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You may have heard some variation of the joke[br]"how do you know someone's vegan?

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Don't worry, they'll tell you!"

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Ironically, this joke captures one of the[br]reasons many—if not most—vegans actually

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won't tell you they're vegan.

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In this video we're not only going to look[br]into some of the reasons vegans hide their

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veganism, but also how this self-silencing—and[br]its causes—harms all of us—vegan or not.

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But the solution may not be what you expect.

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Essentially, we need to evolve towards a world

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without vegans.

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(I promise I’ll explain that…)

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Hi, it's Emily from BiteSizeVegan.org, where[br]you can find the article for this video with

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my sources and more information.

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While the first few sections of we'll cover[br]may sound like a commercial for why you should

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never consider moving away from eating animals,[br]there is evidence things may be changing.

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But before we can speak to the solutions and[br]signs of hope, we need to understand the fear

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that disclosure their veganism holds for many vegans.

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Research shows that negativity toward vegans[br]is not only widespread but also "largely accepted"

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and not seen as a societal problem, unlike other forms of bias.

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So, while vegans face bias and even outright[br]hate like other stigmatized groups, their

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experience is compounded by the fact that[br]hating on vegans is generally acceptable—even

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socially encouraged.

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Documentary filmmaker Kelly Guerin's experience[br]of "coming out vegan" was so jarring that

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she focused her Honors Thesis in Anthropology[br]on better understanding the source of the

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aggression she encountered:

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She said: “I expected my friends and family would[br]mock me as they had...when I became vegetarian.

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What I did not expect was the hostility I[br]faced and the almost daily confrontations

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in which I found myself forced to engage.

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I was called “freak”, “naïve”, and[br]was even told by one roommate

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“you should just do the world a favor and kill yourself”.

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Shockingly, an old friend who had recently[br]turned vegan confided that he found it much

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harder emotionally to tell people he was a[br]vegan than it was to come out as a homosexual

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in a conservative middle school."

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In my video and article "The Science of Why[br]People Hate Vegans," I explore what research—including

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Guerin's thesis—has to say about what motivates[br]these kinds of responses.

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I won't reiterate that entire video here,[br]but one of the key takeaways is that when

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we take the time to understand the defenses[br]behind such negativity toward vegans, we can

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see that they primarily arise from a place[br]of personal distress rather than intentional cruelty.

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At the same time, understanding the source[br]of negativity or aggression doesn't always

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make being on the receiving end of it any less distressing.

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Nor does it make that negativity acceptable.

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While it's helpful for us to lower our own[br]defenses in order to have more effective interactions

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with people, it's equally important that we[br]validate how painful, isolating, infuriating,

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and challenging it can be to be openly vegan in this world.

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In understanding all sides, we start to see[br]the common threads of humanity

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that run throughout our discord.

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As we’ve discussed, one of the most common[br]reasons vegans self-silence is to avoid stigma

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and stereotypes.

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Essentially, vegans desire what most of us[br]desire: to be judged for who we are rather

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than who people think we are.

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Studies show that the most prominent negative[br]perception of vegans is that they're judgmental,

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self-righteous, and arrogant.

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Some people have had interactions with vegans[br]where they felt judged or attacked—and,

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let’s be honest, they very well may have been.

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At the same time, research shows that even[br]the gentlest message from a vegan is often

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received as aggressive, and even just the[br]mention of a vegan can put people on guard.

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People often anticipate being judged by vegans,[br]which raises their defenses—and vegans anticipate

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being seen as judgemental, raising their defences as well.

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Essentially, vegans can be prejudged as judgmental[br]out of the fear of being judged.

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If they have to disclose their veganism, vegans[br]are put in the precarious position of trying

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to preemptively defend themselves from the[br]assumption they're judgmental while not coming

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across as judgmental in their defense.

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Vegans may “soften” their veganism to[br]avoid conflict, being stereotyped, and/or

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to make sure those around them don’t feel judged.

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As one study participant put it, "I have to[br]defend myself and protect them at the same

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time," speaking to the dual burden of “feel[ing][br]responsible for making others feel comfortable

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around her while at the same time…protecting[br]herself from verbal attacks.”

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Many veg*ns feel they must also "balance the[br]tension between staying true to their...beliefs...and

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fitting in socially," emphasising that they[br]are proud of who they are and what they believe in.

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For some vegans, self-silencing is not so[br]much about fitting in socially as it is the

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exhaustive demands of explaining themselves,[br]which we'll explore soon in a dedicated

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(and, frankly, cathartic section).

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Understandably, many vegans just avoid opening[br]the door in the first place.

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Ironically, the self-silencing of vegans may[br]actually reinforce some of the very stigmas

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and stereotypes they are trying to avoid.

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After all, no one can experience a vegan positively[br]when they don't know they're vegan in the

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first place.

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You may have had many positively delightful[br]interactions with vegans and have absolutely no idea!

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This is why some vegans take the approach[br]of letting people get to know them first before

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disclosing that they're vegan.

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But this isn't always possible and—for some[br]of us—it's the people who know us best that

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have the most painful reactions.

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Another reason vegans self-silence is due to the fear of being[br]rejected, mocked, or dismissed.

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For many vegans, this fear comes from real-life painful experiences.

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Rejection is something we humans take extreme measures to avoid.

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The pain of rejection is significantly magnified[br]when it's in response to a core aspect of

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our identity or a firmly held core value.

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This adds an additional layer for vegans motivated[br]by ethical concerns for other animals,

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the environment, human rights, and/or societal health.

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Mockery and dismissal of their veganism feels[br]not only like a rejection of who they are,

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but also like mockery and dismissal of the[br]very real suffering and exploitation of other

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animals and humans alike, and of pressing[br]issues like the climate crisis.

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Perhaps the most devastating magnifier of[br]rejection is when it comes from a central

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figure in our life—especially from within our family of origin.

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Nothing hits us quite like family does.

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Disclosing veganism is often unavoidable with[br]family, and when that disclosure is met with negativity,

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it often leads vegans to be vigilant[br]about not disclosing their veganism to other

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people, or even returning to eating animals.

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Now that we've covered some of the complex[br]pressures behind vegan self-silencing with

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the sincerity and compassion they deserve,[br]let's take a moment to acknowledge a unifying

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thread running throughout them all: [br]the fact that frankly, being openly vegan is exhausting.

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This is a point that anyone can relate to on some level—vegan or not.

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One of the reasons people can be uncomfortable[br]around vegans is that they feel they have

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to defend themselves.

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Well, for anyone openly vegan, this is a default[br]expectation at all times—and, it's just

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the tip of the iceberg.

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Imagine having to:

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always be prepared to explain and defend every[br]aspect of veganism, and also

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answer for every action of every vegan as[br]if you are somehow responsible for whatever

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some vegan somewhere did, and also[br]have data and statistics for every potential

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question, and also make sure your responses don't come across

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as judgmental or combative—even if you were[br]approached with aggression, and even if you're

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being actively judged and preached to while[br]being accused of being judgmental and preachy,

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and also make sure that your responses are suited to

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the exact individual and situation you're in, and also

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preserve the relationship if with a friend,[br]family member, work colleague, or boss, and also

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try not to bring in any emotional intensity

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from your previous experiences of being rejected,[br]mocked, insulted, and disparaged for being

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vegan, and also make sure not to reflect badly on all other

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vegans and veganism itself, and also[br]try not to betray your own convictions, the

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animals, the planet, or all of society, and also

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do all of this with the knowledge that by[br]answering questions posed to you, you may

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be accused of "talking about veganism all the time."

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Being openly vegan can feel like having to[br]be a sociologist, psychologist, and walking

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encyclopedia with expert "skills in emotional[br]and social negotiation" and infinite patience

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and compassion.

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Honestly, sometimes you just want to be a[br]person around other people.

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Now again, this may sound like a commercial[br]for why you should never consider going vegan

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or moving away from eating animals, but there[br]is evidence that things may be changing.

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But before we get to that note of hope, let’s[br]look at how vegan self-silencing

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—and its causes—actually harm all of us.

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As I've hinted at throughout this video, the[br]pressures motivating vegans to self-silence—and

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the act of self-silencing itself—have a[br]larger-scale impact than just individual vegans.

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We as a society are becoming increasingly[br]concerned about climate change, workers' rights,

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dangers to our community's health, food insecurity,[br]and what happens to animals in our food system.

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The need for a societal evolution away from[br]eating animals is becoming more and more evident

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for the well-being of our planet, our communities,[br]and of course, the animals themselves.

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At the same time, we humans are social animals,[br]and we often look to what most other people

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are doing to aid in our decision-making.

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And most people are still eating animals.

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So even if we feel discomfort about what animals[br]go through to get to our plate or we're concerned

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about the climate, it doesn't look like other people are that worried.

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Researchers behind the delightfully named[br]study ""How do you know someone’s vegan?”

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They won’t always tell you” propose that[br]vegan self-silencing could reinforce this

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perception that not eating animals is some[br]"niche phenomenon" only adopted by a few people

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on the fringe of society.

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While it may seem like a small matter for[br]individual vegans to stay silent about their

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veganism, the study authors reference how[br]"[s]eemingly trivial differences in the number

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of people that hold a certain personal preference[br]within smaller groups can, in the long run,

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result in macro-level consequences for entire societies."

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From this viewpoint, "[t]he tendency to self-silence[br]among veg*ans may prevent the onset of momentum

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and[…]critical mass that is needed to achieve[br]a societal tipping point."

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At the same time, simply asking vegans to[br]be more vocal about their veganism places

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them in the Catch-22 of eliciting the very[br]stigma we’ve covered.

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The problem isn’t so much vegan self-silencing,[br]but rather the reasons driving that silence.

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As we've learned in this video, going against[br]social norms can have social consequences.

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Research shows that the fear of receiving[br]the same treatment as vegans prevents other

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people from taking steps to move away from[br]eating animals.

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Steps they’d be open to exploring were it[br]not for the potential social backlash.

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This may seem like an impossible gridlock[br]of necessary yet understandably resisted change.

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But there is evidence things may be shifting.

0:11:00.780,0:11:04.600
Researchers, advocates, political leaders,[br]and organizations are becoming aware of the

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importance of institutional support for a[br]societal evolution away from farming animals.

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A shift in our collective relationship with[br]eating animals has to involve more than us

0:11:14.639,0:11:19.130
as individuals, and there are organizations[br]working at a systemic level in an effort that

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none of us have to shoulder this alone.

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For example, some universities, hospitals,[br]schools, governmental bodies, businesses,

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and even fast-food chains serve plant-based[br]food as their default, with the option to

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"opt-in" to animal-based food.

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These programs have shown a significant decrease[br]in animal food consumption, and changing attitudes

0:11:37.040,0:11:38.079
about plant-based foods.

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They’ve found that when not eating animals[br]is the norm rather than the deviation, people—including

0:11:43.540,0:11:47.000
meat-eaters—are more likely to enjoy eating plant-based meals.

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In essence, rather than moving towards a world[br]where everyone is vegan, we need to move to

0:11:52.720,0:11:59.010
a world without vegans at all—where not[br]eating animals is simply our default.

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Where we can all collectively act on our shared[br]values without fear of going it alone.

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On an individual level, the less we stigmatize[br]and stereotype vegans—or anyone's effort

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to move away from eating animals—the more[br]welcome people will feel to be open about

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their choices.

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And the more we see other people acting on[br]the things we also care about, the more welcome

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we can feel to make our own changes.

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I would love to hear your thoughts on this[br]topic in the comments.

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0:12:31.230,0:12:34.420
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0:12:34.420,0:12:36.230
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