Standard Arguments Against Veganism, Pt. 3
"But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh we deprive a soul of the sun and light."
–Plutarch
1. I Don't Care
Honestly, this is the one excuse that really can't be refuted. You can't force someone to care. Unfortunately, apathy is the disease most rampant in humanity. When we don't like something or someone, we can just turn our phones off and forget about it; and some people take it a step further and go out of their way to be cruel, delighting in the idea of tearing someone down. They take this power of online anonymity and attempt to ravage veganism. By far, of all the comments I've seen online, the worst are directed towards vegans; things like "vegans should be raped" or "I want to shove meat down their throats" or "let's kill them all." Clearly, this antipathy goes farther than the "I don't care" excuse. These kinds of people feel so offended and attacked by veganism that they make it their personal mission to destroy vegans. They're nothing more than middle school bullies. When it comes to people like this, they usually can't be reasoned with, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to appeal to them and just hope that something that will stick.
2. Humans Have Superior Intelligence
Just because animals aren't "smart" in a human way, that doesn't mean they're "stupid." They are intelligent in ways humans can't fathom, and to claim otherwise is not a very "smart" way of thinking. Either way, if we were to apply this rationale to everyone, then we should also kill dogs, cats, whales, parrots, and butterflies to eat or use however we want because they are also of "inferior" intelligence. And we could also apply these same standards to humans, since it's widely acknowledged that pigs are "as smart as" toddlers; so why shouldn't we also kill two-year-olds or infants? The bottom line is that intelligence is multifaceted and can't be applied broadly to every individual of every species.
3. I Wish I Could be Vegan
Please, spare me the faux lamentations. Vegans can see right through this ridiculous façade. From actual conversations I've had with people, though they're rare, this is actually one of the most common excuses I've heard. It's like they're trying to appeal to me by praising my ability to lead such a "difficult" lifestyle and they just don't have the strength or capacity that I do to possibly be vegan. It's all BS. I don't care what you think of me; I just want you to go vegan. The answer for this excuse is to ask what, if they do truly wish to be vegan, is stopping them from simply giving it a try.
4. I'm Ethically Ok with Certain "High Welfare" Animal Products
Many people claim to only buy cage-free eggs, grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, etc. My initial response to this is that I might be "ethically ok" with shooting your dog or my neighbor, but that doesn't make it acceptable or right. Serial killers may be "ethically ok" with abducting, raping, torturing, and murdering other people and animals, but no sane individual would ever try to defend those actions. That's not to say that nonvegans are all akin to serial killers, but to say that you're accepting of certain kinds of harm to certain kinds of species is hypocritical. When it comes to taking the lives of others unnecessarily, there can be no ethical way to do so.
Additionally, why do we associate "grass-fed beef" as higher welfare? The type of food they eat means nothing to how they're treated; we just associate grass with open fields and grazing cows, while that's not necessarily the case. Either way, "grass-fed" has little significance to chickens or pigs, the most exploited land animals on the planet. And "cage-free" eggs only means that the chickens are housed in massive sheds instead of cages, not that they're perching outside. "Wild-caught" fish is probably the most asinine claim because the devastation caused by oceanic fishing is probably going to be the thing that destroys our planet. These are all just things that we say without thinking because the animal agriculture industry prints it in pretty font on their packaging with colorful images of animals, making us believe this myth that the animals actually enjoy being murdered.
5. Everyone in That Industry Would Lose Their Jobs
This is one of the most sensible arguments because it's a very valid concern to have, especially if you or someone you know is a farmer, slaughterhouse worker, etc. However, it's like worrying about phone operators losing their jobs when cell phones became popular. There will be a gradual shift in the workforce to non-animal-related jobs, such as veganic plant farming or lab-grown meats. In addition, there's not much concern about all the people out of work now that chickens are slaughtered almost entirely without human interference. With the continuous rise of robotics and automation in the workforce and with the human population growing quickly, it's very likely that a time will come soon (or maybe it has already begun) where there just won't be enough jobs for us all, no matter the industry.
6. I Know It's Wrong, But It's My Vice
I've heard many people say that they know they eat too much meat or cheese, acknowledging that it's not good for them, but they just like it too much to give it up. As if they're addicted to it but without the stigma associated with other substances, like cigarettes or narcotics. It's like they've simply accepted that they have this unhealthy habit but are completely at the will of some greater force that prevents them from making changes. At least these people are also admitting that they recognize it as a problem, so they're likely much closer to veganism than they might realize. We just have to make them understand how their vices harm animals as well as themselves and that they can easily swap out things like cheese or fried chicken for plant-based versions.
be conscious, be kind, be vegan