What do they know-all these scholars, all these philosophers, all the leaders of the world - about such as you? They have convinced themselves that man, the worst transgressor of all the species, is the crown of creation. All other creatures were created merely to provide him with food, pelts, to be tormented, exterminated. In relation to them, all people are Nazis; for the animals it is an eternal Treblinka.
- Isaac Bashevis Singer
Okay, let’s talk. What makes you think you have the right to pay for an animal to be killed and turned into your meal? Intellectual superiority? Inability to control yourself? Genetic destiny? Might makes right?
You’ll have a greater impact on me if you approach me with curiosity, rather than aggression.
For example, all I’ve told you so far is that I’m not vegan.
You don’t know if, for example, I eat eggs harvested from my own happy chickens or harvest surplus honey from my own beehive. You don’t know whether I buy farmed meat from a store, or whether I only eat animals that lack any sort of brain
I’ve already expressed that veganism is good. That gives you inroads for engaging with me, learning more about what I consume that isn’t vegan, and offering the options that I might not think of.
Are you angry about people eating meat and harming animals? Good. You should be. I know I am. But I also temper my anger, especially when I’m trying to communicate better ways of doing things with people.
This is why talking to carnists respectfully is useless. I engaged you with questions instead of insults, and you dodged those questions and insulted me anyway. There’s no amount of respect I can give you that you’ll return in the slightest. After all, why would I expect you to respect me when you won’t even respect animals? Thank you for proving my point. I’ll stick to the direct approach, because while questions can be dodged, statements can’t.
I hope that one day you can replace the extreme anger with more directed indignation.
In the meanwhile, I wish you the best, and a lifetime of delicious vegan meals. We agree about more than you think.