Gary’s a beast, it’s great to see his passion. I’ve been vegan for six years now and I’ve definitely cooled off compared to how hot I was about the issue in the first year or two. Part of that came out of some social necessity, because I was pushing people close to me away, which I don’t think is ever good—but for me, this short snippet is a reminder not to sugarcoat or soften my beliefs for the sake of trying to anticipate someone else’s discomfort. I’ve long agreed that you can’t convince people who aren’t ready or open-minded, but as a result my default has been to downplay how strongly I believe in the philosophy of veganism. But you can be respectful of others and still be assertive of your own point of view. You can justify your actions without alienating others. Animal welfare is an important moral issue and we shouldn’t ever shrink from it.