How to Respond: Veganism is Extreme
“Veganism is so extreme!”
This is a phrase that almost every vegan has heard at some point.
It can be jarring when someone uses this argument in response to veganism, because it is based on so many falsehoods and prejudices, it can be difficult to unpack and dismantle swiftly.
In this blog, we’ll explore the psychology behind the argument, and how you can effectively respond to it.
This blog is a partial excerpt from our upcoming book, Plant Powered Persuasion: Effective Communication for Vegans. You can pre Order the ebook on Amazon now!
Psychology Behind the Argument
If someone asserts that veganism is extreme, this reveals they are coming from a profoundly biased perspective. Their bias stems from societal norms – they probably believe it is normal, natural, and necessary to consume and use animals.
And anything that goes against what they’ve been conditioned to consider normal is automatically extreme. This belief is not really based on an analysis of veganism, but rather an “othering” of veganism. Simply because veganism is different from what they know, it’s extreme.
A person who holds this belief also probably hasn’t deeply considered the purpose of veganism. Overall, this topic is marked by general ignorance.
A person peddling this argument might be well-intentioned and simply unaware of the true purpose and logistics of veganism, and they might have never had their beliefs challenged before.
They also may be an “active opposer” attempting to portray veganism in the most negative light possible. In order to determine the best course of action, you need to delve deeper into why they believe veganism is extreme.
Ask them specifically why they think veganism or vegans are extreme. Ask follow-up questions. Get them to clearly identify and define why veganism is extreme in their mind.
If they give answers that generally point to veganism being different from traditional society and that detail specific situations, such as: you have to order differently at restaurants, you can’t make beloved family recipes anymore, you’d have to throw out all your clothes, etc., this person is probably well-intentioned and just unaware. They’re honestly afraid of how much veganism would change their everyday life, and they’re not comfortable with that much uncertainty.
You can reassure them that it’s easier than ever to be vegan nowadays. Whatever foods they like, there’s probably a vegan version. Most restaurants have at least one vegan option, if not several, and it’s very easy to veganize a dish when you work with the waiter. There’s a plethora of vegan ingredients that can replace any animal products in cooking and baking.
And if they don’t want to throw out their clothes, they don’t have to – they can simply make vegan purchases in the future. Reassure them and make becoming vegan seem easy. Once that fear has melted away, they’re much more likely to open their hearts to change.
If they give answers that are very general without expressing specific concerns, such as: vegans are just extreme, they think they’re better than everyone, they’re always trying to push their ideas on other people, they’re trying to take away my steak, etc., this person is probably some kind of “active opposer” who will likely never open their heart to change.
These responses express a more ideological opposition to veganism, rather than concerns with the logistical applications of veganism. Even though it is rare that this kind of person will change their mind, it can be productive to engage with them to illuminate their faulty logic to themselves, as well as to third-party onlookers.
Because veganism is different from the traditional society in which we exist, the actions of vegans can seem “extreme.” We all know that they’re not, but to the average person, having to take an extra step and make sure that the restaurant doesn’t use lard in the beans, for instance, can sound extreme.
But when we take a step back and consider the two ideological systems – vegan vs non-vegan, veganism prevails as the least extreme methodology by far.
Take them through a scenario comparing the ideology behind veganism and non-veganism through leading questions (detailed in the Strategies for Effective Communication below).
Your goal is to associate veganism with nonviolence and non-veganism with violence. The essential question is: Which is more extreme – nonviolence or violence? Any rational person would agree that violence is more extreme than nonviolence, therefore, veganism isn’t extreme – the alternative is.
Strategies for Effective Communication
The comparison of veganism and non-veganism in pursuit of determining which is more extreme is best accomplished through leading questions.
Leading questions are useful when you’re trying to get the other person to realize the irrationality of their own logic. Keep the questions more general in order to keep it in the ideological realm. For instance, don’t refer to “eating vegetables” or “eating meat.” That’s too specific, and they can easily dodge those questions by just saying, “I like meat.” You have to keep the scenarios on a higher, ideological level.
Here are a few effective leading questions you can ask:
In your opinion, which is more extreme, killing someone or not killing someone?
In your opinion, which is more extreme, a food system that forcibly impregnates females and takes their babies away, or a system that doesn’t?
In your opinion, which is more extreme, a food system that mutilates sentient beings, or a system that doesn’t?
In your opinion, which is more extreme, eating a diet that causes heart disease and then needing to have open heart surgery and be on medication for your entire life, or eating a diet that prevents heart disease in the first place?
Changing people’s perspectives is all about understanding. You must understand their preconceived notions, you must understand their prejudices, you must understand their concerns, before you ever present a dissenting opinion. First seek to understand, then you can more effectively illuminate the irrationality of their own logic through leading questions.