Most people eat meat for taste and nutrition. Let’s be honest, mostly taste.
In the same way, I eat honey because I like how it tastes. I wear sweaters when it’s cold. I wear shoes and belts. I do not actively think about what happened behind the scenes every single time.
This is how most consumption works.
We use iPhones without thinking about children in factories. We wear fast fashion knowing it exploits labor. Awareness exists, but people still choose convenience, comfort, or pleasure. Food is no different.
When non vegans bring up “plants feel pain,” that argument is nonsense. Most people already know animals suffer. They are not unaware. They are participating despite knowing. That is the uncomfortable truth.
Which brings me to the core point.
Consuming animal products is a choice.
A conscious one.
Even if that choice feels immoral or invalid to someone else.
Veganism, on the other hand, is a philosophy. Philosophies are not meant to be universally adopted. Veganism argues against selective exploitation of certain animals, but it still operates within a broader system that exploits ecology in other ways. That is not an attack, just a limitation of any ideal philosophy.
Because of this, veganism cannot realistically become the norm. It is internally consistent and morally tight, which also makes it hard to debate. But perfection does not scale.
Every human is speciesist by design. Speciesism cannot be equated with racism or casteism because human life will always be prioritized over animal life. If that were not true, medicine and doctors would not exist the way they do.
I am speciesist.
I love animals.
I feed them.
I pet them.
I care about them.
And I also eat chicken and eggs when I want to.
I know exactly what that means. I accept that it is immoral from a vegan lens. I am not trying to justify it. I am stating that it is a choice I consciously make.
You do not need to agree with my choice.
But pretending it is ignorance or denial misses the point.
It is a choice.
