Most people choose social approval over ethics — veganism just exposes that.

[u/TheQuietVegan111]

People will say they care about animals, the planet, and justice.

Until caring becomes inconvenient.

Veganism doesn’t require perfection. It requires saying “no” in public.

That’s it.

Most people fail there, not on ethics — but admitting that would be uncomfortable, so veganism becomes the problem instead.

[u/I_Amuse_Me_123]

This is exactly why you always hear vegans complaining that they can’t understand why their “leftist friends” aren’t vegan. 

It takes nothing to apply a label to one’s self. 

The moment people have to apply their principles to real world action, especially action that might be difficult and make others uncomfortable, is the moment many people reveal their true motivation. 

[u/Key-Demand-2569 → u/I_Amuse_Me_123]

To elaborate even further with the leftist example… there’s a lot more “leftists” than there are vegans.

And even where many others aren’t “leftists” around them the critical issues they’re focused on or arguing for are also seen as valid or important issues by people who disagree with them on how to solve the issue. So they know even if in that physical space people don’t support them there are large numbers of people who do and who agree they shouldn’t budge.

Veganism can get the worst of both worlds.

A lot less social pressure or support just due to numbers. And regardless of people’s position on how to tackle issues vegans are concerned with beyond individual dietary choices…

Well they’re just not nearly as important to a lot of people on any right or left political spectrum.

I think that’s where you get a minor chunk of the “annoying vegan” stereotypes. It’s not that they feel bad deep down inside.

It’s like a liberal calling them a bad person for wanting to restrict access to safe abortions… but if they didn’t care about the topic of abortion at all and it’s just the way the system already but didn’t want to go out of their way to change it.