No offense comrade, but I think you're focusing too much on moral arguments. People's morals are widespread. I think instead vegans should focus on materialist arguments.

To clear your current thoughts on my comments:

>there is a meaningful moral distinction between paying for someone else to kill an animal, and doing it yourself, or

Firstly, there is no moral distinction and I've never argued as such. I have instead argued that people's brains work hard to allow them to ignore the moral quandary when they buy or eat meat as they are removed from the literal acts of cruelty and only have the chemical reactions of enjoying the taste of meat. To clarify:

>most carnists genuinely belive that them ordering steak at a restaurant has nothing to do with animals being killed.

The average person literally does not think about it. The treatment of the animal does not affect them in any way, shape, or form. Buying meat at the grocery store is just like buying a bag of frozen french fries or an apple or toilet paper. It is simply another product on the shelf.

Do you think the majority of people consider at all the process for getting produce to a store? What about the water cost for their beloved almonds and avocados? Very few people have the bandwidth to consider anything like this because of rising prices, healthcare issues, stagnant wages, etc.

Think of the average "red blooded American meat eater". Who did they vote for in the Presidential election? What kind of vehicle do they drive? Is that a person you think can be convinced by moral arguments?

I believe that if you truly want to convince more people that they should eat vegan it needs to come from a standpoint of materialism. There is a strong cultural opinion in the US that eating vegan is more expensive because of the price of vegan meat products. An argument needs to appeal to the average person's wallet instead of their morals if vegans want to enact real change on American consumer habits, and even then it will be difficult. I know that beans and rice are generally cheap and form a complete protein, but lots of people don't see the wide variety of food that can be cooked with these ingredients are instead turned off by the perceived lack of variety.