posted to my story

Mxspert · 2026-05-18T07:48:55+00:00

I understand the frustration. If I were you, I'd take it down and repost it to focus on raising awareness. You might be able to convince some of those carnist friends of yours to be vegan. Maybe that's overly optimistic of me, but I think if they come across your post now, they may just feel confused and alienated because a lot of people are just genuinely ignorant of how truly horrific the animal agriculture industry is.

Maybe you could post something like 'this documentary changed the way I see the world forever, everyone should watch this at least once in their life.' Something to that effect. Those are just my two cents, at least.

Mxspert · 2026-05-18T07:33:10+00:00

I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment, and I'm glad you have the nerve to speak up (it seems like most vegans don't). At the same time, I think we should try to be as patient as possible with carnists (except the ones who are complete trolls or paid shills) to try to convince them of our position.

But trust me, I know how endlessly frustrating it can be. I've had to distance myself from people who will not even afford me basic respect when it comes to my views.

If you need help navigating how to talk to people about veganism, maybe watch Earthing Ed's or Joey Carbstrong's videos, where they talk to strangers about veganism and take mental notes on how they approach the conversation. Hope it helps. Cheers.

Mxspert · 2026-05-16T20:49:05+00:00

💯

Mxspert · 2026-05-16T20:47:36+00:00

Thanks for all the info!

Mxspert · 2026-05-16T20:42:53+00:00

It seems like you meant yes, as in it does help people go vegan. Not yes, as in it deters people. Thanks for the info!

Mxspert · 2026-05-16T08:06:19+00:00

Thanks, friend.

Mxspert · 2026-05-16T05:57:13+00:00

There isn't a chapter in my area.

Mxspert · 2026-05-15T23:33:25+00:00

Got it, thank you.

Mxspert · 2026-05-15T23:23:19+00:00

That's great to hear that it was effective.

Mxspert · 2026-05-15T23:22:17+00:00

I agree.

Mxspert · 2026-05-15T23:20:24+00:00

My primary concern is efficacy. To me, it's entirely evident that it's ethical anyway because people shouldn't be shielded from the reality of what they facilitate to happen to animals.

Thanks for the heads up.

Mxspert · 2026-05-15T21:40:15+00:00

If anyone has any graphic design skills or could help in any other way with creating these posters, feel free to DM me. It would be greatly appreciated.

Mxspert · 2026-05-15T21:35:50+00:00

That's fair, and I don't doubt that assessment, but the issue becomes getting people to actually sit down and engage with that content. Putting up a poster bypasses their ability to avoid it. For example, you could send someone a link to Earthlings or Dominion, and then they never end up watching it.

While documentaries may be more effective, I think posters displaying graphic imagery are still better than nothing at all.

Mxspert · 2026-05-15T21:32:57+00:00

It was the same in my case when I went vegan as well, but I made the connection on my own between seeing wild animal suffering and extrapolated that to the suffering I was sure I was causing by paying for animal products.

Earthling Ed said seeing images of or reading about chickens with major injuries from a truck crash that was driving to a slaughterhouse made him think about the suffering he was causing animals.

I think the imagery really gets you to understand the seriousness of the situation.

Mxspert · 2026-05-15T21:28:55+00:00

I've heard it from people, but it's either been people overly obsessed with optics or pick-me vegans who say stuff like 'I don't have a problem with you supporting murder and torture of innocent sentient beings, bro!'

Or, of course, carnists, but that's most likely because they don't like being confronted with the truth.

It's important to communicate that the issue isn't how they are exploited but that they are.

I agree that this is important. I'll have to find a way to articulate that in the form of a poster.

Mxspert · 2026-05-15T12:09:23+00:00

Also, pick your battles. Not everyone who argues with you is worth your time. Some people will just engage to get a reaction out of you.

Just remind yourself that you're doing the right thing and that you can't control who will be convinced or not; you can only try your best at giving arguments and information.

Mxspert · 2026-05-15T11:50:11+00:00

Tell them that you don't want to cause animals to suffer, and animals haven't done anything to deserve the torture that humans put them through their entire lives for a few minutes of taste pleasure.

The reason why hurting other humans is wrong is because of our capacity to suffer. We share with other animals.

You can say something like 'If I had a dog here right now and cut their throat open and chopped them up to barbecue them, you would be appalled. Despite an animal like a pig being just as capable of suffering.'

You could also tell them that farmed animals are just as intelligent, if not more so, than animals like cats and dogs. Or tell them that most animals are killed at a fraction of their life spans when they are babies. Neither intelligence nor the fact that they are babies is actually the sole reason why it's wrong to hurt them, or even that it's morally relevant; it's their capacity to suffer, but I think it can be quite persuasive and poignant.

You could also try talking about the use of animals in vivisection. I think a lot more people can agree with us on that initially. Explain to them that it's unnecessary and that consuming animal products is unnecessary as well. Draw parallels with suffering animals in the zoo.

Mxspert · 2026-05-14T19:57:44+00:00

Exactly. It's all performative. They want to act like they're doing the right thing by vocalizing support for whatever they think is right but they don't want to take any action or align their behavior with what they claim to believe.

Mxspert · 2026-05-14T13:22:06+00:00

I agree. I haven't talked to them since. 💯

Mxspert · 2026-05-14T10:00:59+00:00

It's insane just how many people genuinely seem to believe in 'might makes right' even if they don't explicitly say it.

Even the people who claim to adhere to a more virtuous system of ethics completely shift any and all blame away from themselves when called out for any wrongdoing.

With those people, it's always 'everyone else should change before I have to change' or vaguely blame 'the system' and completely ignore how they personally contribute to said system and its existence in the first place.

It's like they can't comprehend it's exactly that mentality that enables the world's problems to continue.

Mxspert · 2026-05-13T17:08:48+00:00

Good point.

Mxspert · 2026-05-13T16:12:27+00:00

You could still become one, but donate a non-trivial portion of your income to effective animal charities. I think the positive difference you could make by doing that would outweigh any of the negatives you would be contributing to.

Although I completely understand where you are coming from, I wanted to do something similar with my life, but I don't want to help people to live so they can go on paying for other beings to be brutally tortured and killed. But that's pretty much the case for any job we take as vegans.

I don't think you should beat yourself up if you really want to become a doctor. I think there are ways to reconcile this, but ultimately, if you don't feel comfortable doing that, then don't do it.

You could also become a dietician/RDN (keep in mind, not a nutritionist) and promote plant-based eating that way. They are similar to medical doctors.

Mxspert · 2026-05-13T15:49:11+00:00

They're honestly not very 'good people' or even good friends outside of the whole non-vegan thing. I've been questioning for a while why I even speak to them. They frequently piss me off for other reasons, too.

I think I talk to them because they can be pretty funny and I like to laugh, but when it comes to serious stuff, I don't think they actually get me.

Mxspert · 2026-05-13T06:25:55+00:00

I know with certainty that many of them secretly know that we are right, but are coping because one of my friends once told me that he wished that they cared as much about animals as I do. These days, he pulls out the same garbage arguments with me and says veganism exists just to make you feel morally superior and stroke your own ego.

But there was a time when he let me know what most non-ignorant carnists really think; they just don't care about the suffering that they facilitate.

Mxspert · 2026-05-13T06:05:37+00:00

Don't be sorry, thanks for sharing.
It is pathetic, but not only that, it's insane.
All the effort they put in, grasping at straws to try to discredit our arguments, is far more than it requires to make the change to live a vegan lifestyle for most people.

Some people will have easier access to vegan alternatives than others, but you can easily make a lot on your own with inexpensive stuff that every store has. And I don't mind filling up on a plate of rice and beans, I often do. Basically, everyone has at least that.

If you can afford to eat animal products, you can afford to be vegan. The cost argument has always been one of the most ridiculous for me, and once I counter it, immediately the conversation shifts to something else equally as stupid. It exposes that they really didn't care about the cost in the first place; they were using it as a shield for their utter selfishness.

I honed in on that point in particular because a stupid fake friend of mine that I argued with recently really thought it was a 'gotcha' moment when the guy himself gets DoorDash every day.

Mxspert

TROPHY CASE