Thanks, Steph. I was also vegetarian before vegan, and have been vegan for many years now. My thinking about it has gone up and down and all around over the years, but I have finally settled on the idea that it's about respect more than kindness. Just like I wouldn't call it kind to try not to discriminate against other groups of humans, I don't think that refusing to participate in animal abuse should be seen as kind, which almost implies something extra. I think it should just be the norm, the moral baseline.

I realize, though, that this is in some ways a "cold" approach, and that it can be effective to use the word kind, because it ties into the way most people want to see themselves. However you phrase it, I hope you will consider talking about it again. Even though most people don't want to listen, it doesn't mean the message isn't affecting them. A lot of the people I talk to who eventually went vegan said it wasn't any one thing that made them vegan; it was after many different things from many different sources that it finally all came together for them.