Why Is It So Hard to Get People to Go Vegan?
"It is easier to change a man's religion than to change his diet."
-Margaret Mead
Don't Burst My Bubble!
I live quite comfortably in my vegan bubble. So much so that I am taken aback when someone tells me they eat meat. I think to myself, You actually still eat meat? What planet are you on? Because I live on Earth also, along with trillions upon trillions of other beings, and I'd prefer if your dietary habits don't destroy the planet that is also our home. Thanks. Of course, I don't say that because it's, like, super rude. I bite back the snark and usually just awkwardly laugh and move on. The same reaction goes for dairy and eggs, though I try to be more understanding since the cruelty isn't as apparent as ripping the flesh off someone's bones.
"Vegans Are All Biased"
In "Should Vegans Acquaint with Nonvegans?" I wrote of how just talking about health with people, I can sometimes feel a negative energy from them. Like if I say that it's illegal for eggs to be labeled as healthy, nutritious, or a good source of protein, they're thinking, Sure. Where'd you get that from, biased-vegan-news-dot-com? Or that dairy is the number one source of saturated fat in the American diet, they're thinking, But it's worth it 'cause cheese is just so yummy and...cheesy! Of course not everyone is like this, and I think that once I leave and they're left with their own thoughts, they think much more deeply about what I've said.
All About Cheese
In many of the conversations I've had and heard in the past, there's always the same excuse: "I think what you're doing is so great, but I couldn't do it because I could never give up cheese." Oh, cry me a river. It's like people suddenly realize their absolute dependence on dairy. (I think it's because of our actual addiction to cheese.) As if the mere thought of simply buying almond milk instead, which is placed right next to the cow milk at the grocery store, is too much for them to handle. Or buying the vegan cheese, ice cream, yogurt, or whatever else instead is just too much. But why do they have this reaction? What's in cow's milk that is so important to them? And guess what? I didn't magically stop liking dairy cheese when I went vegan. But I stopped eating it because I knew it was the right thing to do. Luckily, though, I (and everyone else) can still eat amazing plant-based cheeses instead.
This is especially frustrating when these people know that vegans - however fanatical or extremist their perception of us may be - live this way for ethical reasons. Everybody knows of those horrific videos on the internet of how animals in the food industry are treated. The mere idea of any semblance of possible cruelty to a society of "animal lovers" should be enough to make us choose the option that is definitively free of intentional animal cruelty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqlaj9k1644&t=204s
What's the Sacrifice?
I'm vegan, and I eat meat, dairy, eggs, and honey. The only difference is that the products I consume are made from plants instead of animals. There is absolutely nothing you sacrifice by going vegan, not only because you can still eat the same foods in a plant-based version, but because you also gain the knowledge that the way you live is better for the planet, the animals, your health, and other people. So what's in that piece of animal flesh that is so inherent to your sense of self? What's so special about it that you "could never give it up?"
The Answer
The reason, I believe, that diet is so difficult to change is because we subconsciously know that the way we eat is wrong. Now before you roll your eyes, hear me out; I promise this won't get too Freudian or psychoanalytical. As I was out walking today, I wondered what the reaction would be if I wore a vegan t-shirt (with a phrase like "Vegan for ALL Animals") to an animal shelter. I'm sure I'd get some nasty looks (or people pointedly not reading my shirt) and some excuses like, "We're supposed to eat pigs, not dogs." Maybe a few people would agree with me too. But why, in a place full of people volunteering their time to rescue animals would they be so opposed to veganism? Because they don't want to hear that their actions aren't aligning with their ethics. In our hearts, we all love animals, or at least we don't hate them enough to want to kill them. But the way we go through life, slaughtering them incessantly, doesn't align with those values. People don't want to go vegan because they can't bring themselves to look in the mirror and realize that they're contributing to such a massive form of violent discrimination.
Die for Pride
I'm not trying to cast stones or poke fun at carnists, for I had similar thoughts about veganism before I made the switch. It's interesting how ingrained and personal our habits related to food are to us once the ethics of these habits are called into question. We're a very prideful species, and we don't take kindly to the implication that the way we live is somehow wrong, unhealthy, cruel, or evil. It's unfortunate that our sensitive egos are what's preventing us from doing good for everyone.
be conscious, be kind, be vegan