It's been rough. But at my weakest moment, a voice in my head reminded me, "You can't give in or internet communists will call you a cheesebreather." I would like to specifically thank @Angel@hexbear.net as well as anyone else who I might have seen throwing it around for keeping me honest.
My friends did pick up breadsticks for me which helped because it's basically the same kind of slop but without the cruelty.
I'm usually eating on my own where I never struggle with controlling my diet, but those social situations when it's free and I'm the only vegan in the room can be super challenging. But I know if I'd made an exception I'd feel guilty later and it would make it harder to assert in the future. Now I really need to reward myself and splurge on like the best vegan pizza I can find.
Pic of cow as a rememinder of what it's all about
I get where you're coming from, but veganism does handle a hefty shift in mindset. Most of us were raised and taught to believe that animal flesh and secretions are food. Though one can logically acknowledge that using such a descriptor of "food" for animal products is carnistic and therefore bad in mentality, they can still be struggling to completely move past that mentality even with that level of self-awareness. These are not mutually exclusive.
Of course, I'm not saying to promote apologism, but definitely acknowledge the difference between someone struggling to accept the premise of veganism, i.e., believing that humans should not exploit animals, and them going through a phase where they are slowly but surely aligning their mindset with such a premise as pieces start to come together.
The discrepancy between how correct veganism is and how much society pushes against it can really create the most absurd kinds of cognitive dissonance, I'd say.
It's not that deep I was literally just responding in the same vein as what OP in her first paragraph explicitly said was helpful, amazing how I got 3 different comments acting like I was being an asshole including the one from op lmao
Ah, I didn't even realize. I guess the fact that you can't really sniff out tone through online text sometimes hinders that ability.
I know you're very unapologetic (and that's based as fuck), but you know, I didn't wanna call you an asshole. I just wanted you to have a bit more empathy, even if it's with someone who has a carnistic mentality.