We have this reputation solely because people feel threatened and offended when you tell them that you refuse to eat animal products.

Not even close to true. If you tell me in the same way that I'd tell you my dietary preference, I wouldn't mind at all. I'm not in the business of telling other people what to eat or not eat and as long as you extend me the same courtesy, we should get along just fine.

It's only when you go out of your way to shame people into agreement like the comment I first replied to that I have any problem with vegans.

They suddenly start being confrontational and refuse to listen to your reasoning.

Yeah, weird how people will confront you about it when you're being needlessly aggressive and judgmental and not feel like listen to THAT kind of reasoning 🙄

It's like arguing with little children who plug their ears and sing while you're trying to explain that 30% of the reason we're in a climate crisis is their overconsumption of animal products, derived from creatures capable of emotion, able to see, hear, and smell not unlike you and me.

It's like arguing with a holier than thou arrogant person that insists that anyone who doesn't live their lives like them are wilfully ignorant children. Funny how most of us frightfully ignorant meat-eaters aren't very receptive when being treated that way.

And those conversations do not come up unsolicited but provoked by meat eaters asking "but why would you do that to yourself?"

Not true. In this specific case, nobody asked. A very openended asklemmy prompt is NOT the equivalent of your strawman

But maybe I'm being overly dramatic and preachy

Yeah, you very much are, especially the latter.

If I didn't completely kill your interest in the topic, check out Ed Winters on YouTube.

I already know a lot about the topic and yeah, anyone recommended after such arrogant tirades is not someone I'd be likely to check out.

If his approach is anything like yours, I expect he'll be showing me gruesome slaughterhouse footage and calling me an evil ignoramus within the first minute of every video.