I enjoyed your video. Touched on a lot of good points.

I think like you alluded to, we can't really paint a broad brush of all vegans are arrogant or even no vegans are arrogant. Just like there are both arrogant and non arrogant meat eaters, there are arrogant and non arrogant vegans. I think it depends on the person and the delivery that they use to get their point across.

I do however think that sometimes vegans get wrongly painted as arrogant because they are delivering a message that most simply don't want to hear or aren't ready to hear. It's difficult for many to re-evaluate /confront their world view and examine whether or not their actions are truly in alignment with what they know in their heart. It strikes a chord, because deep down inside, everyone knows that the ways that we exploit animals in our society are wrong. Rather than considering the idea of completely changing how we act on a daily basis to align with our morals, it's easier to get upset with the messenger, even if what is said is true.

People have to go through judgement, rejection and ridicule before they gain acceptance. So it's not surprising that they would see the vegan messenger as arrogant because it seems like by suggesting a different way of life, we are implying that we know the right way to live and what's best for them. I can't speak for everyone, but I feel that most vegans that feel passionate about this speak out because they feel compassion for the suffering of our fellow beings and not because they want to tell someone how to live their life. At least that's how I feel. I don't agree with telling people how to live as if I know better than they do, but when there's a victim involved, I feel we have a moral duty and obligation to speak out. Even if the message is something they don't want to hear. It all comes back to the delivery in how we relay our viewpoints in a non-judgemental and compassionate way. As you said, most of us didn't start out vegan, so we were in their shoes at one point. It calls for a change in our day to day living, but it's the best thing we can do for all people, the environment and of course the animals. It's the least we can do, really, for what are culture puts them through.

I also think you made a great point when you said that you no longer say "meat" in reference to animal flesh. I think this is very important. Society and culture have taught us to use euphemisms in order to detach us from the reality of what we are consuming. "Leather," "pork," "beef," etc., instead of "animal skin," "pig flesh," "cow," etc., are all used to separate us from the reality of what these products are. These items that are viewed as commodities by most, were once living beings or excretions that came from living beings. But because we use these euphemisms we are taught to not think about where they came from and the intense suffering that was involved. Awesome post! And sorry for the novel I just wrote haha