but it doesn’t seem to concern you. Without a psychopathic slaughterhouse worker people wouldn’t get the animal on the dinner plate. So it’s not about us, It’s about animals without a voice who can’t object to having their throats slashed. Their brains blown out or being sent to the gas chambers. It’s this barbaric system we are trying to get across.

  20. I’m sorry, but if your response to having your beliefs and morals challenged is to lash out and cling desperately to your cognitive dissonance, then yes I do look down on you. I know that’s not the way to change minds, that compassion and understanding is, but I simply don’t have patience for grown adults that act like bratty toddlers. Having hate against someone because they’re doing the right thing is just pathetic. You seem to have a much cooler and patient head on your shoulders than me, so more power to you and I hope you can continue to give level headed responses to antiveganism and convert some along the way.

    1. That’s the issue though.

      Y’all think you’re doing the right thing when you’re not.

      Animal cruelty is understandable as something you would fight against, but animal consumption aversion is not the solution. I can accept someone who wants animals to not be tortured, I can’t accept someone whose “right thing” is not aware they’re weakening their own people.

      Face it: you can’t fight a vegan with fists in hand and lose, the moment you slap them they’re already on the floor. But somehow, that is the right thing? At any point any enemy who wants to get you to war will go to war with your country, and you’re going to be in danger of extinction in seconds.

      You’ll have to see the ugly way why your choices are not the right thing, the fact you think you are is what makes y’all be repulsed by normal people.

      To eat meat is the most normal thing in the world. Death is normal and crucial for the ecosystem. Y’all trying every second to destroy an ecosystem older than our species is going to be found with criticism, and you better like it: you’re a minority because you’re not right.

      It’s like hearing a mass murderer saying “your honor, killing those kids was the right thing, but the vocal majority will disagree with it with their cognitive dissonance”.

      You’re not, right. But you being vocal that you are just makes us normal people stay away from y’all more.

  21. You could have a reason 4, some people are just ignorant. But reason 2 is HUGE!!!! If at every meal you hear a comment about maybe an egg or dairy choice, it’s annoying. Shaming people for something that they don’t feel like is shameful is enough to have the opposite effect. It’s important to let non-vegans to initiate the questions and if you shame them then they don’t want to talk to you.

    Also, vegan restaurants are usually terrible. Specifically when they try to replicate a meat dish, it almost never works. Vegetarian dishes never try this and can be quite delicious.

    1. As a vegetarian, I had that happen to me although it was more to do with the ethics of horse riding rather than diet. Shaming is not compassionate, whether you are a meat eater, pescetarian, flexitarian, vegetarian, vegan or anything else. I respect your views Erwin and think you are a good person.

  22. I have no problem with the animal rights component as I volunteer for local shelters and rescues. I try to cut out as much as I can with my Mediterranean Diet. Also as a progressive liberal, getting into loud discussions at group functions is not a fear of mine.
    The only thing that gets annoying is trying to plan a cook out or large meal with vegans. Omg, you know your aunt is never going to understand mayo is not in your diet. Or someone is going to try to make a vegan dish and still make a mess of it. At least they are trying, don’t be a dick. Pick your battles at the picnic table. I have been lactose intolerant my whole life and I know I will have to just pick cheese out of things even though everyone “knows” about my restriction. C’est la vie.

  23. what a relief from the norm!i just discovered your blog and I was so happy to read an intelligent thoughtful article written from such a positive point of view.

    i try. i try so hard to fight the good fight, be a good steward to the earth. i know it is important to create a positive attitude towards veg life but it can be so hard. i’ve settled on just being a good example and doing my own thing. (like the mac and cheese in previous comments- well done!) the social price we pay is high.
    those who believe need to support each other and stay the course. your words are helpful!

    1. Hi Maggie, I feel you. It’s a challenge, especially when being vegan impacts every consumer choice. Setting an example through actions is always a safer bet, although I hope we can continue to have meaningful and open dialogue to move things forward.
      Thank you for your kind words, efforts and for taking the time to comment.

  24. I not sure it’s vegans they hate, it’s more that they feel us vegans think we better than meat eaters. But we know this is a lifestyle choice and do not judge others for not choosing the same path.

    I have loads of amazing friend that are not vegan or vegetarian, I wish they did not but would never push my views on them, as they do not put me down for my decision to be a vegan.

    But haters will always hate 🙁

    1. Good point, Julie. It goes back to the combination of do-gooder derogation and moral reproach that creates the perception of righteousness and ego. I, too, have many non-vegan friends and get along in harmony.

      Regardless of whether someone is vegan or not, I value people who are open and non-judgemental above all else. Thanks for sharing your experience.

    2. Hi Julie, we really do live in a world where haters will always hate, unfortunately. I’m a meat eater, but I don’t hate vegans for being vegan, only if they are jerks. I assume so many people hate vegans because of the negative stigma that “all vegans will kill you if you eat an animal because you’re doing nothing to save the Earth,” so as soon as you tell someone you’re vegan, that’s their reaction, and I really hate that. I have vegan/vegetarian friends, and they’re all so sweet. I hope the stigma will soon be removed, and vegans can live in peace without hate from people.

  25. Frank Kovacs says:

    Hi Michael,
    Mate, you sure do the rounds-of-the-table with the variety of topics you put up for discussion. The latest is a cliff hanger – “Why are vegans hated?” Because the vegan movement gets right up and personal, often in the faces of meatatarians. We expose the hypocrisy shown by carnivores…”Aw honey, look at that lovely cute innocent lamb in the stall, how cuddly.” “Yeah, I’ll have it on my dinner plate tonight thank you very much.” Meateaters don’t like that we relish our status that we are the victims. With furrowed brows, they consider vegans are vociferous and annoying, holier-than-thou, self-satisfied and evangelical. In western society, vegans experience discrimination and bias on a par with other minor groups.These displays of enmity towards vegans represent a puzzling escalation in hostilities, just as a consensus is starting to form that eating less meat would almost certainly be better for everyone – and the planet. Of course on the flip side of the coin, vegans demonise meat, when and were possible. Add that conundrum to grocery store shelves stocking total plant based sausages, schnitzels, chicken nuggets and cheese, is it any wonder that carnivors are left fuming and scratching their heads. Even conglomerates like Nestle and Kellogg’s are moving into the plant based meat alternatives earning millions of dollars for their share holders. I honestly believe, (perhaps not in my lifetime) that consuming red meat will be placed in the same categary as tobacco smoking – a vice enjoyed by a number of people in full awareness of its negative health consequences. But as our numbers grow beyond being “the minority,” perhaps the worst thing we could hear from meateaters is that we were right.

    1. Hi Frank! Yup, I’m locked in a bunch of topics at the moment 🙂 Your articulated response adds incredible value to this conversation, so thank you. I align with your prediction, although I’m hopeful the shift will happen in your lifetime.

    2. Hi Frank, the good news is the WHO already see red meat consumption as the same as smoking tobacco, they’re both classed as class 1 carcinogens!

    3. And there it is. “We were right”. It’s not just about making choices for yourselves, it’s about winning the argument.

      That right there is why most people react to Vegans as we do to any argumentative online troll or even Religious Crusader. We find swallowing your moral judgement of us as distasteful and repugnant as you find red meat. You made a choice; allow us tue courtesy of making ours? I guarantee in most cases they’re more complicated and have been given more thought than you think.

  26. Loved reading this. Some examples which occured to me:
    Once I told a friend of mine I’m vegan he immediately said “then what do you eat..hay?
    Another in my family. A nephew on knowing that I am vegan replied ‘I love your way and wish I could do it but cannot. But after all I am not a meat gobbler’ Another nephew tried veganism but gave up after a few months.

    A niece this time from another family. When they visited me few years back I made it a point of showing the miseries and cruelty of slaughtering animals for food. One fine day her mother called asking me to stop this when they visit cos back home the niece started crying on knowing the cruelty done. She threatened me to stop or else they quit visiting. BUT knowing this she wouldn’t turn vegan. Crocodile tears!!
    I do not hesitate showing I’m vegan whenever occassion arises. Couldn’t care less what people think of me. On the other hand some praise crops up once in a blue moon like ‘ I’ve never met an individual of your age 81 who is vegan’
    At hospital for a surgical intervention I tell them I am vegetarian cos the agency who supplies meals do not know what vegan means. But they oblige. They supply me with vegetarian dish. I leave uneaten non vegan.

    1. Hi Joe, reading about your experiences struck me, especially when dealing with family as a vegan. It can be a touchy point.

      It’s surprising that hospitals don’t have dedicated vegan options. I suppose it depends on the location and hospital. Thanks for sharing.

  27. As with everything else, especially in the U.S. where I live, meat-eaters believe we are going to take things away from them. They look at us as being very evil people, they won’t even read about Veganism nor are they willing to believe in compassion for all sentient beings.
    I “teach” in a very subtle manner … For instance, when I go to a potluck I usually bring a large and deep pan of my much loved Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and I also bring copies of the recipe. People ask who made it, I confess, then they ask me what kinds of cheese I used in the sauce. My reply, as always – “It’s all plant-based”. They won’t believe me, so I hand them a copy of the recipe. This is how I believe carnivores and omnivores learn about Vegan cooking/ Veganism in a kind way. People don’t need to be hit on the head, they just need to be able to ask questions and talk about Veganism with someone who’s patient and thoughtful.

    1. Hi Carol, I love your approach to leading through food experiences. You must make an incredible Mac ‘n’ Cheese to garner such a response from non-vegans. Well done! There’s much to learn from your example. Thanks for sharing.

    2. I completely agree Carol! Compassion, kindness and patience is the way not shaming, aggressive and angry tones! Best of luck with everything.

  28. Rocco Boulanger says:

    Great article. Being a vegan in an omnivorous world, I’ve realized pretty quickly that answering questions about my diet is best left vague unless discussing with friends, family, or other vegans. I try to say “just a personal choice,” or “seems to really work for my lifestyle.” If I were to call attention to concerns most vegans have like cruelty or environmental concerns, it can be misconstrued as “you’re not concerned if you’re not living like me.” There is no way passive enough to discuss it. Sorry for the long comment. Loved your article.

    1. I resonate with this so much. I’m glad you’ve managed to save yourself some trouble. It’s even more awkward when you try to be vague, and people dig for clarity, leading to the same frictional outcome. Thanks for sharing!